Gender Communication Network members record women’s narratives in Metuge Camp

In the beginning of the year, h2n established the core of the Gender Communication Network (GCN) in Cabo Delgado, a network of community radio reporters focused on issues related to gender equality and the promotion and protection of women’s rights in the province. The main purpose of the GCN is to promote public debate and accountability around structures that create or support gender equality in the province. Due to the present security situation and state of emergency, however, only four community radio stations currently participate in the network, but the intent is to double this number as soon as circumstances permit. “The network members produce a radio program at their stations called ‘Ergue-te mulher’ [Lift yourself up, woman], which is based on first-person narratives followed by a conversation with invited guests in studio,” explains Mana Clara Sadia, h2n program manager. The narrative is based on a personal experience that can be about solving a problem or overcoming a challenge. The radio programs are also supported by public service announcements produced by the radio stations themselves on women’s education and empowerment. This month, the GCN will focus on stories about women in conflict zones and/or so-called accommodation centers (displacement camps), and this week, reporters visited the Metuge Accommodation Center in Napuda Village in Quissanga district. “The center houses 1,002 women, and we want to hear and share their stories,” says Farlinda Amane, GCN member and journalist at RSF in Pemba. The GCN program is funded by OSISA and is currently being implemented in the southern part of Cabo Delgado only. h2n, which is primarily supported by Norway, works extensively with community radios, produces community videos, broadcasts the “Saude e Vida” television program on health and wellness, facilitates youth engagement hubs and pursues a rapidly expanding gender equality agenda.