Rachel Ellison

Media for Development

'Our whole village stops when the women's programme comes on the radio...we tell our children to be quiet, so we can listen.'

Listener to BBC Afghan Woman's Hour, Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan

'I listen with my friends to BBC Afghan Woman's Hour...we have learned about women's periods, giving birth, breast feeding...menopause. I cannot believe my mother has been through all of this. It is too much for her!'

Teenage male listener, Kabul, Afghanistan

What is media for development?

Media for Development is using the power of speech, to empower ordinary people. It's using television, radio or online media to disseminate health, education, environmental or rights information to developing countries. For example, instead of people walking for days from their village to reach a doctor, you can interview that doctor on the radio and millions of people can hear their advice.

Media for Development is a growing area for NGOs and governments seeking to empower ordinary people to find solutions to their problems and improve their lives.

Using her experience as an international BBC programme maker, Rachel Ellison created 'Afghan Woman's Hour' for the BBC. This radio programme covers human rights issues, health, education and conflict resolution. It works across-tribal prejudices. It informs and empowers women through an informal, engaging and immediately useful radio programme they keep wanting to come back to. Some of its greatest fans are men, who say they're also learning from this radio programme.

Rachel was awarded an MBE for this work by the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

Rachel consults on women's rights, media for development concepts and project evaluation.

Clients include: the BBC, UNESCO, ActionAid, Oxfam, Dfid, Foreign Office.

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