by Edit Schlaffer
Some of us may well recall the time
when one would huddle around the radio at a specific time of day and listen to one’s
favourite programme. Only a few decades down the line, much has changed. The
radio has since been replaced by on-demand media granting instant access,
information and entertainment. Yet, however difficult it may be to imagine,
there are lives that remain untouched by the social-media platforms such as Facebook,
twitter and the like. Travelling through India I have visited such a place,
which in fact is representative for vast regions of the subcontinent.
So it may seem old-fashioned, particularly
in our digital age, to suggest the launch of a radio programme aimed at empowering women in their local
communities. Nevertheless, we cannot wait for everyone to become an interactive
member of our worldwide web. It is crucial that we move forward now, using a
medium that is proven and accessible to virtually every corner of our
world.
SAVE- Sisters Against Violent
Extremism has thus decided to launch its newly developed Mother School
programme on air. The programme, which is currently running in Tajikistan and
is to be launched in Palestine, Zanzibar, Pakistan and Nigeria shortly, aims to
provide women with the tools and the necessary space to deal with sensitive
family issues and focusing on their children in particular. While the programme
in these countries is focusing its capacity building purely on the ground,
India will be the first country to air segments of the programme as well.
Archana Kapoor, our long time Indian
partner and head of Women without Borders India chapter, will be spearheading
the Mothers School programme. Against all odds, Archana successfully set up a
community radio station in Mewat, located just outside of Delhi. In a state
where severe poverty, isolation and crime are prevalent, Archana’s radio
station is now live 12 hours a day, boasting a listenership of half a million.
Those of us, who are mothers, know all
too well that there is no roadmap to motherhood. Sitting with a group of women
in Mewat, eager to serve as trainers for our capacity building
mothers programme, Nishi’s voice was among the most captivating. As a mother of
two boys, she noted, ‘It is not that women in our community don't care about
their children, it is simply that they are not equipped to care,
psychologically’.
I was instantly taken back to the
time I left the hospital with my first-born: a feeling of unease swept over me.
It seemed so bizarre all of a sudden that I should be trusted with the life of
this child, without any qualifications even. While I quickly learned the ropes,
I came to value the importance of community support and guidance. The
curriculum developed by SAVE aims to broadcast key parenting skills to
strengthen confidence and to prevent radicalisation. After all, peace starts at
home.
Another
recurring thought was what could have instigated such deadly and hateful
actions? The Tsarnaev’s were two young men who had lived in the United States
for most of their lives and seemed to be fully integrated into American society.
Planting bombs at the Marathon was obviously not a spontaneous decision. This
plan was based on an underlying motive that caused them to take such destructive
actions against a country they had inhabited for many years. We may never know
the reason for the brothers’ actions, but regardless, it is clear that there
was a serious problem and a deep hatred for the United States that drove them
to kill three people and injure almost 300 innocent civilians. Instead of
celebrating, we should have been addressing potential issues that give rise to
this type of radical behavior. 
