Uganda Media Women Association (UMWA)

UMWA Programs & Services UMWA is undertaking a Rural Outreach Program (ROP) in 10 districts. This program is aimed at sensitizing the community on their rights and on topical issues, officially in 1997. ROP is responding to the long felt marginalisation of women in the political, economic and social fields. ROP focuses on the provision and dissemination of accurate information as a major tool for development. The program is in line with the fundamental right to speak and be heard. The immediate advantages of ROP are expansion of media coverage and a chance for the rural folks views and needs published in the Ugandan media. The long term for this activity is to establish a community based media station.
The topics range from family life issues to political rights education. We do this in form of workshops, seminars, and drama in which UMWA members encourage on spot dialogue. UMWA also encourages women groups to constitute themselves into drama groups which adapt plays and compose songs from the issues discussed for staging in the communities and on the private and public media.
ROP also encourages a radio listening culture as all 30 Community Based Organisations received radio sets.
More Information on ROP The women journalists visit a district four times in a year to conduct participatory workshops on a range of issues. Family life, reproductive rights, constitutional rights, political and economic rights among others. During the workshop, observations and questions are made for the rest of the audience to consider. The issues raised, most often are adapted into plays which are staged within the communities for a fee to contribute to the sustainability of the project. On every visit the women journalists carry with them recorded programs for the people in the rural areas. They in turn record the participants (women and men) experiences, which are aired on Radio Uganda or published in the local newspapers. UMWA is operating in ten districts: Mbarara, Kasese, Luweero, Mbale, Soroti, Moroto, Apac, Arua and Masindi. In each district UMWA operates with three women contact groups who mobilise the rest of the community for workshops or radio listening. Each group received a radio set(s). Each group again constituted itself into a radio listening club. The target at the beginning of the program was 20 women per group but as the project progressed, more people joined, that at the time of the evaluation (January 1998) some groups had as many as 600 participants. The women journalists (ROP workers) have to carry lunch allowance for the groups as this was found to be an incentive. Every visit ranges from 4-5 days in the field. The findings of the evaluation workshop were overwhelming. There is an indication that the program is a success, such that the groups in the rural areas spoke of footing transport costs for the ROP workers! The evaluation workshop attracted 30 women group leaders and 40 ROP workers. ROP is responding to the long felt marginalisation for women in the political, economic and social fields. ROP focuses on the provision and dissemination of accurate information as a major tool for development. The immediate advantages of ROP are expansion o media coverage and a chance for the rural folks views and needs published in the Ugandan media. The long term for this activity is to establish community based media station.