Throughout his career, William "Bill" Ryerson has worked to improve environmental conditions and human beings around the planet. As founder and president of the Population Media Center (PMC), Bill Ryerson oversees a platform that focuses on providing content that positively facilitates behavioral change in communities worldwide.
PMC is a global non-profit that focuses on spreading awareness regarding health and human rights issues that negatively impact girls worldwide through radio and television programming, among other missions. In 2021, PMC focuses on creating media opportunities that empower young girls living in Ethiopia.
In Ethiopia, young women and girls face several impediments to self-empowerment. Some gender-based issues that impact young women include child marriages, discrimination, violence, limited educational opportunities, and female genital mutilation (FMG), the latter being a major issue the PMC addressed. This practice has had long-term effects on women’s reproductive systems, such as maternal and newborn fatalities.
To help address FMG and other issues, PMC-Ethiopia regularly hosts a radio show featuring these topics. In a broadcast focusing on child marriage, the topic of FMG came up, which caused one girl to speak out on the practice in her community. In response, other young women have spoken out against the practice.
PMC supports the Ethiopian government’s zero-tolerance stance and its commitment to end the practice altogether by 2025. Through radio and television programs, the PMC has provided a platform for discussion around specific themes and connected with local communities, town officials, religious organizations, and schools to bring awareness to this movement to empower Ethiopian women.
