With a little more probing the following was gathered from the coordinator of the listeners club at Gwagwada:
Q: From all the significant changes, which is the most significant change of all?
The most significant change was operating a bank account because before now, it just seemed like it would never really happen.
Q: What is the short –term plan of the club?
Well, we have started attending a literacy school. Also, we hope to start receiving loans from the bank by January 2010. We will buy food items such as rice and keep till the time the prices have risen then we will sell.
Q: What are the long term plans?
We hope to turnover the money we make from selling when food is scarce in order to generate more income for the club.
Q: From the live theatre performance, cell phone use, call in process, radio programs which was most influential?
Actually, learning to use cell phones really helped us and it was a new thing that has never ever happened in this village that people would come to teach us to use phones. We also liked the fact that we could dance to our music and tell stories of our lives in the dramas
Q: Why do you think more men called into a radio program that was a female program?
Well, more men have phones and more men also listen to radios so even though it was for women, there was a lot to learn so the men called in more.
Q: To what extent would they say that this project has influenced or not influenced the better perception of women farmers in your community?
This project has really given us status in this community because people know us now; people come to meet us to teach them how to use phones, people know that we can get things done as a group so people treat us with more respect now.
Q: To what extent has any of the activities mentioned above challenged gender roles or inequalities?
We women still have a lot of work to do but now in church, our pastor and elders usually encourage men to assist their wives so that they can attend literacy school and the men listen to us more now. In church, we are given more responsibility and with the literary school, we know that we would soon be able to hold posts in schools and other places.
Q: To what degree of success?
I can only say that men assist us more for example sometimes my husband will put water on the fire for bathing when he wakes up but I cannot speak for everybody.
Q: What more needs to be done?
Now that we have started the literacy program, we need books and other support so that what we have started can be sustained. Also, we need to encourage the people teaching us so that they will not be tired.
Q: What have we learned about working with community men and women about challenging the gender disparities that exist in access to ICT and other development opportunities by women farmers?
R: well like today, you saw that very few people attended the literacy class because now is harvesting season so everybody is busy on the farm. But usually, we are more than this in number. Many of the women are also not really interested in phones until somebody buys for them
Q: What then is the solution?
We just have to continue encouraging people to attend the school and to also see the benefits of phones, radios and education in general although now people are getting to understand.
Q: Do men and women see this women’s literacy opportunity as an important one for their community?
Yes, because people are now seeing that when everybody knows, there is more progress. The women also see that they too, can hold positions.
Q: How can the family restructure gender roles and division of work load so as to enable women take full advantage of the opportunity?
We just have to be careful and women should not be rude to their husbands but ask them to assist them in their work. Also, the more people like the pastor approach men to help their wives, the more men will listen.
Q: Is this even a possibility?
Yes, even now we are starting to see some changes
Q: why is this such a constraint?
Because this is how it has always been.
