Seed grants of $5000 USD are being disbursed to four Mexican non governmental organisations to help end violence against women. The projects work with women and girls from as young as fourteen in Mexico City, Morelos and indigenous communities in Oaxaca. The four projects, which were selected from over 50 applicants, will make videos using cell phones, podcasts and blogs.
TAKE BACK THE TECH! FUND WINNERS IN MEXICO
Cauce Ciudadano, A.C. Citizen Cause: Cauce Ciudadano is organising workshops on gender and social roles, creating videos via cell phones, as well as podcasts in order to increase the participation of 100 young girls in two middle schools located in Mexico city’s marginalised urban neighbourhoods. The activities are combining educational “skills for life” and the use of ICTs to contribute to reducing gender inequalities related to ICTs. The videos that are created will be shared in the community schools through a peer campaign to prevent gender violence.
Programa Interdisciplinario de Investigación Acción Feminista, A.C. Interdisciplinary Programme in Feminist Action Research: Twenty girls in Morelos between the ages of ten and nineteen will become agents of change as cyber-promoters of self care and “good use” of Facebook. Through an orientation to potential online risks, young girls will learn about taking precautions in order not to become victims of violence. The twenty girls will promote the creation of this safe movement on Facebook, which will also indirectly affect the 1000 to 2000 teenage girls that are a part of the cyber-promoter’s social network. Visit the blog to see what is taking place.
Telemanita is educating ten women between the ages of thirteen and 40 that work for women’s NGOs from across the country in violence against women through ICTs and workshops on the issue. The workshops will cover basic video production, script writing and blogging. Three video clips made with the cooperation of the women will help them learn to identify violence and ICTs, how to prevent it, how to address and report it, and will later be uploaded to YouTube.
Unión de Comunidades Indígenas de la Zona Norte del Istmo, A.C. Union of Indigenous Communities from the Northern Zone of the Isthmus is encouraging a culture of gender equity between men and women in five indigenous communities that live in Oaxaca’s Northern region along the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, promoting strategies to foster gender equality About 20 women between the ages of fourteen to 50, from each of the five communities will watch videos on gender and domestic violence (participate in community conversations/dialogues/forums after watching?). Radio spots in Spanish and the local indigenous language will be produced for the community radio programme “Women’s voices, liberating the word.” Podcasts of the programme will also be available on the UCZONI site and available to the community at large, and regional awareness-building events to talk about their experiences in VAW will take place.
The Take Back the Tech! fund is a part of the APC women’s programme Take Back the Tech! to end violence against women project, which falls under the APC’s work towards achieving the third Millennium Development Goal on equality for women. A total of $20 000 dollars have been disbursed to twelve country partners for redistribution to local and grassroots organisations that are working with women and ICTs.
Photo by Telemanita. Women from Telemanita purify themselves before engaging in discussions about violence against women.