Project profile — Amplifying Women's Voices for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Peace

• South Sudan (100.00%)

• Population policy and administrative management:
Population policy and administrative management (13010) (20.00%)
Reproductive health care (13020) (10.00%)
Family planning (13030) (20.00%)
• Media and free flow of information:
Media and free flow of information (15153) (10.00%)
Ending violence against women and girls (15180) (30.00%)
• Conflict Prevention And Resolution, Peace And Security: Civilian peace-building, conflict prevention and resolution (15220) (10.00%)

• Gender equality (principal objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (not targeted)
• Participatory development and good governance (not targeted)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (significant objective)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)

This project aims to contribute to the empowerment of women and girls in South Sudan by enabling them to make their own decisions regarding their sexual and reproductive health and rights in a more peaceful environment. Increasing knowledge, shaping positive attitudes and practices, and challenging norms help support women’s and girls’ agency and decision-making power. Project activities include: (1) producing a radio programme to provide fact-based education on sexuality and family planning; (2) including storylines about sexual and reproductive health and rights and how these relate to violence and conflict in one of BBC Media Action’s popular radio dramas; (3) training and supporting local media organizations on to how to report and produce coverage that reflects the world as seen through the eyes of women as well as men, with the goal of improving women’s standing in their communities; and (4) training and supporting community groups to discuss topics presented in radio programs, such as domestic violence and contraception, and identify how lessons learned apply to their local community. Together these activities help increase community members’ knowledge and understanding of sexual and reproductive health and rights—including the negative impacts of gender-based violence and violence against women and girls—while contributing to increased support for women and girls to control their own reproductive decision-making and to access appropriate health and support services.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased support for women and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights among women, men and influential community leaders; (2) strengthened media and civil society networks that are gender-sensitive, support the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls, and support the reduction of gender-based violence; and (3) decreased harmful practices and attitudes that perpetuate and validate violence against women and girls within targeted households and communities.

Results achieved as of March 2022 include: (1) production and broadcast of 72 radio packages for the project’s radio magazine “Let’s Talk About Us” in three languages across 23 radio stations. The radio magazine addressed attitudes toward sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and gender-based violence (GBV) reaching over 1.9 million people; (2) co-production and broadcast of 28 radio packages by five local radio stations. These radio packages covered SRHR issues and promoted the rights of women and girls; (3) training of five women-led organizations to conduct community-based activities based around locally co-produced radio dramas with communities that reached over 44,000 people (56% of whom are women); and (4) training of five radio stations on gender-sensitivity, SRHR, and safeguarding of vulnerable contributors. Through this work, the project is helping to increase the knowledge and understanding of SRHR, including GBV, and supporting the changing of attitudes on harmful practices in South Sudan.

• Proactive disclosure