A Room of Their Own:
Women Find Entertainment, Information and Empowerment at FilmAid�s Daytime Screenings
Judith Ntundguka has spent the past 14 years of her life in the Mtendeli refugee camp in Tanzania. At just 23 years old, she has experienced more than her share of violence and sadness, but she carries on, teaching children in the camp school and taking care of her older brother � her only remaining family. Judith used to find escape and entertainment at FilmAid�s evening screenings, but stopped going out of fear for her safety. FilmAid recognized the need for a safe space in which women can participate in our programs.
Thanks to the generosity of FilmAid�s supporters, today Judith and thousands of others can enjoy FilmAid�s special daytime screenings for women. Held in community centers and other welcoming environments, these screenings offer diversion and information on important topics such as HIV/AIDS, gender-based violence, teenage pregnancy and family planning. They are also important community building and empowerment opportunities for women.
One special booster of FilmAid�s life-changing work on behalf of refugee women like Judith is Glamour Magazine with its 2OO6 Glamour Reel Moments film series. This film series enlists the biggest female names in Hollywood to tell the true stories of Glamour readers. The proceeds will enable FilmAid International to create a special film series aimed at improving the well-being of some of the most vulnerable women in the world � refugee women.
And these women have really connected to FilmAid�s programs. The number of women attending films climbed from 147,000 in 2004 to 238,000 women in 2005. Since January of this year alone, FilmAid has screened films in the daytime to nearly 1,800 women in refugee camps in Tanzania, and to more than 41,000 women in Kenya.
These films are making a real difference in women�s lives. As Judith shared, �After coming to the camp, I was just surviving with a little food and living in an earth hut�� a life without laughter or entertainment�Now I can attend film shows of Film Aid and enjoy them a lot. It is giving me mental support.�
