ADRA "Women in Post Conflict Situations" Radio Project Begins
This past month has seen the beginning of a new project for ADRA Rwanda, entitled “Women in Post-Conflict Situations.” Funded by ADRA I, DANIDA (through ADRA Denmark) and ADRA Rwanda, the program is built around a radio program targeting women affected by conflict in the Great Lakes region.
Called “a major step towards responsible media in Rwanda” by the New Times of Kigali, the program plans to produce 45 or more programs in each of the three countries, for a total of 115 or more programs over the course of the next two years.
The area to be covered is the three countries of Rwanda, Burundi, and the Eastern DRC, and the “activities” are a series of 45 plus radio programs in each of the three countries, with a hundred or more listening groups organized around the programs. The target areas of Rwanda are Nyagatare district and Kibuye. Furthermore, in Rwanda the project is receiving assistance from the National Youth Council, the Ministry of Youth and the Ministry of Health.
The program, lead by Patrick Mphaka, was designed with a regional approach due to the vast similarity of experiences that women in post-conflict situations share in Burundi, Eastern DRC and Rwanda. Evelyn Wilson gives more of the project’s context: “Realizing the common stories of trauma that many women in this region share, the project intends to provide an outlet for women to tell their stories of survival in order to bring hope to other traumatized women across this region.”
In order to share these stories of survival, and to share the experiences of women who have overcome this trauma, sixteen listener committees will be established to identify and collect stories which can be used in the productions, as well as contribute program ideas and suggestions. They will be further assisted by over 300 community groups who will be both major beneficiaries of the program and also contributors.
In light of the level of community involvement anticipated, Evelyn Wilson describes the program as “a forum provided by ADRA to women.” By sharing their stories through the medium of radio, women of the region will be able to better “understand their role in conflict prevention and resolution and in peace building and reconciliation processes.”
Look for more about this project as the year progresses.
Dale McCreery
ADRA Rwanda PR department 2008
