Women's Development

This summary is part of a research project carried out between March and October 2006 in support of the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD), one of The Communication Initiative (The CI)'s partners.

Founded in 1988, Cemina is a Brazilian non-governmental organisation (NGO) that uses radio broadcasting to promote communication and information on gender issues, currently broadcasting to over 400 women’s radio programmes. The information and communication technology (ICT) community radio project, Network Cyberella, was based upon the idea that ICT could be used to facilitate the exchange of audio material and thus improve radio content quality and increase Brazil’s community radio capacity.

The Cyberella project integrates local radio stations Brazil-wide into a network that shares content by downloading it using broadband internet and then transmitting programmes via the internet and radio. By pairing a familiar technology (radio) with a newer technology (the internet), Cemina hopes to overcome resistance to new communication technology, particularly among women.

The first 13 stations for the project were selected through a public contest entered by 30 radio stations; these stations participated in the pilot project. Three of these stations were located in communities with no internet connectivity, deliberately selected in consideration of the future installation of Radio-Internet-Telecentres in communities lacking connectivity. According to this case study, this initiative will later be expanded to include Brazil’s economically poorest municipalities.

Through this project, Cemina aims to improve low income women’s access to education on gender through community radio, and to facilitate women’s integration of new communication technologies. The following were the primary objectives of this project:

• Creation of a radio website profiling Women Radio Network (WRN) stations;
• Provision of hardware and training to 10 WRN stations with the good connectivity essential to the exchange of audio material on the internet;
• Provision of hardware, training, and access to 3 WRN stations with no internet connectivity (they depend upon satellite connections).

A radio website has been developed, to which community radio stations can contribute content and download audio files for local broadcast. Two telecentres have been set up, one of which provides ICT training to local youth in response to prevalent child labour in the area.

Cemina was able to partner with organisations that could contribute content to the website, while Cemina supported them in digital radio dissemination and worked with them to create future network sustainability.

The 13 participating radio stations were provided with a computer, necessary software for sound editing, connectivity costs, and staff training.

The following challenges were experienced during the project:

• Shorter programme segments instead of one 60-minute programme allow local radio stations to use segments in different time slots;
• The lack of broadband connectivity in many areas necessitates the use of very expensive satellite connectivity;
• Provision of technical support for partners is very challenging - local assistance partnerships are key to overcoming this obstacle;
• Withdrawal of government support for ICT may cause a funding problem in future.

The following key factors have led to poverty reduction outcomes:

• Significant crossover between radio stations leads to sharing of such resources as content and presenters;
• Two project partners have set up telecentres where the community can access internet services;
• The policy environment has enabled Cemina to determine their own working practice; Brazilian culture accepts and encourages community radio.

Cemina and Radio Viva Favela continue to exchange technical expertise and experiences to improve the technology platforms and provide better coverage. Additional funding from the Kellogg Foundation and UNESCO have allowed the project to expand and incorporate sixteen new community radio stations.