Womens Rights and Gender

Women’s role in the media as managers, producers, users and as portrayed in the media, are among the important focus areas integrated in most of the work EMPOWERHOUSES engages in. This is important in all Media Development work as the world looks different depending upon the eyes through which it is seen, based on life situation and experiences of the audience. As women’s lives furthermore are distinctly different from men’s anywhere, and women’s rights in many societies not fully unfolded, communication in general and media specifically have an important role to play also here – for development and change.

EMPOWERHOUSE works with Women’s Rights and Gender in the following ways:

  • Including women’s perspectives and gender in all work and assignments from research and mapping over implementation with capacity building, staffing, division of responsibility, mobilisation, evaluation and impact assessment,
  • Organising, planning, drafting training courses to strengthen women’s role in the media and for gender sensitive reporting,
  • Recommending and supporting inclusion of gender-sensitive indicators in media monitoring,
  • Recommending and planning for focus on and support to women’s network in media organisations,
  • Recommending and supporting development of gender policies for media houses and organisations
  • Work with – and develop where needed – methodologies and tools to effectively ensuring women’s voice, say and role in media and communication for a rights-based and inclusive development,
  • Supporting the engagement of women in community media in all of the above-mentioned ways.
 

The EMPOWERHOUSE portfolio in the area of Women’s Rights and Gender includes the following:

Zimbabwe Fojo Media Institute 2016/17: Facilitate participatory processes to formulate strategic plan and core organisation policies with Zimbabwe’s women and media organisation: Gender Media Connect (earlier: FAMWZ).
Zimbabwe Fojo Media Institute 2014: Planning, organisation and moderation of a five day advanced community radio management workshop for all community radio initiatives in Zimbabwe. Support FAMWZ (Federation of African Media Women, Zimbabwe) in proposal writing, LFA, etc.
Niger Danida 2013: Design of media component in Democratic Governance Programme between the Danish Embassy in Niger and the Niger Government
Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi ADRA Denmark 2012: Midterm review of C4D project using radio to curb violence against women
Russia (St. Petersburg) Moscow Helsinki Group, Russia 2010: Conduct LFA workshop to feed into the project formulation on human rights.
Lao PDR UNDP 2007/08: Facilitation of the establishment of a sound and sustainable basis for community radio in Laos including the participatory development of a strategic plan. Support to the preparation of an international Community Radio Seminar and the official launch of the radio. Seminar coordinator and main technical speaker. Seminar report.
Mozambique FORCOM, Forum for community radio in Mozambique 2006: Institutional coaching and organizational support – Ongoing general advice and support, among others QA support for Austrian funding.
Mozambique UNESCO 1998 – 2004: Chief Technical Adviser, Media Development Project in Mozambique (www.mediamoz.com):Developed strategies, concepts and implementation methods among others for: o      Strategies for strengthening the role of women in the media in general o      Research and documentation on women in the media in Mozambique o      Supporting women’s engagement in community radio o      Training courses for women journalists o      Training courses for gender sensitive reporting o      Women’s festivals, focusing on women in community radio o      How to approach HIV/AIDS and women’s right to decide over her own body in coverage in the media and work in and around community media
Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania County of Bornholm 1996/98: Training consultant, Development, execution, evaluation of training courses: Project design and Project Management (including LFA and RBM); Evaluation; Gender sensitive reporting; Communication Planning; Internal Communication; Public Information.
Kyrgyz Republic UNESCO 1996: Sole consultant, Preparation of workshops on ‘Gender Sensitive Reporting’ and ‘Women and Power’ for UNESCOs gender & media work in Central Asia
Kyrgyz Republic UNESCO 1996: Team leader, Mid-term evaluation of Women in Media Network of Central Asia
Europe-focus, desk-based AMARC-Europe 1996: Researcher, Produced directory: “Women’s Voices Crossing Frontiers”, of Women’s community radio in Europe: concept development; fundraising; editing; writing of introductory article on women in community radio in Europe; production; and distribution.
Europe-focus, desk-based AMARC 1995 – 1997: Advisor and member of executive committee (Action Group) of WIN-Europe (WIN: Women’s International Network)
Denmark DanEduc Consulting 1992 – 1993: Head of Unit, Responsible for developing DanEduc Consulting’s communication support activities. Activities included: Manual for the ILO on Communication use for Women’s Entry into Non-traditional Training and Trades with AV examples on video. Monitoring mission to Danida funded Water and Sanitation project in Uganda to review PSC activities. Backstopped development communication and gender aspects of on-going projects. Coordinated presentation of Company course offers.
Switzerland ILO 1989 – 1992: Head of Communication for Development Unit. Built participatory concepts and communication strategies into ILO projects. Developed courses & trained ILO staff. Coaching & leadership for field implementation of communication strategies (Asia, Africa, MENA).
  • Backstopped and carried out analysis, advisory and evaluation missions of up to five weeks duration to Zimbabwe, Zambia and Swaziland in connection with a project on “Improved Livelihood of Disabled Women: a promotional, regional project for Southern Africa”.
  • Planned and implemented communication strategy to get ‘Women into technical trades’ in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Polytecnics in Africa. Products included a public report, a video documentary film, pamphlets and posters for use in among others secondary schools.
  • Planned and implemented part of a Regional Seminar on Diversification of Women’s Training and Employment – in the South Asian Countries of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Denmark KVINDER, the magazine of the Women’s Movement 1983/84: Assistant Editor to Danish periodical “Kvinder” (Women). Assisting the KVINDER collective in planning, organising and implementing all aspects of getting the periodical on the street once a month.
Denmark Sokkelund Radio Women’s Waves 1981-1984: Co-initiator of Women’s Community Radio Collective in Copenhagen Grassroots radio station (first Danish Community Radio station). Co-editor of weekly women’s programme. Host of daily morning programme: ”Good Morning, Copenhagen”. Carried out a number of radio training courses for new recruits – both on radio production in general and on specialised issues such as in-depth interview techniques, Feminist Journalism.
 

EMPOWERHOUSE publications on Women’s Rights and Gender include:

2015 “Quand des voix construisent la communauté: Radios communautaires et empowerment”, par Birgitte Jallov, in Marie-France Soleil (ed.): “Vingt-cinq années et une vie”. Karthage.
2012 “EMPOWERMENT RADIO – Voices building a community”, by Birgitte Jallov, 236 pages, Published by EMPOWERHOUSE.
2012 “How can the internet and social media contribute to community communication for empowerment?” in: “Social Media in Development Cooperation”, Ørecomm, 2012
2011 “Communication for Empowerment”, in Measuring Change II. Planning, M&E in Media and Development Cooperation. CAMECO, 2011
2009 “Getting your support to community media right” and “Community Research for Community Media Sustainability” in “Community Media Sustainability Guide: The Business of Changing Lives”, Internews, 2009
2008 “Now we are seen as real human beings” and “Setting agenda of public concern” in: “Whose Voices – Media and Pluralism in the Context of Democratization”. Uppsala University, Sweden
2007 “Most Significant change. A tool to document community radio impact” in: Measuring Change. Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation in Media and Development Cooperation. CAMECO, 2007
2007 “Women & Community Radio in Mozambique” Feminist Media Studies, Sept ‘07
2007 “Pioneering Community-run Radio in Laos: The Khoun Community Radio Station” Photo Essay in: MAZI 14, the electronic newsletter of the CFSC Consortium.
2006 “Voice, participation and empowerment – using community radio”. Report to the World Bank Institute.
2005 “Assessing community change: development of a ‘bare foot’ impact assessment methodology” in: Radio Journal Vol. 3.1, July 2005.
2004 “Community Radio for Empowerment and Change” in: Journal for Development Communication, December 2004
2004 “Participation by Community Radios in Civic Education and Electoral Coverage. The Experience of the Community Radios in Mozambique’s 2003 Local Elections. Specific Cases of: Dondo, Chimoio and Cuamba” by Acia Sales. Commissioned, designed and supervised by Birgitte Jallov on behalf of UNESCO Mozambique
2003 “Creating and Sustaining ICT Projects in Mozambique”, in “The One to Watch -Radio, new ICTs and interactivity”, FAO.
2001 “Creating Sustainable Community Radio – a Major Challenge”, Mozambique
1999 “Community Radio Mushrooming in Mozambique”, Interradio, AMARC
1996 “Women’s Voices Crossing Frontiers – 1996 European Directory of Women Community Radio Stations and Women’s Radio Production Collectives”, editor and writer of Introductory article. Published by AMARC Europe.
1995 “Using Communication Techniques to Diversify Women’s Training a Employment.” A manual with video examples. ILO, Geneva.
1992 “Women on the Air – Community Radio as a Tool for Feminist Messages” In ‘The People’s Voice’ ed. by Nick Jankowski, Ole Prehn and James Stappers.
1986 “Village Video for Women” and “Women will have to Reinvent Communication”. Publications of: “KULU-Women & Development”.
1983 “Women on the Air”. On Women and Community Radio in Europe. RUC
1982 “A counter-image in Sound. A method for Empowering Radio Production for Women.” Thesis. Roskilde University Centre.