A three-day training session is being conducted in Eenhana from 21 to 23 July and another one will take place in Keetmanshoop from 26 to 28 July. Reference materials on which the sessions are based include the UNESCO Community Radio Handbook, the UN Charter of Human Rights, AMARC manuals, as well as current practices for non-profit organizations and policies in community media.

The three facilitators from Walter Sisulu University are Adele Moodly for the session on gender policy, Phil Schneider for the communication policy session and Pete Gladwin, who will lead the marketing and creative community programming modules.

This training is based on the assessment, conducted by MISA, of the status of community media in the Kavango, Ohangwena, Omaheke, Karas, Caprivi and Kunene regions. The assessment focused on the gender perspective of community media in Namibia and spotlighted the status of governance structures, women media practitioners and content related to female audiences.

Within the framework of UNESCO's contribution to the promotion of community participation in sustainable development through community media and the UN Gender and Development Programme entitled “Setting things right towards gender equality and equity”, the awareness and capacity for protecting the rights of women and girls will be increased through community media. The current training follows the pilot session organized for multipurpose access centres from 29 to 30 March 2010.