Participatory Communication and Women Empowerment

This study is on Participatory Communication and Women Empowerment: A Critical study of life Rehabilitation Foundation for Womanhood in Tunga Community Minna Niger State. The aim of the study is to appraise the process and nature of communication used by the foundation to facilitate participation and empowerment among the women. To achieve this aim, three objectives were raised. The Nair-White Transactional Model was carefully selected to underpin the work. The entire approach embodies communication as a process which takes into account the indigenous knowledge and self-reliance gained through increased information access and acquisition facilitated by external experts. Inherent in the participatory approach is making people feel being a part of the process that can bring empowerment that is sustainable. The thesis then goes further to examine the Life Rehabilitation Foundation for Womanhood to ascertaining the participation or otherwise of the Tunga women in the empowerment process.

There were some key findings among which the Foundation aimed to empower women using entrepreneurial and skill development, stimulating women participation in government at all levels, improving the health and nutritional status of women and improving the literacy level among women to a minimum level of basic education,lack of participation of the women in basic issue that concerns them and the low level of participation of Tunga women in the Foundation'sentire communication approaches. The study recommended that for Life Rehabilitation Foundation for Womanhood to give an empowerment that is sustainable the women should take an active role and be involved in the activities of the Foundation from the inception to the end. Empowerment participation which is the life wire of empowering people should be fused into the approaches and strategies of the Foundation. Folkloric forms of communication which encourage participation should also be used by the Foundation.