The Zambian chapter also conducted strategic planning training sessions for 15 participating community radio stations. This resulted in the community radio stations producing strategic plans to guide their operations for the next three years. In the process, the staff looked at how the stations’ role as a development medium could be enhanced. In the medium- to long-term, the strategic planning training is expected to improve the sustainability of community radio stations, many of which collapse after donor seed money is exhausted. It is MISA’s intention to replicate best practices from the Zambian experience in the region’s other community radio stations, which grapple with sustainability issues. During this financial year, MISA Zambia also conducted a comprehensive audience survey involving 15 community radio stations across Zambia. The objective was to gain more insight into the environment in which they operate, to understand how communities perceive and respond to these stations, and to isolate factors that could enhance the relevance of these radio stations within their communities. Again, these efforts are aimed at improving sustainability, as there is evidence that community radio stations are better able to survive if they have relevant programming and the support of the community. In April 2008, MISA Zambia appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on Information and Broadcasting to brief members of parliament (MPs) on the role of community broadcasting and how and why it should be funded. This gave impetus to the government deciding to fund community media institutions through the establishment of the Media Development Fund. Guidelines are being established and MISA Zambia is participating in this process. Funding community radio stations in this manner will go a long way to ensuring their survival and contribution to local communities. In Zimbabwe, the MISA chapter continued to support the establishment of community radio stations by hiring a consultant to develop a strategic plan for each of the radio initiatives. MISA Zimbabwe supported seven initiatives by printing publicity materials, T-shirts, posters and training manuals. A national meeting of the Zimbabwe Association of Community Radio Stations (ZACRAS) was held to review activities within the movement and identify strategies to advocate for the licensing of community radio in the new dispensation. Eight of the nine initiatives carried out strategic planning meetings that reviewed their objectives and developed a plan of action to guide their campaigns. One of the initiatives, Radio Dialogue, is now broadcasting via short wave from a location outside Zimbabwe as the station does not have a licence to broadcast internally. Under the ICTs stream, MISA Zimbabwe assisted community radio initiatives to establish blog sites. To promote these initiatives, links to these sites were put up on the MISA Zimbabwe website. MISA Zimbabwe’s resource centre was upgraded with the installation of a wireless network and the acquisition of better computers with editing software, thus providing the chapter’s members, especially, with better access to ICTs. The advocacy work around community broadcasting in Zimbabwe, as well as support to community radio initiatives, has led to the community radio movement becoming a recognised media stakeholder. Input from the community radio sector was included in the overall media strategy of the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ). Annual Report 2009 25