The Women Signal

Radio is the only media reached more-than 98% rural community. So, this will be the single way to empower millions of women in living in poverty.

As part of my goal to influence social injustice, bring prosperity and equality, I am working on ‘Women Business Information’, to inform women about what are existing business opportunities in their local communities through the most accessible media channel to rural community. I want to create radio community discussion and entertaining drama.

The “Amplitude Modulation” radio broadcast reaches almost all of rural society. So, we broadcast entertaining radio content which is mixed with information about existing business opportunities, market and skills. We also create monthly listener-group /radio-community/ which discusses the issues they used to hear for a month through the drama.

"I believe that in this 21st century poverty and hunger still rising for not lack of food, but gender gap is making a potential influence economic benefit of women that leads to women-led family suffer more."

Ethiopian women suffer from work stereotype and gender distribution of labor, more are occupy in economically invisible work. Women experience lower socio-economic status in general and hence is marginalized from making decisions. 78% of rural employment was held by men, while 43.3% women think their husband can beat them if they go out for business, because the society believes that as unrespectful to husband.

Several international organizations and the government have made wide platform to benefit women. But, no one is working to inform about these existing opportunities. When women think about life, they think only they have two opportunities; marry to rely of their husband or joining the deadly illegal journey to middle east.

Empowering women in economic race means ensuring social justice and narrowing the gap of economic benefit between men and women and furthermore creating resilient family. But, more-than 40 Million women are living in unfair world where they are confused about what to do and how to live.

I am empowering Women! Rural Women, those unprivileged and economically abused! I inform to empower. Empower to changes their lives.

I reached more-than 1 Million Women to raise their health issues. Now working to address more-than 40 million rural women's economic problem in the coming 5 years.

Thinking of my previous social awareness experience combined with the methodology in social influence I learned from several international workshops, I hope this idea can influence the potential gap between men and women in my society. Informing about what to do for living, what does exist and what is their right can empower them to be a game changer in  this unfair world.

Ethiopian rural community are based on cultural entertainment. Local community peoples choose entertainmental teaching than direct coaching or lecture. So, I use Radio drama which story will be made with captivating local incident mixed with the message I need to transfer. This means they entertain, they learn. The story of the drama starts on one of the countries cultural festive day and ends up on March 8(International Women's Day). After completion of the first term, I make radio live discussion platform on which audiences from local community, government bodies and local cultural leaders’ debate.

While entertaining, we inform about existing opportunities with special focus on local economic development, create a content which can advocate for their right against the local culture and policies and provide choices of life with simple and applicable methods.

In Ethiopia, 90% the rural communities are not aware of Information communication Technology. That means more than 90 Million of the population are living in oblivious world. The only accessible media is radio with a surging rate of more than 98% in a very rural area. So, radio will be the only channel between information and the people. While doing the content, local celebrities will be used to create more accurate content and use the real accent of the audiences.

The radio drama can open their eyes to see around, help them to know their right to do business in order to sustain and change their lives, evolve policy makers and government bodies to more focus on policy and legal factors and furthermore, teaches women to prosper while serving their local ties without facing early marriage and joining illegal migration. I hope this can make a potential contribution to bring women to front in business world, ensure the #Zero hunger project and furthermore eradicate social injustice.

What makes this solution more innovative is the way it inform to influence without enforcing. The primary goal of the audience will be entertainment, while a primary goal of the innovator is empowerment. So, this innovation can deliver its important message through entertainment. To describe shortly, I can say, "Entertain to catch, deliver a to teach"  

AM Radio “Amplitude Modulation” channel has been used for several years as the only channel to connect politicians with the broad rural society. Usually, it was used for political brainwash and ordinary entertainment. This means it has been one of the  misused accessible technology for several years.

This most accessible channel can make a potential influence if used inventively. So, changing the way people used to get information; producing entertainment with important message can change the way people approach a new information. 

Ethiopia is a big country with more than 80 Million people scattered in rural area without any information and communication technological facility. This makes very difficult to use internet, mobile phone and TV shows to deliver message. To benefit this oblivious society, it needs a channel more accessible which can operate without internet connection and Electric power. Thinking of power inaccessibility, unfacilitated internet connection combined with it's cost and accessibility, Radio will be the first choice in reachability. 

This innovation produce 26 episode radio drama which focuses on a life of four rural women with very different history. Within the drama people discuss about what to do and how to live. They discuss about facilitated business opportunities no one was aware of but researched by the solution innovator to inform audiences. It teaches realities of independent life, use evocative words against those challenging local cultures and politico-legal factors. Furthermore, The live radio discussion between community leaders, influential women and government officials can create a road map to step toward for target audiences.

As my long time plan, in ten years I can reach 40 Million women living in rural Ethiopia. But, as a short time plan, in five years I want to focus on 10.4 Million rural women living in the one of biggest region (Oromia) in Ethiopia.

In one year, the solution can reach more-than 1.5 Million Women, which can grow to 10.4 Million in five years by creating listener group and our program advocate from community leaders in each village. The most important thing is; the writer and editor of this content will be from local celebrities in order to create a content which can represent the real life style of each community. 

It could be possible to target the whole 20 Million at same time, but the problem was the difference between different ethnic regions. Ethiopia was divided in to 9 regions based on peoples race, ethnicity, language and demography. Each region has it's own language, life style and contextual behavior. These make challenging to influence different people with the same audition. So, It is important to scale-up timely than creating another challenge to solve a challenge.

The Sustainable Development Goal aim to end all forms of hunger and malnutrition by 2030. This was planned to achieve by reducing gender inequalities and focusing on self-help initiative. Today on 2019, despite the fact that Ethiopia is growing very fast, but, the rural population still earn less than the recommended range of $2 per day with $738 per month. while more-than 75% rural population living under $2 per-day are Women or women-led families.

"Information is everything." Because of lack of information on what-to-do for living, what their right is and what opportunities are there for them, women choose to rely on their husband, marry very early or join the deadly illegal migration. 

I believe, this solution will be a powerful tool to fight this social disparity, empower women and ensure the millennial goal held by world society to create equal and prosperous world.

at the end of the next year (2020), more-than 1 Million women will know opportunities in their local communities, start their own business and can feed balanced food to their children. As middle term plan, in five years, this achievement will grow to influence total 10.4 Million women living in poverty in Ethiopian rural region, which will planned to grow to 40 Million in 10 years.

Finance and politico-legal factors are the main barriers. I have discussed with media authority to use public radio station to broadcast. They showed their willingness but, airtime payment. the producers, writers and editors need payment to give their full time. Accommodation for workshop and other transportation process also needs financial answers.

Furthermore, Because of the latest Civic society proclamation, legal factors twisted with political fear made the project legalizing process too long. 

Most importantly, I had a meeting with European Union delegation to Ethiopia, migration department head to secure financial process. They praised my idea and recommended to finish the legal registration process in order to fund my solution. Even, they are trying to link me with organizations they funded for this type projects. 

A group of professionals from government bodies and others are willing to support me voluntarily. This can ease the financial load. Furthermore, I am talking with Embassy of Germany resided in Ethiopia, they recommended to finish the legal licencing process.

I hope the $10,000 grant from your foundation will be a road opening opportunity to success my life long goal. It could be a great finance to cover my administration process to buy voice recorder, stationary and airtime payment. 

My solution is independent and a way new idea to address the growing society challenge. i.e. migration, women unemployment and social exclusion.

I found a non-profit organization known as "Human Migration and Refugee Response" which works on Youth Employment, Economic inclusion, anti-human trafficking, Youth entrepreneurship, Returnee employment, skill training and refugee assistance. The solution works as part of this organisation as a single project to address rural women employment, in order to stop illegal migration.

Five experts of who are well experienced in BBC media Action from my previous organization and three local artists are worked on designing, pitching and conceptualizing the process. In future, I need to hire some paid researchers, administration workers, writers and editors to make it most influential content.

I worked as director for Job creation and Enterprises development Agency at municipal level and I also worked here as urban agriculture facilitator in the same sector. I have worked as writer/editor for media influence project which works on  health promotion with BBC Media Action before three years. We impacted more than 1 Million rural population in six months.The team is still with me to support my solution with experiences they acquired from international media teams from BBC. Most of them are internationally trained media journalists, social advocate and rural development researchers. Other group from government agencies and friends from several background specially working on livelihood sector are among committed team to ensure this solution to exist.

I am working with civil society academy which was sponsored by Welthungerhilfe in collaboration with German government. They selected my solution as top 30 out of more-than 1000 designed social innovation solution, pitched my idea with me at New delhi, India workshop. 

Most importantly, I am very confident that European Union migration department is the one who is very committed to discuss and move further with my project. 

The 'Human Migration and Refugee Response' is a non-profit organisation working to address the problem of migration in search of employment and also refugee skill training. Under this organisation, the idea is to deliver information to rural women struggling with life in lack of Business information, Cultural challenge and policy-legal factors. 

As a legally registered body we can attract international and domestic funds. This will be applicable with regard to Ethiopian CSO proclamation 20/80  budget utilization policy. That means 80% of total budget will goes to direct assistance while only 20% goes to administrative coast which will be inspected by government bodies. Quarterly assessment is a core part of the project to count impact. So, every three months impact assessment will be made by evaluation and research experts to measure the impact of the solution in quarterly manner.

This non-profit organisation continues to scale-up the idea to reach more people with idea to ensure social inclusion with special focus on rural poor women employment. So, the impact can address the poverty, hunger, malnutrition, illegal migration and inequality in order bring prosperity to more-than 40 Million rural women living in poverty.

As part of financial sustainability, we use different types of fund raising strategies; social development sponsors, International and domestics donors, fund raising entertainment and maybe outsourcing the drama to radio station owners to facilitate other producers advertise their product between each episode and share the payment for the airtime. 

Like you, I also believe that being a Solver is about much more than prize funding. Furthermore, I will gain prime concept and approaches to develop better prototype with understanding of significant logical frameworks and approaches in social development and technology impact to bring my idea to reality. Your paralleled facility and platform to network with experts, funding partners, the strategic advice from mentors from accomplished leaders and as well as collaboration opportunities will give me an opportunity to success my dream to contribute my part in global impact.

The small prize from the program will be a great asset to my project, while participating on this international event can provide me a confidence to discuss my solution with other sponsors. I will gain the prime concept of possible challenges in start up and helps me to prepare effective plan, frame works and resources.

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I want to partner with BBC Media Action, World bank's 'Women Entrepreneurship Development Project', Vodafone Americas Foundation, General Motors and Andan Foundation.

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If I could win this prize, It will directly goes to broaden number of target audience to reach in a short period of time. That means, my plan to reach 40 Million women in 10 years will become successful in five years by using this prize for more content production, creating village listener group and Radio Airtime purchase.

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