1 Expanded version April 2013 - Unesco

covered by such programmes, the audience ranked as first “education on various issues, such as
entrepreneurship” (23%), followed by “equal rights in education, ownership of land and gender
balance” (19%) and “women’s issues and empowerment” (15%).
The decision to prioritize African local capacities to undertake most of the activities proved to be
extremely valuable for building identity, trust and relationships in the concerned countries. This
effort has been highlighted by the radio stations in the workshops evaluation and feedback, which
are very appreciative of creating lasting partnerships with local trainers, associations, NGOs and
academic institutions. Please see annex vi.
Local partners and contractors received close follow-up and assessment from UNESCO’s staff.
With such backstopping, they strengthened their capacity to achieve strong results again in the
future and became indirect beneficiaries of this project.
One of the main contributions of the project at this stage is that it has allowed radio stations to
strengthen the link with the community they serve and facilitate civic participation communication.
Women’s issues have been reinforced and brought to attention of radio stations’ staff. The studies
and monitoring activities are revealing the situation for women in the concerned communities and
making their voices heard.
Regarding financial sustainability, initial assessments revealed that the majority of the radio
stations concerned possessed neither the knowledge nor the tools to manage their financial
information. The radio stations’ feedback on their financial situation for 2013 also revealed that the
majority hold a negative outlook, as evidenced by the chart below created with data before the
project activities’ commencement.
Chart: Self-assessment of financial situation of radio stations in 2013
From 1 (critical) to 7 (comfortable)
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