Women's Empowerment and Good Governance Through - amarc

Best Experiences for an Action Research Process 26
Radio, allow for a change in social behaviour.
The experience of Pengdwendé Radio at the heart of women’s development
Radio Pengdwendé is a radio station that was set up by the association bearing the same
name. It is situated in a rural area, in the commune of Sabou, 90 km from Ouagadougou, the
capital of Burkina Faso. The inauguration of Radio Pengdwendé took place on May 26, 2006,
but it had already been broadcasting for a year. Transmission is within a 60 km radius, covering
three rural communes in the Centre West region of the country.
The missions assigned to the radio are consciousness-raising, socio-economic advancement
of women and, more generally, behaviour change for true development of men and women,
therefore of the region. It is worth noting that Radio Pengdwendé’s missions are linked to
those of the head association, the Pengdwendé Association, which has had as its leitmotif for
20 years the emancipation of 52 per cent of the Burkinabe population, that is, women.
Radio Pengdwendé is a woman’s idea made reality. As part of the activities of the Pengdwendé
Association, its president, a woman, observed the need for a community radio station
that could address women from several villages. That is how Radio Pengdwendé saw the light
of day. This is worth emphasizing since of the 23 other radio stations, this radio is the only one
of thids nature.
The staff of Radio Pengdwendé is made up of seven employees, only one of whom is a
woman. She was recruited so that women listeners could identify with her. The fact that she
is the only female employee of the station is due to a major difficulty, the recruitment of young
women, which we will return to below. Although Mrs. Kaboré is the only woman host on Radio
Pengdwendé, major air time has been given to her to speak specifically to women, a priority
target group for the station. A series of programs is thus produced each week called “Paag la
Yiri,” which translates as“without woman there would be no home.” This series includes the
“Zaak Viim” programs, meaning the life of the couple, as well as another program called “associative
life” and, finally, a program on women’s rights.
To animate this series of programs, the host receives women who come to share their experiences
with others. Officials, traditional chiefs and opinion leaders are also often invited to