Zaatari Radio broadcasts on 97.3FM from Acting for Change International’s school in Zaatari Village. Located roughly two kilometres from UNHCR-run Zaatari Refugee Camp, the population of Zaatari Village has more than doubled since the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, with the influx of thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing conflict nearby. It is estimated that over 15,000 Syrian refugees now live in Zaatari Village. Unlike the camp where many large organisations have operations, Zaatari Village acts as an informal refugee camp and is unsupported by larger NGOs on any permanent basis. However, working alongside Acting For Change we are able to support the education of Syrian refugees living in Zaatari Village through radio-based workshops that also offer wider life skills and a creative output.

The founder of Acting for Change Kotaiba Alabdullah highlights how the school provides education and psychological support for children who have experienced war and are marginalised within Jordanian society. Working alongside these commitments, Zaatari Radio supports remedial education as a learning tool whilst also focusing on creativity and play as a means of psychological support. We work with children to host radio shows in English and Arabic from news, music, sports and story-telling. Alongside radio broadcasts, our workshops explore upcycling, music, health, sport, photography and art. We have hosted exhibitions, commentary of sporting events, and worked alongside prominent Jordanian radio broadcasters and podcasters - opportunities the children would otherwise would not have living as refugees in Zaatari Village.