Women Making Airwaves for Peace (WMAP) is a cross-cultural radio seminar for women broadcasters on the role of community radio in peace building and disaster management organised by Isis International in collaboration with AMARC-WIN Asia Pacific.

The five to six days long seminar brings together around 30 women community radio broadcasters from the Asia Pacific region. It is a space where participants share their experiences, particularly best practices towards engendered peace building and disaster management -- enabling community radio to empower women in crisis situations.

The seminar also enhances the skills of the participants in radio production and digital audio editing. It sharpens their perspectives in engendered peace journalism, interview techniques, feminist broadcasting and more.

The seminar methodology is interactive as participants are given the opportunity to be resource persons, trainers, facilitators, producers and translators at the same time. Moreover, the participants may produce radio programmes that they can broadcast in their respective radio stations.

Who can participate

Women Community Radio Broadcasters from Asia Pacific, preferably with experience in situations of armed conflict and natural disasters (not a condition).

What is the required language skills

The seminar is conducted in English. Non-English speaking women are encouraged to apply. Isis International will select another participant who can both converse in the same non-English language as well as in English. English-speaking participants are required to translate for their colleagues.

Who can apply for scholarship

Scholarships are usually limited to participants from one subregions. Participants from the rest of Asia Pacific are welcome to attend. However, they would cover their own travel expenses, while we can grant subsidies for board and lodging.

What is expected from participants

Selected participants are expected to:

  • share their experiences and skills as trainers and resource persons during WMAP
  • mount radio productions during and after the seminar. These radio productions
  • must be broadcast in their radio stations in English or the local language.
  • echo their learnings from the seminar with their colleagues in their radio station.
  • document their best practices by contributing to the publications of Isis International and helping disseminate it.
  • for English speaking participants, translate for other participants.
  • participate in the post-seminar evaluation four months after the seminar

WMAP Pilot Project

The pilot WMAP training was successfully concluded in 2006 and 2007 and consisted of three trainings in Northwestern Minadanao in the Philippines. During this training the concept and a guide on Engendered Peace Journalism were developed and a CD with 10 public service announcements for radio on Culture of Peace and Cultural Diversity was produced by the participants. All outputs and the training manual you find on this website under radio capacity building then go to Women Making Airwaves for Peace Pilot Project.

WMAP for South-East Asia and the Pacific

From October 16 - 20 2009 the second WMAP seminar took place in Isis International with 30 participants from 10 different counties in South-East Asia, the Pacific and Sudan. During the seminar the community radio broadcasters produced three radio programmes on women's role in peace building and disaster management and the Pledge on Engendered Disaster Management through Community Radio was developed.

See Seminar Programme

WMAP for South and Central Asia

The third WMAP seminar is planed to take place in Bangalore from February 13 to 18, 2010 in conjunction with the 2nd Regional Community Radio Conference of AMARC Asia Pacific from February 20 to 23. WMAP 3 is still subjected to funding. The call for applications WMAP 3 will be sent out as soon as we secure the funding.

Interested to attend in Women Making Airwaves for Peace?

If you wish to receive the call for applications or have further inquiries regarding WMAP please contact:

Isis International
Bianca Miglioretto
3 Marunong Street, Barangay Central
Quezon City 1100, Philippines
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Tel. +63 2 928 19 56
Fax +63 2 924 10 65