It is always a joy to come to the house of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) This is because whenever we come, it is about something to do with women, particularly in terms of advancing our commitment to improving our own well-being and that of several generations of girls and women to come. Today is no exception: from 2006, AWDF obtained a grant from the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) to strengthen the institutional capacities of AWDF and many of our organizations that are grantees of AWDF. If we are here today to sign another contract under Phase II, which is about extending the facility once again over a four year period, then we can celebrate our success and affirm that AWDF has been able to do what it set out to do when it requested for the grant. And indeed that, it has been impactful, hence the decision to upscale.
We do not have to go far to speak about what the grant has meant for our organisations. A week ago today, I was with a number of community groups in Liberia organising a workshop. One of the participants from one of the counties came to me during one of the breaks and asked earnestly: “Do you know this organization called AWDF? It is based in Accra, you know”. I said “Yes, I know AWDF”. She continued, “Well my organization has benefitted from them. Infact they are the only organization that we have had funds from for two consecutive years. The funds have really helped us to reach out and build the capacity of women in our community”
Statements like this are reassuring in the context we find ourselves in as women’s organizations operating in a harsh neo-liberal economic policy framework and in the wake of a global economic and financial crisis. Growing inequalities and unregulated finances are affecting poor women and men everywhere from securing their fair share in the benefits of global prosperity. If this trend continues, our children in Africa will inherit the burden of the devastation we have created in this world. As such, the promise of universal dignity brought by human rights and women’s rights has to be enforced, and the rights of future generations need to be recognized and properly defended. That is where AWDF comes in through recognizing and supporting the creativity and energies of different classes of women in all countries of Africa. Women located in the remotest corners of our various countries in Africa, and who would never have had a chance to contribute to the well-being of other women, are now able to do so with the support of AWDF.
An essential element in ensuring the substantive implementation of any international agreement is adequate financial and political support. Despite globally agreed commitments, gender equality and women’s empowerment are rarely high priorities on national development plans. In these times of global economic crisis, state actors are steadily stepping back from international commitments to women’s rights and gender equality by citing the cost of meeting those commitments. In the face of such arguments that justice and equality are too expensive, it is important that women’s oganisations are able to hold governments accountable to their mandate and demand justice and equality even when those goals are seen by them as antagonistic to so-called market growth and productivity. This clearly underscores the importance of ACBF funds for credible institutions like the AWDF.
Recent research by AWID (2006) has provided in-depth insights into the experiences of local women’s organizations. Responses from over a thousand respondents worldwide show that, many women’s organizations are struggling to secure funds to sustain their core activities. Among the key findings of the research are the following:
- Most women’s organizations are small: two thirds of organizations sampled had an annual budget of less than 50,000 US dollars
- In 2005 a total of 729 women’s organizations had a total income of 79 million US dollars worldwide
- More than half the respondents surveyed are receiving less funding than in 2000: 67% of the respondents said they find it more difficult to raise funds than five years ago, with only 16% finding it easier, and over half of the organizations having to use more staff and resources for fundraising efforts
- On average many organizations also said they would need twice their budgets to be able to do all they wanted to in 2006. Unfortunately, many funders and organizations are usually locked in a vicious circle, as women’s groups are seen as not having the capacity to absorb additional finds, and are therefore not funded, even though additional funds could actually enhance their capacity to expand.
It is in this respect that we need to ensure the availability of funds for civil society and women’s organizations to continue to thrive. Advocating on behalf of women, the poor and excluded groups must continue and this requires a continued building of the capacity of our various institutions to engage effectively in policy dialogue, implementation and monitoring, as well as an understanding of the changing aid and policy making environment. We need to also seek opportunities for regional and international collaboration and obtain funds from a wide range of sources to support our activities so we can remain active, accountable and responsive to the constituents we have committed ourselves to representing.
Our effectiveness as women’s organizations is premised on how we are able to deliver on critical issues of concern to our constituents, women; and to have thriving independent funding institutions such as the AWDF which can support such initiatives that can hold our governments accountable to their mandates.
Support from the ACBF to the AWDF is therefore invaluable and we are looking forward to Phase III, four years on, when we will return here to celebrate our success and sign another contract for more funds to strengthen our capacities further! We know the ACBF recognizes that women’s rights and gender equality work is long term, and that they are committed to being with us for as long as it takes to achieve justice, fairness and equality in Africa.
Thank you.
