Empowering girls: Advancing gender equality through media

Gender equality is essential for building healthier, safer and more prosperous communities. Yet in many parts of the world, girls face barriers to education, healthcare and personal safety. In Paraguay, illuminAid partnered with Plan International to address these challenges through an innovative media workshop that put the voices of young women at the center.

The challenge: Gender inequality in Paraguay

Across Paraguay, young women face systemic challenges, including violence, unsafe working conditions and limited access to health education. These challenges are compounded in rural areas where resources are scarce. Additionally, traditions sometimes reinforce gender-based barriers. Girls often have limited opportunities to advocate for themselves or to receive accurate, accessible information about health and safety.

This lack of empowerment has a ripple effect across entire communities. When women are denied equal opportunities, families remain in cycles of poverty and public health suffers. Violence against girls is not only a violation of human rights but also a significant obstacle to social and economic progress.

Yet within these challenges lies an opportunity: to equip young women, along with their communities, with tools to share their stories, advocate for their rights and access knowledge that can transform their futures.

illuminAid’s response: Media for change

In 2021, illuminAid partnered with Plan International Paraguay to lead a four-day workshop on video production. The goal was to empower local partners to use media as a powerful tool for promoting health, safety and gender equality. Workshop participants produced short videos on critical issues, from COVID-19 prevention to women’s rights, featuring local children and young women as the on-camera voices.

By training communities to create and share their own content in local dialects, illuminAid ensured the messages would resonate deeply, as well as spread widely. The use of familiar faces helped dismantle stigma and build trust within rural audiences.

Through this initiative, young women became creators, educators and advocates. With the skills they gained, they can continue producing media that addresses pressing issues, reinforces positive behaviors and inspires change for years to come.