BeLA Fortifies Media Practitioners on Mainstreaming Gender in Reporting COVID-19

BeLA Fortifies  Media Practitioners  on Mainstreaming Gender in Reporting COVID-19

They were 30 in number; media practitioners drawn from the various divisions of the NW region that attended a one day training on mainstreaming gender in their reporting of COVID-19 taking into consideration the specific needs of women and girls. 

Workshop Participants 

Meeting on Wednesday May 13 2020 at Mondial Hotel Bamenda,  the journalists (radio, TV, print, bloggers and local language broadcasters) were fortified on addressing and leveraging on the unique needs of women and girls especially  the vulnerable, disabled and minority on their unique  needs during this pandemic.

Welcoming participants at the one day workshop, Madam Yekpu Eleen Ndze, Founder/C.E.O of BeLA told attendees that "We are here today because of the novel COVID-19 pandemic, to look at its devastating consequences to humanity, the impact it has on women and girls, the need for us to respond to the pandemic individually and collectively and lastly because of the need for a gender sensitive response of the media to the pandemic."

Family Photo

While schooling the media persons on the need to mainstream gender in their reporting of COVID-19, Madam Obah Rosaline Akweba speaking as facilitator revealed that many experts point to studies which show that women are likely to suffer disproportionately from the consequences of the pandemic and its aftermath most especially as 75% of the global healthcare workers are women.  

These women are also largely the main care givers in their own homes and the most likely to be responsible for nursing children and elders who are ill or quarantined. This thus makes them very vulnerable because epidemics and pandemics have proven to have harmful effects on not only the health, safety and wellbeing of women but also on their education, food security, and livelihoods yet this is often overlooked or downgraded during times of crisis.

Madam Yekpu Eleen Ndze, Founder/C.E.O of BeLA 

Appreciating the brain behind the event, Mr. Wirba Hassan, NW regional delegate of Women's Empowerment and the Family said "We are thanking BeLA for this initiative because women and girls are particularly a sensitive target population and we think that it is important that specific messages and information should be delivered to them so that they know how to respond to the pandemic especially women living with disabilities and internally displaced women."

The event organiser, in collaboration with the regional delegations of public health and that of women's empowerment and the family chose to use the media for this campaign because according to Mr. Hassan,  "The media practitioners are seen as the window to the NW thus able to send this information right to the grassroots using different languages and media so that the women in Ako, Misaje, Widikum can get this information"

Workshop Facilitators 

In a bit to ensure continuity and encourage the trained journalists to meet up with BeLA's expectations from them, the association has launched a competition for the best COVID-19 reports that mainstream  gender. Laureates shall be awarded financial prizes at the end of a one month evaluation period. 

BeLA is a not-for-profit organisation created in 2017 with headquarters at Foncha Street, Bamenda that works to promote and protect human rights especially those of women and youths using education, capacity development and sports to rescue, transform and empower people to build better and safer communities.