Women's Crossroads

The Women's Crossroads radio programme is designed to communicate information to women, as well as to provide an opportunity for women to speak out on various issues. The programmes not only cover issues of mistreatment and gender violence, but also share insights around women's initiatives and interests, such as income-generating activities or cooking tips.

Coinciding with the launch of the radio programme, 15 wind-up radios with mini solar panels were distributed to women's groups in Djabal camp, with the help of MINURCAT, the United Nations mission deployed in Chad. Listeners wind the radio to recharge it, and the radios are powered by the sun, so there is no need to buy batteries.

This project is designed to facilitate women's access to radio programmes, as well to as benefit the whole community. Therefore, wind-up radios are installed in public places so that anyone can have access. Women can sit and listen in the camps, in surrounding villages, and/or wherever they collect food and water or get health care for their children. According to the organisers, neither the women's programmes nor the radios was intended for individual use; rather, the idea was that group listening could encourage women - and men - to talk freely about gender issues.

Gender, Rights, Health

According to Internews, women say they seldom have the opportunity to listen to the radio because their husbands control what is listened to and will take the radio with them when they leave the house. Sylvie Bowen, Internews reporter for gender issues in Eastern Chad, says, "Women are now telling me, 'I have listened to other women speaking on the programme. Now I want to speak too!' Before, it was difficult to get them to talk. Since we started airing Women's Crossroads, they are the ones who call us."