IWDA congratulates fem’LINKPACIFIC on 6 years of their Suitcase Radio!

IWDA offers a heart-felt congratulations to all our colleagues in fem’LINKPACIFIC on the sixth year of their innovative suitcase radio program. Congratulations!

IWDA has proudly supported fem’LINKPACIFIC’s Generation Next Program for 3 years, and during this time has seen the organisation and the program go from strength to strength. The last 3 years in particular have seen the organisation opening a fantastic Community Media Centre, providing training to over 40 young women to become radio producers and broadcasters, bringing the voices of women in rural and urban areas to policy makers through policy papers, radio programs and newsletters, and the production of excellent radio content – including radio dramas, interviews, and jingles, like the “Peace and Human Security, this is what it means to me” jingle.

Through the Generation Next Program fem’LINKPACIFIC has provided empowering and inspirational opportunities for young women to build their confidence, skills and break down barriers between generations, cultures and between men and women. IWDA has really enjoyed seeing the work produced by these young women and the personal growth they experience by being involved with fem’LINKPACIFIC.

Below you will find a short story of the history of fem’TALK 89FM’s radio station written by Sharon Bhagwan Rolls, the coordinator of fem’LINKPACIFIC to celebrate their sixth year in operation. It is wonderful story that enables us all to share and learn from fem’LINKPACIFIC’s journey.

Thank you Sharon for taking us on such a wonderful journey! From all of us at IWDA, congrats to all at fem’LINKPACIFIC for a great job supporting women to be heard in Fiji!

We look forward to supporting the Generation Next team and the growth of the radio network in 2010-2011.

fem’LINKPACIFIC: Media Initiatives for Women, is an innovative feminist media agency focusing on progressing young women’s rights and media skills, and documenting and sharing experiences and perspectives of diverse women in Fiji, focusing specifically on their safety and human security. Keep up to date with fem’LINKPACIFIC on their Facebook page and website. 

fem’TALK 89.2FM: ‘Suitcase Radio’ Story

 IT ALL began with a shared vision following the civilian coup of May 2000. It is another initiative of fem’LINKPACIFIC – to promote ‘women speaking to women for peace’. fem’TALK 89FM operates to bring people together in a safe space to share their views and opinions.

The quest to establish a women’s community radio initiative led to fem’LINKPACIFIC’s participation at the 2003 World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) Conference in Katmandu, Nepal. It was there that fem’LINKPACIFIC’s founding coordinator, Sharon Bhagwan Rolls with assistance from UNESCO, first found the radio in a suitcase.

The ‘suitcase radio’ was identified as the most appropriate equipment for the organisation to develop ‘women’s weekend radio’ broadcasts in the capital, and more importantly, take radio out to women in rural communities. UNESCO further assisted in funding a series of consultations with a range of NGO partners including representatives of the Fiji Disabled People’s Association, Interfaith Search Fiji, the YWCA and other women’s NGO partners. By September 2003, the station philosophy and programme format had been developed and by the end of that year the organisation had successfully acquired a community radio broadcast licence.

fem’TALK 89FM was launched in partnership with the Catholic Women’s League on 5 May 2004 at the Asia Pacific Conference of the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations.

The first team of broadcast volunteers was a group of fifth form students of St Joseph’s Secondary School who hosted monthly broadcasts in Suva with assistance from ECREA. Throughout 2004, the organisation also prepared itself to take the suitcase radio out to rural communities, which meant becoming more familiar with the technical operations of Fiji and the Pacific’s first mobile women’s community radio station while also developing networks with rural groups and mobilizing the necessary resources from the donor community to support its community radio operations. At the same time, to prepare women, including representatives from the rural communities, as well as women from marginalized groups, in particular people with disabilities, fem’LINKPACIFIC also staged broadcast-centred raining programmes for women and young women drawn from the national women’s NGO networks.

The commitment to youth empowerment, through the use of community radio has evolved into the ‘Generation Next project’, which now has trained close to 20 young women as community radio broadcasters, including four young women with physical disabilities who stage the Women’s Weekend Radio broadcasts in the capital.

By Sharon Bhagwan Rolls

To read more, download Sharon’s full story below.
The Journey of a Suitcase Radio Station

Tags: femLink, Fiji

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 8th, 2010 under Recent, Safety and Security.