THE MULTIMEDIA RESOURCE KIT AND HOW TO USE IT

Why this tool?

In spite of their dynamism, the Cameroonian women who represent more than 51% of the total population and who are mostly operating small businesses remain in a precarious stage with regards to their various incomes generating activities. One of the major concerns of the Government expressed through the PRSP (poverty reduction strategy paper) is the reinforcement of the women’s incomes. The current strategy of implementing the New Information and Communication current technology in several sectors can also be used to enable these women to evolve in their activities.

Indeed, although the communication tools such as the telephone, the computer are not very widespread, one evaluates that about 70% of households in Cameroon owns a radio set. Thus, radio transmissions can be used to place at the disposal of the women in the rural as well as the urban areas, information which could help them to improve their incomes generating activities.

It is within this framework that, in order to facilitate the preparation of radio transmissions programs for the reinforcement of the capacities of women involved in micro-enterprises, that the Multi Media Resource Kit (MMRK) was conceived and elaborated by PROTEGE QV under the auspices of the Commonwealth Connects Programme.

How was this tool elaborated?

Based on a field research carried out in the year 2005 with 400 women and a validation workshop that took place in 2006, PROTEGE QV went ahead to identify micro-entrepreneurs women’s needs in information, their radio listening habits and particular subjects on which they would wish to be better informed.

These topics, regrouped under seven main topics were handed over to experts to develop the contents according to the exigencies of the interviewed women. Meanwhile, a documentary search was carried out in the libraries and in the internet to mainstream the various exercises that were carried out in the same line.

At this level, the first draft of the MMRK was elaborated.

This first draft was tested by two pilot radios (Radio YEMBA and Rural Radio FOTOUNI in Cameroon) to detect the difficulties involved in assembling radio programmes on micro-enterprises with the aid of the MMRK. Alongside, groups of listeners monitor the broadcasted programmes at this preliminary stage to evaluate the relevance of the contents.

The difficulties raised at this preliminary stage, by the two radio professionals as well as by the groups of listeners, were taken into account to improve the MMRK and to prepare the final draft.

Presentation of the MMRK

The Multi Media Resource Kit (MMRK) merged under one document all the subjects relating to the creation, improvement and management of the micro-enterprises. It is divided into seven main parts:

• Starting the micro-enterprise; beginning from the required qualities of the promoter, the choice of the activity to implement, right up to studying the market.
• Financing the micro-enterprise; that presents the methodology of evaluating financing needs and the different opportunities available to promoters.
• Taxes and Duties required from micro-enterprises and how to behave during tax controls.
• Training and information: this part brings out the different possibilities of reinforcing the capacities of micro-entrepreneurs as well as training to accede the necessary information;
• Improving production; notably agricultural and animal production for rural promoters, as well as the methods of conservation and transformation to reduce looses after harvesting and improve the added value.
• Management of the micro-enterprise; presents the ways to handle the necessary production and sales by the promoter.
• Sale of products (demand and supply); which is the final stage is determined by the quality of the products, the market, marketing, the inputs and the selling price.

The MMRK is available in hard copy as a book, Compact Disk to be use on computers with exploitation Windows XP and on web sites accessible from an internet connection.

Who is it intended for?

The MMRK is intended for radio professionals in charge of preparing radio broadcasting programmes. It is conceived to be used by radio stations to elaborate distance training programmes and to reinforce the capacities of women micro-entrepreneurs in the rural and urban areas through radio broadcasting programmes.

Taking into consideration its high quality, it can also be used by group trainers in class room training for promoters of micro-enterprises.

Taking into account the three types of supports (compact disk, hard copy and the web site) that make up the MMRK, it is accessible to a greater number of users.

How to use it?

The MMRK can be used as the main resource or as a complementary resource in the development and elaboration of a radio broadcasting programme to reinforce the capacities of the micro-enterprise promoters. On the basis of the needs identified for his listeners, the radio professionals must identify the topics to be treated from the times table of his program and define the order in which they shall be tackled. Then he can choose his topics and make research to cover these identified topics in the bank of resources, which is the MMRK.

The MMRK is written in French and English and from here, the user can choose and decide the format of his radio program.
• The magazine: the text from the MMRK can be read as it is.
• Interview: the user can invite a resource person and uses the texts in the MMRK to draft the questions for the interview.
• A round table: the user has to invite resource persons and use the MMRK text to demonstrate the bases from where it is enriched by the exchanges from the resource persons. The user can also in accordance with the exigencies of his listeners, translate the MMRK in a local language.
By gathering on one document the necessary resources, the MMRK makes it possible for radio stations to prepare programs at low cost and limited time, to assist micro-enterprises in the rural and urban areas. This also economises the necessary expenses that is required to make researches from several sites and several resource documents in order to prepare this programme.