Photo: Lifeline Energy 2009
Akunthatha, 50 years old is from the Gambella group, from Ethiopia. As a minority in the camp they face a lot of challenges – including conflicts with the majority Somalis. Akunthatha has six daughters – two of which have disabilities and two of which are single mothers. They have been living in the refugee camp for five years and are awaiting a decision on their status. Until last year she rarely listened to the radio. As part of the distribution, the Gambella group received three radios.
The radios came with a catch however. Not intentionally of course. The Gambellas do not speak English, Swahili or Somali and there is no radio programming in their language. They actually listen to the radio through people who can translate for them. Imagine that. An entire community of say 100 people listening to three radios, through translators. It was superfluous for them to tell me how much they craved access to information…
Akunthatha says that the experience has changed her life. She now understands that women have the same rights as men and knew that “Sunday is International Women’s Day!” During the day she listens to the radio with her female neighbors as they cook and clean – but on weekends the radio becomes a community event. People gather to drink coffee and to listen. Lots of discussions ensue. Right now the community is concerned about a shortage of water. Because of her many daughters, Akunthatha greatest concern is raising awareness about domestic violence and empowering women to pursue their rights.
A 64 year old woman mentioned that “I have not gone to school and before we did not even know how to open the radio box. Then we learned how to use it. Then we have a language barrier, but we overcame this by finding a translator. We have learned many things – about diseases, the world, the fighting. We really appreciate it.”
