Community Radio Toolkit

AMARC-WIN Broadcast Campaign:
Empowering and celebrating women as agents of recovery

Montreal, February 10th, 2010. From March 8th to March 31st, The Women’s
International Network of the World Association of Community Radio
Broadcasters (AMARC-WIN) will organize the 6th annual International
Women’s Day Broadcast Campaign. The theme of this year is “Empowering
and celebrating women as agents of recovery”. The Webcast will begin at
1:00 am GMT on Monday March 8. To listen the multilingual programs visit
our website: http://march8.amarc.org

AMARC WIN believes that women can be active agents of recovery from
disasters. Yes, they are victims and survivors just like anyone else in
communities hit by disasters. However, they can also take on leadership
roles in leading their countries and communities towards recovery and
long-term development. Given the opportunity and necessary support,
women can participate in assessing the damage and loss; organize
medical, health and psychosocial services; coordinate aid distribution
and ensure that the most needy are reached; establish and maintain
communication networks for survivors and their families as well as
disaster management workers; among many other crucial tasks.

In the recent earthquake in Haiti, women’s groups have already
demonstrated that they are capable of performing such life-saving tasks.
They have shown their potential to effectively and efficiently manage
disasters. AMARC WIN would like to build on to this local capacity and
expertise and generate more support for women’s work in Haiti. Through
the international broadcast campaign, we hope to stimulate discussions
about their role as disaster managers and as shapers of their long-term
and sustainable community development.

We also want to mark the International Women Day by honoring Myriam
Merlet, Magali Marcelin and Anne Marie Coriolan, founders of three of
Haiti’s most important advocacy organizations working on behalf of women
and girls who perished during the Haiti earthquake on January 12th, 2010.

The Webcast will begin at 1:00 am GMT on Monday March 8. Community radio
producers from Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Africa, Europe, North America
and Latin America and the Caribbean will participate at this broadcast
campaign which highlights International Women Day. To see a more
detailed schedule and for further information visit our website:
http://march8.amarc.org

The AMARC Women’s International Network is a large assembly of women
communicators working to ensure women’s right to communicate through and
within the community radio movement. AMARC is an international
non-governmental organization serving the community radio movement, and
linking more than 4,000 community radios in over 110 countries. AMARC
aims to support, defend and promote the interests of community
broadcasters through solidarity and international cooperation. For
further info http://www.amarc.org