Development Through Radio - Southern Africa

This programme recognises and utilises the potential power of the media in helping to advance the aspirations and rights of women. The process of the programme was planned and continues to be developed in close collaboration with rural women. Groups also meet once-a-week for income generating activities such as bread-maiking, chicken rearing, sewing and forestry.

Giving a voice to disadvantaged women, women's rights.

The Federation of African Media Women began by organising meetings among women in rural areas to determine enthusiasm for involving radio broadcast in solving issues of concern to the women. As a result of these meetings, the rural women chose leaders, and then these leaders gathered in central locations for both technical instruction and training in running group meetings and basic interview techniques. When the leaders returned to their communities, they began running group meetings in which women in the community listen to live radio broadcasts featuring the work of one of the groups, discuss the issues of most concern to their group, then record their own radio programme (an interview or group discussion). Project coordinators collect these radio programmes and seek responses to the questions raised by the communities. The programmes are then broadcast over live radio and the cycle begins again.