The Power of Dialogue: Exploring women’s empowerment arising from Development Communication

Abstract

Guatemala holds one of the world’s highest chronic malnutrition rates. The department of Totonicapán in the Western highlands, almost exclusively populated by indigenous people, has the most alarming chronic malnutrition rate of over 80 percent. UNICEF Guatemala launched the chronic malnutrition intervention program ’36 Months Zero Malnutrition’ in 2009. Through the application of the Development Communication method, information was made available in a culturally and locally adapted manner, in order to build awareness to support social change. Through an embedded single case study, community based activities of the program in the municipality of Totonicapán were studies with qualitative research carried out in four communities. The community based activities were women’s groups. The purpose of this study was to explore participants’ perceptions of the applied communication method in these activities, as well as women’s experiences of empowerment resulting from the applied communication. The findings showed that participants perceived that Development Communication was implemented in three of the communities which had contributed to women’s empowerment. The applied communication strategy in the fourth community was not perceived to follow Development Communication, and women’s empowerment was found to be restricted.