Women
WAYout has now founded several Women’s Media Groups in the provinces, near Bo; in Ferry Junction, Freetown and in the female prison. This is just the beginning and we hope to open more centres in areas where women are marginalised and digitally excluded. Through our mission and commitment to fostering change at both global and local levels, through technology, art and advocacy, WAYout bridges cultural, geographical, and social divides to shine a spotlight on digital exclusion and the voiceless. Collaborating with local communities, governments, and other stakeholders, we raise awareness, foster dialogue, and instigate action. WAYout female media students have gone on to work in broadcast TV or as freelancers, teach others and advocate for women’s rights.
It all started when Susan Kargbo, a WAYout staff member who came up through WAYout, went to a remote village in the provinces where there was no electricity or phone signal to make a documentary about domestic abuse. As she was leaving, the women in the village asked her to teach them how to make films. So we did. 60 farming women, who could not read or write, took part in classes, shooting and editing short dramas about sexual health, early marriage and other human rights issues. Teaching digital media not only gives voice and confidence it also gives the means to tell stories and explore issues in an easily understood and often entertaining way. This project has led to some women taking literacy classes and there is a reported drop in domestic abuse.
Whilst cameras and editing are alien to the provincial communities, community members making films about things that concern them in their own voices and in recognisable locations draw big audiences. It’s imperative that initiatives, especially those related to sensitive topics, maintain cultural relevance
Women in the female prison receive their certificate DJing
‘Abused’ Susan Kargbo’s documentary about domestic abuse ‘NOT ME‘ a drama about Gonorrhoea encouraging people to get treatment ‘MY HEALTH‘ about Fistula, raising awareness, challenging stigma and encouraging women to seek treatment.
Watch The WAYout women’s “Make a Change”
Watch FGM in Sierra Leone
We continue to conduct outreach, employ female trainers, set up training programmes, conduct a baseline study for evaluation, look for job opportunities for trained women and plan films they will make to raise awareness of women’s issues or celebrate women’s lives. www.wayoutwmg.org
WAYout has learnt through delivery over the last 11 years in Sierra Leone that our women participants need a safe, nurturing environment where they can develop ideas and stories that are important to them. The Women’s project will train women to work in the media. In addition, WAYout will set up gender discussion groups, to tackle misconceptions held between WAYout participants – male and female – around gender differences.