Our project brings together two of the world’s most powerful tools: the media and the internet. The media informs public opinion and steers policy, charity, investment, tourism and political will. Yet while the world has never been more connected, digital media is riddled with black holes and blind spots.

Women and girls are globally sidelined as critics and contributors, particularly those with low economic status, those living with disabilities or struggling with low literacy. As a result their voices are excluded and their stories hidden.

South Sudan is the world's newest country but suffers some of the worst developmental indicators. Almost 90% of South Sudanese women are estimated to be illiterate, their rights to education and security stifled by 22 years of civil war, sexual violence and displacement.

Our project will work with 60 women and girls in South Sudan to map their access to local technology and design realistic media training according to the tools at hand. The training will cover new media such as podcasts and blogging by SMS which don't rely on strong literacy.

Trainees will be linked to Radar's global network of media creators and mentors. Radar will commission media for $15 for our website and pitch trainees work to the international editorial community.

52% of voters during last year's referendum were women. Their role as architects of this new nation will be crucial. We will give them the skills to share that journey with the world.

Problem

An open, diverse media plays an essential role in holding institutions to account, particularly in the context of a new, post-conflict nation. As the fledgling democracy of South Sudan progresses with its statehood, the solutions to some of its most pressing issues of democracy, governance, justice, resource management, population and health will only come with balance, equality and diversity of voice in the media. Digital media skills are central to ensuring those opinions and facts are not limited to localities and that South Sudan is not isolated. South Sudanese women continue to bear the brunt of inter-communal violence, resource scarcity, a breakdown in healthcare and a surge in domestic violence. They should not have to wait for the arrival of a foreign correspondent for their story to be heard. While South Sudan has the world’s lowest female literacy rate, a rise in mobile phone prevalence offers a vital opportunity to foster connections and encourage information to flow across and out of the country. The country’s urban centers are already benefiting from the increase in mobile connectivity and ownership is expected to triple by 2016. It has been a powerful year for citizen and mobile journalism. From the riots, to the Arab Spring, to Rio +20 and the Olympics, we have witnessed digital dialogue at its most influential. This project is about ensuring women in one of the most contested regions of the world have a chance to participate in that discussion.

Solution

Our solution is to sow the seeds of an empowered peer network of female media creators who have the necessary skills and tools to report on their own stories from within their own communities. We want to invest in realistic skills for today's world. Based on thorough research of what technological resources already exist locally, we will provide intensive media training that will increase understand of the power of the media, the role of citizen reporters, demystify journalism and find the most accessible channels for women to engage with digital media - locally, nationally and internationally. We believe in the value of fostering international connections and challenging isolation. Our trainees will join Radar's international network of citizen journalists allowing them to connect with others across the world and share their news and their opinions through a cutting edge website. Radar will act as a specialist news agency, linking trainees with media mentors and editors. This is a practical, rights-based project that will harness new technology to challenge entrenched issues of gender inequality and invest in fresh voices from a new nation.

Example

Resource Mapping: Each project will start with a mapping process to identify what resources are locally available for media production and the social, physical and economic barriers that restrict access. With each target community, we will research existing media resources in each community, that are owned or used by government depts, NGOs, health and education institutions, private businesses and media outlets. This includes computers and software, modems, smart phones, mobile and telephone lines, and recording equipment. Many of these resources will only be used by a small group during working hours. We will work in partnership with businesses and institutions to open access to these resources for our trainees. Training: We hope to develop open source training tool-kits and an online training platform that can serve media outlets, NGOs and community groups across South Sudan. At the end of the training - 60 women and girls will be able to: - identify reliable and accessible media production resources in their local area; - demonstrate understand of the role and the potential of citizen journalism; - demonstrate a good grounding in how to source reliable information and manage quotes; - understand the legal and practical considerations in whistle-blowing, accountability and criticism; - show a basic grasp of a range of media and production tools including micro-blogging via SMS, posting photos and audio clips, collecting data and online mapping; - demonstrate new skills in social networking. We will also offer guidance on reporting during crisis as well as a range of modules that cover reporting on issues such as health, elections, climate change, and gender. Sustaining support: Trainees will have access to ongoing mentoring, a cutting edge digital platform for their projects and a specialist news agency to ensure their voices are picked up by the international editorial network. Radar will pay $15 for every piece of work commissioned. This small fee will bring credibility and allow us to push for quality journalism. It will also financially off-set any costs that may have be incurred by the trainee during production. We will liaise with syndicates, editors and publications to help place content produced by trainees. If material is bought or commissioned then Radar will facilitate the flow of revenue back to the trainee.

Marketplace

Several major media bodies offer media training in South Sudan. These include: BBC Media Action - supports journalists to report on events around the referendum and independence; Internews - manages six radio stations in remote, strategic locations; The Union of Journalists of South Sudan - supports and trains journalists and protects press freedom. While the resources and experience of these agencies will be valuable, their focus is on advancing professional journalism in country and offering additional skills to those already working in media production. These people tend to represent the more educated and affluent sections of society. The training is often based on access to relatively advanced media equipment. Our focus is instead on citizen journalism in low connectivity settings. There are other organisations who are striving to promote citizen journalism in South Sudan. These include: Global Voices - A website that aggregates, curates, and amplifies the work of bloggers from South Sudan; Conn@ct Now - training youth and adults to use video and still cameras to create media; The Journalism Foundation - training ten young people from rural communities to shoot and edit news on mobile phones. There are opportunities for partnership and resource sharing with these projects. However we believe our model of mapping, multimedia training, ongoing mentoring and a news agency offers a new approach to media development which is sustainable and gender equitable.