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Talking Books Recipients after the Fifth Town Hall in Liberia
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Recording Mwanamke na Ardhi radio program in Tanzania

Overview

As part of the Communications, Evidence and Learning (CEL) Project led by Training Resources Group, Inc., Landesa helped to deepen the impact of USAID’s work through synthesis of existing evidence, new research on gender disparities and impacts of formal land rights, and piloting approaches to build awareness of women’s land rights.

Learning Agenda for Land and Resource Governance

With USAID and other experts, Landesa coordinated the development of USAID’s cutting-edge Research Agenda for Land and Resource Governance. The agenda summarizes the current state of the evidence on land and resource governance over more than 150 analyses and identifies priority evidence gaps to close in future programming. These priorities are organized by thematic areas that intersect with land tenure issues, such as women’s empowerment, food security, resilience, sustainable landscapes and biodiversity, conflict, and economic growth.

Land Evidence for Economic Rights and Gender Equality (LEVERAGE)

ELTAP/ELAP

Within LEVERAGE, Landesa led the design and implementation of a mixed-methods impact evaluation of two USAID projects – the Ethiopia Strengthening Land Tenure and Administration Program (2005-2008) and the Ethiopia Land Administration Program (2008-2013) – to understand the long-term effects of land certification and how those effects change over time. The evaluation examined the impacts of having land certificates on women’s and men’s tenure security, agricultural practices, and economic opportunities, and explored links between having a certificate for land and wives’ empowerment and risk of intimate partner violence.

ELTAP/ELAP STUDY

In other work under LEVERAGE, Landesa led strategic, community-centered communications in Liberia and Tanzania, through innovative audio technology, community dialogues, and radio programming.

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Landesa Liberia team rolls out Talking Books from Amplio

Amplio Talking Books and town halls

In Liberia, Landesa and partner DEN-L distributed Amplio Talking Books – compact, durable devices with pre-recorded messages – to more than 3,000 people in nine communities in Liberia’s Bong County. The Talking Books contained pre-recorded messages in local languages about new laws in Liberia that strengthen women’s land rights and give customary communities the right to own their land for the first time in the nation’s history, as well as guidance on how to go about customary land formalization and alternate dispute resolution. Communities were also organized into town halls to raise questions and facilitate discussion of land-related topics.

LEVERAGE LIBERIA FACTSHEET
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Landesa Tanzania team records Mwanamke na Ardhi with former Cabinet Minister Angellah Kairuki (center)

Radio Program: Connecting communities and experts

In Tanzania, Landesa produced the Mwanamke na Ardhi (Women and Land) radio program to better reach rural communities with information about issues relating to women’s land rights and women’s participation in decision-making around land. The twice-weekly program featured expert discussion of an array of topics relating to women’s land rights in Tanzania, as well as audience Q&A sessions and pre-recorded community dialogues on land. Listeners expressed enthusiasm about the program, which was consistently rated as the station’s “most liked” program. 

LEVERAGE TANZANIA FACTSHEET
Here is a selection of quotes collected through CEL project evaluations:
The program gave me confidence and courage as it came at the time when I was in the middle of a land conflict.
Radio show listener, Tanzania
As a result of listening to the Talking Book, I was able to give the share of our parent's land to my sisters and will make sure other men do the same.
Male town hall participant, Liberia
I think it's time for all Tanzanian[s] to recognize women['s] rights to avoid conflict over inheritance rights.
Radio show listener, Tanzania