Reports

In poor countries, gender inequality is particularly stark as exemplified by the phenomenon of ‘missing women’ (Sen, 1992). Girls often obtain little education and tend to marry and have children at a young age. This severely constrains both the life opportunities of women and their contribution to economic development.

With the 5th Phase of Unlock, the focus has now shifted towards the return to normalcy. Although living with COVID-19 will remain a challenge for a long time, we all have to adjust to the “new normal”, or a new way of life.

Gender-based violence (GBV) remains one of the most pervasive human rights violations across the world. It is deeply rooted in societal norms, power imbalances, and cultural traditions that marginalize women and reinforce gender inequalities

The Handaji campaign under Jal Jeevan Mission and Youth Engagement was launched to address the critical issue of water conservation in Maharashtra, with a focus on promoting sustainable practices and raising awareness about water scarcity.

The WASH campaign led by KVK Pravara community radio station in Ahmednagar district effectively promoted water conservation, reaching around 100,000 people within a 30 km radius.

A few months ago when SMART initiated the TB campaign, even we were unaware of these brave survivors. We didn’t anticipate then, that we would be able to bring the life-changing stories of these bravehearts to you. As our program progressed, we had the opportunity to learn more about them and the struggles they faced. […]

The workshop, “Deconstructing Gender Transformative Approaches in Development Programming,” was held in Mumbai, Maharashtra, from November 27 to 29, 2024, to build the capacities of selected CSO partners of UNICEF in Maharashtra who are contributing to the movement for social change through their programming.

We enjoyed playing the ‘Poshan ki Potli’ game, which taught us the nutritional value of various vegetables and fruits, including their vitamin content and health benefits like fighting diseases and aiding blood formation.

SMART is developing a manual for community radio stations to help them understand their gender awareness and increase their knowledge and understanding of gender sensitive practices. This manual is equipped with simple solutions and guidance for community radios to better engage with the community and create a gender sensitive workplace for all while also keeping in mind protocols to engage with the community.
The manual is structured into three key sections: The first section provides a comprehensive overview of the background and foundational concepts related to community radio. The second section introduces a self-assessment tool designed to help community radio stations identify gender-related gaps within their practices and processes. The final section offers actionable suggestions to promote gender transformation across all levels of operation, including hiring, programming, and community engagement.

Work in Progress!

‘A Systematic Learning Curriculum on Climate Change’ for Community Media has been developed by Seeking Modern Applications for Real Transformation (SMART) in collaboration with Commonwealth Educational Media centre for Asia, New Delhi to address the existing gaps in communicating climate change by hyper local media platforms. This would not have been possible without the constant support and guidance provided by Dr. B. Shadrach, Director, CEMCA, India, and Dr. O. P. Dewal, Professor at Indira Gandhi National Open University. Dr. Dewal’s insights in building curriculums helped us in putting together the structure of this publication.