Youth as agents for change in Tanzania - Femina HIP
Empowering a new generation.
SpunOut.ie TV talk shows, SpunOut.ie national magazines, SpunOut.ie radio shows .... Ahhh we can dream of doing exactly what the super cool organisation FeminaHIP are doing right now in Tanzania. FeminaHIP run an organisation pretty similar to SpunOut.ie; reaching and engaging young people all over Tanzania both in English and the native language Swahili through different mediums including TV, radio, magazines and the internet. We popped up to their offices in Dar es Salaam and met up with three amazing women involved in running the organisation.
Their prime way of reaching young people is through their glossy Fema magazine, which contains messages about sexuality, relationships, HIV/AIDS, civic education, and other lifestyle issues. The magazine is distributed free of charge to about 2500 secondary schools in Tanzania and to over 200 civil society organisations to support their community-based activities. Si Mchezo! (“No Joke” in Swahili) magazine targets rural, out-of-school youth, aged 15-25, and their communities with messages about HIV/AIDS, healthy lifestyles, sexuality, skills, entrepreneurship, and livelihoods.
Fema TV Talk Show is a talk show for and by youth. The 30 minute weekly show in Swahili is broadcast nationally. The show's young hosts invite young people, experts, celebrities, and politicians to discuss critical, and sometimes controversial, issues relating to youth lifestyles. Increasingly, the shows are shot on location in rural areas, thus allowing a wider public to share their experience. This also gives a voice to young people and communities who generally do not have the opportunity to access the airwaves. Interactivity is encouraged through SMS and email.
The chezasalama.com website is a resource for young people and educators throughout the East African region and beyond. It is interactive and bi-lingual (Swahili and English), and mirrors the content and messages of other Femina products. The organisation and staff are an inspiration. We strongly feel that Ireland urgently needs to learn and take action now to get resources like these up and running for the good of the youth of Ireland.
The reason the magazine and radio work so well in reaching young people is because internet penetration is minimal in Tanzania at the moment, as is ownership of a television. They initially set up to raise aware about sexual health as HIV/Aids is a problem in the country and have proved to be hugely successful in making real change throughout Tanzania. We wish them every success in the future!
Click on the podcasts below to hear from Amabilis Batamula, staff member of FeminaHIP and check out her thoughts on health and social issues in Tanzania.
Thanks also to the team for taking the time to meet up with us.
Gooooo the FeminHIPsters!
With thanks to the Simon Cumbers Media Challenge Fund and Connect World for their generous support of our project.
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