Foundation for Media Alternatives -A qualitative study of women empowerment through ICT -

Sammanfattning: In recent years ICT has gotten sustained interest in which it’s seen as a tool for development andsocial transformation. There have been a rise of ICT4D (ICT for development) initiatives in theinternational arena. The Philippine organization Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA) isworking with the intersection of ICT and women’s empowerment to advocate women’s rights andissues in the online space as well as increasing women’s strategic use of ICT. This paper is aMinor Field Study conducted in Quezon City, the Philippines, which explores FMA’s Gender andICT program. The aim of the study is to examine the strategies and practices for womenempowerment through ICT as well as mapping the major challenges in their work. The study wasconducted through observations and interviews with the members of FMA as well as women froman assisted urban poor community. The result outlines the main practices taken in the program toreach an understanding of the work done for women’s empowerment. Furthermore, the studyportrays that the full potential of the practices can’t be fulfilled due to the current environmentFMA are operating in. The experienced challenges in their work have been characterized into fivecommon areas; funding, the political environment, the cooperation, the unsafe online space andlastly the socioeconomical divide in the society.