OUR PROJECTS
Media Matters for Women is in a unique position to develop and implement projects that meet the needs of rural women and girls. Our decade of reliable news and information sharing has led to trust-based relationships with local community leaders, and our communication channels are in place to reach rural women and girls.
Current Projects
Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR)
MMW has used its established network to provide critical information on SRHR to women and girls in rural areas. These last mile villages are steeped in conservative tribal culture and lack basic communications, healthcare, and other resources; conversations on SRHR are virtually non-existent and often rejected by communities. MMW is now seeing numerous examples of listeners taking steps to protect themselves against gender-based violence, improve their physical and maternal health, seek treatment to remedy potentially fatal birthing conditions, and return to school.
Sexual and Gender Based Violence Response
Throughout MMW’s history, we have campaigned against and raised awareness around SGBV and its prevalence within rural communities in Sierra Leone. We broadcast podcasts covering what SGBV is, what to do when it occurs and how to prevent it, we involve male audiences so they understand the suffering that many women go through. Additionally, we connect women with local services such as legal aid and the police, when needed, and mentor them through the process of reporting SGBV and receiving appropriate help.
Civic Engagement and Elections
MMW has been working to increase women’s civic engagement across Sierra Leone; by supporting women candidates during their candidacy and throughout their running term, broadcasting information covering voting rights, and providing un-biased election coverage to areas that do not have access to reliable media. Through this work we have increased the number of women voters as well as provided critical information in relation to women’s rights under the law and voting issues.
Period Power Project
MMW has coordinated menstrual health training within schools for adolescent girls hosted by one of our Senior Journalists along with a local midwife. During this, girls learn to sew their own pads whilst they listen to MMW podcasts covering menstrual health and hygiene and discuss with the midwives. The exchange with the local and national experts resulted in a significant impact on these young women, who were keen to share what they learned with family and friends. To date, this training has helped over one thousand pupils.
Fish Farms
MMW is helping to build a women-owned fish farming project in the Karene District. The goal is to empower women to pursue their own business opportunities. We are working with experts to support women-led aqua-farming activities. MMW podcasts that accompany the project focus on fish farming and business skills, as well as broader issues designed to empower women with financial independence, environmental awareness and nutritional information to address serious malnutrition and food insecurity issues.
Past Projects
2019
‘Complete Women’ Documentary Film in partnership with Hanashi Films
We produced a high-quality video telling the story of two young women from Sierra Leone: Fatmata and Ajaie. We hope the podcast these young women have made and shared among their community, will show women and girls that FGM is not necessary and allow them to stand up for their right to choose.
2017
VOTO Mobile’s Missed – Call approach in partnership with Amplify Change
MMW provided the ability to track listener engagement through the VOTO Mobile system, gathering data from rural women and girls in Sierra Leone, a previously untouched population. Journalists enhanced their technical skills through training in the IVR platform, new recording devices, new social media platforms, new reporting and data collection mechanisms, and new interaction methods with their sources and audience.
2016 – 2017
Wamama Tujenge in partnership with SOFEPADI, the Oak Foundation and the Millicom Foundation
We partnered with local Congolese journalists to implement our concept in the DRC. SOFEPADI was highly satisfied with learning experience at MMW-SL and three pilot projects were undertaken by SOFEPADI between 2017 and 2019. SOFEPADI is currently testing whether its journalists can produce weekly episodes of “Wamama Tujenge” using Mobile Production Units (MPUs) in the same format and to the same quality as the original studio episodes.
2016
All the Children Reading in partnership with USAID and Care International
We conducted a 6 week project involving 150 pupils: each week a new 13 minute podcast was distributed using either a Bluetooth transfer or via IVR covering the science lesson for that week. From this project, Bluetooth transfer of podcasts was selected as the more appropriate method of transfer. We still use this method to broadcast our podcasts to last-mile areas of Sierra Leone.