Author: African Women's Development Fund

[tp lang=”en” not_in=”fr”]AWDF will be launching its new 5-year strategic plan 2011 – 2015 shortly. As part of the strategic plan, AWDF is reworking its grant making thematic areas. The six new thematic areas are:

• Women’s Human Rights

• Economic Empowerment and Livelihoods

• Governance, Peace and Security

• Reproductive Health and Rights

• HIV/AIDS

• Arts, Culture and Sports

Guidelines are being developed for each of the thematic areas and will be uploaded on AWDF’s website and various communication outlets on completion. A new schedule for grant applications will be published at the same time. Therefore, we are asking potential grant applicants to wait until after the thematic guidelines and the grant processing schedule are published before submitting any further applications. AWDF will not be processing new grants applications until that point.

Meanwhile we will continue to process applications that we have already received and duly acknowledged, which have increased enormously over the past year.

Please watch out for the publication of the guidelines and the grant processing schedule. We look forward to working with both new and old partners on these new exciting thematic areas.

 

Theo Sowa

Interim Chief Executive Officer

AWDF[/tp]

[tp lang=”fr” not_in=”en”]AWDF lancera son nouveau plan stratégique de 5 ans de 2011 à 2015 sous peu. Dans le cadre du plan stratégique, AWDF retravaille sa subvention en faisant des domaines thématiques. Les six nouveaux domaines thématiques sont:

• Les droits des femmes
• Autonomisation économique et les moyens de subsistance
• Gouvernance, paix et sécurité
• Santé génésique et les droits
• VIH / SIDA
• Arts, Culture et Sport

Les lignes directrices sont en cours d’élaboration pour chacun des domaines thématiques et seront téléchargables sur le site Internet d’AWDF et différents points de vente de la communication sur l’achèvement. Un nouveau calendrier pour les demandes de subvention sera publié en même temps. Par conséquent, nous demandons aux demandeurs potentiels d’attendre que les lignes directrices thématiques et le calendrier de traitement de subvention soient publiés avant de soumettre d’autres applications. AWDF ne sera pas le traitement des nouvelles demandes de subventions jusqu’à ce point.

En attendant, nous allons continuer à traiter les demandes que nous avons déjà reçues et dûment reconnus, et qui ont considérablement augmenté au cours de l’année écoulée.

S’il vous plaît attention à la publication des lignes directrices et le calendrier de traitement de la subvention. Nous sommes impatients de travailler avec les nouveaux et les anciens partenaires sur ces nouveaux domaines thématiques passionnantes.

Theo Sowa

Directeur général par intérim

AWDF[/tp]

In April, Zee and l set off on a trip to Zimbabwe and Malawi to monitor women’s organisations that have received grants from AWDF in the last 3 years. Preparations for this visit started in February amidst mixed feelings of anxiety and fear especially about visiting Zimbabwe. There were also additional challenges including some difficulties communicating with grantees in a timely manner, visa issues, and then came the big one; a mix up of Zee’s name on her air ticket two days to our departure.

Having overcome all the hurdles, we were set for Harare. We had no particular expectations of Zimbabwe. Why? Because we relied so much on negative media hype about Zimbabwe and Uncle Mugabe. On the 10^th of April 2011 our plane landed on the territorial borders of Zimbabwe. Wow! It was simply breathtaking, the airport better than most stable African countries l have been to. The green vegetation, the organised city, tarred roads, clean environment, the infrastructure, the warm people; l was just overwhelmed by most of the things l saw. I had a blank mind about what kind of infrastructure to expect, l was highly prejudiced by western media hype and all the negativities about how collapsed the state is.

Unlike most African countries l have been to, we didn’t have to go through the problem of converting dollars into local currency, thanks to the “dollarisation” of the Zimbabwean dollar, it was simply transactions made easy! You could transact business in US dollars anywhere, anytime. Hey but it also had its bad side, we had to deal with getting rid of the extremely old notes by making sure that all of it was used up in Zimbabwe. No bank will accept the over used tired looking US dollar notes from Zimbabwe and obviously not AWDF’s finance department. The other is the issue of change in smaller notes or shillings which were just not available. Be ready to receive your change in the form of coupons or asked to take some sweets at the payment counter! As for the high cost of living we are better off not talking about it, again it is not comparable to any Africa country l have visited. But again it is understandable because of the long economic blackout the country has faced from 2000.

Our Monitoring & Evaluation visit to Zimbabwe encompassed 18 0rganisations including Hope for Africa Katswe Sisterhood, Women in Law in Southern Africa Research and Education Trust (WLSA Zimbabwe), The Women’s Trust (TWT), Creative Centre for Communication and Development (CCCD) and Women Filmmakers of Zimbabwe (WFOZ). Most women’s organisations visited in Zimbabwe are just awesome and braving the odds to make impact. Their resilience and determination are encouraging and admirable.

“We find creative ways of making women’s voices heard around GBV issues whilst protecting their identity using the mobigater during the tense moments here” said Gertrude Pswarayi of CCCD.

These organisations have weathered the storm of the long economic crisis, the “dollarisation” of the local currency as a result of the high inflation that have led to most organisations having ‘zero account balances’, the political polarisation of activities and the insecurity around freedom of speech. These organisations are still surviving, passionate about their work and hopeful of a brighter future amidst the political uncertainties. As aptly stated by Luta Shaba of the Women’s Trust,

“We will continue to work on and pursue issues around women political participation and the legitimisation of women in political spaces because in these political spaces critical issues around development and women are made. It is a hostile environment but we will not relent in our efforts”.

Most of these organisations work on issues such as women’s access to land, inheritance rights, political participation of women, access to justice, HIV&AIDS and sexual reproductive rights of women. As an African woman l am proud to be part of these organisations in their struggles and rage to empower women economically. I feel inspired by their fortitude and l want to encourage and support them as l look forward to replicating the lessons learned from Zimbabwe for the benefit of other countries.

By: Nafi Chinery

Capacity Building Officer, AWDF

Download the Manual Here: AWDF Proposal Writing Manual[/tp]

[tp lang=”fr” not_in=”en”]Cette proposition et le rapport écrit manuel ont été développés avec des informations tirées d’un atelier de deux jours sur le renforcement des compétences à Nairobi, au Kenya, en Mars 2011 organisé par AWDF, pour les petits et les bénéficiaires de taille moyenne, mettant l’accent sur la rédaction de propositions, de rapports et de documentation. La production de ce manuel est l’effort collectif des 22 bénéficiaires qui ont participé à l’atelier, le facilitateur Jane Kirago, le Rapporteur Kathambi Kinoti et AWDF lui-même. Nous tenons à vous remercier tous pour les riches contributions apportées à ce manuel, qui va maintenant servir le travail des nombreux bénéficiaires qui n’ont pu venir à l’atelier. Nous espérons que ce manuel sera un outil pratique et utile pour le renforcement du travail des organisations des droits des femmes en Afrique.

Télécharger le manuel ici: AWDF Proposal Writing Manual[/tp]

On the 13^th of April 2011, the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) in conjunction with the International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region (IPPFAR) held the USA launch of the ‘African Women Leaders Network’ on the sidelines of the 44^th Session of the UN Commission on Population and Development, New York, USA.

The African Women Leaders Network for Reproductive Health and Family Planning (AWLN) is a collective of 35 African women leaders from 15 African countries. The network supports the efforts of African women to improve reproductive health and access comprehensive family planning. Members of AWLN seek to mobilise greater public support and political commitment to promote reproductive health and family planning as an intrinsic part of broader goals for sustainable development.

The USA launch of the AWLN introduced members of the network to civil society organizations and development partners united in the common goal of the provision of universal access to reproductive health and family planning. Members of the network at the reception included H.E. Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, President of AWDF and First Lady of Ekiti State, Nigeria; Yvonne Chaka Chaka, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for RollBack Malaria; Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, General Secretary of the World YWCA; Hon. Ruth Kavuma, Member of Parliament, Uganda; Hon. Marie Rose Nguini-Effa, Member of the Pan-African Parliament; Tabitha Njoroge, Executive Director of WILDAF Kenya; and Dr Hilda Tadria, Executive Director of MEMPROW and AWDF Board Chair.

An address was given by Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Other speakers at the reception included Dr Jacqueline Sharpe, President of the International Planned Parenthood Federation; Her Excellency Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, President of the African Women’s Development Fund, First Lady of Ekiti State, Nigeria and a member of the AWLN; Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, General Secretary of the World YWCA; Hon. Marie Rose Nguini-Effa, member of the Pan-African Parliament; Yvonne Chaka Chaka, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for RollBack Malaria and a member of the AWLN.

In his address, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin spoke of the critical importance of ensuring that there was widespread availability of reproductive health commodities and well-trained health personnel to stem the high rates of maternal mortality on the African continent. He urged African governments to invest resources in women’s reproductive health and reiterated his commitment to the African Womens Leaders Network and all progressive movements that seek the provision of universal access to reproductive health and family planning.

AWLN STATEMENT

TO THE UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT (CPD)

INVEST IN WOMEN AND GIRLS FOR ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH & RIGHTS

AND FAMILY PLANNING

13 April, 2011, New York, USA

The African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) is a network of accomplished women leaders drawn from the world of politics, business, community organising, diplomacy and the arts, who support the efforts to improve access to reproductive health and comprehensive family planning. We seek to mobilize greater public support and political commitment to promote reproductive health and family planning as an intrinsic part of broader goals for sustainable development and women’s enjoyment of their human rights.

The AWLN is committed to advancing the implementation of the Maputo Plan of Action on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights; the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa; the 2001 Abuja Declaration on HIV, Tuberculosis and Other Related Infectious Diseases (that calls for 15% budgetary commitments to health); the African Union Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA) as well as the international commitment to women and RH especially in the ICPD and CEDAW.

As we come together for the 44^th session of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development, under the theme “Fertility, Reproductive Health and Development”,

We are deeply concerned about:

– High levels of maternal mortality especially in Africa (74 per 1,000 live births versus 6 per 1,000 live births in industrialized counties respectively) most of which are preventable.

– High levels of prevalence of HIV & AIDS, especially among women and the lack of adequate and appropriate reproductive health and family planning services that address their needs.

– Lack of information and access to quality and affordable services to women of all ages.

– Escalating incidences of violence against women including, domestic violence, sexual and gender based violence, FGM, early marriages, harmful practices (cultural, non-traditional and unethical research practices).

– Lack of visibility and resources to non – communicable diseases such as cancers, mental health (depression, stress) related to women’s reproductive health and roles.

– Lack of implementation of, and adequate resource allocation to global, regional and national commitments on gender equality and reproductive health.

– Lack of women’s participation in decisions that affect their lives as well as inadequate access to quality resources for community programmes and advocacy.

– Impact of poverty on women’s access to Family Planning

– Crisis situations that affect women’s human rights, especially those related to reproductive health

We are encouraged by the prioritization of the thematic focus on fertility, reproductive health and development within this years’ Commission agenda as well as the overall MDG framework. We value the space for civil society participation during the Commission, within the diversity of our communities. We affirm the contribution of existing community groups and women networks on delivering on the objectives of the CPD. As experts, leaders, knowledge providers, teachers, communicators, scientists and clients to services, we, as African women affirm the best practices in our communities that can be scaled up and commit to sharing of experiences.

We therefore recommend the adoption of a holistic and comprehensive approach to addressing SRHR namely:

1. Governments recommit resources in the national budgets to reproductive health and family planning.

2. Invest in comprehensive and rights based sexuality education especially for young people.

3. Create policies, budgets and programmes that enable access to quality, affordable, integrated services, commodities and referrals.

4. Recognize, resource and strengthen community social networks and institutions, especially women’s groups for their programmes on reproductive and family planning.

5. Recognize positive culture as building blocks for addressing issues of fertility and reproductive health while addressing and eliminating harmful practices that undermine women’s rights.

6. Continue to invest in contextual research in advancing reproductive health and family planning that empower women and girls.

7. Continue to invest in technologies that reduce women’s burdens and enable them to be economically empowered.

8. Create, facilitate and resource opportunities for women’s participation in decisions that impact their lives.

As the African Women Leaders Network for Reproductive Health and Family Planning (AWLN), we appreciate the partnership and facilitation of the AWDF and IPPF as well as other national, regional and international organizations that continue to support our participation.

 

April 12 2011, New York, USA

Background

The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), an Africa-wide fundraising and grant making Africa foundation based in Accra, Ghana requires the services of a Programme Assistant to be responsible for front desk services.

Job profile: The post holder will serve as an initial point of contact for AWDF, receive and disseminate information and coordinate internal and external communication. She will work closely with the Administrative Assistant, Programme Officers in the Grants Department and the entire staff of AWDF. Preference will be given to candidates who are bi lingual in French and English, although ability to speak French is a desirable, but not essential employment criteria.

Duties for the person at the front desk

A) Serve as an initial point of contact at the front office

• Welcome visitors
• Provide basic information to callers
• Take messages, screen calls, transfer calls, and answer questions
• Open, record and distribute mails
• Assist with photocopying, and support colleagues in other departments during peak periods
• Keep the reception area tidy and well maintained
• Support the Administrative Assistant and provide back up to her

 

B) Give support to the Grants Department:

• Assist with inputting data into the Grants Information System
• Perform any other duties that may be assigned by the Grants Manager

Person Specification:

The prospective applicant should hold secretarial qualifications with a relevant degree or HND. Additionally, the person must have the following competencies:

• Oral and written fluency in English language
• Strong organizational , written and interpersonal skills
• Ability to manage time effectively with the multi-tasked front desk
• Strong computer skills especially Microsoft Office
• Highly professional, adaptable to change and able to work independently
• Has good judgment, willing to take initiatives and able to work well under pressure
• Has knowledge and experience of modern office procedures
• Able to pay high attention to details
• Ability to adhere to tight deadlines
• Ability to work effectively with the organisation’s partners and stakeholders
• Flexible in adapting to changing work parameters

Willingness to work outside normal working hours when required

The selected candidate will in many instances be the first person that visitors to AWDF see and speak to. For this reason it is crucial that any applicant to this position believes firmly in and reflects the values of AWDF. Applicants to this role must be passionate about women’s rights.

Please note that as part of AWDF’s commitment to furthering the leadership of women, this position and all programme vacancies are restricted to women applicants. Candidates must be living in Accra and legally able to work in Ghana

Her Excellency Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, First Lady of Ekiti State, Nigeria and President of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) has been presented with the David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award, one of the most prestigious awards in the field of philanthropy. The presentation was made at the Synergos University for a Night event held at the Times Centre in New York, USA, on 5^th April 2011. The event also honoured Peter and Jenniffer Buffet, Co-Chairs of the NoVo Foundation.

 

The David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award is in recognition of the leadership, commitment and dynamism that H.E Bisi Adeleye Fayemi has demonstrated in over two decades of working to create a better world for women and girls in Africa. That work includes her co-founding and leadership of the African Women’s Development Fund, the establishment of the African Women’s Leadership Institute and numerous contributions to women’s rights in Africa and globally.

 

Helen LaKelly Hunt, (philanthropist, founder of the Sister Fund and co-Chair of Women Moving Millions), Peggy Dulany (Founder and Chair of Synergos), and David Rockefeller Sr. jointly presented the award to H.E. Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, who was described as “bold, inspirational and savvy”.

 

Accepting the award, H.E. Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi said, “Women’s narratives of oppression, suffering and exploitation can be changed to stories of triumph, success, dignity and respect if we are able to provide women with the spaces and tools they need so they can make the kind of choices that set them on the road to freedom.”

On the 17th of March 2011, AWDF’s President Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi delivered the Centre for Democracy Development’s flagship annual public lecture on the topic, “Democratisation and Women in Africa-Progress, Stagnation and Retreat”.

The audio of the full lecture can be accessed here Bisi’s speech at CDD

 

 

 

 

I walked out of the airport confidently, ignoring all the traders who were trying to sell me sim cards, mobile phones or whatever else they had for sale. Then I stopped, slightly confused. Where’s the taxi stand? I wondered. I could see no taxis whatsoever. In Accra (where I had journeyed from) there were numerous taxi services at the airport. Official airport taxis, unofficial airport taxis and taxi drivers cruising by, hoping to pick up a passenger who has just arrived from Abrokyire (a trip abroad). Even before you fully emerge from Kotoka International Airport, men (and they are always men) in officious white shirts, and navy blue trousers will confront you with, “Taxi, taxi, airport taxi” but no such thing had happened here.

 

I paused and turned to one of the young men who had been trying to sell me a sim card “Je cherche le taxi”. “Qui, qui…” he responded, “Taxi ici” and tried to grab hold of my hand luggage whilst I simultaneously tried to maintain hold of my hand luggage. We walked to the main road. “This way, this way” is what I imagined he said, but there was no taxi this way. By now he had been joined by another compadre and they both resorted to hailing down passing taxis whilst simultaneously encouraging me to cross the street. Eventually a battered green taxi stopped in the middle of the road. “Tu connais l’hotel Laico?” (I can’t conjugate vous properly) “Qui” he responded, and so off we went…where to, I had no idea. In the taxi I texted my Mum, “I’ve arrived safely in Ougadougou. I’m en route to the hotel”. It did cross my mind that perhaps I should leave the safe arrival message until I had actually arrived at the hotel but hey ho, I was hoping for a safe arrival.

 

My predominant memories of Burkina will be women on mopeds, dry, dusty conditions and an amazing FESPACO experience. I’m still not used to seeing women on mopeds. Its not a sight that you ever come across in southern Ghana but in Burkina you see elderly women chugging along on mopeds, young women in little black dresses and heels on mopeds and women with their children on mopeds. “How empowering”, I thought. In a conversation with Deborah Ahenkorah (Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Golden Baobab Prize) she made a similar statement, “Women in Burkina appear so powerful. I get the impression that you shouldn’t mess with them…” Are we mistaken? Probably. Or probably not…

 

I had come to FESPACO (Pan African Film and Television Festival of Ougadougou) with three main goals:

 

• To participate fully in the festival and learn as much as possible about the current state of African film on the continent
• To speak on a panel with Amina Mama and Yaba Badoe at a CORDESIA workshop and
• To promote the work that AWDF has done in its popular culture project

 

Apart from a few logistical hitches, (printed programme booklets of the film schedule being a rare commodity, being sent all around the houses before arriving at the right place to purchase my festival and some technical hitches at one cinema) FESPACO was an amazing experience. I am already planning to attend the 23^rd FESPACO that will take place in 2013.

 

Films, Films, Films

Of course FESPACO was all about watching films. On Day 1 of the film festival I got together with Deborah and Kojo (friends from Ghana who were also attending FESPACO) and we eagerly went through the film schedule and highlighted those films we wanted to watch. Our film watching crew soon included Tsakani (whom Kojo and Debbie befriended over breakfast) from South Africa’s Arts and Culture department[1] and together we decided to challenge ourselves to watch as many films as possible! The film schedule didn’t contain a synopsis of the films so we chose films that we thought sounded exciting, and in my case I advocated for films with women directors (there were so few of those though). There were some days we watched as many as 5 films back to back.

 

Personally, my favourite films at the festival were:

 

• A Small Town Called Descent (South Africa)
• Dnoma (Haiti)
• Notre étrangère (Senegal)
• The last flight of the flamingo (Mozambique)
• Bullets over Brownsville (USA)
• Dusable to Obama : Chicago’s Black Metropolis (USA)
• The Figurine (Araromire) (Nigeria)

 

I liked these films for a variety of reasons and will review my ‘top 3’ below:

 

My Top 3 Films at FESPACO: A Nutshell Review and Synopsis

 

A Small Town Called Descent – this film reminded me of the best bits of a Hollywood blockbuster. It had compelling action scenes, good cops versus bad cops, a strong storyline and a romance doomed to failure. The film dealt with the hard-hitting issue of xenophobia, which centered on the murder of a Zimbabwean immigrant in the town ‘Descent’. The commander of the local police station is directly implicated in the murder and so is practically everyone else in the town (either through their action, inaction and unwillingness to speak up about the issue). We get the impression that the real puppet masters may not be the police commander or even the mob that lynched the Zimbabwean but the big businesses looking to buy up tracts of land in Descent. And of course there is the Afrikaner farmer who is the largest landholder in Descent, and was a high ranking military officer prior to the end of apartheid. We’re never quite sure how he is involved in the xenophobic attacks but we’re left with the feeling that he too is complicit

 

Dnoma – a complex, multi-layered film, which skillfully intertwined issues of race, class, immigration and sexuality. This film was located in France and combined several stories in one piece. There was the femme fatale teacher who gave her pupil a blowjob[2]. The woman who had been adopted as a child and decided to experiment with the concept of love and relationships by picking up a stranger at the train station and taking him home to make love/have sex. The young girl whose parents had moved to Spain, leaving her responsible for the care of her older sister who was dying from leukemia. The pupil (same one who had received a blowjob from his teacher) who was also a pickpocket, and was dating the girl who had caring responsibilities for her sister. The immigrant who worked long hours and sometimes came to school wearing his clothes from his job that later developed a crush on the girl who had caring responsibilities for her sister. Separate stories, yet all inter-connected and fascinating in its complexity and depth

 

Notre étrangère – A beautifully shot film, which spans Burkina Faso and France. The dominant themes deal with adoption, motherhood and the feeling of being a stranger or being caught in-between two worlds. A young girl leaves France in search of her biological mother in Burkina Faso but only finds her alcoholic Aunt who is overjoyed to see her and treats her like the prodigal daughter. The alcoholic Aunt is lonely; she has no children and despite numerous efforts has been unable to bear her own children. This is especially hard in a country, which valorizes motherhood and scorns the barren woman.

 

Whilst the young girl searches in vain for her mother, her mother is working as a cleaner in France. Although she had agreed for her daughter’s French father to take the young girl to France she never recovers from the loss of her daughter and disappears soon after the child leaves for France. The audience is aware that the mother is in France and the Aunt heard a rumour that the mother is in France but no one knows for a fact where the mother is located. The film ends without mother and daughter finding each other.

 

So how does all this relate to what I do at AWDF?

In 2008, AWDF formally launched a popular culture project at the Sixth African Development Forum held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 18^th-21^st November 2008. The launch of the popular culture project was in recognition of the need for women’s rights organisations to adopt strategies that can target a mass base of the population if perceptions, behaviours and attitudes are to be influenced.

 

In 2010, AWDF convened the first African Women in Film Forum in conjunction with the Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts led by acclaimed Nollywood actress Joke Silva on the theme, “Nollywood: Women and the Dynamics of Representation”. This forum attracted a wide and diverse cross section of Nollywood’s key players including Directors, Actresses, Scriptwriters and virtually every profession connected in some way to the film profession.

 

In 2011, AWDF as part of its 3^rd strategic plan has decided to add a new thematic area to its work, “Arts, Culture and Sports”. This presents a new opportunity for AWDF to extend its support for the Arts and to consider innovative ways of achieving gender equality.

 

It is very clear to me that the visual medium is a powerful tool and one that women’s rights activists haven’t engaged with sufficiently.

 

There was a powerful documentary screened at the 22nd FESPACO, “The Witches of Gambaga”. Women’s rights organizations at the public screening in Ghana on the 15^th of February 2011 described the film as “a gift to the women’s movement”. A gift because the film depicts powerfully (in a way no report can) the abuse that women who have been accused of witchcraft face and shows the complex interplay of gender, tradition and power which leave women vulnerable to accusations of witchcraft. Not enough of such films exist, or if they do exist are not widely disseminated.

 

We need more documentaries that tell women’s stories. We need action films that have women heroines (and not just as the pretty sidekick). We need films that show women in all their beautiful diversities – working women, rich women, lesbians, activists, happy singletons, women living positively, differently abled women…We need women producers, directors, scriptwriters, actresses, distributors…

 

See you at the 23^rd FESPACO in 2013.

Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah

Communications Officer

AWDF

Location

Chicago, IL preferred, but not required

Reporting Relationship

The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors

ORGANIZATION BACKGROUND

The African Women’s Development Fund USA (AWDF USA) is a 501c(3) organization created to raise visibility and financial support in the United States for The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) based in Accra, Ghana. AWDF is a grant-making organization that supports women’s organizations across the continent of Africa. Over the past 10 years, AWDF has made grants totalling more than $16M US to 800 women’s organizations in over 43 African countries. Please see africlub.net/awdf for more information.

This is a new position and the first paid position of AWDF USA. Prior to this time, the work of AWDF USA has been done by volunteers and a short-term consultant. This position will be supported by a part-time bookkeeper and administrative assistant.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

AWDF USA seeks an Executive Director (the “ED”) that will enable the organization to be strategic and influential in a rapidly changing and demanding global environment. The ED is responsible for creating and advancing AWDF USA’s mission and vision. The ED is also responsible for the overall management of AWDF USA and the implementation of its policies. This individual reports directly to the Board of Directors and is responsible for keeping the Board engaged and informed so that they can fulfill the governance responsibilities entrusted to them. Specifically, the ED will be responsible for Fundraising, Marketing, Finance and Administration, Management and Leadership, Communications and External Relationships, and Board Relations.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE / QUALIFICATIONS

The successful candidate will have a strong track record of proven leadership ability and be capable of juggling many priority projects working independently. This individual should possess the capacity to assess, analyze and design strategic organizational structures, programs and processes and handle the organization’s day-to-day operations.

The ideal candidate will have an understanding of the challenges facing start-up global organizations and possess the creative vision to address these challenges effectively. The ED must be a strong decision-maker, facilitator, inspiring leader, and passionate advocate who can effect change where it is needed.

Specific previous experiences and qualifications include:

• Passionate belief in the AWDF’s mission, vision, and values.
• Demonstrated commitment to the human rights of women and a global feminist perspective.
• Integrity and high ethical standards with a reputation for fairness and transparency.
• Strong sensitivity and commitment to cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual, and socioeconomic diversity.
• Demonstrated fundraising track record and experience in strategic marketing. The ability to compete for and win philanthropic support from individuals, foundations and corporations.
• Experience working with members of a Board of Directors with a history of strengthening proper governance guidelines and building the consensus necessary to ensure organizational success.
• Creativity and innovation in conceptualizing, identifying, and pursuing opportunities, partnerships, and resource development.
• Proven ability to create constructive partnerships among diverse constituencies, to strengthen consensus building, collaboration, and communication.
• Effective verbal and written communications, including excellent public speaking skills for formal and extemporaneous presentations and the ability to clearly and convincingly communicate the work and vision of AWDF USA.
• Working knowledge of international development, human rights, and the feminist movement internationally.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to use diplomacy effectively.
• Ability to travel both domestically and internationally.

EDUCATION

An undergraduate degree is required. A graduate degree in a relevant field of study such as global/international affairs or development, women’s/gender studies, human rights, law, non-profit management, international business, or MBA is highly preferred.

COMPENSATION

A competitive compensation package will be offered to attract outstanding candidates

 

To apply for this position, please send a letter of interest, resume and contact information for 3 references to secy.awdfusa@gmail or to AWDF USA at 122 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 1850 Chicago, IL 60603 by 5pm CST on April 1, 2011.