Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)
1 April 2008
Kinshasa — A group of rural women in South Kivu has launched a community radio station to promote the welfare of women and girls.
Radio Babusa FM first hit the air in January 4. It was an initiative of a group of women called Sauti ya Mwanamke Kijijini (SAMWAKI), 'the voice of rural women.'
SAMWAKI's vision is to turn Radio Babusa FM into a genuine space of encounter and exchange of information and experiences by and for rural women and young girls. The station broadcasts the local language Mashi, Swahili and French.
A report by the World Association of Christian Communication (WACC) said the radio will be used to break the silence around issues such as the discrimination and marginalisation faced by rural women and to share and exchange visions and information that will empower village women to be active agents of sustainable development.
It will also be a tool for forging new alliances with other members and sectors of the community in order to seek commonly agreed solutions to the problems facing women.
Launched in 2002, SAMWAKI is a women's organization active in the rural areas of South Kivu. Its mission is to ensure that rural women are empowered by access to information, training and communication in a country that has seen endless generalized violence in the last years.
SAMWAKI is a founding member of the Network of Community Radios and Television of Congo and the Association of Community Radios of Congo.
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