Gender and ICT Projects Database

In recognition of the Gender and ICT initiatives all over the globe, we have created this projects database and made it available online. The database is a repository of Gender and ICT projects which were nominated and had qualified for the GICT Awards 2003 screening. This will be enriched by each award year. We are hoping that these efforts will inspire others to network, advocate and mobilize ICTs for women's empowerment and gender equality.

A. PROJECT INFORMATION
1. a. Project Name or Title:	femLINKpacific: Media Initiatives for Women: femTALK 89.2FM a mobile women's community radio project
b. Project URL, if any:	n/a
a. Utilizes ICTs to promote women's economic empowerment
a.1 What types of ICT tools do you use?	The "suitcase radio", a digital camera, a digital video camera, electronic mail, a fixed line and a mobile phone. The suitcase radio is a great way to enhance women?s economic empowerment. The broadcasts allow women to come together collectively and talk about issues to their full potential. It gives women a voice and the capability to counter their voiceless-ness and therefore powerlessness to enter into the mainstream discussion on development. The suitcase radio promotes social networking amongst the communities and therefore with the process that has been developed for a broadcast, it also ensures safe and collective approach on common issues.
a.2 How does the application of these contribute to the promotion of women's economic empowerment and gender equality?	The application of the community radio initiative (suitcase radio): femLINKpacific has introduced the suitcase radio technology to Fiji, and some credit must also be given to the awareness we have raised about the equipment we use for our mobile women?s community radio. Our monthly Suva broadcasts and subsequent rural based broadcast trials to date have proven to be an important space for women from different NGOs to come together and have healthy dialogues and debates about issues relating to women?s empowerment, women?s human rights and poverty alleviation. This initiative provides an opportunity for women to speak openly about issues as it is often seen that women are not given much priority in the main stream media. Being community based it provides an opportunity for communities to take part also and people feel really comfortable when taking part as they talk about issues that they are familiar with and the issues usually brought up are the ones that we don?t necessarily get to hear from the mainstream media. This initiative also addresses a key gap in development policy as a safe counterpoint to traditional decision making structures that do not allow women, especially from the rural population and the poor, to communicate openly on common matters. By taking a small mobile radio unit to the women and the communities, we provide a ?safer space? for the women to articulate and exchange viewpoints. Through the low power transmitter, we encourage women, in particular, to speak to each other and with their communities. By developing and implementing a range of women?s media initiatives, such as taking a small mobile radio unit out to women and the communities, femLINKpacific offers a ?safe space? to articulate and exchange their viewpoints. For example, with femTALK 89.2FM by using the low-power transmitter, we encourage women to speak to each other and with their communities. Once people are able to share their opinions freely and safely, then we can say we are truly experiencing democracy. With a small team of volunteers and in partnership with several NGO?CSO groups we have started to stage monthly broadcasts in Suva and are looking forward to taking the ?suitcase radio? to women in their communities. This is a not for profit initiative which aims to provide airtime for women and peace initiatives, and space for ?women to talk to women? about their critical issues of concern. The digital camera: Using a digital still camera to document a range of women-in-community events, from meetings and conferences to women and peace related activities we are able to document a range of contemporary initiatives by women?s NGOs who remain predominantly volunteer based and without their own resources and equipment. These pictures, because they are in digital format can be easily shared with the mainstream media and other networks whilst also being included in our own publications These pictures are also used by different NGOS for their productions as well. The digital video camera: femLINKpacific initially began our women?s media initiatives by documenting women?s experiences and eventually developing, producing and distributing a series of community videos. Field Production is undertaken using a small digital video camera which has served to also be a ?safe process? for women to speak to, as we document their stories and experiences in relation to human rights, peace building and so forth. From these short documentaries are made and is then distributed to various people for their viewing. Our community video catalogue includes: 2004 Release: fem?TALK Sharing the Light: Told through the celebration of Diwali, from the home of Sumintra (who featured in the Day in the Life series released in 2003) and linked into the work of Interfaith Search Fiji, the community video features women?s accounts of Diwali and Peace: ?This is a very women and peace centered production. We have created space for older and younger women to contribute their viewpoint not only on the celebration of Diwali, but also their recognition of the need to address common values shared by women from both a Christian and Hindu background. Light, is an important symbol for many of our religions in Fiji and that is why we have titled the production ?Sharing the Light?.? The community media initiative also addresses the collective challenge of bringing about long-term peace through dialogue between the different ethnic and religious communities in order to cultivate greater respect and understanding of each other?s values: ?This is the work of Interfaith Search Fiji, which has working to ensure a peaceful nation, a journey that began in 1987, following the coups of that year and we have woven the aims and objectives of the organization, as well as the Bill of Rights of the 1997 Constitution, to create greater awareness of the concepts of tolerance and respect.? The viewing and discussion guide produced as a community magazine, also features additional stories from members of Interfaith Search members and the women?s movement. Produced with assistance from WACC London and UNESCO. fem?TALK : The Women?s Civil Society (Pilot): Balancing the Scales ?Awarded the Fiji Human Rights Commission Television Prize? for World Media Freedom Day 2003 There are many women?s NGOs, clubs and groups, who have been working since pre independence to improve the status of women in all aspects of society. These organizations, such as the Young Women?s Christian Association, the Pan Pacific South East Asia Women?s Association (PPSEAWA) and religious based groups, provided the early platform for women?s voices to be heard. They gave birth to today?s women?s civil society. The founding members of the Fiji Women?s Rights Movement (FWRM) were the forerunners in bringing women?s human rights issues to the forefront of the women?s movement?s agenda, particularly after the culmination of the United Nations Decade for Women (1975-1985). Since their inception, FWRM has collectively campaigned and addressed a range of national policy and legislative issues. Today, the legal rights training officers of FWRM, Seema Naidu and Susana Naivaqa, are part of a new generation of NGO activists and advocates, who are working to build on these foundations. Through the work of Seema and Susana we highlight the work of FWRM in this our final community media production for 2002. In the context of the May 2000 Crisis, we also address the implications of the deregistration of the Citizens Constitutional Forum (CCF). Yes, there are many women?s groups, clubs and organizations who are working to making positive changes, building on our successes of the past and nurturing a positive future for the next generation?our women?s civil society is collectively working to balance the scales. fem?TALK: Day in the Life series (pilot), features three video stories: Mothers Labour: A Day at the Nausori Maternity Unit. In addressing the formal sector, we have highlighted not only the situation facing nurses in their work environment, and the dual-role they play not only working at the hospital, but at home as well, and highlighting the role of a trade union in addressing workers issues, especially as one of the working mums highlights, ? ?.because with one voice nobody will hear you but at least their somebody?s fighting for/because with what we are doing I have no time to go and fight for our rights outside this work area, I?m all day committed here, so at least there?s somebody.? Look at My Ability: Litia?s Story Education, as the young women in ?Not Just Sweet Talk? highlighted provides the basic foundation for a child?s future, including their chance to seek and secure favorable employment. As we celebrate Litia?s personal accomplishments her story also considers the issue of education and employment for persons with disabilities, in particular the special education needs of children with disabilities. As Litia shared with us: ? ? to me, what I see it?s a big gap from simple childhood to vocational those supposed to go to vocational centers so from there they supposed to go to normal schools because with the disabilities that they have they can?t go further so from there to me its good to make special school for them so that they can carry on with their good education. Sumintra?s story: Sumintra?s day is centred around her family, who live in the cane farming area of Votualevu in Nadi. Once a week she joins her friends at the Votualevu Kindergarten Mother?s Club. Her story also provides us with a personal insight into a family?s experience in dealing with the current land tenure situation, and other growing concerns for women, particularly those living in rural settlements: ?Like nowadays whatever house you look at you have shutters on all the windows, the gates are locked, in my area all the houses have gates and it is locked because all the lady stays home. Yeah all the ladies stay home and the husband goes to work and for our safety we have to shut the gate and stay inside????There are a lot of displaced families in Votualevu its not that farmers have a lot of money, because you have to go through the news and see the farmers are struggling a lot. ? fem?TALK: Everyday Women Everyday, women everywhere, contribute to the development and welfare of their families, their community, their country. Everyday, women everywhere are working, not only in the formal and informal employment sectors, but in the volunteer sector as well. Working to make a difference in the lives of other women and their families. The final story from our ?Day in the Life? pilot series, is also featured with this release. You will meet Sushila Ramesh of Lautoka, Kesaia Bouwalu of Namoli Village in Lautoka, and Makareta Rika and Losana, as well as other women who work at the Lautoka Market. fem?TALK: Postcards for Peace: This video attempts to highlight Peace within the current development framework of Fiji?s post-conflict reconstruction stage. ?Postcards for Peace? brings together stakeholders from the NGO, civil society and tourism sectors to discuss a range of issues including: Sharing Experiences from our internal conflicts of 1987 and 2000; Conflicts and Challenges from the perspective of resource owners, security concerns, social and environmental impacts; Herstories from women in the industry; Vision statements Produced with assistance from the Canada Fund. fem?TALK: Keeping Watch: This shares the experiences of a number of women who came together as part of the ?Blue Ribbon Peace Vigil? initiative, convened by the National Council of Women Fiji, within days of the May 19th 2000 civilian coup, gathering peacefully in a unified action of solidarity. Keeping Watch also highlights the range of women-in-community actions and programmes which emanated from the Vigil initiative. Produced with assistance from DFID UK. fem?TALK: Not Just Sweet Talk: This video documented more than 20 women and young women?s viewpoints in the lead up to the 2001 (Fiji Islands) General Elections. It highlights issues such as: How can a Woman Best Use Her Vote; Poverty issues; Young Women?s issues, Violence against Women; People Centered Policies; Qualities of Leadership and Vision statements for Fiji. The video was produced with assistance from the International Women?s Development Agency (IWDA). Mothers in Dialoque: Available only from ECREA In August 2001 we were commissioned by the Ecumenical Centre for Research Education and Advocacy (ECREA) to visit mothers in Nausori, Labasa and Nadi, to share the issues raised in ?Not Just Sweet Talk? as well as document their experiences of the crisis and share their recommendations of how the Mothers of Fiji, can unite to ensure racial unity and harmony, the video is the outcome of these research sessions The electronic mail: This is used for our monthly enews production and for networking with different partner organizations. A fixed line and a mobile phone: these tools are also used for networking and corresponding with the different NGOS and partner organizations.
a.3 How was the achievement of women's economic empowerment and gender equality assessed/determined?	femLINKpacific was established in September 2000 and is registered under the Charitable Trust Act in Fiji. The overarching focus of femLINKpacific?s range of community media initiatives is ?women speaking to women for peace?, a direct link with the women?s peace initiatives during the May 2000 crisis, in particular the Blue Ribbon Peace Vigil, where femLINKpacific was ?born?. Upon establishment of our small but output NGO we initially documented and transcribed a series of interviews with women?s leaders and then produced our first community (Not Just Sweet Talk); this video which featured a range of viewpoints from women and young women, assisted us in identifying our key focus areas or topics. femLINKpacific has also kept abreast of women / gender and development issues, at local/national and regional and international level. The establishment of a specifically women?s media NGO was inspired by the work of other women?s media NGOs, in particular International Women?s Tribune Centre and Section J of the Beijing Platform for Action, which recognizes that ?media? is not merely a strategy but a stand alone tool through which gender inequality can be addressed by giving voice to women. When you work with women from poorer communities, or even women leaders who have not the opportunity or space to be heard by the broader community, you realize that in order to make change at the macro-level you need an inclusive and enabling process which starts at the micro level, and that is how we are working. For each broadcast or video production, we also work closely with the gender and issue based experts on a particular issue, for example, when we produced the Day in the Life series we talked to a range of women and organisations who are ?experts? in the specific sectors.
a.4 Which cultural, traditional and religious gender-biased notions and beliefs were challenged, if any?	The overarching development objective of our work is to address the imbalances caused by the traditional decision-making structures which impede women and young women?s effective participation, especially from the rural population and the poor, to communicate openly on common matters. Clearly while there is a policy commitment at the macro level for women to share in the decision making of our country and region, this has not be effectively implemented and so many women remain silenced because of poverty, cultural and other traditional constraints imposed on them. At the same time, as the mainstream media perpetuates a certain image of women and girls, we also are challenging these stereotypes conveyed by the media, not just by lobbying them, but by effectively using technology to create our own media and to purposefully create a space specifically for women in order to balance the scales in media coverage; we argue that if people, the country does not know about women?s contributions especially as community and local level how can they then be brought into the mainstream of sustainable development for a just and equitable society. As a result of Fiji?s internal conflicts, there remains a ethnic tension perpetuated by political forces and so part of our strategy for our media productions and initiatives is to use these as a way to better inform women from different ethnic backgrounds of each others commonalities ? whether it is about understanding each others religions or understanding that the conflict has affected everyone. Our community radio broadcasts are formatted according to issue-based discussions rather than dividing discussions for English or Fijian or Hindi speaking participants ? so that women collectively address issues, rather than being segregated.
a.5 In what ways is your project different from others in enabling women's economic empowerment and gender equality?	It is different in the sense that femLINKpacific is the only one that uses women?s community media and other media forms as our core activity, most NGOs/CSOs use media, often news releases, as a strategy of communication. The suitcase radio in Fiji is the only one of its kind in Fiji (and the Pacific) that is being operated and managed a women?s media collective / NGO. We have a critical focus of women and peace at the heart of our work and this is reflected in all our women?s media initiatives.
a.6 What added value does your project bring to the ICT for development fora?	Use of the most appropriate forms of technology for our women / the communities we work in; we cannot talk about setting up websites or using other digital media forms I four women in their own communities do not have access to telephones or computers; so we use an important convergence of digital media forms and more importantly the new developments around the existing traditional media forms, of which radio, is the most important for our communities. The suitcase radio itself is a new piece of technology introduced here. In relation to the broadcast regulations we have also introduced a first for Fiji ? a radio station that has its own transmitter which can be used in any community in Fiji and so that was also a first for the Regulatory Unit of the Ministry of Information, Communication and Media Relations.
b. Upscales initiatives and community-centred technologies
b.1 Please narrate specific innovative or new approaches employed by the project, if any, that contribute to its development and its relevance to the community it is serving.	The new approach to this project is that we take the radio into the community instead of them coming to us. In this way the people get used to the idea of community radio and they speak more freely and openly, as they know who their audience will be and on what issues they should talk about.
b.2 Describe the processes or mechanisms that are in place to ensure the project's sustainability.	femLINKpacific has introduced women?s media initiatives as a core activity to the NGO/CSO community and so we have had to spend the last 4 years in a pilot phase for each of our projects being undertaken as and when donors have accepted our proposals, we are finally in a position to create a strategic plan and also strengthen our organisation. At the same time, as we work with the poorer in our communities one has to be aware that the women cannot pay for the broadcasts or the media productions and these need to be funded until we are able to generate funds independently or with less reliance on donor/funding assistance.
b.3 How can your project be replicated elsewhere?	By informing the public about this initiative and informing them of the benefits it has for the community and its people. If people are told about this then they will surely take up this sort of initiative. By ensuring that governments providing an enabling regulatory environment, other communities can also develop and manage their own community media.
c. Promotes cooperation and social networking
c.1 Who participates in the initiative? (Please identify participants, beneficiaries, and implementation partners. Provide specific demographic (age, income, rural/urban) information about your beneficiaries.)	Participants: Women from different partner NGOs, young women and men also. Beneficiaries: For the Suva based broadcasts, the key beneficiaries can be identified as the participants or the segment producers as this is assisting them in the development of appropriate, community centered information and communication strategies; rather than duplicating membership or networks, femLINKpacific works with existing organizations, and at the recent stakeholders consultation, participants represented the following organizations: FRIEND (west), Kids Link Fiji, PIANGO, National Council of Women Fiji, Young Women?s Christian Association, WIN-NET, Fiji Disabled People?s Association (Women?s Group), Catholic Women?s League Fiji, Fiji Media Watch, ECREA, Poor Relief Society In addition, ?experts? or panelists for the range of discussion issues addressed through these broadcasts are drawn from the broader civil society, including male participants. Listeners in the greater Suva area who will be able to tune into the monthly broadcasts as a way of gaining greater information and understanding from and about the participating organizations. Young people and other volunteers who are able to contribute whether at a technical production, coordination level or as members of the broadcast team, as a way of not only enhancing their involvement with NGO/CSO organizations, but as valued contributors to this process. Women are our key primary target audience, as a way to encourage and enhance more women to participate and contribute to decision-making at community, local and national level, especially in the context of Women and Peace issues. Implementation partners: Several NGOs (The Ecumenical Center for Research, Education and Advocacy (ECREA), Fiji Media Watch, Interfaith Search Fiji, Catholic Women?s League, Fiji Disabled People?s Association) and individual persons (Judith Ragg, Tabua Salato, Tarusila Bradburgh, Sainimili Tawake, Ecelini Wailelakeba) who form our management collective and UNESCO who provided us with the suitcase radio and funding to have community radio consultations and assists with some of our local broadcasts. As more people and organisations become aware of this initiative, our partnership pool grows. For example, the Regional Rights Resource Training Team (RRRT) used the monthly broadcasts as a way to upskill their team of trainers in the development of mini radio dramas which were then used as discussion points with each broadcast and focused attention of informing the community about the Family Law Act. ECREA initially used this to get their community based workers to talk about issues relating to economic and social justice issues in a way that more people could understand, so it was also capacity building the broadcast team to deliver information in a simplified manner; Interfaith Search Fiji used the broadcasts to undertake discussions based on gender equality from a range of faith-based perspectives which often included men!
c.2 Please identify the project's most important partners and explain their role in the project and in helping to mainstream gender.	The most important partners are the members of our management collective. They help in the project by participating in the broadcasts and assist in contributing to the broadcasts. Other important partnerships are our local and national NGOs as well as regional and international networks, such as the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC). Another key group are the pool of broadcast volunteers.
c.3 How does the project foster cooperation and active participation among the different sectors (government, private sector, civil society) in the community?	While femLINKpacific operates and manages the ?suitcase radio? femTALK 89.2FM is a channel for our NGO/CSO partners and this has been recognized as an avenue for the different sectors to participate in and support which is currently being developed, in particular with the private sector.
c.4 How does the project strengthen the capacity of those who are involved in its implementation?	Pre production is a critical time whether for the video productions or the community ? for the radio segments, we invest at least 3 days for the community participants to get together to prepare for their segments, as a result they are learning about the disciplines of radio broadcasting and also preparing their scripts and themselves for pre broadcast audio recordings. Decisions about the broadcasts ? time and duration ? are made collectively by the broadcast group, rather than being imposed by femLINKpacific ? and so there is a greater collaboration for decision making.
3. Learning Lessons and Sharing Strategies
a. Why, when, and how did the project begin?	Since mid-70s the deregulation of the Fiji media industry has given rise to a number of daily newspapers, commercial radio and finally TV in the early 90s. Still the Fiji society has predominantly remained passive consumers of the evolution of our media industry. The deregulation of the radio industry and public sector reforms have resulted in a transformation of the radio field. Due to reduced government funding, radio automation has led to reduced staff rather than to an efficient or public service-driven programming. One could argue that the technical advances have produced more benefits for the commercial advertisers than anyone else. Fiji?s political history of internal conflicts have brought about not only new social and economic problems but also the need for people and communities to be able to articulate their views on issues and stories, and thereby participate in the social and political development processes. However there is very little participatory radio production and the community radio sector is hardly existing in Fiji, limited mainly to the USP university campus radio. femLINKpacific: Media Initiatives for Women? has advocated and implemented the concept of community media since it was founded in September 2000 ? as a women?s response to the civil coup of May 2000. femLINKpacific accordingly seeks to provide alternative and additional viewpoints to the mainstream media coverage, particularly on issues related to the culture of peace and other issues which are of concern to Fiji women. It has produced a range of community-based videos and radio-programs and, to intensify its work in the communities, is now planning to establish its own mobile community radio unit (radio in suitcase). Currently the mainstream media which has become highly commercialized gives very little priority to analysis of women?s (gender equality) issues including women and peace initiatives, as well as other areas and actions undertaken to address gender equality unless it is conflict-ridden, and so it was recognized both by femLINKpacific but also several other NGO partners that there was an important need for a community radio initiative which could a channel for peacebuilding for women in their own communities, as the mainstream media also is very focused on the capital city or the main island of Fiji. The implementation of the community radio project began in 2003 and femTALK 89.2FM was launched on May 5th, 2004 with the help of our partner organizations and with funding assistance from UNESCO as well as AUSAID. Since then we have been piloting our broadcasts in the capital city and in rural communities, through practical workshops and community based consultations.
b. What are the goals of the initiative?	The goal of the women?s community radio project is to take radio to women in their communities using the mobile ?suitcase radio? while also providing our NGO and CSO partners and young volunteers with the opportunity to strengthen and enhance their capacity to not only produce and broadcast their radio segments but to also provide the necessary space or airtime that they need in order to raise awareness of their critical areas of concern. The staging of regular broadcasts in the capital city Suva, we will be able to target the policy/decision makers based in Suva with information that is community centered and also produced by the community.
c. How are decisions being made in project implementation?	The management collective members of femlink pacific, the coordinator and partner and donor organizations make the decisions.
d. What mechanisms are in place to ensure transparency and accountability in implementing the project?	Because we engage with different organisations including the media our work and findings are always shared, especially through our monthly Enews bulletin and additional alerts and calls to action.
e. What results and/or immediate outcomes has the initiative achieved, and what impact has it had on the beneficiaries, participants, and community?	There is a greater common agreement on the invisibility of women in the mainstream decision making process and that our women?s community radio project can be a tool not only for information and communication but empowerment as well.
f. What tools and processes did you use to monitor and evaluate the results of the initiative?	All live discussions that take place on air are recorded and feedback from listeners and partner organizations are also documented, however, there has been limited feedback because our radio broadcasts are not as regular as the mainstream radio, so the immediate feedback can be gauged from (a) willingness of women and communities to stage broadcasts or work with femLINKpacific (b) responses from the community radio consultations/training workshops (c) involvement of other members of the community as they attend the broadcast sessions
B. GENERAL INFORMATION
1. Name of individual or organization	femLINK pacific: Media Initiatives for Women
2. Address	P O Box 2439, Government Buildings, Suva, Fiji Islands
3. Region/Country	Pacific, Fiji
4. Telephone number	(679) 3316 290
5. Fax number	(679) 3301 925
6. E-mail address	femlinkpac@connect.com.fj
7. Organisation's URL (if applicable):
8. Name and designation of person submitting this application form	Sharon Bhagwan Rolls Coordinator- Producer/Director
9. Organization's Vision/Mission	Our mission is: To increase the participation and access of women to expression and decision making in and through the media and new technologies. To promote human rights through the use of media as a way of improving the economic rights of women and the poor. To provide practical assistance and resources that would be easily accessible to women and girls in order to facilitate their development. To facilitate the advancement and to raise awareness of girls and women?s need for self-empowerment raising of economic status through communication strategies, multi media and print and production audiovisual materials. To promote a balanced and non-stereotyped portrayal of women in the media. Empower women to not only understand their social, political and civil rights but to assist them to understand how these principles of human rights impact on their daily lives, and women just like them in communities across Fiji. Provide women?s groups around Fiji, with an advocacy and awareness tool that will assist them in devising appropriate strategies for action to address their concerns and problems, in particular the social issues linked in with the rise in poverty, at their local (community level) and national level also. Share our critical areas of concern with our government, development and civil society partners in order to assist them develop a better appreciation and understanding of the perspective of the women?s movement and the women?s peace movement. Contribute towards the process of reconciliation in our country as we share common stories and experiences of women from various communities in an effort to breakdown the barriers that lead to racial intolerance. To bring the stories of our women and their communities to the forefront, and more importantly, to share these stories with the rest of our society, with the hope that through this community-centered initiative we will not only increase awareness of critical social, political and economic issues ? particularly for women and children but also serve as a means to promote true reconciliation. Our vision is: To see that women are included in the decision making process, not only at local but national level as well. Women are treated equally and there is gender balance To ensure that women?s voices and stories are heard and told
10. Where did you hear about the GICT Awards?	From GKP