Year: 2019
A Practical Handbook for Financial Management
A Practical Handbook for Financial Management
At AWDF we believe that in order to achieve impacts towards our collective mission of advancing our women’s rights we also need to dedicate resources to help build the capacity of changemaker organisations. As a donor, AWDF aims to support best practice financial management both internally and also amongst our grantees. We acknowledge that financial management is an area that many smaller and community based organisations needs support with, particularly when balancing smaller and project specific budgets, which make it difficult to cost professional support around finances. We encourage general finance management literacy among our grantees as well as providing specific training for finance staff to strengthen internal systems and sustain good financial management practice.This guide was originally developed by AWDF staff, then updated by AWDF’s Finance Manager Gertrude Bibi Annoh Quarshie based on the emerging needs of grantees. This third update includes further information and research on financial risk management and procurement.
We hope that this document will continue to be usefulfor women’s rights organisations. We welcome feedback on how you are using it!
CLICK HERE FOR THE ENTIRE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT HANDBOOK
Call for Consultants: Green Climate Fund (GCF) Accreditation Consultant
Call for Consultants: Green Climate Fund (GCF) Accreditation Consultant
Background
In order to grow its funding base to scale up support to women’s organisations involved in activities around climate change mitigation and adaptation, AWDF is currently aiming at gaining accreditation to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) with support from Both ENDS. The GCF is a new global fund created to support efforts made by developing countries to respond to climate change effects. Specifically, GCF provides grants to projects aimed at helping developing countries limit or reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adapt to climate change. It seeks to promote a paradigm shift to low-emission and climate-resilient development, taking into account the needs of nations that are particularly vulnerable to the impact of climate change.
Purpose of the consultancy
Considering the demands of the accreditation process, AWDF requires the services of a consultant, who is familiar with environmental, climate change, and gender issues and has an understanding of the funding landscape for women’s rights activities and of the workings of the GCF. The consultant’s main responsibility would be to study the requirements of the accreditation process, assess AWDF’s readiness to access the fund, advise on adequate steps, produce a concept note as well as any additional required policies.
Interested in this offer, Click here for full TOR and mode of application
It’s Not a Death Sentence: You Don’t Have to Die.
It’s Not a Death Sentence: You Don’t Have to Die.
“Cancer took so much away from me but in return has given me so much. I have a better perspective on life, what matters and who counts. I live my life like its golden. I don’t take anything for granted” Twena Harvey-Ewusi
Twena is a Ghanaian fashion designer and a breast cancer survivor. She fought and survived breast cancer, the most common cancer that affects women in Ghana and the leading cause of cancer deaths among Ghanaian women.
The mention of any kind cancer sends shivers down the spine of many; for a lot of women, cervical and breast cancers are a death sentence. Does it have to be tough? Definitely not! Undeniably, breast cancer does claim lives. Such was the case of the late Mrs. Beatrice Mensah Osae, the beloved mother of AhmazingGrace Baaba Danso. “She was diagnosed in 2011 when she discovered a tumor in her left breast which grew bigger to the point it became inoperable. It burst and became an open sore on her chest and ate away at her breast even claiming her nipple. She had three chemo treatments which weakened her greatly till she switched to homeopathic treatment. This helped her regain her strength a bit but ultimately she succumbed to the disease and passed in September 2016” recalls AhmazingGrace. Madam Beatrice was one of the 1% of breast cancer patients who are likely not to survive breast cancer.
Okay! Let’s pause briefly and talk about what breast cancer really is. Dr Grace Gyimah-Boateng, a general medical practitioner at Sonotech Medical and Diagnostic Center describes breast cancer as growth of abnormal cells in the breast. Ideally, the body has a way of working to control how the cells in the body divides but cells become cancerous when they grow abnormally and at a rate that the body can no longer control.
Breast cancer comes in two main classifications: primary and secondary. Primary breast cancer cells originate or start from the breast, whereas secondary breast cancer occurs when cancerous cells in any other parts of your body spread to the breast. According to Dr Gyimah-Boateng, primary breast cancer makes up about 90% of diagnosed cancers in our part of the world. She further elaborated that the breast has 3 main parts, the lobule, duct and connective tissues. Breast cancer most commonly found is the Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (phew! this one is kind of heavy) which in simple terms means invasive cancer (abnormal growth) in the breast duct.
For Twena, finding out she had breast cancer “...was very devastating. My heart was broken, I was scared, didn’t know where to go and what to do. I was very scared because where I come from, the word cancer is a death sentence“. Was Twena’s fear unfounded? Of course not! Imagine processing a medical diagnosis as a death sentence. Nobody really wants to die. This fear of breast cancer lingers even in women who have never had a breast screening.
Karen Aziza Yassine is a Malian-Ivorian entrepreneur, a translator and a breast cancer survior. When I asked Karen what her diagnosis experience was, she said: “The day of my “official” announcement, the day I heard the doctor tell me that I had stage 3 out of 4 breast cancer, 4 meaning that you have a 99.9% of change of dying, the conversation went like this:
The doctor: I’m sorry to inform you that you have stage 3 breast cancer, and the younger you are the faster cancer spreads”
Me: ok! So what do I do now?
The doctor: (repeated) you have breast cancer ma’am!
Me: I heard you the first time around, I already cried yesterday… what do I do now?”
Karen was 27 years and had a 2 month old baby when she herself discovered a lump in her breast. Doctors told her it may just be a clogged milk duct as she was breastfeeding. It wasn’t until she went back a few months to get it checked again after having watched the cancer story of Angelina Jolie, that she was officially diagnosed. In a few months, the small lump had progressed to a stage 3 cancer. This news would scare anyone, I know I would have been scared, but her response! She had 99.9% surety that she was going to die but she said “…I already cried yesterday, what do I do now” She wanted to do something about her situation so she decided to make use of the 1% survival chance she had.
In her interview, Karen said her reaction surprised the doctor. She didn’t consider dying an option, saying: “…I was not going to waste another second being sad, I saw my grandmother dying of breast cancer and I was not going to let it win this time. I thought about my kids, my mother, my family and I knew that 70% of your recovery is in your attitude and my plan was to be as POSITIVE as possible and take the bull by the horns!” And she did take the bull by the horn. She survived it!
What caused Karen, Twena, Madam Beatrice or any other woman to develop breast cancer? Well, doctors don’t know that, yet! Scientists don’t know the exact cause of breast cancer. Dr Grace Gyimah-Boateng explained that there are risk factors; things that could make one prone to developing breast cancer. These are categorised as modifiable and non-modifiable factors. Non modifiables are factors women have no control over, they include genetic mutations, family history, radiation treatment to the chest, dense duct, prolonged exposure of endogenous estrogen (eg: early menstruation, late menopause and late age of beginning child birth) increasing age and being female, as 99% of cancer is found in women. One other minor non modifiable risk factor which Dr Grace mentioned is still being researched is height. Tall people have been found to be more susceptible to breast cancer. Modifiable risks which are factors women have control over are obesity, alcohol intake, and physical inactivity. These risk factors however do not always have a bearing on a woman’s diagnosis, as especially more now than before, women below age 45 are increasingly being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Breast cancer can be scary, we’re not here to tell you it isn’t. What it also is, besides being scary, is that it is curable. Twena did “6months of chemotherapy, surgery (lumpectomy) and 30 rounds of radiation. I was put on medication for 7yrs“. Karen on the other hand did “10 rounds of chemotherapy, and IV (Intravenous therapy)…a double mastectomy – took out both of my breasts and 3 months of radiotherapy” Not everyone diagnosed with breast cancer goes through these same treatments. Treatment is tailored to the type and level of cancer one has.
Depending on the stage and type, breast cancer treatment may include surgery to remove the cancer tissues, radiation to kill or shrink the cancer cells and medication which includes chemotherapy.
So you see, unlike dysmenorrhea- I know this a terrible comparison but I couldn’t help it, forgive me, breast cancer has a definite cure and you can get rid of it before it becomes life threatening. How do you do that? Early detection!!! My mind’s voice actually screamed that. Twena emphasised that “early detection is the reason I’m still here. Cancer if detected early can be cured. Girls/boys should be educated from the age of 12 on how to do the monthly self-exam. We should all mark it on our calendar to do it monthly” For AmazingGrace, her mum’s death has made her “hypersensitive and aware and desperate to ensure that women detect it early so they have better chances of survival…” She has since become a staunch breast cancer awareness advocate who dedicates time to encourage women to overcome their fears and get screened. This October, AmazingGrace says she’ll continue sharing her mother’s story to encourage women to get regular breast screening, although she wishes she had money to do more.
As we mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October, I’d like to tell you that You Don’t Have to Die. Breast cancer is curable, it’s okay to be afraid to get screened but don’t let fear cause you to lose your life. Breast cancer doesn’t have to be a death sentence. Read on breast cancer, go and get screened by a medical professional at least once a year, learn to examine your breast by yourself and do it regularly.
To examine your breasts:
- Lie on your back and put one arm behind your head. With your three middle fingers placed flat on your breast, move your hand gently in circular motions checking for lumps, knots or thickening. Do this over the entire breast area including the area from your collarbone right down to the ribs below your breast. Apply pressure moderately as your fingers move. Put the other hand behind your head and do same for the other breast.
- Stand up straight, raise your left arm and use the right hand to check your arm for lumps. Squeeze your nipple between your thumb and index fingers and look out for any fluid or discharge. Do same for the other breast.
- Stand in front of a mirror with your hands on your waist and observe your breast. Look out for any changes in size, shape, any swelling or dimpling of the skin.
These are best done within the first week after menstruating. Report any unusual observation to a medical practitioner. Remember this does not replace getting screened by a professional.
Let these words of Karen Aziza Yassine who survived a stage 3 breast cancer resound in your ears this month and every other day – “I’d like to remind people that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. Men can also develop it…So Inform yourself, touch your breast in the shower or when you’re putting cream on, don’t be scared, fear will not help you. No matter what happens, remember that you are stronger than you think you are, we all have it in us!”
And remember, it’s not a death sentence. Get screened.
By Sarah Benewaa Fosu, Knowledge Management Assistant, AWDF
01/10/2019
Life and Hope After Breast Cancer: African Women Providing Support
Life and Hope After Breast Cancer: African Women Providing Support
(Picture) Rural Female Volunteers in Mudzi District, Zimbabwe-Cancer Association of Zimbabwe
Breast cancer is a growing problem in low-resource settings. A report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, GLOBACOB revealed that an estimated 94,378 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in sub-Saharan Africa annually, with incidence rates varying between African countries.
In a bid to empower women to take charge of their bodies and health, the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), provides resources to women’s organisations and groups under its ‘Body and Health Rights’ thematic area. These organisations and employ innovative strategies to help improve behaviour in symptomatic women in seeking health-care and referral. They also empower women with skills to undertake self-examination for early detection of lumps in the breast.
Since inception, AWDF has invested over $300,000 in grants and capacity support to about 10 breast cancer related organisations on the African continent. These are national and community based organisations who are well grounded in issues of breast cancer prevention and support programming. The organisations undertake activities such as breast cancer education, free breast screening campaigns in institutions and communities, education, counselling and support for women diagnosed with breast cancer as well as providing hospice services to patients with breast cancer related problems. The women’s rights organisations also empower the health sectors within the various countries by training health care workers to educate and provide gender-friendly health care services at the grassroot level. The initiatives of such women’s organisations and groups have had a great impact on health seeking behaviours of women, patients and breast cancer survivors.
“The education, interaction, free screening project and the usual hospital visitations have created an avenue for support and bonding with patients, and this has led to the reduction of anxiety and the feeling of isolation. The sharing of experiences by survivors who are volunteers helped the patients to relate to their journeys in the knowledge that there is life and hope after breast cancer”, says Mrs. Gladys Boateng, Reach for Recovery-Ghana.
“Continuous visits to survivors aside from offering peer support also helped families of patients better relate to what is happening to their loved ones and in turn served as a source of hope, comfort and relief to both the patients and their families,” Cancer Association of Zimbabwe.
The organisations also engage strategic health sector stakeholders as well as sector policies to advocate for friendly policies on diagnosis and the availability of appropriate treatment; sustainable pathological resources; palliative care for patients with late-stage breast cancer as well as reduced financial burden for average patient with breast cancer in sub-Saharan Africa. Such strategies are known to improve early diagnosis.
As we celebrate the breast cancer month, AWDF is lending its voice to the cause to reiterate the urgency of investing more in women’s body and health rights to ensure autonomy over their lives in general.
In solidarity with all women and survivors, together we can surmount!