Africa

Day 14 of #16DaysofActivism Any form of abuse leaves scars. A few years ago I participated in some focus group meetings with street living children, aged from 6 years to 16 years, to explore starting a radio project for Feba UK for these children in Kinshasa, DR Congo. It was particularly difficult to get street living girls to participate but we where able to include a small group of teenage girls. I…

Day 13 of #16DaysofActivism Combatting gender-based violence can take courage, sensitivity and wisdom. I met Mary*, an ordained minister working in a rural area in Kenya, who showed all of these qualities in her work to help women and girls. In this particular area of Kenya, the challenges facing families include limited access to food and water, and high levels…

Day 9 of #16DaysofActivism I photographed the billboard above recently in a remote village in North Kivu in the DRC. It depicts two men molesting a woman with the words: “You wouldn’t do this if it was your mother, would you!” It is a stark reminder of the widespread use of rape and other forms…

Day 8 of #16DaysofActivism “Gender inequality exists throughout Kenya, but it’s particularly bad in this part of the country,” says Harriet Atyang, the manager of HCR partner station Amani FM in Tana River.   In many situations Harriet says women are subjected to abuse and violence, but it is rarely reported, as it seen as a cultural norm. Recounting…

Day 5 of #16DaysofActivism Radio Amani was launched in the conflict prone area of Tana Delta in the summer of 2017, ahead of the parliamentary elections in Kenya.  The purpose of the radio station is to promote peace and social development in Eastern Kenya’s conflict-affected Tana River (the northern region of Tana River County). The…

Day 4 of #16DaysofActivism I believe every person has a story to tell and it is often the people who have suffered the most whose stories can affect us the most deeply. I met Precious* in Kenya and she is a truly courageous and inspirational woman.  She was married at fourteen and had to stop attending…

Day 3 of #16DaysofActivism HCR is working with a large Christian Radio station and counselling centre in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on the “Amplifying Voices” Project.  This project, which was launched by Feba UK, is increasing the engagement of local people in conversations with their communities, which are amplified by radio broadcasts that address the health and…

Day 2 of #16DaysofActivism I was recently asked why we are focussing on the issue of gender-based violence, as many people do not recognise the scale and the impact of this issue. Violence against women and girls is one of the most prevalent human rights abuses in today’s world, and affects all countries and all…

There is an old proverb that says, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”   At Amplifying Voices we’ve come to realise that if we really want to help alleviate poverty, we need to go even further – we…

“I never realised how the Orma people came to be in this region of Kenya,” said a retired teacher from Tana River, “but since I started hearing their stories on the radio, I have begun to understand them better.” The man, from a rival community, was responding to a series of cultural programmes he had…