Report of Regional Advisers' meeting, December 2001

AWDF REGIONAL ADVISERS COMMITTEE MEETING

DECEMBER 7th -8th 2001 ACCRA, GHANA

PART I. OBJECTIVES, PARTICIPATION AND PROCESS

Advisers committee meeting was held from 7th-8th December 2001, in Accra Ghana. Participants comprised representatives of the AWDF board and regional advisers.

Discussions were organised around thematic issues directly relevant to AWDF's grant-making priorities.
Several advisers were invited to make presentations that provided the basis for plenary discussions. Group work sessions provided an opportunity for regional advisers to hold deeper discussions and develop appropriate recommendations for AWDF's thematic areas of support.

1.2 Joana Foster, Chair of African Women's Development Fund (AWDF) welcomed the participants to the Regional Advisers Committee meeting. After brief introductions, Joanna provided an overview of the objectives of the meeting, which were:

• To provide an opportunity for members of the advisory committee to share their experience of feminist organising in Africa with the A WDF board and staff.
• To reflect on current issues affecting the women's movement in Africa and examine lessons learnt and implications for a feminist donor such as AWDF.
• To discuss strategies for supporting the work of the AWDF in the region especially in the areas of outreach to grantees, reviewing requests for funding and providing technical assistance.

1.3 Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi Executive Director, AWDF explained that the process of deliberations and discussions during the two day meeting were informal in order to encourage experience sharing between the board and advisory members. There are plenary sessions and working groups, which will provide an opportunity for deeper sharing among participants. She emphasised that the outcome of this forum will guide future grant making policy within AWDF.

1.4 In her opening remarks, Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi highlighted AWDF's five strategic objectives. The fIrst objective is grant making towards support for women's empowerment initiatives. The second objective is resource mobilisation, which adopts a holistic approach that recognises that resources are around us and we have to develop practical approaches to mobilise all available resources. The third approach is to develop a comprehensive communications strategy, which acts as a marketing tool to attract support for AWDF, but also to develop positive images of African women being self reliant and working towards the development of their communities. The fourth strategy is institution building, while the fifth is developing a learning institution, through regular monitoring and evaluation, and documenting experiences as the first regional African women's grant making institution.
She shared AWDF successes since its inception in early 2001. Despite AWD F's relatively young existence, the organisation has recorded impressive success. For example the secretariat is well established and staffed by a professional team since the second quarter of 2001. So far grants totalling $344,000.00 have been awarded in the first grant-making circle. Fundraising efforts have resulted in the mobilisation of sufficient funds to cover grant-making and institution capacity building.

BACKGROUND

1.5 Plenary Disscusion Focussed on the Following Thematic Issue

What challenges has AWDF faced since its inception?

What criteria is followed in advertising and identifying potential grantees?

1.5.1 Challenges Facing AWDF Institution Building

AWDF is the first organisation of its kind; therefore it faces unique and unprecedented challenges. As an African woman's grant-making institution, the response to this mandate has been very positive from donors and grantees. However, whereas some donors have welcomed the idea of a women's fund in Africa, some have felt indifferent about working with re-granting organisations. AWDF is working in a relatively new area of promoting African philanthropy in support of women's empowerment, which is challenging. In addition the organisation has faced logistical problems such as lack of reliable communications services as a result of infrastructure in the host country.

1.5.2 Criteria For Grant-making

Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi shared AWDF's grant-making policy and process of assessing potential grantees. In the short time that the fund has been in existence the office receives several applications each week. The secretariat has a grants management system to assess the eligibility of all applicants. The staff are assisted by the Program Committee, which is a board committee on grant-making, in deciding the final awardees
Potential grantees are supported along AWDF five thematic areas. These are Women's Human Rights, Women's Health and Reproductive Rights and HIV/AIDS, Peace Building, Political Participation, and Economic Empowerment. However grant-making also takes into consideration cross cutting issues that are complimentary to the thematic areas. For example women's leadership, networking between women's organisations along thematic issues are issues that AWDF is interested in supporting.

In the discussions that ensued, it was generally recognised that the documentation of women's experiences would facilitate learning and experience sharing. Participants shared two experiences from Zambia and Liberia where women have made significant gains for women's access to political decision-making institutions. In both countries women have developed effective strategies to improve their participation in ongoing political processes. The Zambian experience goes further in demonstrating a unique practice of women's solidarity through the Women's
Lobby, which may have a far reaching impact for mobilisation in other African countries. Participants were unanimous in their support for documentation of women's strategies, as a learning and sharing tool.

The Board of AWDF reiterated the position that AWDF is not in direct competition with women's organisations. The AWDF sees itself as a feminist donor organisation, which aims to support the efforts of the women's movement. AWDF is looking at a diverse source of funding to support its grant-making role, and these are resources, which would otherwise not have been available to the women's movement. In addition AWDF has a long-term strategy through the establishment of an endowment to be self -sustaining and also support women's organisations to set up endowments of their own. AWDF's objective is to complement existing funding opportunities in Africa. Therefore, the AWDF is an additional donor to the current donors supporting African women in Africa.

1.8 AWDF is a member of the International Network of Women Funds. Through networking AWDF has established contact with innovative and creative women's funds, which are self-sustaining and viable. Valuable lessons have been learned about diversifying and developing alternative sources of funds. Following the opening and introductory sessions, four plenary sessions were devoted to presentations and working groups.

PART II. PLENARY PRESENTATION

Chair: Prof. Abena A P.A.Busia

2.1 Dr Bene Madunagu presented some preliminary thoughts and reflections on Contemporary Issues Affecting African Women.
In her presentation, Dr Bene Madunagu argued that increasing poverty in rural and urban communities is a major concern to the development and political processes in Africa. There is marked rise in levels of poverty due to privatisation and the changing face of public services. A recent World Bank report states that over 70% of Nigerians live below the poverty line. Basic services such as access to clean water, health services and education that are basic needs, are almost non-existent for the majority of Nigerians. Crime rates have soared as a result of rising levels of poverty and have resulted in increasing levels of violence against women. Rape is endemic, and younger girls are now more vulnerable than ever. Poor development and economic planning within governments has further compounded the problems facing the majority of African peoples.

Just as women's empowerment, human rights, gender equality and equity, sexual and reproductive rights have been acknowledged and endorsed by several international documents, the economic climate of globalisation, privatisation and trade liberalisation reduces the role of the State and results in the reduction of resources for services. The result of the declining standards of living among African women means that women's health standards are compromised. All available resources are now pegged to AIDS/HIV prevention ignoring the reproductive and health needs of women. Unsafe abortions and access to basic information and education to empower girls and women to protect their reproductive health and rights are equally important.

The broader complexities of the economic, political and social environment do not favour gender and development analysis that would promote women's reproductive health and rights. The challenge is how to open up innovative entry points beyond traditional spheres. The definition of gender and the concept of gender mainstreaming is not well understood within the women's movement. Yet we rely on these terms to develop our advocacy and lobbying to transform the status of women. Better understanding of the concept would result in less resistance as we have witnessed in our work.

Dr Madunagu stressed that against this background the burdens for African women have not declined or decreased. In fact African women are now faced with a triple burden characterised by reproductive roles, unpaid household labour and social reproduction. Women still bear the brunt of the consequences of our societies' political and economic decline. In addition women are not conscientised enough to change their situations and demand better representation in decision making within the household, communities and countries in which they live.
She proposed some strategies through which AWDF could address the situation. The important contribution of feminist leadership within the development and growth of the women's movement in Africa needs to be strengthened. The importance of leadership cannot be emphasised enough. There is a need to develop feminist leadership qualities in young women through education on the values of feminist principles and culture that can change women's status. We need to develop women's leadership as a prerequisite for alternative leadership modules in our societies.

AWDF may consider supporting advocacy initiatives that seek to challenge the prevailing legal definition and practice of law. In view of the rising levels of violence in our communities, the women's movement must challenge the State to respond and be accountable. Furthermore regular monitoring of State compliance to regional and international commitments to protect women's rights should be supported. Feminist activism entails monitoring
government commitments through programmes, which require fmancial resources.

Although international human rights conventions provide the necessary framework to change laws and practices that prevent women's empowerment, they lack domestication in most national laws. This prevents women from accessing them as tools for their empowerment. Therefore education, lobbying and advocacy projects should be supported, as they are critical in transforming women's status.

2.2 Lynne Muthoni Wanyeki's presentation focussed on Prioritising Work for the African Women's Movement.

In her presentation Lynne Wanyeki reviewed the prevailing economic situation in Africa and highlighted the changing role of the African State and the 'privatisation of development. She observed that current Bretton Woods institutions-driven economic policies had led to the privatisation of development, which marginalises women. This situation calls for a strong civil society to act as a buffer against State oppression and neglect. Therefore, the effective participation ofwomen's organisations within civil society is necessary to articulate women's concerns and issues.

The fragmentation of society and the privatisation of violence is a feature of the contemporary African State. She referred to the liberalisation and priva.tisation of security and violence and the resurgence of cultural and religious nationalism, and increased communal violence, which is usually electorally or politically generated. This impacts on African women's status since the State is using strategic institutions such as religious institutions to provide education and health. In Kenya the implication is the disempowerment of women. There is growing violence in our communities due to ethnic based alliances, which play off citizens against one another.

What, therefore, are women's expressed needs? Currently FEMNET receives a lot of letters from African women, which is an indicator of their needs. For example financing of education, justice as a result of human rights violations the impact of which is resources to provide counselling, legal representation and support. Women also request employment and access to credit in order to earn a living and live in dignity. Other needs come though organisational requests from small, community-basedwomen's self help organisations, mostly in areas of conflict such as the Great Lakes Regions, and refugee women's organisations seeking support for institutional capacity building, and linking with wider African women's organisations.

The key need is for strategic mobilisation and organisation of the African women's movement collectively in the following areas: Civil and Political rights, specifically on citizenship rights and political participation, and Economic, Social and Cultural rights. African women's organisations tend to either work on income-generation and budgeting at the national level or to work on international financing, trade and investment at the international level. There need to be linkages between the local and the national levels and links between economic policy work at the national and the international levels.

There is a difference in terminology in economic policy work undertaken by African women's organisations and government economists. Government economists are not trained to translate social demands. Thus these demands often appear naive or simplistic, as though women do not advocate from a research base and fail to adequately address concerns about quantitative and qualitative economic data. There is, therefore, a need for dissemination and use of existing research to understand women's demands and concerns. In addition more rigorous research and linking and engaging with mainstream economic researchers and institutions would strengthen advocacy and lobbying. Linking should include other sectors of civil society working on economic issues, for example, labour unions. Linkages should also be made with the ADB and the UNECA regionally and the Bretton Woods Institutions and the WTO internationally. Lynne Wanyeki emphasised more engagement in sectoral policy work through more focussed gender mainstreaming efforts.

Another area of focus is the right to development and peace. With some exceptions, there is under reporting of and lack of concrete responses to African women's experience ofwork on communal conflicts. There is a need to work more with refugee women's organisations.

On reproductive and sexual rights, she highlighted the challenge of improving women's rights within the cultural and religious context. There is a danger that women's human rights tend to be viewed as being antithetical to culture and religion. It is important therefore to develop innovative approaches on claiming women's human rights within the cultural and religious contexts that the majority of African women live. There is a need for wider dissemination,tapping into and use of experience, information and research on this kind of trans formative approach.

In conclusion, Lynne recommended strengthening communications and information sharing. Women need information about resources and skills development. The challenge is how to develop effective communication strategies that reach all women. It is also important to recognise that African women's organisations are diverse and may not necessarily be visible. So we need to search for information and knowledge that will strengthen the capacity of African women to improve their activities, e.g. sharing electoral initiatives to increase women in political decision-making.

2.3 The Chair of the session, Prof. Abena P. A. Busia congratulated the two presenters. She observed that there were several common and interesting issues arising from the two presentations. Community efforts link up to effortsat the international level through local mobilisation. There are common needs and aspirations between different institutions and structures. The question of communication at very profound levels of information gathering and advocacy is part of the reality that leads to better effective partnerships. How do these two presentations relate to our role in AWDF? It is clearly our needs in our personal life, within our community that has brought us here, to support the work of AWDF so that we can effect change and transformation in our community. International processes provide us with the language, framework and opportunities to manoeuvre, organise and to demand change in our society.

2.4 In the plenary discussions participants addressed several issues raised in the two presentations. Although the role and relevance of National Machineries were not mentioned in the two presentations, participants were of the view that they were important mechanisms for women 's empowerment. National machineries were established after women lobbied for their existence. Their weaknesses and failures are the result of limited resources and lack of political will from governments.

A discussion ensued about the new African initiatives such as NEPAD and the African Union and their significance for African women. Although they pointed to new leadership opportunities they were still pegged to old styles of development and offered very little new opportunities for women. Participants supported a recommendation that AWDF should support activities to regularly monitor and analyse the impact of these initiatives for African women's empowerment.

Participants acknowledged that religious and cultural institutions are responsible for institutionalising violations against women's rights but can they be challenged to address women's rights. Within rural communities traditional forms of conflict resolution are the only accessible forms of justice, therefore, it is important to develop effective education and advocacy strategies to change these structures.

It was noted that regional networking and collaboration across language and national borders as important to overcome colonial barriers and strengthen the African women's movement. We must develop effective strategies to overcome these barriers and build strong coalitions that are effective. Clearly regional networking and collaboration will give us more power and access to political space. Despite our attendance in several UN hosted conferences, we are still fragmented and separated by colonial boundaries. Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi pointed out that within the African Women's Movement we need our own standing conference as a mechanism to take stock of the issues that are affecting us and invite the UN and our governments to participate and contribute to the deliberations taking place at our forum. The session concluded with participants making several recommendations to guide A WDF grant making in the future:

• Fostering feminist leadership through education and training. Through this support feminist leadership will develop and provide continuity in the African Women's Movement.
• Another recommendation was to support documentation and communication. African women need regular and updated information about women's success stories.
• Participants discussed the role of women in conflict resolution and reconstruction, which is crucial for their representation in transition governments. Women's groups and networks are faced with challenges in building effective alliances to mediate peace and long-term political
  solutions to national and regional conflicts. For example there are tensions between Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo, which prevents them from collaborating and working together. Therefore it is important to access resources for peace efforts that strengthen women's collaborations and networks. AWDF support could strengthen linkages and networking between women's organisations.

In closing the session plenary discussions focussed on the need to make the personal political. Participants shared their concerns of the personal attacks on feminist activists, which calls for commitment to the struggle. It was noted that it is not easy being in the women's movement. It is a difficult choice that one has to make and the moment of making that choice is never easy. The rewards are for the next generation. One participant observed that, the decisions we make, is the world they live in. The ability to speak and express our views today is an achievement.

PART III. WORKING GROUPS

3.0 Women's Rights, Economic Empowerment, Health & HIV/AIDS

Working group 1 looked at the critical issues affecting Women's Human Rights, Economic Empowerment, Health HIV/AIDS. They also reviewed lessons learned from previous initiatives to address these issues and made recommendations to improve future interventions

3.1 Critical Issues Affecting Women's Human Rights

3.2 Critical Issues Affecting Women's Economic Empowerment

3.3 Critical Issues Affecting Women's Reproductive & Health Rights

• Access to health services as a basic need that is recognised in national health policy and law as a basic human right. The services should be delivered to promote autonomy and choice. Health policies should be well planned and budgeted for.
• Adolescent health is still a neglected area of health policy and service delivery. This requires developing appropriate continuous sex education programmes at all institutions and levels of education.
• Other health problems include high maternal and infant mortality rates, while the practice of harmful traditional practises are still continue. Privatisation of health care services leads to marginalisation and
  neglect of women's needs and unmet family planning needs. Rising levels of HIV/AillS require new strategies that must have political will and commitment from governments. Where there has been political will the level of new infection drops as the U gandan case demonstrates.
  Recognising that women's sexuality is diverse and needs to be recognised as such.

3.4 Lessons Learnt From Previous Interventions

3.4.1 Women's Human Rights

• Document of early and contemporary grass roots mobilisation on women's rights will demonstrate that, feminist mobilisation and resistance is part and parcel of our history and not a new concept that is imported
  from the West.
• There is a need to establish the linkages between the thematic areas of AWDF's support and new and emerging issues facing African women.
• There is a need for cross regional collaboration on common issues affecting women's rights. Strategic mobilisation between women's organisations to learn from one another will strengthen the women's
  movement.
• African women's organisations should lobby for the adoption of the African Women's Protocol under the African Charter for Human and Peoples rights, as a tool for assessing African governments' commitment to support for women's rights in Africa. In addition women's organisations need to know which international conventions African governments have signed and acceded to.
• Recognise that the involvement of women in crime and women's rights violations poses challenges for feminist organising and lobbying. e.g. women's participation in human trafficking.

3.4.2 Health Issues

3.4.3 Economic Issues

3.5 The Group Recommended the Following Strategies

3.5.1 Women's Human Rights

• Organisations undertaking Public Interest Litigation should be supported since this strategy reveals the injustices of existing legal policy and practice for African women. A good illustration of this is the Unity Dow case in Botswana, which has established legal precedence that women are entitled to equal citizenship. In addition documentation of successful public interest cases should be encouraged in order to promote sharing of relevant precedents.
• Participants suggeste'd using progressive religious scholars to advance alternative interpretations of religious norms that support women's rights.
• Furthermore it was noted that education on gender issues is a viable tool for raising awareness andmobilising women. In addition documenting women's experiences as a learning tool, and promoting feminist leadership is a strategy for investing in women's organisations.
• Participants proposed that the African women's movement should consider hosting an Africa-wide conference to discuss pertinent issues central to women's empowerment. The meeting would be an important forum to invite UN agencies and African governments to engage and listen to African women's concerns and issues. On the issue of information, education and communication, it was noted that there is still a need for continuous civic education that focuses on consciousness raising for women and other members of the community to reject social and political rules which violate women's rights.

3.5.2 Economic Empowerment

3.5.3 Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS

3.6 The Following Role Was Identified for AWDF

In addition to providing grant-making leadership in all the areas that have been identified in the critical areas and strategies, the group identified the following additional areas:

• Support for cross learoing between women's organisations
• New areas of women's research such as trade, finance and privatisation and their impact on women's rights-
• AWDF may also consider supporting mentoring programmes for young feminists and innovative and dynamic initiatives.

3.7 Women's Political Participation & Peace

The presenter of the second group looking at Women's Political Participation and Peace noted that there were several reasons leading to the prevalence of conflict in African countries. These could be traced to:

• Political, social and economic issues such as failed States, which have left issues of social and economic development to civil society organisations and religious groups.
• Political dictatorships that lack political accountability and are intolerant of opposing ideas.
• Constitutions that don't cater for women's participation in politics (except South Africa and Uganda). On the issues of political participation, women have to operate within patriarchal institutions. Even African countries that have attempted to promote women's participation such as South Africa and Uganda the political machinery remains largely patriarchal.
• Lack of mechanisms within state institutions to support women in leadership positions ( e.g. South African Parliament, which operates as a patriarchal institution. ..no creche for children, late hours for sessions, lack of breast feeding facilities etc ). There is a need to realise that the personal is political, and for women to effectively participate in the public arena means addressing all issues in the private which impact on the public.
  Women face a backlash when they are actively engaged in politics ( e.g. being called prostitutes and home breakers).
• Failure of female politicians to link with women's civil society organisations and other grassroots groups for support and input

3.8 Lessons Learned by the Women's Movement

• There is a need to have women with the right politics who are willing and able to defend the feminist agenda in higher political positions.
• Women must demand for what is rightfully theirs, instead of being grateful for token appointments. The adoption of affirmative action as a tool of increasing women's presence in political structures needs regular
  review and analysis.
• Making the critical links between civil society organisations, grassroots groups and female politicians will create the needed change

3.9 Strategies that have Worked Best

There are several strategies which have worked such as having a Women's Charter adopted by political parties binding them to a feminist agenda or risk losing the women's vote (e.g. South Africa). There have been innovative ways for civil society organisations linking with women parliamentarians through meetings. Supporting and affirming women who have made it in politics by providing the necessary information to women politicians to improve their debating capacities.

The group recommended the women's movement needs to do less washing of their dirty linen in public and undermining other women's positions. Positive images ofwomen should be adopted as a tool for transforming the status of women.

How can AWDF strategically respond to concerns in this area? The group recommended supporting regional training of trainers for civic education and political organising and funding national organisations that work in women's political empowerment. In addition it was proposed that support for continuous civic education for all citizens, especially women would lead to better participation of women to organise and carry out successful campaigns for political office.

3.10 Peace Building

• The group proceeded to review critical issues affecting women's efforts in peace building. They noted that there was need to involve more women in peace processes at all levels. Women were held back by lack of political will to include them in on going peace efforts. Furthermore ethnic conflicts were especially difficult to discuss and address since differences were exploited to further divide people.
• Although it can be argued that the Women's Peace Movement has grown to the level of political consciousness and analyses gender relations within conflict and peace building, there are still problems of solidarity, which leads to political deals and compromises. Women get politically manipulated and are prevented from effective participation.
• Women lack the political maturity to face the challenging political issues that are involved in peace building,they operate in a very difficult patriarchal environment.
• Lack of a clear ideological position for women to rally around holds them back.
• Difficulty for women's peace organisations to get funding for work in conflict areas. Lack of capacity and resources for women's peace organisations hampers their effective participation in the formal peace process.
  They are also unable to organise education campaigns and build effective institutions.

3.11 Lessons Learnt

• Women need to pursue their peace building agenda all the way to the political arena and must link political participation with sustainable peace building. Women need to stop presenting themselves as passive victims. They must claim the same rights as men and sit at the negotiation table in their own capacity.
• Women's networking is playing an important role in building the capacities of women and lobbying for their active participation in peace processes. Women are able to organise effectively for peace, coexistence and
  political tolerance ( e.g. Mano River Women's Peace Initiative and Burundi Women's Peace Initiatives).

3.12 Strategies that Have Worked Best

• Women organising across ethnic, religious and national barriers such as collectives and networks of women's peace organisations.
• Networking and solidarity visits within countries or between organisations in different countries.
• Training and education has enabled women to understand the underlying issue of conflict and engage in more rigorous analysis of these issues.
• Leadership training and trauma management in communities
• Documenting women's experiences with armed conflict and peace building
• Participating in exchange visits will promote better understanding of conflicts.
• Women need to address their image as mothers and as "natural" peacemakers and carrying the men along with us, which leads to compromises and buying into the men's agenda. Feminist principles should guide women's organising and participation in peace movements.

3.13 What Can AWDF do?

• Fund organisations that train individuals in organisational peace skills.
• Fund documentation projects
• Support relevant peace work that provides technical assistance.
• Fund exchange visits among women to promote understanding, networking, capacity building, and training for women in relevant peace building and conflict analysis, resolution and negotiation skills.

PART IV WORKING GROUPS

4.0 Capacity Building & Sustainability of African Women's Organisations

The group identified the following critical issues affecting the capacity ofwomen 's organisations:

• Women's organisations should promote democratic principles of accountability and respect for individual rights. Some women's organisations have weak governance structures that are run by individuals. There are no conflict management systems that can adequately address tensions and management staff disagreements.
• The group noted that there is inadequate planning of programmes leading to poor implementation and waste of resources.
• Some organisations lack an ideology on which to develop programmes and articulate issues.
• Some organisations do not invest in management and administrative systems. There is no clear division of authority between the board and staff resulting in conflicts.
• The Founder Members Syndrome was identified as contributing to weak internal governance and prevents succession processes from taking place within the organisation.
• Minimal investment in leadership within the organisation weakens structures of governance.

4.1 What Should be Done?
The group recommended the following:

• Feminist leadership structures should be promoted in women's organisations, this is one area that AWDF should support. These include supporting strategic planning processes, monitoring and evaluation and development of administrative and management systems. Strategic review meetings between board and staff should be encouraged.
• Young women's leadership roles should be nurtured and encouraged through structured programmes of feminist learning.
• Women's organisations need to invest in capacity building so that they can institutionalise better management principles and practices. Capacity building should include developing fundraising skills, exploring strategies
  for diversifying the resource base of the organisation, developing management policies and guidelines.
• There should be investment in staff development and skills building and regular programme reviews. There should be clear policies and plans for staff development.

4.2 ROLE OF AWDF REGIONAL ADVISORS

The group identified the following as the role for AWDF regional advisers:

• Support the mission, vision and objectives of A WDF and raise the profile of the organisation within the Africa region.
• Disseminate information about AWDF and establish links and contacts between AWDF with women's groups.
• Support fundraising efforts of AWDF by identifying potential donors and attending special fundraising events.
• Offer expertise and advice to AWDF board and staff on potential grantees.

The board should support the role of Advisers by:

• Identifying the role and function of the advisers. The regional advisers requested tenns of reference explicitly spelling out what they can and cannot do.
• Communicating regularly with the advisers.

4.3 Resource Mobilisation & Sustainability of African Women's Organisations

The second group made its presentation, which commenced by reviewing the challenges and opportunities for resource mobilisation. Women's organisations have a long developed tradition of self-help and raising funds to support immediate needs.

Several sources were identified, these included:

• Individual philanthropists in Africa, Europe and North Americn
• Family foundations and trusts, which have a long established tradition of supporting community based initiatives. Examples of these include the Chandaria and Rahimtulla Trusts in Kenya. Similar trusts may be found in other African countries.
• Africans living in the Diaspora who have a vested interest in their individual countries and Africa.
  Participants shared infonnation from studies carried out by the Ford Foundation in Nairobi, which confinn that Africans abroad fund projects back home regularly to contribute to the welfare of fellow
  citizens.
• African Governments have a track record of supporting civil society initiatives. However this may be pegged to support for the governments policies.
• International foundations such as the Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, Global Fund for Women and Rockerfeller that have a long tradition of supporting African programmes.

The group identified the following challenges

• Current legislation in most African countries does not provide tax exemption that would promote voluntary contributions towards charitable work.
• The downturn in many African economies reduces the amount available for charitable work.
• Changing attitudes among African people to support their own empowerment and development and not depend on outside interventions will require education to promote public conscious raising.

Other recommendations to AWDF:

• AWDF was urged to support African women's organisations to explore means of influencing legislation to amend existing legislation and polices that hinder tax deductible voluntary contributions.
• In the discussions following the group presentations, Dr. Hilda Tadria who was chairing the session told the advisers that the A WDF board was committed to providing effective leadership, guided by feminist
  principles and values of equality and respect for women's rights. The board will ensure that democracy and accountability are practiced in all the organisation's dealings.
• The AWDF will strive to be a model of good practise in feminist organisational development. The organisation has recently put in place appropriate policies, guidelines and procedures for the effective governance and management of the Fund.

In concluding the regional advisers meeting, Dr. Tadria, thanked the advisers for the quality of discussion that had taken place over the last two days. Noting that the program and activities during this period were demanding nevertheless that interaction between AWDF board and advisers will strengthen the organisation. Such a meeting will take place regularly to ensure that AWDF continues to benefit from the skills and expertise of advisers.The meeting was officially closed at 1.30 p.m. on Saturday 8th December 2001.

ANNEXURE A PROGRAMME
PROGRAMME FOR AWDF AFRICA REGIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MILLING, DECEMBER 7TH - 8TH 2001, ACCRA, GHANA.
MEETING OBJECTIVES:

• To provide an opportunity for members of the ARAC to share their experience of feminist organising in Africa with the A WDF board and staff.
• To reflect on current issues affecting the women's moment in Africa and examine lessons learnt and implications for a feminist donor such as the
  AWDF
• To discuss strategies for supporting the work of the A WDF in the region especially in the areas of outreach to
  grantees, reviewing requests for funding and providing technicalassistance.

PROGRAMME
Thursday December 6th: Arrivals
Friday December 7th
9-11am: Opening Session. Moderator: Ms Joana Foster.
a) Welcome and introductions
b) Update on A WDF activities: Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi
c) Discussion
11-11.15: Break
11.15-1pm: Current challenges facing the Women's Movement in Africa: What newstrategies and thinking do we need?

Commentators: Dr Bene Madunagu, Ms Muthoni Wanyeki
Moderator: Prof Abena Busia

Discussion

Lunch: 1-2pm.
Thematic workshops (2-5.30pm)

• Women's Human Rights, Econmic Empowerment, and Health, Reproductive Rights & HIV/AIDS
• Political Participation and Peace Building

The advisers should address the following questions in the workshops:

• What are the critical issues facing the Women's Movement in these thematic areas?
• What are the lessons we have learnt as a Movement in these areas of work?
• What strategies have worked best?
• What do we need to do more or?
• What do we need to do less or?
• What are the capacity building issues in each of these areas?
• How can the AWDF strategically respond to concerns in each thematic area?

Saturday December 8th (9-1pm)
9-11am: a) Report back from Day 1.

Moderator: Ms Jessica Nkuuhe
b) Group work.
Group 1: Capacity building and sustainability of African women's NGOs-issues? What is the role of the AWDF?
Resource persons: Ms Jeannette Eno & Dr Kafui Johnson
Group 2: Local resource mobilisation in Africa: What challenges and opportunities are there ?
Resource person: Ms Jean Kamau
Group 3: Supporting the work oftheAWDF: What role can

regional advisers play?
Resource persons: Ms Becas Fernando Mateus & Ms Catherine Mabobori
11.15-1 pm: Final plenary & close.

Moderator: Dr Hilda Tadria.

ANNEXURE B

AWDF Executive Board
Ms Joana Foster Ghana
Dr Hilda Tadria Uganda
Ms Yolonda Richardson USA
Ms Madonna Larbi Canada/Ghana
Ms Susie Johnson USA
Ms Judith Aidoo USA/Ghana
Prof Abena P. A. Busia USA/Ghana
Ms Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi Nigeria/UK
Ms Jacqueline Williams UK/ Sierra Leone

Africa Regional Advisers Committee
Dr Bene Madunagu Nigeria
Ms Lynne Muthoni Wanyeki Kenya
Ms Jeannette Eno UK/Sierra Leone
Ms Kafui Adjamagbo Johnson Togo
Ms Angela Dwamena-Aboagye Ghana
Ms Catherine Mabobori Burundi
Dr Rahmat Mohammed Nigeria
Ms Jessica Babihuga Nkuuhe Uganda
Ms Becas Fernando Mateus Mozambique
Ms Rose Mensah-Kutin Ghana
Ms Ndey Sow UK/Senegal

In Attendance
Dr Krista Johnson Observer USA
Ms Jean Njeri Kamau Rapporteur Kenya/UK
Ms Ndey Jobarteh Grant Administrator AWDF/The Gambia

AWDF Executive Board
Ms Joana Foster Ghana
Dr Hilda Tadria Uganda
Ms Yolonda Richardson USA
Ms Madonna Larbi Canada/Ghana
Ms Susie Johnson USA
Ms Judith Aidoo USA/Ghana

Prof Abena P. A. Busia USA/Ghana
Ms Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi Nigeria/UK
Ms Jacqueline Williams UK/Sierra Leone

Africa Regional Advisers Committee
Dr Bene Madunagu Nigeria
Ms Lynne Muthoni Wanyeki Kenya
MsJeannette Eno UK/Sierra Leone
Ms Kafui Adjamagbo Johnson Togo
Ms Angela Dwamena-Aboagye Ghana

Ms Catherine Mabobori Burundi
Dr Rahmat Mohammed Nigeria
Ms Jessica Babihuga Nkuuhe Uganda
Ms Becas Fernando Mateus Mozambique
Ms Rose Mensah-Kutin Ghana
Ms Ndey Sow UK/Senegal

In Attendance
Dr Krista Johnson Observer USA
Ms Jean Njeri Kamau Rapporteur Kenya/UK
Ms Ndey Jobarteh Grants Administrator AWDF/The Gambia

Ms. ANGELA DWAMENA ABOAGYE
Angela runs The Ark Foundation, an advocacy-based human rights organisation based in Accra, Ghana. She is also director of Women's Law and Human Rights Consultant. A lawyer by training, she has worked with the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General's Department as Prosecuting Counsel between 1990-1999. She is a member of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Ghana Bar Association, African Women Lawyers Association, and the Leadership and Advocacy for Women in Africa (Alumnae) Incorporated, Central Aid, Mamocare, Ghana and The Advisor Committee of Women's Initiative for Self Empowerment (WISE), Ghana.

Angela has also been instrumental in the formation of a number of networks, such as Sisters' Keepers, a broad-based coalition of women's groups and individuals, Network for Women's Rights and the Ghana NGO Coalition on the Rights of the Child. She is an alumna Co-Director of the Women's Law and Public Policy Fellowship Program, Georgetown University, as well as an alumna of the African Women's Leadership Institute of the Akina Mama wa Afrika, an organisation based in the United Kingdom.

Dr.BENE MADUNAGU

Dr. Bene E. Madunagu is a Phytopathologist by professional training. She is a trainer on gender and feminism as well as a human sexuality educator. She has held several prominent appointments such as head of Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calabar, where she is an associate Professor of Botany. She served as a member of the National
Task Force for the production of the National Guidelines for Sexuality Education in Nigeria, a document that has since been approved by the National Council on Education for introduction into Schools' curricula in Nigeria. She was a co-founder of the organization," Women in Nigeria". Dr Bene Madunagu is a women's rights activist, committed to advocacy and lobbying on issues of political social, economic, sexual and reproductive rights ofwomen since 1982. In recognition of her work for social justice, in 1994, she received a 3-year award of the Macarthur Foundation Fund For Leadership Development (FLD ). Bene is currently a member of several renowned academic and research networks, which include the Network For Women's Studies In Nigerian Tertiary Institutions, the Third World Women In Sciences. She is also the Anglophone Africa Coordinator of the Development Alternatives With Women For ANew Era (DAWN). She was a founding member and member of the Steering Committee of Health, Empowerment, Rights and Accountability (HERA), a global policy and advocacy group on sexual and reproductive rights. She is a Feminist by choice and conviction

MS CATHERINE MABOBORI
Catherine comes from Burundi where she has been involved in the Women and Peace Movement since 1993 when the internal conflict broke out. She is the founder member of the Burundi Women for Peace Movement, which she has led since1993- July 2001. Besides being an activist for the peace movement, she has been chairing the coalition of Burundi Women's Organisations called CAFOB, a coalition offorty-two organisations. Catherine is a graduate of literature and is a journalist by profession with extensive knowledge in conflict, women's rights and development. Catherine is a member of several national, regional and international organisations which include FERFAP (federation des reseaux des femmes Africans pour le pout) based in Kigali Rwanda, COCAFEM (Concerlation des Collectifs des associations des femmes) based in Burundi, a network of women of the Great Lakes Region from Burundi, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ms. LYNNE MUTHONI WANYEKI
Currently Executive Director of FEMNET, Lynne is a Political Scientist and Communications Specialist by training. Before joining FEMNET, she was coordinator with the Community Media Programme of Eco News Africa, based in Nairobi Kenya. A feminist activist committed to women's rights issues, she has been involved in the foundation and development of several initiatives such as the Wanawake based in Canada in 1994 and the Coalition on violence against women,Kenya in 1995. Lynne's areas of specialisation are communications, networking and development.

DR.RAHMATMOHAMMED
DR. MOHAMMED is the project co-ordinator of Women's Health and Development project in Nigeria. She has fourteen years experience as a civil servant in Nigeria working in various capacities including Director of Research and Project Development, in the Department of Primary Health Care (PHC), Ministry of Health, Kano State. She served as the Head of Department of Nutrition and Food Science of the Kano State Polytechnic.
Dr Mohammed has also worked extensively on community development and has provided technical support to women, children, and community development projects in several African countries such as Cameroon. Tanzania, Egypt, SierraLeone, Ethiopia, and Kenya. She is a member of Global Health Forum, Association of Country Women Worldwide (ACWW) and Development Society Association (DSA -UK). She enjoys listening and dancing to African music. She love reading books on Eastern philosophy and spends a great deal of leisure time in the garden. She adores nature.

Ms ROSE MENsAH KUTIN
Rose Mensah-Kutin is the Regional Programme Manager of ABANTU for Development's Regional Office for Western Africa. She is also a PhD student at the University of Birmingham, U.K. The theme of her research is on the interrelationships between access to electricity and changes in social relations including those of gender in rural communities, in Ghana.
Ms. Mensah-Kutin has over twenty years experience in the promotion of women's rights issues in Africa and has contributed to discussions on gender issues at national regional and international fora. As well as coordinating a project on the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) programme at the Ministry of Energy for nine years, she has also worked as a journalist on Ghana's largest circulating newspaper, the 'Daily Graphic' where she introduced a weekly column "Women for Change". She is a member of the Board of Directors of a number of organisations including Baobab, a women's rights organisation based in Lagos, Nigeria, as well as the Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP) a service-oriented
NGO based in Kumasi, Ghana.

DR KAFUI BRIGITTE ADJAMAGBO-JOHNSON
Dr Kafui Brigitte Adjamagbo-Johnson is currently sub-regional coordinator of WILDAF, West Africa. She is a consultant with the World Bank, UNICEF, UNFPA, the European Union, the ICJ on women in development, women's rights andgender issues. She serves on the board of several international organisations which include the Montreal International Forum, and is the Head of the Centre de recherche d 'information et de formation pour la femme (CRIFF). She is also amember of the Management Committee of the project CECI 'Women's rights and citizenship in French-speaking Africa'.
Dr Adjamagbo-Johnson is coordinating women's education programmes in law, conducted by women NGOs in 10 countries in West Africa. She is coordinating activities of legal counselling, training of Para-legal women IEC and research on the issue of women and development. She is the General Secretary of the Togolese women's rights NGO 'Groupe de reflexion & d'action femmes, democratie et developpement" (GF2D).
She has served as the Minister of Social Welfare, Human Rights and National Solidarity in the transitional Togolese Government, from October -December 1991 and as a member of the High Council of the Republic (Transitional Parliament) August -October 1991.

MS JESSICA NKUUHE
Ms Jessica Nkuuhe is Ugandan, currently working as Associate Director ISIS -WICCE. A women's rights activist and management consultant, Ms Nkuuhe is active in advocacy issues. She has served on several advisory boards such as the International Women's Human rights network (WhrNet), and the Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR).

Ms. NDEYE SOW
Ndeye Sow studied History and specialised in African History. She was the Executive Director of Association for African Women in Research and Development (MWORD) from 1989- 1992. She is currently based in London, UK, where she co-ordinates the 'Women and Conflict Transformation' programme and International Alert, an international NGO which works in the field of conflict resolution. The programme works in The Great Lakes Region of Africa and the Niger Delta in Nigeria.
Ndeye is both a researcher and practitioner in the field of gender and conflict. Her interest lies in the integration of a gendered perspective in both the theory and practice of conflict management and transformation, and peace-building.

Ms. JEANNETTE ENO
Jeannette Eno is a development consultant originally from Sierra Leone, currently resident in the UK. Her area of expertise is in gender, project management and development, Women's Rights and anthropology. She is currently the chair of Akina Mama wa Afrika, a development organisation for African women based in Africa and Europe.

Ms. JEAN NJERI KAMAU (Rapporteur)
Jean Kamau is a lawyer and feminist activist from Kenya. She was until recently the Executive Director of federation of Women Lawyers Kenya, (FIDA, Kenya). Jean is currently a graduate student of Leeds University England.