Farah women get second dedicated radio station in one month

A second all-women radio station in Farah province has been launched in just one month – in a bid to promote women’s rights.

Naw-e-Zan radio station – meaning Women’s Tune – was launched to coincide with International Women’s Day on Monday and is being funded by the women themselves.

In an extremely traditional society, Farah women have taken steps to raise their voices in the fight for their rights.

“The radio station was created for the voices of women and children in Farah. We fight for our human and Islamic rights and make our voices heard,” said Humaira Mohammadi, head of the radio station.

About a month ago, the first FM radio station dedicated to women called “Voice of a Woman” started broadcasting in the province. All staff at both radio stations are women.

The stations target women and girls in Farah province advocating for their rights, and discuss gender-based issues, health, education, and domestic violence.

The radio stations also provide platforms for women to voice their opinions and share their stories
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Naw-e-Zan radio station broadcasts programs in Farsi/Dari and Pashto languages on various topics from 6 am to 11 pm daily on FM 99.6MHz.

Some women and youth rights activists say such strong steps are needed to preserve women’s achievements and raise awareness of men’s and women’s rights.

“We hope to do more in Farah to reflect the voices of women, children and all other sectors of society,” said Abdul Rahman Zhowndai, civil society activist in Farah.

“We are moving towards progress and I consider the inauguration of this radio station a valuable step,” said Kubra Azami, Farah’s head of women’s affairs.

The female staff at Naw-e-Zan are optimistic about the steps taken. There are currently ten people working at this new radio station.