“Connecting Rural and Young Women: Empowering for Change”

A women-led community media campaign from March 5 to 9 coordinated by FemLINKPacific will communicate the inter-linkages between UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and Article 14 of the UN Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) as radio programmes and interviews from rural centres across Fiji share the experiences and expertise of women in defining their peace and human security:

“Women will make changes for women. Every women and every girl-child can make decisions. If we are given the opportunity to show and share our talents or skills, we can make a good nation,” says Mereani Lomavere of FRIEND Fiji Labasa branch.

It is all part of a community radio campaign which will provide 75 hours of content to listeners to FemTALK 89FM in Suva, Nausori and Labasa from 10am to 3pm daily.

A simulcast on Mai TV from 12pm-2pm on International Women's Day will be an opportunity for FemLINKPacific to mainstream the campaign with special guests from local clubs as well as an opportunity to feature the recently appointed Regional Programme Director for UN Women in the Pacific:

"This is an opportunity as a member of the global GEAR campaign to highlight the changes in the UN architecture which will further advance commitments to gender equality and women's human rights within the UN system as well as country level," says FemLINKPacific Executive Director, Sharon Bhagwan Rolls who is also the GEAR campaign focal point in the Pacific.

All the programmes and broadcasts will be produced and hosted by young women who are part of the Generation Next project which has been supported by the International Women's Development Agency since 2006.

The community radio expansion in Fiji was enabled through a capital grant from the Australian High Commission in 2011.

Rural Realities Revealed:

"The investment in the rural community media network is enabling the members of our project for Young Women Producers and Broadcasters to produce programmes in Labasa, Nadi, Ba/Tavua, Nausori as well as Suva and to bring into the public airwaves issues such as women in faith-based leadership; women in decision making and leadership roles; and women, peace and security issues," says Bhagwan Rolls:

"And the investment in our rural "1325" network enables rural women leaders to be in the media spotlight for the entire week as guests on our television segment and in the series of programmes which will be broadcast." FemLINKPacific community media network is also supported by the European Union, the UNDP CPAD project and AusAID.

Programme features also include a Day in the Life segment which follows women from Mataniwai village 25 kilometres from Labasa Town from the early hours of the day as they rise to collect beche-de-mer and undertake other econimic security activities.

Profiles of women in rural community leadership will include leaders of the Catholic Women's League in Ba and Nausori, as well as the Director of the GOLD Foundation in Tavua.

Sharon Bhagwan Rolls, Executive Director, FemLINKPacific (www.femlinkpacific.org.fj)

ENDS

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