Change Voices

In this episode of Change Voices frayintermedia CEO Paula Fray speaks to Zoe Titus, who is the Strategic Coordinator at the Namibia Media Trust.

Zoe has dedicated her time and efforts to the advancement of media freedom and media development in Southern Africa over the past two decades, which makes her the ideal guest to talk about mobilising for social change.

She has spearheaded projects and campaigns to provide practical support for journalists working in danger zones, and has advocated for changes in policy, pushing for an environment and frameworks that support a vibrant and independent media sector the region. But this change does not happen overnight, and Zoe has some advice for others who are hoping to bring about real change in their communities or industries.

Let us know if you found these tips useful and remember to join the online conversation on all frayintermedia social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

You can find more information about the work we do and the @changevoices podcast on our website, frayintermedia.com where you can also sign up for the Change Voices newsletter.

If you have any specific women in mind that you’d like to hear from or if you want to support our endeavour, then you can contact Paula directly at [email protected] or direct message her on social media.

In the third episode of Change Voices frayintermedia CEO Paula Fray talks to Naomi Tulay-Solanke, all the way from Liberia, about how to start and sustain an organisation.

Naomi is the founder and director of Community Health Initiative and is at the forefront of providing health access to marginalised communities. While her initial aims focused on reproductive health and education for young girls, Naomi had the added challenge of starting her organisation amid the crisis of an Ebola epidemic.

Her work is groundbreaking. She helps women get improved access to healthcare while developing sustainable solutions to their problems.

Naomi is increasing reproductive health awareness and helping to keep young girls in schools, partly by breaking cultural taboos around issues such as menstruation. She has also developed an effective, reusable sanitary pad made from locally available materials though her Pad4Girls project, which helps keep girls in school during their menstrual periods. The young girls make the pads themselves while she trains women’s cooperatives to produce a version certified by the Ministry of Health, that is sold to generate income.

In this episode Naomi shares some of the challenges in starting and sustaining an organisation, as well as lessons learned along the way.

This week in Change Voices frayintermedia CEO Paula Fray talks to Bertha Dlamini about the power of networking and how to build successful networks that work. Bertha is the current president of the African Women in Energy and Power, which is an initiative geared towards women entrepreneurs in energy. The network is active in 22 markets on the continent, focusing on the Eastern Africa power pool and the southern African power pool.

Networking, when done right, works, Evidence points to networking and its relationship building as essential for business and career development. Up to 70% of appointments for senior positions are the result of networked relationships. Networking is an effective way to give women an opportunity to gain information, skills and contacts in any sector.

But not all networks are equal. Change Voices invited Bertha to chat about how she uses networking, and what gives her networks their impact.

You can find more information about the work we do and the @changevoices podcast on our website, frayintermedia.com or on our social media platforms @frayintermedia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, where our frayintermedia teams involved in the production of this podcast will be posting regular updates and sharing the lessons as we go along.

If you have any specific women in mind that you’d like to hear from or if you want to support our endeavour, please contact Paula directly at [email protected] or direct message her on social media.

Change Voices is a weekly podcast exploring the challenges, successes and lessons of leadership through the experiences of diverse women leaders across Africa and beyond.

Hosted by frayintermedia CEO Paula Fray, we want the Change Voices podcast to contribute to changing and challenging the perceptions about who leads and who speaks about leadership.

Our inaugural guest is writer Sisonke Msimang, who is an acclaimed columnist and author of the autobiographical “Always Another Country” as well as the recently published “The Resurrection of Winnie Mandela”. She speaks about her struggles of a life in exile - transporting the reader to her childhood in Zambia and Kenya, her studies in North America and her return to contemporary South Africa with all its complexities and contradictions. A bold voice focused on race, gender and democracy, she has written for a range of international publications.

For this reason, she’s the ideal person to talk to us today about amplifying our voices, and the power and importance of speaking out, and speaking up.

You can find more information about the work we do and the @changevoices podcast on our website, frayintermedia.com or on our social media platforms @frayintermedia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, where our frayintermedia teams involved in the production of this podcast will be posting regular updates and sharing the lessons as we go along.

If you have any specific women in mind that you’d like to hear from or if you want to support our endeavour, please contact Paula directly at [email protected] or direct message her on social media.