URIDU plans to distribute 1,000 rugged, solar-powered MP3 players containing vital information about health, family and income generation to illiterate women in remote rural areas in Uganda. The information is recorded in their mother tongue Luganda. The players can be used in groups up to 10 women, so 10,000 women (plus their families) in total will profit from this project.
Women are worst hit by chronic poverty in Uganda. 64 % of them are illiterate, most of them involved in unpaid work. They lack even the most basic knowledge about health care, family planning and possibilities of income generations. Their children die from totally preventable causes - because their mothers can't read. This project will bring audible vital information to 10,000 illiterate women in a remote area of South Uganda, using rugged solar-powered MP3 players, independent from electricity.
Every MP3 player contains hundreds of simple, but relevant questions and answers about health, nutrition, family planning, child care, income generation possibilities and more. The texts are recorded by a native speaker in the mother tongue of the women addressed. The player was conceived for small group listening. It therefore fosters discussion, exchange and building of self-help groups among women.
The project will educate and empower 10,000 illiterate women by offering them vital information about health, family and income generation using the auditory path instead of written material. Women/mothers are the long-term key to eradicate poverty and transform society because they bring up the next generation of Uganda. Healthy, educated kids of these women can grow into strong, smart people who can take on leadership roles in their country.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
