EDUCATION OF GIRLS and WOMEN
L'EDUCATION DES FILLES ET DES FEMMES
The Indian Institute of Education (Pune), has developed a system of part-time primary
education to meet the needs of working children, especially girls. Teachers are
selected and trained by the Institute; lessons are held in any space available.
The basic curriculum is supplemented with health education, culture and sports.
Adult education is an essential part of the programme.
(girls education; primary education; part time education; teacher education; health education; adult education)
Producer: Government of India
1987, English, 1987, 12', VHS/PAL
L'alphabétisation des femmes au Togo
Reportage sur l'alphabétisation des femmes et des filles au Togo dans le cadre des
"Actualités de l'UNESCO". Ce reportage montre les efforts des enseignants au Togo pour
promouvoir l'alphabétisation des femmes et des filles et le rôle que peuvent jouer les
femmes alphabétisées dans le développement
socio-économique d'un pays.
(women, women education; women rights; literacy; adult education; rural education; girls education)
1987, French, 17', VHS/SECAM
That Calibre of a Woman
Many mothers in rural and urban areas of Ireland feel isolated from child care advice.
A system of community workers and volunteers, themselves mothers, helps to break the
isolation of these women. Community mothers in Dublin, Kerry and Connemara explain
their role in listening and giving practical advice and suggestions on child care problems.
Both community mothers and the families they visit feel empowered by the experience.
(women workers; women education; community participation)
Producer: Bernard Van Leer Foundation
1989, English, 1989, 36', VHS/PAL
Although a descendant of Queens Hatchepsut, Nefertiti and Cleopatra, an Egyptian country
girl is likely to grow up without the benefit of education. This video, made up of
interviews of villagers, relates how women are perceived mainly in the context of
child rearing and family caring. High drop-out and early marriage perpetuate the situation.
77 percent of rural women in Egypt are still illiterate.
(women education; girls education; right to education; rural women)
1990, English, 20', VHS/PAL
Girls' Education: Benefits and Constraints
From Malaysia to Pakistan, from Mali to the Dominican Republic numerous obstacles
hamper the development of women, from family planning to the availability of work.
Basic education reduces the inequalities facing these girls, and enables them to join
in the socio-economic development of their country.
(girls education; women education; women status)
Producer: Creative Associates USA
1990, English, French, Spanish, Arabic, 10', VHS/NTSC
98 % des analphabètes recensés dans le monde vivent dans des pays en développement;
la majorité sont des femmes. Vidéo montrant des exemples de projets d'alphabétisation
menés dans des pays en développement d'Afrique, d'Asie et d'Amérique latine,
les problèmes rencontrés et l'enthousiasme des filles et des
femmes qui y participent.
(womens education; literacy programmes; developing countries)
Producer: Rampen, Léo, Radio Quebec
1990, French, 16', VHS/PAL
Anwara from Bonbari: A Village in Bangladesh
Anwara is lucky to be able to go school. She is the only girl in her school; the other girls
have to stay at home to help their families. Typical rural activities such as farming,
weaving, cooking, women's study groups, friendships and the arrival of a new pump for
the village are shown.
(girls education; community participation; rural areas)
Producer: Berthelsen, Marie
1990, English, 16', VHS/PAL
How to Develop Literacy Materials for Women
A method of developing literacy materials for neo-literates, especially women,
designed by the Asian Cultural Centre for UNESCO through a regional workshop held in
Pattaya, Thailand in 1990.
(women education; literacy programmes; teaching materials)
Producer: ACCU; Ministry of Education; NHK Educational (Japan)
1990, English, 26'30, VHS/SECAM
Women and AIDS
The impact of AIDS on women around the world. Examples from Thailand, Zimbabwe and Germany,
illustrate the increasing numbers of women with AIDS, and socio-economic consequences. With
the worsening epidemic, governments, communities and individuals are increasing their
activities against HIV/AIDS and looking for new ways to provide prevention and care,
particularly for women and children.
(women; preventive education; AIDS; children; social factors)
1990, English, 15', VHS/SECAM
Alison Gertz is a pretty young woman from a family in New York. In this moving documentary,
she speaks from the heart about the anguish of being young and living with a disease that has
no cure. As the film takes viewers through a single day in her life, Alison tells how she
became infected with HIV and how she and her family have tried to cope with the situation.
Alison's story also brings home the message that AIDS has no respect for age, sex, class, or
colour. AIDS is a threat to us all.
Alison Gertz est une jolie jeune femme issue d'une famille de New York. Alison est
atteinte du SIDA. Dans ce documentaire, elle laisse son coeur nous dire toute l'angoisse
d'être jeune et de vivre avec une maladie incurable. Nous la suivons au cours d'une
journée comme les autres, et Alison raconte comment elle a contracté le VIH, et comment
elle-même et sa famille ont essayé d'y faire face. L'histoire est aussi un message:
le SIDA n'a aucun respect pour l'âge, le sexe, la classe sociale, ou la couleur de la peau.
Il nous menace tous.
(women; preventive education; AIDS; social factors; discrimination)
1990, French, 20', VHS/PAL
Images of the Gender Role in Two ILO Projects in Asia and Africa
The project aims to train women and teach them about their rights in society. In Nepal the
project is based on teaching women to weave and to treat wool. In Uganda, governmental and
non-governmental institutions cooperate with the ILO.
(women status; women education; women rights)
1991, English, French, 26', VHS/PAL
Willing to Learn
This drama grew out of the real life experience of many Vincentian women. This is
the story of Dacia, an illiterate woman, who didn't know how to provide for her children
before her enrolment in an adult literacy programme in Saint Vincent.
(women education; literacy programmes; adult literacy; )
||Country: St. Vincent
Producer: UNICEF; CIDA
1992, English, 27', VHS/PAL
Women and HIV/AIDS in India, focusing on the social system underlying the disease
in that country and its consequences for women. Interviews with HIV positive women, men
and students. What is HIV? Why are women most at risk in India?
(women; preventive education; AIDS; women rights; social factors)
Producer: UNDP, New Delhi
1992, English, 30', VHS/PAL
Through Mina, a woman living in a rural village in Asia, the important role of
literacy in daily life is stressed. The sort of situations illiterate people face and
their difficulties are depicted here in an attempt to encourage them to learn how to
read and write. an animated cartoon story, produced by specialists of literacy and animation in
17 Asian/Pacific countries, this film's basic purpose is to promote literacy, and
particularly for women, in the Asian region where it is estimated that around 700 million
people and illiterate.
(women education; literacy; rural education; rural women; cartoons)
1993, English, 16', VHS/SECAM
Invisible Voices: Girls' Education in the Gambia
In 1993 the World Bank sent a multidisciplinary team to Kachaba in The Gambia to
study girls' education and find out why more girls do not attend school or continue
past primary level. This film shows how a PRA (Participatory Rule and Appraisal)
study was conducted within the community, the willingness of the villagers to participate,
and the results.
(girls education; community participation; family; parents)
||Country: The Gambia
Producer: The World Bank
1993, English, 15', VHS/NTSC
Aapla Varg, the story of PROPEL
Like 3,000 other out-of-school girls in Maharashtra, India, Kamala goes to Aapla Varg
"our class" a non-formal education programme designed by the Indian Institute of Education.
This programme, called PROPEL (Promoting Primary and Elementary Education), is now active in
137 villages and has succeeded in reaching girls, often excluded from primary education by
deeply rooted social customs. Local teachers, flexible hours, community involvement and
modern pedagogical methods are among the keys to its success. This project shows that
education for rural girls is possible when integrated into community life. Greater
community awareness about the importance of education is a powerful tool to stem the
tide of dropouts and increase the quality of education.
(girls education; primary education; community participation; nonformal education; rural areas)
1993, English, 29', VHS/PAL/SECAM
Podemos aprender juntas
En España, tres de cada cuatro analfabetos son mujeres. Para conformar al objetivo
2.6. del "Segundo Plan para la igualdad de las oportunidades de las mujeres"
(1993-1995): "Desarrollar programas formativos para las mujeres adultas que se
adecúan a sus necesidades e intereses de modo que reduzcan el analfabetismo,
permitan su incorporación a la cultura, y faciliten su inserción o reinserción
laboral", el Plan de Educación Permanente de Adultas ha sido establecido por
el Instituto de la Mujer. En este video, 6 mujeres participando a PEPA hablan
de los inconvenientes del analfabetismo y de sus razones para querer leer y
(women education; literacy; adult education; socio economic development; women)
Producer: Ministerio de Asuntos Sociales
(Insituto de la Mujer)
1993, Spanish, 15', VHS/PAL
Azimuths: Programme 22
(1) "Haiti - Profession Survival": Life in Port-au-Prince, where "odd jobs form the
backbone of Haiti's tattered economy", and the majority of Haitians earn a living by
recycling old goods. UNDP and ILO participate in attempts to develop the economy by
granting loans to small recycling businesses. (2) "Switzerland - Facing up to Global Warming".
The greenhouse effect and climate change and their consequences for the future. WMO, UNDP, UNEP,
UNESCO and WFP join forces to alert Governments to the gravity of the situation. (3) "Tunisia -
Women's Stories". In Tunisia, men and women have equal rights in law since independence in
1956. This document traces the lives of women from various walks of life in Tunisia, compares
conditions of women in rural and urban areas, mentioning the role of the UN in the emancipation
(women; environmental education; economic development; international cooperation)
Producer: WHO, Geneva
1993, English, 20', VHS/PAL
Womanhood and Media Education
The Women in Media Project in Papua New Guinea.The film begins with a short history of the
domination of women in the country. Despite having adopted an educational policy based on
that of Australia after independence in 1975 little has yet been achieved in raising quality
of life for women. Now several women's groups run media education workshops whose conclusions
stress the lack of dissemination of information, lack of communication among PNG women,
limited opportunities for them in decision and policy making, lack of relevant information
and guidelines on portrayal of women in the media, need for training, training materials,
and equal participation leading to integral human development so as to yield a better quality
of life for women.
(women; women education; curriculum development; teaching materials; human development)
||Country: Papua New Guinea
Producer: PNG Women in Media
1993 English, 20', VHS/PAL
Le Sahel: l'éducation des filles, une priorité
Le Sahel souffre plus que d'autres pays africains de la mortalité infantile; l'espérance
de vie, qui ne dépasse pas 47 ans, est aussi la plus basse. L'éducation des filles est
le moyen le plus rapide d'accéder à la croissance économique et donc réduire la pauvreté.
Des études montrent que chaque année de scolarité de la mère réduit le taux de mortalité
infantile de 5 à 10 %. La Banque mondiale estime que l'éducation des filles est une des
options d'investissement les plus rentables qui s'offre aux pays en développement.
(girls education; economic development; infant mortality; statistics; women)
Producer: The World Bank
1994, French, 20', VHS/SECAM
A series of 8 short films about Meena, a schoolgirl living in Bangladesh, produced by UNICEF
in co-operation with Hanna and Barbara (well-known American cartoonists) describing the
trials and tribulations of being a girl in Bangladesh. Meena wants to go to school
and get an education like her brother, she wants to have as much to eat as her brother,
she doesn't want an arranged marriage or to marry young.
(girls education; gender equality; cartoons; school education; international cooperation)
1994, English, 2", VHS/PAL
No One Ever Told Me ...
A documentary about a very few young teenage mothers in Tanzania who are lucky enough
to be admitted to a special school where they can bring up their babies and have education
in traditional school subjects, as well as in subjects regarding family planning. The film
throws light upon the susceptibility of adolescents in a tough world and shows some aspects
of he important work carried out in the field of mother and health care, adolescent care,
family planning and HIV/AIDS.
(preventive education; girls education; family planning; sex education; special education)
Producer: Bistansdforum, Sweden
1994, English, 25', VHS/PAL
Lire et écrire en prison
Témoignages de personnes détenues à la maison d'arrêt des Baumettes (à Marseille,
France). Commentaires de Daniel Sibony, psychanalyste. 40 % des détenus entrés dans
les prisons françaises en 1995 présentent des difficultés de lecture et d'écriture.
La moitié d'entre eux est en situation d'illettrisme grave, n'ayant aucun accès à
l'écrit ou seulement une lecture de mots courants et simples.
(women; behaviour change; literacy)
Producer: 13 Production/Lieux Fictis
1995, French, 20', VHS/SECAM
Rethinking Democracy: Perspectives of African Women
The history of women and democracy in Africa. Hear the views of delegates at the UNESCO
meeting on Women and the Democratization Process in Africa held in October 1994 in
Windhoek, where the clear messages to emerge were that women must organize themselves around
priority issues in order to make democracy work on a day-to-day basis, and that women will
become empowered through co-operation and education, and should seek such empowerment by
actively participating in all areas of life. Hear also what women voting for the first
time in December 1994 in General and Presidential elections as equal partners in the
democratic process have to say in the villages of Tsumeb and Odibo where women still
struggle under the yoke of the traditional way of life.
(women; empowerment of women; democracy; human rights)
Producer: UNESCO Social Sciences
Programme in Southern Africa
1995, English, 20', VHS/PAL
Life in the Green Desert. Gobi Women's Project
In 1991, the Mongolian Government, with the support of UNESCO, developed a non-formal distance
education system capable of responding faster and more efficiently than traditional formal
education to the population's learning needs. The women of the Gobi desert were identified as
being the most in need of learning opportunities and by 1996, thanks to the Gobi Women's Project,
15,000 women were taking part in learning activities offered through radio, printed materials and
the support of visiting teachers. The project, with its learning without frontiers approach,
has succeeded in developing a successful non-formal education system which has improved the
lives of nomadic women. The project is now moving into its second phase and will spread
nationwide, reaching all those currently unreached by the formal education system.
Vivre dans le Désert vert. Le projet des femmes du Gobi
En 1991, le gouvernement mongol, avec le soutien de l'UNESCO, a lancé un système
d'éducation non formelle àdistance pour répondre plus rapidement et plus efficacement
aux besoins d'apprentissage de la population. Les femmes nomades du Désert de Gobi,
considérées comme les plus défavorisées, constituaient le groupe cible et, en 1996,
grâce au projet, 15.000 femmes participaient aux activités d'apprentissage par le
biais de la radio, des brochures et des maîtres itinérants. Le Projet, grâce à
l'approche participative du concept "apprendre sans frontières" a réussi à
développer un système d'éducation non-formelle àdistance qui a contribué àaméliorer
les conditions de vie des femmes nomades. Le projet entre maintenant dans sa deuxième
phase et s'étendra àtous les pays, pour atteindre tous les exclus du système formel.
(women; non formal education; distance education; educational radio)
1996, English, 28', VHS/SECAM
Sara: The Special Gift
The first of a series of animated films produced by UNICEF in Eastern and Southern
Africa about Sara, an adolescent girl who is quickly becoming a role model and symbol
for girls' empowerment in Africa. The story concerns "pushout" from school and the heavy
workload girls endure at home. The story deals with the real problems faced by female children
in Africa and points to solutions in a culturally-sensitive way.
(girls education; basic education; gender issues)
1997, English, 16', VHS/NTSC
Guidance, Counselling and Youth Development for Africa
A response to the growing social issues among African youth, particularly girls.
HIV, street children, child prostitution, child abuse and drug use are some of the
concerns of African Ministers of Education who agree that education systems must
now play a more forthright role in the development of youth. The programme is designed to
train trainers of trainers and is managed by a group of African Ministers of Education
supported by a Regional Technical Committee. The programme will provide the region with
institutional capacity to develop expertise and materials on the latest knowledge and
techniques on guidance and counselling for youth development.
(girls education; street children; teacher education; counselling)
1997, English, 15', VHS/PAL
A Voice of Her Own
Asia is currently the most dynamic region in the world, forging ahead toward increasing
prosperity. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the vast majority of Asia's women,
many of whom continue to suffer poverty, illiteracy and poor health. "A Voice of Her Own"
profiles the challenges and change faced by women in Asia.
(women; literacy; health education; women education)
Producer: Asian Development Bank
1997, English, 23', VHS/PAL
Daughters of the Veil
In Pakistan, three out of four women cannot read or write. In a highly traditional and
mainly rural society women are confined to the home or the fields. Education can break the
cycles of seclusion and ignorance. This video shows how education is helping four young
women develop their potential.
(women; girls education; literacy; rural areas; primary education; community schools)
Producer: Asian Development Bank
1997, English, 12', VHS/PAL
"Now or Never"
UNESCO San Salvador Culture of Peace Programme, through the project for radio
support to non-formal education, training and information for Salvadorian women presents
"Now or Never", a 20-minute film depicting the problems of Salvadorian women in
breaking with tradition which gives them few rights to equality in the home. It
stresses the rights of women to take advantage of family planning to safeguard their
health. Pressure to have sexual relationships and how to resist is also touched upon.
A totally Salvadorian production, in which many agencies and NGOs, as well as UNESCO and
UNFPA, have participated.
(women; non formal education; theatre; family planning; health education; sex education; international cooperation)
||Country: El Salvador
Producer: UNESCO, El Salvador
1997, Spanish (English sub-titles), 20', VHS/PAL