Ghamai

As part of the informational programme, Dr. Noorulhaq Yousafzai, head of Indira Ghandi Children's Hospital in Kabul, answers questions from listeners on a weekly basis. "In rural areas, access to health professionals is limited and for cultural reasons some women in Afghanistan can't leave their house", says the show's presenter, Shabana Mohammadzai. Sadiqa, a housewife from Ghazni province, called in for health advice after gaining permission from her brother to use his phone. "I have a sore throat but my family won't let me go to the doctor...when I heard your programme I became hopeful that I would receive...information about treatment."

Interviews are another component of Ghamai. For example, 24-year-old Sabri Andar, who uses a wheelchair after suffering from polio as a child, told her story on air. She is an adviser for Afghanistan's Ministry of Education and leads the country's National Youth Parliament. The producers hope Sabri's personal story will inspire other people with disabilities; it also allows the show's presenters to talk about how polio is transmitted and how people can prevent it through vaccinations. "When I was a child, war forced my family to flee. I was vaccinated against polio but it was already too late," she said. "I want to be a symbol for people with disabilities that no matter the challenge, nothing is impossible."

To ensure the health and vaccination information is relevant locally, BBC Media Action provides editorial and technical training and mentoring to local radio partners to support them to produce health-related radio content. Four FM local radio stations receiving editorial and technical training from BBC Media Action. One of them is Radio Nargis, an all-women-run radio station in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province. Broadcasting from two tiny studios, Radio Nargis was founded in 2007 to provide guidance to women on their day-to-day affairs. In addition to broadcasting daily programmes on news, health, and women's rights, the station rebroadcasts Ghamai so it can reach local listeners. Laila, a 20-year-old producer and presenter, said that the training has so far helped her produce four programmes to help women prevent child polio, malnutrition, and diarrhoea.

Children, Health, Immunisation and Vaccines, Nutrition, Women

According to BBC Media Action, conflict, sparse health services, and common myths - e.g., that vaccinations aren't halal or can cause infertility – have all contributed to Afghanistan remaining one of the few remaining polio-endemic countries. Less than half of children aged 12 to 23 months are fully immunised, and 13% of children are not immunised at all, according to Denise Shepherd-Johnson, who heads up communications for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Afghanistan. "One of the ways to make sure parents are aware that the vaccination is safe, effective and free...is via radio."