Web.2.0, Women's powerful weapon for change

With domestic violence on the increase in most African countries like Malawi, web 2.0 acts as a shield to women who are abused and victimized in different ways.

Some women who do not have a voice or are unable to solve problems on their own, find comfort or solutions through web 2.0 by interacting with fellow women and in so doing they become empowered.

Web 2.0 is a platform on which new media, social media and social networking takes place. It is a set of applications( tools) which allows a person to interact with other people online easily.

Additionally , web 2.0 gives me a plat form to access many opportunities on my job as a a journalist and it has transformed my life tremendously.

For example, i can communicate with my friends, colleagues and family members through face book, twitters, emails, ETC. Through the web 2.0 i have discovered new ways on how i can improve to empower women and fight for their rights more . Life is much easier using web 2.0.

The web has also provided me an opportunity to access training programmes to other countries..

Just last month, i attended a training workshop in South Africa on Campaign for Tobacco Free kids from 12 th August 2011 to 15th August. If it was not for the web, i would not have come across such a training.

Apart from that, issues affecting women that were being silenced for along time within communities are now amplified on a global stage through the web.

Most women through web 2.0 find opportunities across the globe to challange existing ideas and they are able to expose under- reported issues within their communities. Some women after reading a collection of testimonies from their fellow friends who were once subjected to torture and sexual violence, they find encouragement through such articles featuring women.

By engaging in interactive online community, women become unlimited in strength and can connect with members of the community and come up with a powerful network to bring together people with similar visions to brainstorm solutions, pose questions, share ideas, successes and take action.

I really enjoy using web 2.0 because it connects me easily to the people all over the world and i get blessed , encouraged and empowered with it.

I believe web 2.0 can bring change in women all over the world in terms of development, economically, socially and protect women's rights through stories that can be shared on the web unveiling the evils against women and how they can be stopped...

Sibongile.