The National University of Samoa (N.U.S.) Faculty of Health Science has launched a new podcast series dedicated to the health issues faced by women in Samoa.

The “Talking about Women’s Health in Samoa” series was launched on Friday and is produced by the N.U.S. Faculty of Health Science under the mentorship of Jess O’Callaghan of the Australia Broadcasting Corporation (A.B.C.) and funded through the Australia Aid-Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (P.A.C.M.AS.).

This project emerged from podcasting training delivered in July 2021 through the P.A.C.M.A.S.

The training covered key elements involved in creating podcasts, such as storytelling, crafting, workflow, editing and distribution over one week. It was attended by two faculty members of the School of Nursing at the N.U.S.

The P.A.C.M.A.S. subsequently approved a proposal for a pilot series on women’s health, focused primarily on breast cancer.

The podcast series, which is available on Podbean, seeks to make this information accessible and available to women in the Samoan language through their mobile devices and the internet.

In a response to Samoa Observer email queries, a member of the N.U.S. Faculty of Health Science, Ramona Boodoosingh said it has been an invaluable learning experience for their team on how to take a podcast from conceptualisation to production and distribution.

“Social media is a part of our lives and we can harness the accessibility and utilisation of these media to provide a service to our community,” Ms Boodoosingh told the Samoa Observer.

“Many health issues for women aren't openly discussed, limiting access to information and the ability to make informed decisions.

“This podcast series will tackle these issues one by one through each season, to bring health information to women in the Samoan language.”

The Project manager for A.B.C. International Development, Kate Seymour, said in a statement that it was exciting to hear Pacific women podcasters making local language content relevant to their audiences.

“A.B.C. International Development and Pacific Media Assistance Scheme congratulate N.U.S. on being media pioneers in this area,” Ms. Seymour said.

The Head of School of Medicine at the N.U.S. Dr. Filipina Amosa Lei-Sam said in the statement: “Breast cancer is the most common cancer that affects women in Samoa and worldwide and it can be prevented or treated by detecting it early through breast cancer screening programmes.”