In 2017, Fondation Hirondelle started a human rights media programme "Doh Athan" (Our Voices) in partnership with Frontier Myanmar, a Burmese online news magazine. Doh Athan is a programme of podcasts and videos in Burmese and English. Its aim is to amplify the voices of marginalised communities in the media, particularly those from areas affected by ethnic and inter-community conflict. Through Doh Athan, we share the stories of ordinary people who suffer human rights abuses in Myanmar. Since the military coup in February 2021, these violations have increased exponentially.

The programme also looks at the lives of thousands of Burmese who have fled the junta's repression and taken refuge on the Thai border. Doh Athan is produced by Frontier's team of journalists - partly based in Thailand following the coup - as well as reporters and media partners from different states, regions and ethnic groups in Myanmar. They receive ad hoc training and ongoing mentoring support from Fondation Hirondelle.

The programmes are broadcast on the social networks and platforms of Doh Athan, Frontier and our partner media, as well as via Voice of America and its shortwave channels.

• Equipe Doh Athan au travail dans le studio à Yangon. © Lam Duc Hien Equipe Doh Athan au travail dans le studio à Yangon. © Lam Duc Hien
• Pendant la formation de journalistes à Hpa-An. © Lam Duc Hien Pendant la formation de journalistes à Hpa-An. © Lam Duc Hien
• Pendant la formation de journalistes à Hpa-An. © Lam Duc Hien Pendant la formation de journalistes à Hpa-An. © Lam Duc Hien
• Formation de journalistes et officiels au Parlement birman, Naypyidaw, octobre 2016 © Fondation Hirondelle / Thierry Falise Formation de journalistes et officiels au Parlement birman, Naypyidaw, octobre 2016 © Fondation Hirondelle / Thierry Falise
• Formation de représentants de l’ethnie Mon, Myanmar, Mars 2017 © Fondation Hirondelle / Anne Bennett Formation de représentants de l’ethnie Mon, Myanmar, Mars 2017 © Fondation Hirondelle / Anne Bennett
• Formation au Parlement birman, Naypyidaw, Septembre 2016 © Fondation Hirondelle / Thierry Falise Formation au Parlement birman, Naypyidaw, Septembre 2016 © Fondation Hirondelle / Thierry Falise
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In June 2023, the Doh Athan team launched a new podcast, 'Doh Athan Doh Talk', an online podcast featuring experts, academics and activists. Its aim is to provide audiences with balanced debates on important issues, with in-depth analysis of human rights issues in Myanmar and to address issues or areas that are not sufficiently covered by the Myanmar media.

Fondation Hirondelle supports Doh Athan through financial and technical support, the presence of a senior editorial adviser and ongoing training and coaching.

Previously, Fondation Hirondelle worked with the Hluttaw (Parliament of the Union of Myanmar) between 2016 and 2018 to improve media coverage of legislative processes. During this period, we conducted several rounds of participatory workshops and coaching with parliamentary press staff, journalists from private and public media covering parliament, and members of parliament. Fondation Hirondelle also worked with non-state actors involved in the country's peace process, including representatives of 11 ethnic groups. From 2016 to 2017, workshops were organised, bringing together 36 participants from these organisations. They addressed issues related to public access to information about the peace process and how to diversify viewpoints in national media coverage.

Testimonies

"Doh Athan brings to light things that people don't know about or don't talk about much. It's a positive approach."

"My perception has changed. For a long time I thought that the genocide of the Rohingya by the army never happened, that it was a lie. I believed what 'our mother'  [Aung San Suu Kyi] and the NLD  were telling us, that it was an exaggeration by the international community. Then, when I started listening to Doh Athan, I felt uncomfortable because the stories made me think. Then, after the coup in 2021, I realised that violence against civilians was a reality throughout Myanmar. I said to myself: if it's true, why shouldn't it be true for the Rohingya in Rakhine State? It was listening to Doh Athan that I began to doubt what our mother and the NLD were saying."

The two testimonials come from a study of the Doh-Athan audience carried out by an independent external consultant in November 2022 for Fondation Hirondelle. These testimonials have been translated from Burmese into English and French.

For more information: Julie Godignon, Program manager, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.