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The NCRF respondent noted the need for local governments to give women a
platform that would enable them to participate in and be part of the
decisions taken in their lives. Over and above, civil society organizations
should become lobbying platforms for social change.
The AfriAfya respondent opined that women should be given
"correct/accurate information" on issues that affect their lives. The
respondent added that rural women should be exposed, through the use of
ICTs, to what other women are doing worldwide. By the same token, the
respondent stressed the need for "capacity building" in order to enable
women to handle daily challenges. The AfriAfya respondent further noted
that local governments could help women help themselves particularly
through the provision of seed funds when initiating projects.
In conforming to the above, the ALIN-EA respondent also stressed the need
for capacity building amongst women and the need to "link rural women to
micro finance institutions" as crucial factors.
According to the respondents from Women'snet, NGO's have to try and
present themselves to women in rural areas by extending their services to
these women.
8.5 Summary
This chapter presented the findings obtained from the key informants of the
study, who included project officers, a programmes manager and a
communications officer. They were drawn from four organisations (two in
South Africa and two in Kenya). The findings indicate that media penetration
in the rural areas of South Africa has improved, as community owned radio
has allowed South Africans to exercise their freedom of expression and to
participate in the development of ICT projects.
2.:5