Meri Awaz Suno (Hear My Voice)
Launched in connection with International Women's Day (March 7), Meri Awaz Suno, or Hear My Voice, is a women-run radio production house based in Islamabad, Pakistan. The programs produced by the the Meri Awaz Suno team look at mainstream issues from women’s perspective.
Supported by Internews Pakistan and funded by the United States Department of State, this independent radio production project is designed to raise the profile of women in the media and to build the capacity of women journalists to "provide diverse news and information to citizens, empowering them to make their voices heard and to participate effectively in their communities."
Supported by Internews Pakistan and funded by the United States Department of State, this independent radio production project is designed to raise the profile of women in the media and to build the capacity of women journalists to "provide diverse news and information to citizens, empowering them to make their voices heard and to participate effectively in their communities."
Communication Strategies
This project uses the medium of radio to enable women media-makers to speak out about the issues that impact them. The 5 young women journalists part of the team produce two weekly programs of 15-minute length each. The programs include a combination of field-based feature reports, interviews, panel discussions, in-depth profiles, etc. The team also plans to produce a radio drama series on issues affecting women. The two programmes produced by the team each week are offered to independent FM stations free of charge.
To prepare these journalists, Internews Pakistan initially trained them on radio reporting and production skills. Since they first went on air in November 2003 and following this and other training programmes, Meri Awaz Suno has produced over 100 programmes on issues such as women parliamentarians, women in sports, honour killing, child labour, HIV/AIDS, girls' education, daycare for working mothers, and so on.
To prepare these journalists, Internews Pakistan initially trained them on radio reporting and production skills. Since they first went on air in November 2003 and following this and other training programmes, Meri Awaz Suno has produced over 100 programmes on issues such as women parliamentarians, women in sports, honour killing, child labour, HIV/AIDS, girls' education, daycare for working mothers, and so on.
Development Issues
Women, Children.
Key Points
The literacy rate in Pakistan is low, which means that only a limited number of people are able to access information through newspapers. In this context, "Radio is an effective and affordable medium available to almost anybody".
According to the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, only 3% of Pakistan's journalists are women.
Meri Awaz Suno was initially housed at Uks, a women’s non-governmental organisation (NGO), and then at Fatima Jinnah Women’s University (FJWU) in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. It is currently located within Internews, but works as an independent entity.
According to the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, only 3% of Pakistan's journalists are women.
Meri Awaz Suno was initially housed at Uks, a women’s non-governmental organisation (NGO), and then at Fatima Jinnah Women’s University (FJWU) in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. It is currently located within Internews, but works as an independent entity.
Partners
Internews Pakistan, with US Department of State funding.
Sources
"Pakistani Women Get Their Voices Heard", by Adnan Rehmat, Internews Pakistan, January 9 2004; emails from Adnan Rehmat and Sabahat Turk to The Communication Initiative on May 23 and June 3 2005, respectively; and email from Manisha Aryal to The Communication Initiative on May 1 2006.
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