We were in Morobo in South Sudan, visiting the Hope Village project and providing a media training workshop for people in local villages, many of whom had recently returned from refugee camps in Uganda or Congo. Since arriving we had felt constantly confronted by the scale of challenge faced by the returnees, the oppressive background of political instability, and the smallness of the part we could play.

Yet, as we spent time with community members, we saw and heard stories in Morobo that shifted our perception from futility to sharing in the hope felt by these people, who are willing to risk so much to return and to see potential in such a fragile place.

We had arrived in Morobo following the same route as many returnees, by road via the Kaya border crossing point. The distance from Kaya to Morobo is relatively short, only 16 miles by road, but until very recently that short distance would have seemed very long to travellers because of the risk of violent robbery, or sexual assault.

Rows of buildings that were once shops are now shells. People find new places to trade from. Morobo County, South Sudan

As our vehicle made its way along the rutted and eroded road, our companions pointed out the burnt-out car of a bishop who was robbed last summer, and then to a place where they themselves had been robbed and narrowly escaped a worse fate. Many of the brick buildings lining the roads had been abandoned during South Sudan’s conflict in 2016. The valuable roofing sheets had long since been removed.

Returnees were building homes, but using traditional methods with grass roofs instead of steel sheeting. These newly built houses were harder to see, many of them further back from the roads, reflecting a preference for finding concealment in the bush.

Hope Village started about a year ago. Our partners, Community Development Centre in South Sudan (CDC), provided speakerboxes to listener groups in several villages between Morobo and the Ugandan border at Kaya. Each group consists of around 10 families. The CDC team in Yei, supported by volunteers in Morobo, have been creating and distributing monthly podcasts which the listener groups play on the speakerboxes. The podcasts include interviews, stories, and songs from community members. Our workshop was aimed at helping community members discover more ways they could use media to mobilise their communities and build for peace.

During and following the conflict, soldiers in this area have usually been posted from another part of South Sudan and belong to other tribes. This has often led to soldiers abusing or oppressing local villagers, especially on the roads, or by plundering crops at harvest time. Bravely, the Hope Village team had decided to give a speakerbox to the local army barracks and include them in the community conversations.

During our visit we attended a community meeting and heard that this has been a good decision. One person from Kimba community told us –

“The community is living together well. It [the podcast] has encouraged people to cultivate [because crops won’t be plundered]. Before the [podcasts], we couldn’t travel far. But now there is less fear of soldiers – more peace – we are even able to greet soldiers in passing on the road.”

A woman then stood up and gave her perspective –

“Before the [podcasts] there was no unity or love. Now when we meet someone on the road (even men) we greet in peace. Because men … have realised that GBV (gender-based-violence) is wrong.”

Not every story was so positive. One man told us about his village, close to a camp of opposition forces. It is currently too dangerous to give a speakerbox to soldiers in the opposition forces camp and this village continues to face robbery and plundering. But his story led to a conversation among the leaders. Something must be done. This story must be heard too.

Some young people were passing the meeting and stopped to listen. One of them, a youth leader, spoke up, saying that he likes the entertainment –

“The songs have good meaning. War has led to rape, turned people poor, but songs give hope.”

Losing the culture of greeting one another in the road may not seem like the worst effect of war, but the stories of people finding it safer to greet again symbolise the hope of people on the road to peace.

You can listen below to the Hope Village theme song (written and performed by Barnabas Samuel) …

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I visited the Soot Semee community-centred media project in February. Our partner Community Development Centre (CDC) took me to meet with the Council of Reference – a group of people in the Omugo 4 village who oversee and advise on the Soot Semee content. Soot Semee programmes are MP3 podcasts on digital memory cards (SD Cards) played on speakerboxes (digital audio players). The people of Omugo 4 village just call it “radio”.

The Council of Reference shared stories about the impact of Soot Semee audio programmes. As these respected community leaders talked about transformational effects of the Soot Semee radio programmes it quickly moved from theoretical to personal.

One woman started to talk about the difficulties many women have faced on arriving in Uganda from South Sudan. They often have no relatives or spouse with them to help with the children. She said that Soot Semee programmes help women in this situation with advice. But more than advice, the programmes help people realise they are not alone. She said “also they feel that they have people when they listen to the radio”.

She continued her reflection, “For me this is something that is personal, when I came here, I was just as I am, I don’t have anyone, I didn’t know people, and I would have no opportunity for standing before people like this. But now [as part of] the council of reference I have people, I can meet, and I can stand before people and do a lot of things.”

Another woman on the Council of Reference said that she felt that Soot Semee was so valuable that it needed to be available for people in the other refugee settlements. But she also recognised that with this exposure came responsibility. “Soot Semee has made me a leader, I am a role model, so I take care of how I live my life as an example.”

I am no farming expert, but as we went about in the Omugo 4 settlement I could see very clearly that it sits on a very rocky and inhospitable ridge, it doesn’t look like good land for growing crops. I was told that attempts to grow fruit trees had failed due to the harsh landscape. Back in the Council of Reference meeting, one of the men told us that Soot Semee programmes had helped people to start farming vegetables such as okra despite the harshness of the land. Before people would have travel a long way to market town to buy such vegetables.

Despite rocky and arid landscape, Omugo 4 villagers are succeeding in growing vegetables like okra. Feb 2023

These harsh living conditions take their toll in other ways. The man continued,

“I want to speak about myself. Before Soot Semee [programmes were available], I would just be, my ears, monitoring where alcohol is. If I come for a meeting like this, something like [this] soda, I would just put the alcohol in there. Through Soot Semee, I had been listening, when the chairman and some of the others, they talked to me as part of their off-air activities and brought me some programmes about alcohol [abuse] and said if I continue like this, my life will not be OK. So, from a drunkard, I was brought by the Council of Reference to leadership. Now I stand before people and now I have been elected as a block leader.”

As I had prepared for this visit, I knew I wanted to better understand reports that Soot Semee programmes had led to reductions in gender-based violence (GBV). Its hard to get a comprehensive understanding from a small sample of stories, especially when the cultural context is so different to my own. However, I heard a few stories like Joseph’s story,

“I have two women. One of them is good, and the other one is not harsh. But sometimes it starts, there is some kind of problem at home. [gestures and local language reactions indicate he meant that tensions sometimes led to violence]. But when Soot Semee came, there were a lot of things [on the radio] about how people can control their emotions. And in our families, we tried and learned how we could change. Now for me, I would tell them, look I am a community reporter, I am also a community leader. I don’t want to do anything that is very bad. So now I controlled myself during the day or at night, so that I don’t do something bad. I will take it slowly, and now if there is some issue, we solve our issues. As a reporter and community leader, I want to be a role model, that is why I am doing that. I want to make sure that what I am teaching is the thing that I am doing.”

Just as the meeting was about to close, a man stood up and summarised for us the sense of purpose and hope that Soot Semee is instilling in people from all parts of the community.

“Soot Semee brought so many good things. What we wanted … trainings that come via this Soot Semee for us as leaders, so that when we go back to our country, we can help them as well there. … If you are a leader, if don’t have many skills, then as a leader you will not be able to govern people. I, who am speaking here, I am disabled. I am walking with these crutches. But Soot Semee has done very well, has brought in us people who have disabilities. Soot Semee did not say this person is disabled, they cannot be part of us. They included me.”

Barnabas from CDC closed the meeting, thanking the Council of Reference and honouring the huge impact they are having. As he speaks, it occurs to me, Soot Semee is not something coming to these people from outside. These people are Soot Semee.

Soot Semee Council of Reference group photo. Omugo 4. Feb 2023

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I joined our partners, Community Development Centre (CDC Uganda) on a trip to the Omugu 4 village to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of Soot SemeeSoot Semee means “Voice of Compassion” in Juba Arabic podcast production. 111 episodes of the community-centred podcast have been produced and distributed since January 2020. We arrived a bit late but we were welcomed enthusiastically by Omugo 4 community members, and the event quickly got under way. A woman got everybody singing and then a local pastor said a prayer. A Soot Semee volunteer led proceedings and invited various project stakeholdersstakeholders are people who are affected by the project, or who have influence to affect the project to speak. The speeches were a fantastic opportunity to hear from a diversity of voices about the impact Soot Semee has been having. The Soot Semee team were on hand to record the speeches for the next podcast. And then there was dancing …

Some women from Omugo 4 welcome our vehicle, Omugo, 2022.

Some speakers were refugee settlers from Omugo 4 who listened to Soot Semee. Some were members of the Ugandan host community who also listen to Soot Semee.

Soot Semee volunteer comperes event, while another volunteer records for the next podcast. Omugo, 2022

I learned that there are 12 women and 6 men who are volunteers gathering content to produce Soot Semee programmes .We’ve always described the Soot Semee programmes as “podcasts” because they are digital files stored on memory cards and played on digital audio players or “speakerboxes”. I learned that, in Omugo 4, Soot Semee is described as a “community radio”, and that speakerboxes are just called “radios”.

We heard several people say Soot Semee has been successful in building peace among refugees in Omugo 4 village, and also between refugees and host community members.

“These programmes have really changed the people of Omugo 4. As you also talk of unity. As you come here you will see youth, women, elderly, they all come together. And there is also formation of [listener] groups as a result of this radio. If you come to Omugo 4 there are a lot of groups. Even in the host communities.”

(Ugandan community member)

“Since 2019, Soot Semee do wonderful things in this community of Omugo 4. Back then there were divisions, but since Soot Semee came, we are together now. Back then the refugee community and the host community have been in different positions, but right now because of Soot Semee they have become as one family.”

(South Sudanese community member, Soot Semee Council of Reference)

The representative of the Ugandan prime minister’s office (OPM), responsible for overseeing the settlements, said that he used to see a lot of bruised faces in Omugo because of fighting, but now “they are shiny”.

One area of conflict, gender-based violence (GBV), got special mention because of the huge reduction in cases. The Ugandan police official responsible for responding to cases of conflict and domestic violence in the Omugo villages said,

“All of you are talking about cases of GBV are being reduced. I’m very very happy that my workload has been reduced. … I am stood up to show appreciation that the workload has been reduced for me. Let the radio continue.”

(OC, Omugo Zone)

Maybe you want a more scientific measure for this outcome, but what I heard were huge cheers and claps, especially from women in the group, when reduction of GBV was mentioned, and a mood that indicated that GBV is considered unacceptable and should be eradicated. Through the mix of “on-air” Soot Semee content, and “off-air” activities of other service providers, GBV is being rejected as a social norm in and around Omugo 4.

The officials, listeners, and volunteers all took the opportunity to tell me they wanted Soot Semee to continue building peace and to grow in its influence, hopefully with more input from CDC and Amplifying Voices.

Another comment from the OPM:

“When Soot Semee came to our office there, we gave them a stone. They threw their stone and the stone landed in Omugo 4.  Who of you has ever thrown a stone in the water? How do the waves go? They go up the end of the river. So that means that Soot Semee should go to the end of the Omugo Zone. All villages in Omugo should receive Soot Semee.”

For young people, learning journalism skills has given them a real sense of purpose. They want to learn more. One of the volunteers said that he valued being trusted by the community. A community leader said he wanted to see the young people who currently report on local community issues to even go to Nairobi and report on issues there. But they are limited by resources, for example some volunteers don’t have mobile phones to be able to find out about local stories. Volunteers need to find ways to balance the time required for gathering community content and dealing with their own personal situations. This is a challenge for the project developing in a sustainable way.

I was asked to speak too. As I passed on greetings and congratulations from our team and supporters in the UK, I also picked up on the reports from community members that people are buying their own speakerboxes to be able to listen to Soot Semee, and others are downloading Soot Semee on to phones. Through local resolve and local initiative, the waves from the stone are already rippling out. We are honoured to walk alongside CDC and the Soot Semee team as they explore where this takes them.

As we mentioned last month, one potential new direction for Soot Semee is the route of return, back into South Sudan. As part of that exploration, I also visited Yei in South Sudan where CDC first got started. CDC South Sudan would like to introduce community-centred media in Yei and some outlying towns, building peace among settlers, returnees, and internally displaced people. We’ll pick up on that story in a couple of weeks time …

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Image: Amazon Echo Dot

(pictured) have triggered renewed interest in audio media and boosted the popularity of podcasts according to Reuters Institute. Reuter’s research reveals that, in an image- and video-rich media environment, we find many situations in daily life where we’d rather be hands-free AND eyes-free. We are telling our devices to play podcasts or stream music to fulfill this demand.

In some places where Amplifying Voices partners are working, portable speakers with digital audio are key sources for information and entertainment, although voice activation is not yet so important! Increasingly Amplifying Voices’ partners are using speakerboxes where there are legal, cultural or geographical restrictions on the use of FM radio, e.g. for South Sudanese refugees living in Uganda, or remote Adivasi people in India.

Speakerboxes can play digital content from files stored on an MicroSD memory card (sometimes labelled TF Card on devices). They look and feel similar to the Smart Speakers. The main differences are that Speakerboxes cannot be controlled by voice commands, and can only play internet content if connected by bluetooth to a Smartphone. Both offer a new way for listeners to take control of the music and other audio content that they listen to.

While carrying out a baseline survey for the new Soot Semee project, a team from our partner, CDC, met this man listening to music on a speakerbox, similar to the type that CDC will distribute to vulnerable households in one of the South Sudanese refugee settlements. The man said that his neighbours gather in the evening to listen to the speakerbox with him. Barnabas from CDC told us. “When we asked if we could bring him our Soot Semee programmes [on MicroSD card] in January, he was super happy!”

Soot Semee content will include advice from local healthcare providers and community-based organisations and will play discussions, interviews and stories from the community members to boost community health, reduce gender-based violence, strengthening relationships with each other and with local Ugandan community members. It will further support peacebuilding by connecting listeners with the Hagiga Wahid rumour management project, to help listeners access reliable news from the settlement camps and South Sudan, and to help them disregard misinformation.

Soot Semee (Voice of Compassion in Juba Arabic) is part of this growing trend that is revitalising audio … and Soot Semee will be using audio to revitalise communities in Omugo Zone, Northern Uganda.

More Speakerbox stories

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By Dane Waters

The first week of April was very significant for the community of Geraldton. Local services, businesses and community got together to launch an awareness raising week full of events to shed light on the devastating impact of family violence. In Australia, 1 in 6 women have experienced physical or sexual violence and 1 in 5 have been sexually assaulted or threatened. These statistics are even more alarming at the local level. So in response to this, the Geraldton community joined together to make a stand together to say violence is never okay.

Numbers and statistics do not convey the wider impact that family violence has within the community. They don’t represent the fear of a woman (and often their children) in hiding from their abusive partner, or of the wider family scared for the safety of their daughter, sister or grandchildren. Statistics do not capture the worry of the family violence counsellors who have helped deal with an incident and are constantly worrying if that person is okay.

Health Communication Resources Inc. stands with the Geraldton community and all other communities to say violence is never okay. We have been first responders and seen the devastating impacts of family and domestic violence. We will continue to work tirelessly to raise awareness of family violence in the community by using the powerful tool of community media.

For more information about the project, check out https://communityrespectandequality.com.au/

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Gender based violence is a multi-faceted issue and can encompass physical, sexual, economic, cultural and emotional mistreatment based on a person’s gender.

Among the root causes of gender-based violence are existing social norms and the imbalance of power between men and women. Gender roles are learnt through socialisation beginning in early childhood and can limit what we think we can do, who we think we are and who we think we can be. Societies with rigid gender roles often deny women and girls the opportunities to progress in life and leave them open to mistreatment and exploitation.

To really address the issue of gender-based violence, we need to work with individuals, families, communities and societies to change societal norms and envision a different future. This includes breaking the silence around gender-based violence and hearing the stories of those who have been affected.Sharing the stories and experiences of women and girls who have been mistreated raises awareness of this deep-rootedissue, challenges the negative stereotypes that limit women and girls, and is helping to change the societal systems that keep many women trapped and isolated.

Over the last 16 days, we have tried to raise awareness of this global issue by sharing stories from around the world of women and girls that have been affected by gender-based violence. We have also looked at how individual people and communities are responding to this issue to empower women and create a different future in their communities based on dignity for all.

The stories of women and girls matter. They break the culture of silence and shame prevalent to some extent in all human societies. HCR will continue to use media rooted in local communities to provide a platform to share people’s stories, to bring groups together to address challenges and concerns, and to bring about lasting change that recognises every person’s equal and shared humanity.

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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 of illiteracy. Conflict within families and domestic violence is rife. It is common to see women with missing teeth as they have been so badly beaten.

Women cannot own animals or land and are very dependent on men. Early marriage is common, with girls as young as eleven often married to men in their fifties and over, frequently as a second or third wife.  When a girl is prepared for marriage she will have to go through the painful ritual of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

Mary explains that she is ‘surrounded by this community – I could lose trust and [do more harm than good], so I interact with the families.’ Mary is notified if a marriage is likely to take place. Mary will try and talk with the family and if the wedding cannot be prevented in this way, then they will find a discreet way to get the young girl to safety and the care of the government.

After a girl is brought to safety, the government will start working with the family. The family is not informed that Mary has helped to get the girl protected and she would be at risk if her involvement was discovered:

‘I see girls, I feel angry, so sympathetic, they are very young and innocent. They don’t even know the man she will marry’. 

Mary is not always able to prevent a child marriage, or stop girls being ‘cut’ before their wedding ceremonies, or women being harmed or murdered due to domestic violence. Mary helps girls to remain in their communities, providing support, fellowship and togetherness.

All of HCR’s work with partners engages with and supports people and local communities and it is from within these communities that change can and does happen.

*Not her real name

Photo credit: Olivier Asselin – UNICEF

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The keystone to transformational development is building trust and relationships. At HCR we endeavour to build trust with all people we work with, as we walk alongside communities. Trust is critical and particularly highlighted when working on family violence and women’s empowerment issues. In the Mid West, Western Australia we are continually confronted with family violence issues. Women who we have built trusting relationships with, come to us in all levels of distress due to family violence. As the Family Law Act 1995 in Australia states:

Domestic and family violence occurs when someone tries to control their partner or other family members in ways that intimidate or oppress them. Controlling behaviours can include threats, humiliation (‘put downs’), emotional abuse, physical assault, sexual abuse, financial exploitation and social isolations, such as not allowing contact with family or friends.

Women who have shared their stories with us have experienced controlling behaviours from physical assault to financial exploitation, and when victims come to us we support them to seek appropriate services. All women and men need to be empowered to stand up to all types of intimidating behaviour. Alongside supporting individual women, we also work with community champions and local services to develop community media strategies to help provide critical information to those in need with regards to family violence. This includes recording and broadcasting community service announcements about services available. We are passionate about working on this issue and making a stand, because violence is never okay.

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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 of sexual violence perpetrated in this country, notably as a weapon of war and coercion. Ravaged by over twenty years of conflict, with 3.7 million internally displaced people, UNWomen estimates that over 1 million women have been raped in the DRC.

HCR’s partner station in North Kivu, Umoja FM seeks to prevent and respond to sexual violence by building community resilience and changing attitudes about the value of women and girls, especially their education. The station runs programmes which provide counselling and trauma healing for survivors as well as advice for young people. In a meeting with listeners a few weeks ago I heard many stories of how the radio station has made a huge difference since 2016, when it was launched by Feba UK in collaboration with HCR and a local NGO, Esader.

One listener said: “In Watalinga (district) there was an attitude that we had to marry our girls at a very young age and so there was no point educating them. But the radio has changed all that, and I should know, because I used to think like that.” Another said that although many NGO’s had come and gone, the radio is always with them, helping them, bringing new ideas.

Station Manager Baraka Basweki told me, “We are changing community attitudes towards the value of women and girls. As one person changes so they influence another and another – you can feel it is different now.”

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