Posts Tagged ‘Women’
The following was written by Katherine Zavala, Program Manager of Grassroots Alliances, after her recent site visit to Mexico.
I’ve just returned from Hidalgo, Mexico and I’m reflecting on my visit with the incredible indigenous women I met through IDEX partner Ñepi Behña.
Ñepi Behña (“Women with Dignity” in the indigenous otomi language) was founded to support indigenous women who live in the Valle de Mezquital area of Hidalgo. Read the rest of this entry »
Happy Earth Day! We are excited to announce that in the next few months not one but two outstanding grassroots environmental leaders – both IDEX partners – will be visiting the US. Watch your mailboxes for invitations to events where you can meet them and learn more about their environmental justice work. Read the rest of this entry »
To celebrate International Women’s Day, Tuesday, March 8, many IDEX partners planned and participated in local events.
One partner AFEDES, in Guatemala, led a press conference at the Cultural Center in Antigua with other women’s groups to demand the government support initiatives for women’s development and safety under constitutional law. Read the rest of this entry »
A group of women who are part of APROSADSE's microcredit program.
March 8th is International Women’s Day and 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of this day to celebrate women across the globe.
IDEX staff and volunteers are taking part in Mother’s March in San Francisco- come join us at 4:30pm near the 16th St. BART station and march to protest war and oppression, support social justice and solidarity with women around the world. See our event posting HERE.
IDEX also stands in solidarity with our partners around the world who are celebrating this historic day. We are getting updates from Guatemala, Mexico, South Africa, and Nepal.
Read about the exciting events they are planning below:
AFEDES: In Sacatepéquez, Guatemala, AFEDES is coordinating with other women’s organizations in holding a press conference to demand the Guatemalan state fund the construction of a women’s center for the survivors of violence and to demand public investment for women’s development, including implementing the Femicide Law. Although the 2008 law, a huge victory for feminists and women’s rights organizations, considers violence against women a punishable act, many women and those in the judicial system are unaware of the law and thus implementation is weak. AFEDES has been creating awareness on the law and empowers women to speak up for their rights and come forward about abuse.
APROSADSE: APROSADSE is organizing a celebration with a group of women and mothers of families of the students who participate in APROSADSE’s radio distance-learning education program. They are planning a morning filled with exchanging experiences as housewives and integrating a lens of gender equity. The official theme for International Women’s Day activities is “Access to education for women and girls: training, science and technology” – sharing the rights that women have to education for economic development and social change.
Nepi Behña: Nepi Behña in Mexico is working together with RedPar – National Network of Rural Promoters and Advisors – in a National Gathering of indigenous, rural and mixed race women this week. The gathering will address the findings of an investigation they carried out last year about the impact of the food crisis and climate change – as well as the changes in migration patterns.
Positive Women’s Network: Positive Women’s Network in South Africa will be holding an event to celebrate the lives and achievements of women living with HIV/AIDS. The event will host 50 women from PWN outreach areas and will provide a platform for the women to recognize and applaud each other for their achievements as women, PLWHA, mothers, caregivers and community members. The event will also provide a discussion session for the women to engage each other on issues that predispose women to gender-based violence and risky behaviors leading to HIV/AIDS as well as methods of increasing the involvement of women in HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health policy design and implementation.
Whole World Women Association: WWWA, also in South Africa, will have an event on Saturday, March 12th to celebrate International Women’s Day. The theme is “Women’s Reproductive Health.” An International Women’s Day Panel Discussion will be held with representatives of the reproductive rights alliance, gender activists, and feminists attending.
Women’s Awareness Center Nepal: Women Awareness Center Nepal’s training and resource center will be inaugurated by rural women on March 8th. Women from the village will share their experiences of empowerment with the audience in the program and after the inauguration, 1000 members of WACN promoted cooperatives will participate in a rally in Kathmandu on the occasion of 100th Women’s Day in support of the IWD theme for this year “Equal access to education, training and science and technology: path way to decent work for women.” Informational placards displayed at the rally will address challenges such as, tax break for cooperatives run by village women, allocate more resources for disadvantaged women, timely drafting of the constitution, and the right to citizenship through motherhood.
Look for photos and an update from the event on our blog!
Melanie Foreman is an IDEX Intern who is traveling in South Africa. While there she is visiting several of our grantees. She recently spent time with Catalyst Grantee Whole Women’s World Association (WWWA) in Cape Town.
Today I went to the WWWA office in Cape Town and met with Mary Tal, the organization’s director, and 7 members of a women’s refugee support group. The members all come from different countries; today’s participants came from the Cameroon, Kenya, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The group meets regularly and engages in different activities such as writing poems, performing dramas, singing, dancing and drawing. These activities serve as a way for the women to discuss the hardships and negative experiences they have faced. They also serve as a way to heal from the trauma they have been subjected to. One member stated that the group offers “a safe place for us to talk freely, to learn how to forgive and to make better people out of ourselves.” The group brings out the commonalities among the women and encourages them to take what they have learned back to the communities. The women also develop skills and learn how to make different crafts, like pillows and beadwork. They can then sell these to generate some income.
The group’s name is Giemoh, which means “one voice.” The women chose this name to highlight that though the group members come from diverse backgrounds, they speak with one voice. Topics of discussion vary from each meeting, but the goal is to provide the women with inter-personal and life skills. Today’s group was centered on self-esteem. The women took turns sharing their personal stories while the others listened and asked questions. Many of the women expressed how much they had learned and how much their self-esteemed had improved since they had joined the group.
One of the biggest challenges the women face in South Africa is xenophobia. I asked them what some of the problems were as a result of xenophobia. They told me that although the South African government accepts them and tells them that they have the same rights as South African citizens, it isn’t really the case.
Often they aren’t able to open bank accounts or enroll their children into schools. The schools don’t want to accept them for fear they can’t pay the fees. In addition, any qualifications they earned in their home countries are not recognized in South Africa. This forces them to take low-paying jobs that they are overqualified for. Even then a job is difficult to find. One group member told me that she was rejected from a position she’d applied for because the manager said he had hired too many foreigners already.
Access to healthcare is also restricted as a result of xenophobia. The women told me if they fall ill and seek attention from the hospitals, they are sent to the police stations to obtain an affidavit that proves they are unemployed. Often times, they are not able to obtain these and cannot seek treatment. Or if they are able to access treatment, the women told me that they receive lesser quality care than those who pay.
But WWWA group meetings are able to help women. During the gathering, the women talked about their personal growth since joining the group.
Mary, a woman from Kenya, noted that since joining the group, “I have been able to build up her inner strength. Before I was invisible. When you are exposed to others, you are able to grow. I have also learned to be patient and am able to learn from others.”
Another member, Epiphany from the Rwanda, said that “When you meet people in the group, you find other people who inspire you. You are able to share your experiences and you find that together you can sustain hope.”
Fatima, one of the group’s longest members, shared her story with me. Originally from the DRC, she fled to South Africa because she feared for the lives of her family. Her brother had been killed and left on the family’s doorstep. She did not want to leave her whole family behind, but she wanted her children to grow up in safety. Her husband came to South Africa first and she followed with her children. Soon after she arrived, her husband had a stroke, fell very ill and eventually passed.
Fatima had no one to turn to. She used to earn a living doing embroidery, making duvets and other kinds of sewing projects. But she couldn’t find stable work sewing. Because she had no income, a community member suggested that she put her children up for adoption. Fatima felt like she didn’t want to live anymore.
By chance, she met Mary Tal and shared her story. This was the first conversation that she had with anyone about her life and it was a huge relief to tell someone. Mary invited her to join the women’s group and she has been a member now for 5 years. She is very thankful for Mary and the support that she has received since joining the group. She says that now she has hope. Her eldest children, 20 year-old twins, attend university and her other children are in school.
I spent 4 hours with the group talking about our personal experiences and making beaded flowers (a popular craft sold in South Africa). I felt honored to be a part of such an intimate gathering. These women had been forced to flee their home countries for many different reasons. And now face xenophobia in South Africa and receive little support. On top of that, they do not have anyone to talk to so the group really serves to support the women in so many ways. I was truly inspired and humbled by these women and was very thankful to be a part of something so exceptional.
We must stand with the women of Zimbabwe! In the midst of unmitigated gender violence and spiraling inflation whose impact is most felt by women and girls, Zimbabwean women have organized to ensure that the African presidents slated to attend the annual Summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) hear their concerns and demands for justice. Research and Advocacy Unit (RAU) has joined with WITNESS to create an online campaign calling for accountability for the Zimbabwean women who were raped, tortured, abducted, and beaten after the highly-contested 2008 elections. According to women’s rights groups in Zimbabwe, about 20,000 women were victims of this violence during a campaign of intimidation and retribution sanctioned by the government and carried out by militias. The SADC Summit begins September 2 in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country that also holds records when it comes to rampant gender violence that operates in a context of impunity. Is it any irony that despite a peer review mechanism at the regional level, issues of gender violence remain absent from the agendas of our African leaders? Not this time! Advocates seek to break the silence and send a strong message that cannot be ignored.
The RAU Campaign aims to gather at least 2,000 messages by September 2, through a combination of video messages, petition signatures, twitter (re)tweets, comments, etc., to demonstrate the world’s outrage at the injustices experienced by Zimbabwean women in the context of political intimidation. Since early August, they have reached out across borders to invite others who believe in justice to add their support to this campaign. The online campaign launched August 17th and has enabled a level of dissemination and organizing that amplifies the concerns of the women of Zimbabwe. Please visit http://hub.witness.org/HearUsStandWithUs to join this important effort.
The Global Fund for Women has supported women’s rights groups in Zimbabwe since 1990 and we made our most recent visit in 2008. International Development Exchange (IDEX) has supported community development organizations in Zimbabwe since 1992 and has also witnessed the escalation of human rights abuses over the last five years. Priority Africa Network, an Africa mobilizing and advocacy group, calls on social justice groups in Africa and the Diaspora to stand firm in saying “No!” to violence against women. Together, we join our voices to the RAU campaign to denounce the use of violence against women for any means, and particularly to push political agendas. We denounce the use of rape, sexual assault, sexual slavery, abduction, gang rapes, sexual mutilation and torture to break the dignity of any woman or girl. We call upon the Zimbabwean government to set up safe and user-friendly justice mechanisms to assure that the 20,000 or more women and girls who were victimized get access to free legal, medical, and psycho-social support. Many of these women have fled their homes, some their communities and country, in fear of being targeted once more. As the SADC Summit unfolds Sept. 2-8, let our African leaders demonstrate that they have the courage and political will to speak out against human rights violations that target women.
On Tuesday, March 31, we took a small jet plane to fly to Zinguinchor – the largest town in southern Senegal. From here we will travel to community-based organizations in Casamance.
It was only a 50-minute flight but when we landed in Zinguinchor we sensed immediately that we were in a tropical, rural area. The humidity hit us as soon as we left the plane. Seynabou, the director of USOFORAL, an organization that we’re meeting with, came to welcome us at the airport. It just so happened that we had also flown with a couple of members of USOFORAL on the same plane.
Once we settled in into our new lodging we were ready to go visit the first organization in Casamance, AJAEDO (Association of Young Farmers and Animal Breeders in the Oussouye Division of Casamance).
We drove for an hour into Casamance-Basse. This is a region that has suffered from many years of conflict waged over independence for Casamance. As with many conflicts between government and rebellion forces, those who suffer the most are civilians. On our drive to Oussouye, where AJAEDO is based, we were told about how these same roads were quite dangerous at one point and car hijackings were the norm. Nowadays, the region is stable and displaced community members are beginning to return to Casamance, which happens to be the richest in natural resources.
When we arrived we met with Paul Emmanuel. Paul is the Coordinator of Programs at AJAEDO and he told us a bit about AJAEDO and its work.
AJAEDO works with 392 members represent community groups. There are 21 groups in total, 12 women groups and 9 male groups. Each group has a representative that sits on AJAEDO Board. As a result the women hold the majority on this Board.
AJAEDO provides skills-building and technical assistance to women in agriculture, sewing, soap making and pottery. Three years ago they introduced a microcredit program. Since then they have had good results as the women are now able to access financial support. Many of them have taken at least two microcredit loans since the launch of the program.
AJAEDO is an organization that is regularly monitoring and evaluating their activities. Every 15 days the coordinator sits down with the supervisors and group promoters to create an action plan. At the end of the 15 days they then evaluate what they carried out and see if they followed their plan or not. AJAEDO also accompanies the groups to see where the priority needs are and facilitate discussions for community members to find solutions to problems. Once they’ve identified the solution, the coordinator in turn helps them find financial support for them.
AJAEDO showed us round their office, which includes a conference room, dormitories, a small vegetable garden and an extra room that serves as the base for a community radio, which promotes a dialogue among the multiple ethnic groups in Casamance. Right next to the radio office AJAEDO has a space that they hope to convert into an IT Center to Internet access to community members.
There were several young men hanging out at the community radio station and I asked them why weren’t they talking on the radio. “Our electricity has been cut off,” they answered. We took the opportunity to talk with them about their music that includes hip-hop, and mbalanx. The men demonstrated by dancing and singing their favorite songs. We didn’t think it was necessary to return the favor.
Paul, the coordinator, told us a bit about himself during the tour of the office. He comes from Casamance and lived in this area until he moved to Dakar for his university studies. He has now returned to Casamance and wants to support his fellow community members in improving their livelihoods. His hope for Casamance is that the region becomes what it was before the conflict started, a beautiful, peaceful environment where the society is non-hierarchical and all people are considered equal. Many people have come back to Casamance to revive this tropical land once again.
Photo: IDEX Program Officer, Katherine Zavala, with AJAEDO staff.
As violence continues to increase in Zimbabwe, a consortium of women leaders in that country are calling for urgent involvement from the African Union, the United Nations and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Read the full statement here.
After the March 29 election in which the ruling party, ZANU-PF led by President Robert Mugabe lost to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), ZANU-PF has sanctioned violent attacks on targeted MDC supporters (real or perceived) in the urban and rural areas.
According to NGO leaders in Zimbabwe, ZANU-PF is conducting terror campaigns through the military and the youth militia. These campaigns are specifically affecting women and children living in the rural areas. Schools have closed due to the violence and teachers have leaving for their own safety. The figures are overwhelming. It is estimated that:
• 800 homes have been burned
• 10,000 people have fled their homes
• 40 people have been killed
• 7,000 teachers have fled their schools after being attacked or threatened
“Teachers have been upbraided by the ruling party for allegedly siding with the opposition during the nation’s disputed March elections, in which they served as poll monitors.” As stated in the New York Times.
Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) reports over 2,000 cases of physical torture and beatings. The youngest reported female victim is a 15-year-old girl who was stripped naked together with her pregnant mother forced to lie down and beaten on the breasts and buttocks.
Actions:
Visit Amnesty International’s website to take direct actions on urgent issues in Zimbabwe.
Contact the African Union:
AU Southern Africa Regional Office (AU/ SARO)
Tel: +265 1 775 335
Fax: +265 1 775 330
Email: oau-saro@malawi.net
Attention: Ms. Susan Sikaneta, Executive Secretary of AU/SARO
African Union Headquarters
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: (251) 11 551 77 00
Fax:(251) 11 551 78 44
Website: www.africa-union.org
Attention: Mrs. Julia Dolly Joiner, Political Affairs Commissioner
Email: JoinerDJ@africa-union.org
Tel: (251) 11 551 77 00 ext 134
Fax:(251) 11 552 58 55
Message: Remind the AU that it is the role of the AU to step in as it is stated in The Constitutive Act of the African Union, which provides in Article 4 the “right of the Union to intervene in a Member State pursuant to a decision of the Assembly in respect of grave circumstances, namely: war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity [as well as a serious threat to legitimate order].”
Contact the United Nations in New York:
Website: www.un.org/
1-212- 963-8302
Ask for the office of Secretary General Ban Ki Moon
Message: Request UN intervention to help Zimbabwe. Cite the cases of violence (above) committed by the ruling party.
Resources:
Appeal from Women NGO leaders
Kubatana.net for the latest information on the elections, the run off and documented violence and news articles written across the world regarding Zimbabwe.
Allafrica.com for the latest news as it’s reported in 130 African news outlets. This is a good place to read the official line from the Zimbabwe state newspaper The Herald.
Gladys and Lupita of CIAM
On the outskirts of San Cristóbal lies the office of El Centro de Investigación y Acción de la Mujer Latinoamericana (Latin American Women’s Center for Research and Action, or CIAM), one of IDEX’s catalyst grantees. Even the taxi had a difficult time to find this place but once I arrived, I found myself in a beautiful house where CIAM’s staff is busy working with different rural development programs for improving women’s quality of life.
Gladys, CIAM’s Director of Programs and Lupita, the Financial Administrator, sat down with me to talk about their organization. Unfortunately, the field staff could not accompany us as they were busy working in different meetings that day.
Gladys shared with me the programs at CIAM, which all integrate a genders lens and a holistic approach. The 4 main programs are: Health, Agroecology, Women’s Issues and Human Rights. A fifth program is in progress which will concentrate on researching these four thematic issues to facilitate even better their discussions with community members.
CIAM works in 3 areas in two states in Chiapas (Amatan and Hiutiupan), bordering the state of Tabasco, a very neglected area. It takes a day to drive there. However, once a month, the field staff (in charge of health, agroecology and women’s issues) drives there together to stay for almost a week, during which they give workshops to these communities on the issues mentioned in the parenthesis. After their week, they return to CIAM’s office to evaluate how it went and then use that evaluation to improve their training for the next month.
“Why did you choose to work with these states in Chiapas, especially since they are so far away?” I asked Gladys.
“These areas used to be filled with coffee plantations and the coffee there used to be exported. In 2000, the price of coffee went down globally and at the same time, a strong plague attacked the plantations, leaving the people in these communities in a difficult crisis. As a result, they need so much support now, especially since they are in an inaccessible area.
Also, the cultural trends that existed on these plantations have continued today within the families. For example, there still is the tradition of women being stolen at 13 or 14 years old to get married to the man who stole her. Another example is how daughters are being sold today for a sack of sugar and other foods.”
“What?! That still exists?” I was shocked!
“Yes, in the 21st century, those customs still exist today and not many people know about it.”
If you can’t even imagine how these customs work, I highly recommend you to watch the movie “Like Water For Chocolate.” At least that’s they way I can picture these traditions.
Gladys continued:
“There’s also a need to preserve the Zoque culture. Its identity is being lost as the new generation don’t want to speak the Zoque language anymore. Instead, they want to celebrate the Spanish holidays and we have seen many of them consuming high amounts of alcohol. This is a reason why we are emphasizing now workshops on “masculinity” where we bring men together to talk about their role in the community and how they perceive women to bring more awareness on gender equity.”
In spite of being an organization that works on low economic resources, CIAM is very organized in terms of their planning and evaluation. Each January, CIAM’s staff plans their activities for the entire calendar year! In order to schedule these activities, CIAM sends the communities they work with a questionnaire that will tell CIAM what are the issues requested so that CIAM can plan for workshops that address the community’s needs. What I really like is that their plan depends mostly on what is requested by the communities.
But my favorite aspect of CIAM is what they have done with their human rights program. CIAM has created a 3-year school program that has a focus on leadership development and invites 30 women from different social organizations to participate to become better leaders for themselves and their communities. The school started in 2004 and currently, they are about to start the second generation of graduates this fall.
I had hoped to visit one of their workshops but that was not possible, given that I will not be here when they have their next workshop. In any case, I could tell from my conversation with CIAM´s staff, and the photos and materials they showed me the hard work that CIAM is doing to support women and neglected communities in Chiapas.
Kat
