We often share with you how Audiopedia is making a difference. But the real impact is best told by those on the ground. Today, we’re honored to share one of those voices with you: Aliyu Yusuf from Abuja, Nigeria, passionate Community Advocate at Arewa Empowerment & Cultural Renaissance Foundation (AECRF), tells us in his very own words about how he is using Audiopedia in his daily work with Nigerian women. He has kindly agreed to write the following blog post for us himself.
"Despite there being a few sex positive awareness-raising initiatives in parts of Northern Nigeria, there are still millions of women in places like Northern Nigeria that encounter huge walls when it comes to getting
reliable health information. For many access to the internet is restricted or too expensive, they are not literate and cultural constraints sometimes prevent them from enrolling in regular public schools. For many of these women these obstacles also restrict their access to vital information on topics like safe drinking water, hygiene and family health.
We under the aegis of Arewa Empowerment and Cultural Renaissance Foundation (AECRF) and I had initiated a programme of enlightening women and families across my community. From the outset I knew what I wanted to deliver information as simply and in as easily digestible a manner as I could possibly provide.
And that’s where I found Audiopedia.
The magic of Audiopedia is its simplicity. Knowledge is not encapsulated into overpriced hardware or internet connection it’s portable Plays offline and can be shared on any low end device. This makes it such a revolutionary tool for women who don’t have easy access to traditional forms of education. For them Audiopedia is more than content it's a lifeline.
I also combined Audiopedia materials with literacy groups during my engagement. For example i would play the formats during women’s forums and provide practical lessons say how to test and confirm household water safety in the home. Many women were startled to discover a few simple ways to save lives by protecting their families from waterborne diseases. The response was amazing; women listened intently, asked questions and then returned home and effectively shared the knowledge with their community members. The ripple effect was obvious: one lesson could spread from a single household to an entire community in days.
A striking example was shared by Maryam a participant from Kwaru Majalisa Badarawa Kaduna. After one session she told me with excitement 'Before today I didn't know how to check if the water we drink was safe. With this information I can now protect my children and educate other women in my community. This is something that will stay with me forever.' Her experience exemplifies the fundamental spirit of this work the empowerment of one woman leads to the empowerment of many more.
To make this information more sustainable I started putting crucial Audiopedia lessons onto SD cards. These SD cards are now being distributed around communities allowing women to listen to the recordings on basic radios or phones without the need for an internet connection or energy. This has provided women with constant access to health knowledge which they may always refer to when necessary. We are gradually developing a collective knowledge base on which women can rely.
This trip has been more than a project it has been a gift. Audiopedia has given women confidence, information and skills to protect their families. The wonderful feedback we receive on a daily basis demonstrates that when women have access to the correct knowledge they become change agents benefiting not just their own lives but also the futures of their children and communities.
I am really grateful to the Audiopedia Foundation for their assistance and encouragement. Their vision has provided us with a long term solution for improving people's lives in northern Nigeria. I'm excited to share our experience so that other organisations and individuals around the world will be motivated to use Audiopedia and together we can create a future in which knowledge is genuinely accessible to all."
(written by Aliyu Yusuf)