Empowering Women through Media in Algerian Non-Governmental Organizations

Abstract

The media is a tool that many NGOs employ all over the world. This study aims to investigate the strategy used by women's non-governmental organizations in Algeria to promote and advocate for problems impacting women's rights and empowerment. This is accomplished by looking into how non-governmental organizations mobilize their resources and use specific techniques to support women's empowerment programs through an exploratory analysis. This study is descriptive and opts for a mixed method that combines qualitative and quantitative approaches. More precisely, it used a structured questionnaire distributed to 200 respondents and 16 semi-structured interviews directed to NGO administrators from fourteen different NGOs in Algiers. The findings reveal that NGOs select media tools depending on their relevance to their intended audiences and methods. While conventional media channels were not widely utilized by NGOs but were successful in achieving their PR aims, social media had a greater influence on individuals. However, some non-governmental organisations utilized it to influence the public opinion through encouraging activity and bringing attention to women's problems. In light of women's increased exposure in new environments, such as social media, and investigating the function of newly formed spaces in the empowerment process should be explored and assessed further to help NGOs do more effective work in this area.