Our two Main metrics are audience appreciation and broadcast reach.

Media Matters for Women connects rural women and girls in Africa with a broadcast journalist who speaks their language and reports regularly on issues important to their lives.

Without access to information and dialogue, women are unaware of their rights and entitlements, and cannot take effective action to challenge injustice and improve their lives.

We began almost a decade ago and are a registered charity in Sierra Leone and the UK and a registered 501(c)3 non-profit in the U.S. Our concept was developed and refined over five years of pilot testing by a small group of African media development practitioners working together with a large international advisory board interested in women’s rights in development.

Our innovative communication networks are proving that the dissemination of reliable information in multiple languages can play a vital role in transforming women’s lives.

Our Strengths

• Knowledge of Sierra Leone and DRC media landscapes 
• Proven crisis experience – EBOLA and COVID-19 
• Significant uptake by community leaders
• Trusted by listeners
• Proven effective results in improving lives 
• Ability to inform and influence
• Top female journalists 
• Trained team
• Cost-effective 
• Electronic-viral approach tailored to rural listeners lacking access to wifi or the internet
• “Last mile” reach 
• Scalable

What Defines Success for us?

Our two main metrics are audience appreciation and broadcast reach.

Over the last six months of 2019, over 28,000 rural listeners attended our Listening Centres in Sierra Leone with month-on-month growth in every region. In addition, our podcasts were broadcast to over 55,000 listeners via national and community radio stations.  Engagement among our listeners was high, resulting in more girls at school, improved understanding of health issues, and fewer teen pregnancies.  

In the first quarter of Covid-19 epidemic in 2020 the we had to abandon our approach of encouraging public gatherings at our Listening Centres.  We pivoted quickly to distributing our podcasts through Youth Advocates and Town Criers with astonishing results:  in just three months we had 115,000+ direct listeners in rural areas, with 40% men. MMW is now the de facto news and entertainment source for many communities.  Men, women and children are coming out to listen to MMW’s daily podcasts and our flagship drama series “Mamie & Omo” is considered by many to be the “entertainment of the day.”  

• Pilot-proven in Sierra Leone & Democratic Republic of Congo. 
• Now covering all 5 provinces of Sierra Leone
• Product variety: drama, in-depth reporting, public service announcements 
• Archive of +650 podcasts
• In-country experienced professional teams
• Good governance and management best practices in place 
• Pro-active International Advisory Board