Radio Victoria, a community radio station in the department of Cabañas, El Salvador. They have been committed to broadcasting on crucial issues for the local community such as social justice and environmental concerns such as mining. Unfortunately, there have been threats made to many staff members, mainly journalists, of Radio Victoria. They started after the murders of two anti-mining environmentalists, Gustavo Rivera in June 2009 and legal representative of the Non Government Organization (NGO) Cabañas Environment Committee in Dec 2009. However, according to Radio Victoria's coordinator, Oscar Beltran, the threats started since after the elections of 2006, when they would receive threats at the radio station implicating they should not continue broadcasting or else. Families of those part of the committee are also receiving threats and some have already been carried out. Although, Radio Victoria's staff members are in danger, they continue speak out against social injustice and other communal concerns affecting the population of El Salvador.
While we were there, we were all given the opportunity to talk live on the radio and publicly thank our host families for their hospitality as well as wish our host mothers and all the mothers in El Salvador, a Happy Mother's Day (May 10th). We all hope our host families were listening. Radio Victoria is doing a wonderful job of making the community members aware of the pressing issues, and most of all giving them all a voice to be able to share their thoughts and concerns regarding important issues that affect their lives daily.
Kayla and I on the radio-LIVE!
The Studio
Alcoholics Anonymous group in the city of Victoria
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