Japan appeal
Following the recent terrible disasters in Japan, we broadcast an appeal for the Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal. The item included a specially recorded appeal voiced by Yuka Masawo, a Japanese national living in Cheshire who works with students at Canalside Community Radio. She has many friends and relatives still living in Japan.

Click on the links below to listen to this item as broadcast or to go direct to Yuka’s appeal, which has been played on more than 20 community radio stations in the UK. It is available for sharing – if you play it on your station, please let them know at Canalside Community Radio.

~ Japan disaster appeal item from March broadcast (MP3 – 3′ 02″)

~ Japan appeal from Yuka at Canalside Community Radio (MP3 – 1′ 08″)
The Japanese words at the end of the appeal translate as “together we stand, we will re-build, we will work hard, we shall overcome ….. long live Japan.”

To donate to the Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal, please visit the Red Cross website.

To find out more about Radio FMYY, please click here for their website.

Open Age Reach Programme in Ealing
Open Age is a charity which supports older people aged 50+ in various aspects of their lives. One of their current programmes is Reach – West London, which provides advice and support in getting back to work for residents aged 50+ of Ealing (and other West London boroughs) who receive benefits such as incapacity benefit or income support.

Debbie Golt spoke to employment adviser Mary Edwards about the programme and how it can help older people in Ealing and other West London boroughs.

~ Open Age – Reach programme – Mary Edwards interview (MP3 – 12′ 39″)

For more information, please visit the website (then scroll down for the Reach – West London entry or click here to download the Word document with full details).

Came Women and Girls Development Organisation
This is a London-based community organisation set up in 2008 by Margaret Nyuydzewira with other women from Cameroon. As part of the Ealing series of interviews, Yula Burin spoke to her to find out more. She began by asking why she set up the organisation.

~ Margaret Nyuydzewira from Came Women and Girls Development Organisation
(MP3 – 15′ 32″)

To find out more about Came Women and Girls Development Organisation (CAWOGIDO) please click here.

UN Women
1st January 2011 saw the launch of UN Women – the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. Up till then the UN’s support for the world’s women had been split between four smaller entities – this marks a new start under a bigger umbrella.

Lesley Abdela is a journalist, women’s right activist and consultant on gender in international development with countries coming out of conflict. She has worked in over 40 countries, most recently Sierra Lieone, Iraq and Nepal. She talked to Cathy Aitchison about how UN Women had come about and what effect it might have for the world’s women.

~ Lesley Abdela (MP3 – 20′ 51″)

For UN Women to succeed, it will need the active support of governments around the world, who will take it – and its aims – seriously and allocate budget for its work.

In the UK, there have been messages of support from the International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell, from the Minister for Equalities at the Home Office, Lynne Featherstone, and from Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister of State, Jeremy Browne.

There was also a debate in Parliament in the week of International Women’s Day, initiated by the Conservative MP for Epping Forest, Eleanor Laing. She spoke to Cathy Aitchison about the debate and about her hopes for UN Women.

~ Eleanor Laing MP (MP3 – 14′ 38″)

To find out more about UN Women, about campaigns to support it and its work, and about projects/reports mentioned in the interviews, please follow the links below:
~ from United Nations Radio – Michelle Bachelet, the head of the new UN Women, talks to Jocelyne Sambira about her aims and plans for the new entity.
~ UN Women UK National Committee
~ from BBC Democracy Live website – the debate in Parliament on UN Women, 10th March 2011
~ Early Day Motion 1318, which led to the debate – see which MPs had signed
~ VSO’s Godmothers campaign to watch over and raise awareness of the new UN Women entity and to try and ensure that it gets the powers and funding which it needs
~ CARE Nepal Report: Women’s Meaningful Participation in Peacebuilding and Governance – published on the IDEAS website (click on first item on the page, or click here to download the pdf direct)

Schedule

7pm Reports and features for International Women’s Day (and month)
Andrea Rangecroft and Cathy Aitchison look at the new United Nations agency UN Women and hear from Eleanor Laing, MP, who led a debate in the House of Commons in support of the new agency, and Lesley Abdela, a specialist in gender who works to increase the participation of women in democracy and governance in countries around the world.
Click here for details and to listen

7.55pm Appeals
We included two appeals: for the Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal and for the Oscar Haiti Education Fund

8pm Ealing series of interviews and features
Yula Burin talks to Margaret Nyuydzewira of Came Women & Girls Development Organisation (CAWOGIDO) Click here for details and to listen
Plus: Debbie Golt talks to Mary Edwards of Open Age Project about the REACH programme, which encourages and enables people aged 50+ in West London boroughs including Ealing to resume or take up employment.
Click here for details and to listen

8.30pm Artbeat with Ursula Troche
Including an interview with Carleen De Sözer, Artist in Residence at West London Art Factory in North Acton, about her own art and about West London Art Factory, which offers artspace, workshops and events.

9pm Outerglobe with D J Debbie
Including a preview of the new album from the Sudanese singer/songwriter Ameira Kheir, which launches on 31st March, plus information about the new fund Women Make Music, launched by the PRS for Music Foundation for women music creators.

10pm East and West
Panjabi music with Kashmir Panue
Click here for details and to listen

If you would like to take part in future broadcasts in some way, please get in touch with us as soon as possible with full details.

One hundred years
8th March was first used as International Women’s Day in 1911. The idea had been evolving in the years before that in the USA and in Europe – a National Women’s Day was held in the United States on 28th February, 1909.

The official theme this year is “Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women”. But everyone is free to choose their own theme – click here for some themes from the UK and beyond.

Audio to share on community radio stations
If you’re broadcasting a special programme for International Women’s Day on 8th March, or any time during the month of March, feel free to share audio from this website (fully credited, please). Browse the whole site, or check out the category #IWD for our suggestions.

And if you record any interesting interviews in your own area (in the studio or out and about), we’d love to add them here. If possible, please send them in time for our next broadcast on 30th March. Get in touch by using ‘Leave a Reply’ below, or click here for our contact details.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Interview with Cheryl Burke, Black History and Culture West London
Cheryl Burke, chair of Black History and Culture West London talks to Ursula Troche about her organisations, activities and projects. These include the Root to the Fruit project, an intergenerational lottery-funded project in partnership with WAPPY (the Writing, Acting & Publishing Project for Youngsters)

~ Interview with Cheryl Burke, BHCWL (5′ 27″ – MP3)

Phoenix Martins
Debbie Golt’s studio guest this month is the singer Phoenix Martins.

~ Phoenix Martins (17′ 34″ – MP3)

From The Well – Jasmina Stosic and Anna-Helena McLean
Debbie Golt talks to musicians Jasmina Stosic and Anna-Helena McLean who together form the music duo From The Well. With roots in Serbia and Poland and brought together by their love for Slavic music, they perform Serbian traditional songs in their own arrangements.
Debbie begins by asking what the name ‘From the Well’ means to them.

~ From The Well – Jasmina Stosic and Anna-Helena McLean (17′ 21″ – MP3)

For more information, please visit their website.

Census day is March 27th 2011 so every household in the country will be asked to fill in a form. Hounslow councillor Ruth Cadbury has been talking to Chrissie Kravchenko, of the Women’s Radio Group, about why it’s important for us all to respond to the questionnaire.
Click on the link below to listen.

~ The 2011 Census (6′ 23″ – MP3)

For more about the Census go to www.2011.census.gov.uk