Afri Girl Rise

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines feminism as the belief that women and men should have equal rights and opportunities. For centuries, the balance of power has been tipped in favour of men… but now, many individuals and organizations are working to even the scales. One of these is the Village Pillar Empowerment Project (VPEP), a non-governmental organization that seeks to promote gender equality by empowering women. 

Afri Girl Rise Podcast is one of VPEP’s media projects, started with the intention of telling uplifting stories about the African woman. At the onset of the pandemic, many of this organization’s community projects came to a halt, making it impossible to interact with the people they are mandated to serve. Valarie Waswa, the organization’s co-founder and program director, saw this setback as a chance to diversify the ways through which they share their message and started the podcast.  

Valarie wasn’t going to let anything stop her momentum, not even the lack of proper podcasting equipment. The first episode of Afri Girl Rise was recorded on her phone. On this pilot, Valarie lay the groundwork by tackling some of the questions she is frequently asked. What exactly does women empowerment mean? Are women too empowered and consequently, are men being left behind in the fight for equality? The episode also touched on the need to uplift girls right from the grassroots level – this being the home – and how men stand to benefit from this.  

Afri Girl Rise Podcast has grown from a solo effort by Valarie to a team that includes a sound editor, a production coordinator, and a marketing strategist. 44 episodes have been released to date, with the most recent being about The Healing Power of Music on Menstrual Pain. Whether discussing serious topics such as reproductive health or lighter issues such as platonic relationships, the message being championed through Afri Girl Rise Podcast is fundamental to achieving gender equity.  

Want to learn more about feminism? Select your episode of choice.