…“like any good reporting, gender reporting, requires that journalists get out of their desks and go out and report” . …But this has not been possible due to among others, limitations of resources by media organisations.

SARDC-WIDSAA is offering small grants to enable Journalists to research and write articles that reflect the range of perspectives related to gender policies and their effect among communities, the rural poor, and governments in the region to determine the extent to which gender and equity is being realized. The grant is part of the Swedish International Development Agency’s (SIDA) support to WIDSAA phase three’s work in the SADC region.

Purpose of the grant

• To promote in-depth coverage of gender issues in the region using gender instruments like the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action; Beijing + 5 commitments; and the 1997 SADC Gender and Development Declaration as points of reference.
• To strengthen the media’s understanding of the available gender instruments; and
• To encourage cross-boarder sharing of gender and development issues of concern in the SADC region

Expected outputs

• An established core group of journalists with expertise in covering regional trends on gender and development
• Investment in expertise to sustain media intervention in gender and development processes in the region
• Effective contribution to monitoring implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action; Beijing + 5 commitments; and the 1997 SADC Gender and Development Declaration at the regional and national levels through the media
• Increased awareness and enhanced debates around regional gender concerns stemming from articles to be produced by the participating journalists

Status

• Twenty (20) Journalists from the SADC countries have been short-listed to benefit from the small grants.
• SARDC-WIDSAA is providing online orientation to the 20 journalists on how to monitor and analyse implementation of the gender policies before they begin to access the small grants for production of articles, to be published or broadcast by their local media houses.