A Better World Volume 1

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grown fast in sub-Saharan Africa in the last decade, the region

remains with the lowest mobile penetration worldwide.

Not

everyone benefits from the dividends of the digital technology

sector. The digital divide exists between (developed/develop-

ing) and within countries (rural/urban) and women often lag

behind men in terms of ownership and use of digital technolo-

gies in all regions of the world.

In sub-Saharan Africa, 64 per cent of women, representing

over 300 million people, do not own a mobile phone. In Niger,

the gender gap in mobile ownership represents 45 per cent.

Besides structural impediments that inhibit both women and

men in rural areas from reaping the benefits of using ICTs (costs,

coverage and literacy), gender-specific factors influence women’s

possibilities to access, use and own digital technologies.

In this context, the Food and Agriculture Organization of

the United Nations (FAO) is convinced that increased atten-

tion is needed to reducing the gender gap across all areas of its

work. As declared by FAO Director-General, Mr José Graziano

da Silva, “Women must be seen as equal partners in sustainable

development, because they have as much to give as they need

to receive. In the end, achieving gender equality and empower-

ing women is not only the right thing to do; it is also a crucial

ingredient in the fight against poverty and hunger.”

FAO also considers that for facilitating women’s empower-

ment it is necessary to have the strong engagement of both

men and women. Gender inequalities are structural and deeply

rooted in society. Cultural and behavioural changes are impera-

tive for the transformation of rural societies.

The main question remains: how can this be achieved?

One of the answers provided by FAO is to facilitate

women’s and men’s empowerment through innovative

gender-sensitive approaches in the field of participatory

communication. This is achieved through the Dimitra

Clubs’ approach, which has proved to be extremely effec-

tive in stimulating changes in gender roles and behaviours in

several countries of sub-Saharan Africa in the last 10 years.

The approach has been developed by FAO with the support

of the Belgian Cooperation.

The Dimitra Clubs help their members to strengthen commu-

nity dialogue and social cohesion. They are groups of women,

men and youth –mixed or not –who voluntarily decide to get

organized to identify and discuss their problems, make informed

choices and find solutions they can put into practice themselves,

with their own resources. This process of empowerment trans-

lates into collective action and concrete achievements by the

clubs to bring about changes in their communities.

The Dimitra Clubs are more than a simple participatory

approach: by combining capacity development processes with

the use of ICTs, such as solar-powered radio sets and mobile

phones, phone apps and rural radio stations, this approach

greatly contributes to people’s empowerment, collective action,

gender equality and better livelihoods for all.

The clubs are equipped with wind-up and solar-powered

radios, often paired with mobile phones connected in a fleet.

In this empowering process, community radio stations are

used to relay information requested by the clubs, broadcast

the debates on air and facilitate exchange and networking. It

should be emphasized that rural radio is still today the most

used media tool in Africa,

particularly in rural isolated areas

and among rural women.

ICTs can pave the way to socioeconomic opportunities for

rural women, such as mobile banking, cash transfers, e-learning

and relevant information on market prices, sustainable agricul-

tural techniques, weather conditions etc. They can be drivers

for rural women to become more informed and active citizens,

engage in income-generating opportunities, raise their voices

and actively participate in decision-making processes. This

results in significant social gains for the whole community.

Image: Niger, Eliane Najros

The dynamic nature of the Dimitra Clubs has stimulated changes in gender roles and behaviours at individual, household and community levels

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