AudiencScapes

Kenyan women have been at the forefront of some recent newsworthy ICT innovations such as iCow and M-Farm. Dinfin Mulupi covers their success stories and finds that their entrepreneurship might help open doors for disadvantaged women across Kenya. Read more….

A focus on training girls and women in how to use information and communication technology is breaking the bonds of sexism in Kenya. ICT skills give women more economic power as they can enter new industries or be more efficient entrepreneurs.By Dinfin MulupiWhile the digital divide affects all Kenyans, women in Kenya face additional challenges to acquiring information and communication technology skills. For 10 years, the African Centre for Women Information and Communication Technology has worked to close the gap in ICT access for Kenyan women. Now, they’re planning to expand their successful training programs to reach thousands more Kenyan women. Over the next 3 years, the Centre seeks to establish 240 community information centers countrywide and train 18,000 women.

By Paromita PainA recent article published in the women-run newspaper, Khabar Lahariya, revealed that rural women in Chitrakoot, a district in the north India state of Uttar Pradesh, aren’t getting emergency care in their local hospital. The reporter questioned the doctors on duty about the situation. While the article didn’t lead to an immediate solution to the problem, it was notable for being published at all. The fact that the newspaper treated women’s health care as a matter of worth reporting is what makes Khabar Lahariya distinctive. Poverty, illiteracy and gender discrimination are commonplace in Chitrakoot and the rest of Uttar Pradesh. The male-dominated social and economic system leaves little room for women’s news in the local media, much less an outlet for their views.

 A-Scapes Research Analyst Hannah Bowen recently delivered a presentation at the Population Reference Bureau highlighting research findings from our Kenya and Ghana quantitative reports regarding the role of gender in media consumption and access to health services.See the presentation here and share your comments with us in the comment box below