Posts Tagged ‘Women’s Empowerment’
Katherine Zavala – IDEX’s Program Manager, Grassroots Alliances – recently journeyed to South Africa on a site visit to our partners. She reports from Johannesburg.
Women's Net provided technical training to teenage girls in order to provide a new outlet for advancing women's rights.
Driving into Johannesburg, on the other side of the hemisphere from San Francisco, it is easy to embrace the warm sunny weather. The Jacaranda trees are blooming this month, giving a purple flair to the lush, green environment.
Along the highway, I see the Nelson Mandela Bridge and central “Jozi” as some local people refer to the South African city.
I start my learning journey with Women’s Net, an IDEX Catalyst Grantee.
The goal of Women’s Net is to strengthen women and girls movements for social change through the use of information communication tools and advocacy that promotes access, the right to information and freedom of expression.
IDEX staff and Ñepi Behña staff with women cooperative members in Hidalgo, Mexico.
Paula Vlamings, an IDEX Board Member, recently returned from a memorable and inspiring partner visit with the women of Ñepi Behña (Women of Dignity), one of IDEX’s partners that supports several women’s cooperatives in the area of Hildalgo, north of Mexico City.
Along with Katherine, IDEX’s Program Manager of Grassroots Alliances and several staff members of Ñepi Behña, we piled into a pickup van and headed out from Mexico City for a 2-hour drive to the region of Valle de Mezquital. Read the rest of this entry »
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 »
Sep
21Voices from The Field: Student Perspective on IDEX Partner GRAVIS in Rajasthan, India
2011
Posted by IDEX
The following was written by Adithya Balasubramanian, a Rice University sophomore student and a recent intern at GRAVIS.
Photo by: Robert Wallace, MHA
This summer I conducted an independent study with Gramin Vikas Vigyan Samiti (GRAVIS), a long-standing IDEX partner, on the social impact of tuberculosis and malnutrition. As part of my study, I visited GRAVIS field sites to gain firsthand experience with their various development projects. During my field visits, I was immediately struck by the disparity of the societal standing of women in rural and urban areas. I sought to analyze this divide and understand how GRAVIS is mitigating gender disparity in the region. Read the rest of this entry »
Elvira Sanchez Toscano helped to found Institute for Overcoming Urban Poverty (ISMU) – an IDEX partner in Guatemala – over a decade ago together with community groups in the urban shantytowns of Guatemala City. Through ISMU, Elvira has helped develop housing improvement projects, youth leadership and women’s empowerment programs, educational scholarships as well as participating in a regional movement on climate change.
In July, Elvira came to the United States to present the work of ISMU at the International Human Rights Funders Conference in New York and meet with ally organizations in New York, Washington D.C. and Seattle. IDEX Program Manager Katherine Zavala conducted this interview with Elvira below.
Apr
5IDEX Partner ASHA Rallied 300 Women in Nepal for International Women’s Day
2011
Posted by IDEX
To celebrate International Women’s Day on Tuesday, March 8, many IDEX partners planned and participated in local events.
Reports of the exciting activities held to honor women are still coming in, filled with energy and stories of successfully organized public rallies, awareness campaigns, and empowerment seminars!
In Nepal, IDEX partner ASHA, which means “hope”, held an event that brought over 300 women together! The women of Okharpauwa and Chhaimale celebrated the day with a long celebration to create awareness and advocate for women’s rights and promote the groups’ activities. Read the rest of this entry »
Mar
16PWN celebrates 100 years of International Women’s Day and 15 years of supporting women living with HIV/AIDS
2011
Posted by IDEX
To celebrate International Women’s Day, Tuesday, March 8, many IDEX partners planned and participated in local events.
IDEX partner Positive Women’s Network (PWN) held an event on March 10th to celebrate the lives and achievements of women living with HIV/AIDS. The event hosted 50 women from PWN outreach areas and recognized the achievements of the women, PLWHA, mothers, caregivers and community members that PWN works with. The event also provided a discussion session for the women to engage each other on the issues that predispose women to gender-based violence and risky behaviors leading to HIV/AIDS as well as methods to increase the involvement of women in HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health policy design and implementation. 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!
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