Year: 2016
The African Feminist Charter
The African Feminist Charter
The African Feminist Charter has a new look and is now available in different languages including Wolof, Arabic and Kiswahili. Find them below.
More will be posted here when they come available!
AFF Feminist Charter: Português
‘And Then The Women Came’ A Tribute To The African Women’s Development Fund
‘And Then The Women Came’ A Tribute To The African Women’s Development Fund
by Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi
At the panel discussion, the first question we were asked was about our earliest recollections of acts of philanthropy. For me, it was my parents. I believe that most Africans get immersed in cultures of giving from an early age. I grew up observing my parents helping family and friends with contributions towards school fees, vocational training, medical expenses and personal milestones such as weddings and funerals. They gave financial support, material assistance and provided accommodation. I therefore understood, like many others who had a similar upbringing, that no matter how much or little I had, there was an obligation to assist others.
My mother was always giving something to someone. I watched her give away money, clothing, foodstuff and her exquisite collection of dishes. I saw her give advice and support to women in the neighborhood. She would take in women in distress and offer them a shoulder to cry on and give them sound counsel till they could get back to the rigours of life. From my mother, I learnt the value of solidarity with other women, and the importance of being your sister’s keeper.
My entry point into institutional philanthropy was through my involvement as the Executive Director of Akina Mama wa Afrika in London (AMwA) (1991-2001) as well as Comic Relief, UK. AMwA was a development organisation that supported African women in the UK and Europe, as well as women’s movements in Africa. In 1996, I started raising funding for an African Women’s Leadership Institute, an AMwA program which was to be a regional networking and training forum for young African women – I was still young then! I was very alarmed when I got a letter from a European funding agency (after eighteen months of waiting) declining to fund the leadership institute. What upset me was not the No but why they said No.
According to them, African women’s priorities were food, shelter, livelihoods, etc., and not leadership development. I could not understand how a group of people in Europe, no matter how well meaning they were, could decide what African women needed. I went on to raise significant funding for the leadership institute from other sources and today, the AWLI has trained over 6,000 women leaders across Africa. It is interesting to note that a version of the very project that was deemed unworthy of funding showed up as a project of one of the funding agencies who had received the proposal from us a year later! The lesson I learnt from this, after being awakened from my innocence, was that other people had a better idea of how African women’s leadership could be encouraged, anyone other than African women themselves.
This is the motivation that fueled the establishment of AWDF, as a space that would mobilise and disburse resources to women’s organisations across Africa. We wanted to provide African women’s movements an opportunity to engage in initiatives that would raise the status of women, with needs and priorities determined by them. We wanted to fund initiatives that would transform women’s lives and not simply uphold the status quo. The experience of co-founding AWDF and serving as its Executive Director for the first ten years has been one of the most fulfilling of my life. In the early days of AWDF, as I embarked on the journey to establish AWDF as a reputable philanthropic organisation, I discovered that it was not feasible to make the case for funding to one entity in Africa without taking into consideration the context within which people were making decisions and the politics of international donor funding. I found myself in spaces where, in the early days, I would be either the only African in the room or the only vocal one. I would hear things like ‘ We would like to fund in xyz country but we don’t know who to support’ or ‘We have a lot of money to give away for xyz thematic issue but we can’t find the right partners’. Of course I found a lot of these assertions patronizing and insincere, masking an ambivalence about African capacity to manage and deliver on programs, and to be trusted with resources, but I decided that the best way forward was dialogue, advocacy and setting an example.
Today, AWDF has grown from a handful of institutional donors in 2000 to a large network of institutional, corporate and individual donors, with over $25 million in grants made over the years to at least 1,200 women’s organisations in 42 African countries. AWDF also has an endowment fund invested in real estate, fixed deposits and the money market. From a staff of four in 2001 when we made our first grants, the organisation now has a staff of up to twenty-five. Our grants have been used to enhance women’s livelihoods and raise them from poverty, to empower girls, pass legislation, train and empower women in decision making to mention just a few. We have also played a key role in the strengthening of key women’s networks on the continent. The fact that AWDF is acknowledged as a credible organisation with a track record of integrity, success and achievement is an accomplishment to be deeply appreciated. AWDF’s story is a gift to African civil society. It is possible to have an Africa based and Africa led grant making institution that walks its talk, and aspires to the best foundation practices anywhere in the world. In the universe of Women’s Funds and southern-based philanthropic institutions globally, AWDF stands tall as a well-respected role model.
People have often asked me what is so special about philanthropy for women. It is not different from other kinds of philanthropy, because the key issue here is giving. However, what makes philanthropy for women special, is that it comes from a belief system that understands the critical importance in investing in women for sustainable growth and transformative change in our communities. We can do this in different ways, for example through initiatives to provide women with livelihoods, through making them safe from all forms of violence, giving them facilities to enjoy good health for themselves and their children, and giving them a voice in decision making at all levels. These are the ways in which AWDF has supported thousands of women over the past fifteen years. It is work that requires long-term support and involvement, but it also yields results that are unquantifiable in many cases. An empowered girl or woman will go on to have an empowered family, will be self-sufficient, will be able to support her husband better and the community will be better off for it.
It is a very welcome development to see wealthy African philanthropists, male and female, stepping up to add value to the field. What I would like to see more of, is a willingness of these wealthy philanthropists, some of whom have large foundations, to do more social change philanthropy. This way, we can have some impact on the political and socio- systems that keep hindering Africa’s development. Most African philanthropists also do not have a strategy for funding work to promote women’s empowerment and gender equality, beyond social welfare issues. I would like this to change.
During her remarks on the panel in Accra, Leymah Gbowe spoke about a trip she made to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with a delegation from the Nobel Women’s Initiative in 2014. DRC has acquired a reputation for being the ‘rape capital of the world’, due to the violent conflict that has raged in that country for many years now. At the forum in DRC, woman after woman told stories of what they had endured. Leymah said the narratives of the women would go something like this, ‘When I was attacked and raped by a gang of militia, I wanted to commit suicide. I thought my life had ended. And then the women came. They brought me food, cared for my children and encouraged me’. Or the narrative would be, ‘They killed my husband, took away my son, and raped me and my two daughters. I lost my mind and did not know where I was. Then the women came and they took care of me, prayed for me and gave me the little they had’. Testimony after testimony went on like this, and they all included, ‘Then the women came’. The delegation from the US was made up of donors, journalists, researchers and activists. When it was time to ask questions, they were all about, ‘ So how many times where you raped?’, or ‘Do you still think about the rape?’. Leymah was furious. When it was time for her to sum up the meeting as head of the delegation, she pointed out that they should not miss the true story they had just heard. The story was not about the rape of women in DRC. It was about the solidarity of women, stepping out, stepping up and being there. And then the women came. According to Leymah, this is what AWDF means to her and other African women. We are there to listen, encourage, support and strengthen women’s initiatives. We might not be able to respond to the avalanche of requests we receive, but we try our best within the limits of the resources we have.
The future of African women and philanthropy is very bright. We now need to encourage women to be at the forefront of philanthropic giving for social justice. We give already, to our families, friends, community associations and religious institutions. Women should now be more deliberate, bold and ambitious in their giving. I would like women to work together through professional associations, corporative, networks of women in leadership and so on, to pool resources for transformative change. It is important to raise money to assist with the building of schools, clinics, retirement homes and a wide array of social inclusion programs. We however need to start looking at some of the root causes of these social disparities especially where it concerns women’s well-being. Women should fund awareness and prevention of all forms of violence, women in political leadership, and changing attitudes and behaviours which underpin a culture of oppression.
Congratulations to AWDF. It has not been easy, the journey has been a long, hard, often lonely one, and it still continues. A big thank you to my successor as CEO, the formidable Theo Sowa. Thank you for running with the baton. As we celebrate 15 years of hard work and dreams, we are encouraged by our success and eager for the next chapter. If you love Africa, and you love African women, put your money where your heart is.
Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi is one of the founders of the African Women’s Development Fund, a Gender Specialist, Social Entrepreneur and Writer. She is the Founder of Abovewhispers.com, an online community for women. She can be reached at BAF@abovewhispers.com
This Piece was originally posted on her website, Abovewhispers.com.
Unlearning Repentance, Internalising Radical Love.
Unlearning Repentance, Internalising Radical Love.
Reflections from the Bodily Integrity Session: AWID.
By Maame Akua Kyerewaa Marfo
“The body is not soiled— it is not filth to be forgiven. The body is not an apology.”
As Sonya Renee’s poetic words washed over a room of women at the 13th International AWID Forum, I let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding. The impact of her declaration was plain on the faces of everyone seated and the energy in the room moved from excitement to a strange, palpable relief. It felt good to hear someone say the things that perhaps we often told others but may have never completely internalised ourselves, to offer the same body positive assurances many feminists are quick to spout, but may not completely believe about themselves. It felt good to be told that we were beautiful as we were. That every aspect of our bodies we struggled with was valuable in itself.
It felt good to feel united in a resistance against the things long embedded in our consciousness. Women spend their whole lives apologising for their existence.Patriarchy gives us classes on how to turn our bodies into things that are desirable, soft, and compliant and does little to equip us with what we need to live within the realities of our own skin. The session on bodily integrity at AWID was both a reminder and a challenge to that notion. It was a reminder of the ways other people’s conversations have shaped the images of our own bodies within our minds and robbed us of ownership. It was a reminder of the little girl within ourselves, who loved her body without judgment, who threw herself fully into life and took her body along for the ride. But mostly it was a reminder of how to get back to her — and how to guide others on that journey of love, acceptance and necessary rebellion.
During the session, the conversation around bodily autonomy ranged from the ways in which female bodies have become places for persistent and oftentimes unwanted conversation to how we resist the many ways that bodies can be understood and accepted. Bodies are spaces for deep meaning, and therefore, are central to how we approach our work. The body has become property and dictator, a laboratory for the experiments of ourselves and others, expanded or constrained by ideologies that exist outside of the physical being. The body has been turned into a stage show, and our ownership of it can often seem theoretical. After all, how is a body “yours” when society rips it apart until there is nothing left for you? Where are the resolutions?
The best way to start an external revolution is by beginning an internal one. Though bodies and people exist as both internal and external beings, the session’s panelists reminded us all that it was important to radically love our bodies and make peace with them, as they are in the moment, instead of trying to make them into what someone else would say they should be. When it comes to bodily autonomy, the beginning of activist work is the realisation that we may not always understand the bodies of others or the choices they make about them. Feminist work requires that we continue to interrogate our movement and ask if we are being inclusive of new ways of understanding and self defining bodies, whether or not they fall within traditional understandings of gender. The feminist movement must be able to understand and advocate for the rights of all people—and as feminists we must find a way to break our own traditional definitions and understandings of womanhood, gender, morality and inclusivity.
With this understanding of ourselves we could then tackle the conversations around bodies, particularly how bodies are policed and, rarely, left to just be. As a plus-sized woman, I am overly aware of my body and how it affects everyone around me. From the time I was very young, I was convinced of the need to shrink myself in order to make others feel more comfortable with my existence. The need to squeeze into jeans several sizes too small and make myself fit into things even if they, clearly, were not made for me. I, like so many other young women, grew up with clear ideals, in regards to beauty, already prescribed for me – how to be presentable, desirable, and acceptable.
Essentially, all of my best efforts would be rendered useless because I was fat. Big. Overweight. I was undeserving of desirability or love because of my size. Unlearning these things is a process that I go through every day. For the women who desire it, there is life outside of the ideals of western beauty standards but it requires peeling back layers of contradictory thoughts about your worth and challenging self-hatred. It is not easy work.
It is difficult to come to the conclusion that your body, as it is, deserves love and that the bodies of others should not be judged. Finding a way to articulate this concept of suspended judgment outside of our individual minds adds to the task — but it is a necessary one. Suspended judgement, is both an idea and a campaign launched by CREA and throughout the forum it was at the forefront of our minds and our interrogation of ideas and concepts.
”CREA imagined Suspend Judgment as a mini-movement within itself engaging feminists to think and act intersectionally and to reflect critically on deeply rooted assumptions that hinder inclusivity.”
The panelists at the session all do important work on articulating these ideals – of suspended judgment, appreciation and acceptance regardless of understanding. It’s clear that we must tackle the ways that society and law understand bodies and find a way to create a legal framework that it is more reflective of the ways that our bodies exist. It’s clear that we need to continue to share ideas and grow as a movement. We cannot and should not have our bodies interrogated by states, communities, religious bodies and other store houses of patriarchal power that attempt to dissect and correct the things that do not fit into their prescribed ideals. We must find a way to foster acceptance of the decisions we make with our bodies and how we present them to the world.
After listening to the voices, opinions and actions of the remarkable people in the Bodily Integrity session, it is clear that the revolution around women’s bodies and the control of their narrative, is gaining new and exciting ground.
Nana Bamea KYEI-BOADU
Nana Bamea KYEI-BOADU
[tp lang=”en” not_in=”fr”]Prior to joining AWDF, Nana Bamea worked as a faculty intern at Ashesi University and then as a graduate assistant at the Statistics department of University of Ghana. Nana likes teaching and believes quality education is one of the major drivers of development.
She also utilizes her in-depth statistical knowledge to improve decision making in a challenging environment. Nana Bamea holds B.A in Statistics & Economics and an MPhil degree in Actuarial Science from University of Ghana.[/tp]
[tp lang=”fr” not_in=”en”] Avant de rejoindre l’AWDF, Nana Bamea a travaillé en tant que stagiaire à l’Université Ashesi puis comme Assistante diplômée au département des statistiques de l’Université du Ghana. Nana a sa passion dans l’enseignement. Elle estime qu’une bonne éducation est l’un des principaux moteurs du développement.
Elle met en pratique sa connaissance approfondie en statistique pour améliorer la prise de décision dans un environnement exigeant. Nana Bamea est titulaire d’une Licence en Statistiques et Economie et d’un Master en Philosophie (Option Science Actuarielle) de l’Université du Ghana.[/tp]
Resource Centre Day: March 16, 2017. Sign up here!
Resource Centre Day: March 16, 2017. Sign up here!
Feminist Film Screenings
Rich Research Resources
Discover research materials by and about African women across a diverse range of fields. Unlock the wealth of resources offered through open-access databases.
Digital Storytelling
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Suzzie Samtu
Suzzie Samtu
[tp lang=”en” not_in=”fr”]Suzzie Samtu manages the front desk in her bi-lingual capacity. As a holder of Higher National Diploma in Office Management from Alliance Française d’Accra, she developed a passion for women issues and feels strongly about gender inequality. She joined AWDF with 4 years’ experience in Front Desk Management, first in a Financial Institution and then in a Printing Firm.[/tp]
[tp lang=”fr” not_in=”en”]Suzzie Samtu est en Charge de la Réception de l’AWDF en sa capacité de bilingue. Titulaire d’un Diplôme Supérieur National (HND) en gestion de bureau de l’Alliance Française, elle a développé sa passion aux questions féminines et aux inégalités entre les sexes. Elle a rejoint l’AWDF avec 4 ans d’expériences dans la gestion de réception acquises dans une institution financière puis dans une imprimerie.[/tp]
Lydia MACLEAN
Lydia MACLEAN
[tp lang=”en” not_in=”fr”]Lydia Maclean is a seasoned Communications Professional with extensive experience in Public Relations, Corporate Affairs and Humanitarian work.
Prior to joining AWDF, Lydia worked as the Customer Service and Public Relations Manager of A-Plus Life Assurance Ltd, and has also been the Communications Manager of the Ghana Red Cross Society.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Modern Languages from the University of Ghana, a Certificate in Marketing, Advertising and PR from the Ghana Institute of Journalism and a Master’s Degree in International Development from Andrews University, Michigan.
Lydia is a passionate advocate of Social Justice and is strongly committed to the promotion of women’s rights.[/tp]
[tp lang=”fr” not_in=”en”]Lydia MACLEAN est une Spécialiste en Communication avec une vaste expérience en relations publiques, les affaires de l’entreprise et en travail humanitaire.
Avant de rejoindre l’AWDF, Lydia était la Directrice du Service Client et des Relations Publiques de « A-Plus Life Assurance Ltd ». Elle était également Responsable du département de Communication à « Ghana Red Cross Society »
Elle est titulaire d’une Licence en Art – langues modernes de l’Université du Ghana, d’un certificat en Marketing, Publicité et en Relations Publiques de l’Institut de Journalisme du Ghana et d’une Maitrise en Développement Internationale de l’Université Andrews, Michigan.
Lydia est passionnée par la justice sociale et est fortement engagée dans la promotion des droits de la femme.[/tp]
The News
The News
AWID Forum – Bahia, Brazil
The African Women’s Development fund participated in this year’s AWID Forum. Members of our organisation were present on several panels, and helped carry the voices of African Women to the discussions in Bahia, Brazil. The conference took place from the 8—11 September, with the Black Feminisms Pre-Forum taking place from the 5-6 September. The theme was “Imagining Feminist Futures”, and over the course of four days participants were made to imagine a feminist future and strategize around making that happen. It was an important, fruitful conference and we were glad to be a part of it.
Power and Care : A mind and Life Dialogue with the Dalai Lama
AWDF CEO Theo Sowa was a moderator at the Power and Care Dialogue, held in Brussels from September 9-11. It was a two and a half day Mind and Life Dialogue of leading experts with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The aim of the conference was to see how forces of power and care could be conscientiously and fruitfully allied, and engender projects and actions to promote the welfare of living beings and of our environment.
Launch of Education Commission Report to the United Nations Secretary General at the UN General Assembly
In September 2016, AWDF CEO Theo Sowa and other commissioners of the Global Commission for Education launched their report and agenda for action. They also presented the report to the United Nations Secretary General at the UN General Assembly.
Over the last year, the Education Commission has sought to persuade global leaders to take urgent action by bringing together the best evidence on what works in expanding access to quality education and learning for all. If leaders do not take action now to increase investment and reform global education, more than 124 million young people will continue to be denied access to schools and more than 250 million will not gain the skills they need to lead healthy and successful lives.
Supporting Arts, Culture and Sports for the promotion of Women’s Human Rights
Supporting Arts, Culture and Sports for the promotion of Women’s Human Rights
The African Women’s Development Fund will be hosting a thematic convening on arts, culture and sports from October 22-24th under the theme “Weavers of Intersectionality: Amplifying Women’s Rights, Social Justice and Feminist Narratives in Arts, Culture and Sport.”
The first of its kind, this convening will bring together key women creatives from multidisciplinary fields of art, cultural production and sports to talk about their experiences, connect with one another and devise new strategies to strengthen the voices of women within their industry and on the continent as a whole.
It is no secret that the multidisciplinary fields of arts, cultural production, and sports have a huge impact on how people across the world engage with one another and the African continent is no exception. Over the years, African traditions rich with oral history, visual imagery, poetry, proverbs, dance, theatre, and sports have used these tools for education, entertainment, conflict resolution and community building. However, these cultural industries have historically been dominated by men which limit women’s participation in these spaces.
Women’s engagement in arts and in sports has led to the birth of radical ideas, beliefs and attitudes about the immense value and contributions of women. It has also invigorated connections and possibilities for communities across the continent and the world at large. Through both the arts and sports, women have challenged and broken stereotypes, amplified the demands of women and feminist movements, raised resources, and spread messages of social change.
In spite of this work, women practitioners in arts, cultural production and sports face persistent restraints from intimidation, harassment, and theft of work to isolation, immobility, burnout and limited access to networks of care, support, and resources of sustainability. By working through a lens of intersectionality, African women are in a key position to speak out against multiple oppressions – gender, sexuality, disability, race, class, ethnicity, geography, etc. – within their fields of work. This convening will help connect women whose work has been instrumental in telling the stories of african women’s lives and who have used their various mediums to amplify women’s rights, social justice and feminist narratives. The multidimensional nature of the convening will promote cross learning and solidarity. It will be a creative, engaging space that will help spark new momentum for change within various creative industries on the continent.