Category: event

AWDF will be joining researchers, feminists, activists, practitioners and policy makers in the upcoming Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) Forum 2024, taking place from 21-25 October in Cape Town, South Africa. As part of our participation, we have supported 17 partners from across Africa to attend this crucial event, amplifying African feminist voices in the global conversation on ending sexual violence. 

In 2022, AWDF made an impactful appearance at the Sexual Violence Research Initiative which was held in Mexico in September. Among the activities facilitated by AWDF were a partner-led knowledge circle, donor engagement on decolonized and ethical funding, and dialogue for power and control in research and Southern–feminist led forum to showcase the LFS Model. 

This year’s SVRI Forum presents an excellent opportunity for AWDF to showcase our crucial work on sexual violence, particularly our KASA! Initiative. We will be advocating for increased funding and deepening partnerships within the feminist funds and sexual violence funding ecosystem. Additionally, we aim to expand our knowledge and experience regarding evidence-based sexual violence interventions.

Key AWDF and Partner-led Activities at SVRI Forum 2024: 

AWDF and COFEM Poster Presentation

The SVRI poster presentation session is designed to showcase innovative research and programmes, facilitate in-depth discussions, and promote greater interaction between presenters and participants.

• Date: Wednesday, 23 October 2024
• Time: 1:00 – 2:00 PM
• Venue: Cape Town International Convention Center 2

African Feminist Knowledge Circle

Led by the Knowledge and Voice team,  the African Feminist Knowledge Circles are an  evolving space where African feminists convene to share identities, stories, tools, politics and approaches from their many journeys of challenging the patriarchy. This activity is only open to identified partners and participants. 

Rest & Resistance Workshop

The Solidarity and Care team has over the years learnt the importance of creating an environment and space that is a cocoon for activists to retreat into. For this workshop, the cocoon will be a softly lit room, a curated playlist of black healing music to set the tone for a peaceful and restorative experience. Spaces for this activity are limited. You are urged to attend early for a spot.

• Date: Thursday, 24th October 2024
• Time: 12pm – 1:50pm
• Venue: Cape Town International Convention Center 2

Flourish Retreat

The Retreat will involve three interconnected processes led by the facilitators and the chef. Activists will engage in rituals rooted in indigenous African practices that focus on anchoring, honouring, and connecting to the self, each other, and nature for spiritual, emotional, and physical healing. This activity is only open to identified partners and individuals. 

We invite all attendees to connect with us during these sessions and throughout the forum. It is an invaluable opportunity to share experiences, learn from one another, and strengthen our collective efforts in combating violence agains women and gender diverse people and promoting gender equality.

Here is the full programme of the SVRI forum where you will find details of these and other very insightful activities at the forum.

Connect with AWDF online X, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. Follow our live updates from the forum using #AWDFatSVRI. 

African Feminists have and continue to challenge entrenched systems of power and oppression that have systematically invisibilised African feminist knowledge. This zine captures the narratives that we are hearing and learning from African Feminist Movements on the role of African indigenous knowledge systems and ways of knowing as well as the role of the arts and creative expression as powerful tools for challenging erasure and silencing.

Read the Magazine here 

On the 5th to 9th February 2024, 14 participants representing 13 organizations from 11 countries  from Francophone Africa participated in an Advocacy and Communications Learning Platform. AWDF organised   an intensive and enriching week in Accra, bringing together its Francophone partners for a workshop focused on communication, and advocacy. This innovative event provided a strategic platform to strengthen collaboration among organizations working for the development of women in Francophone Africa. The training session was led by Maïmouna Jallow, a multidisciplinary African feminist artist and communication consultant.

A Timely Training

At the heart of the gathering, intense communication sessions were conducted to enhance participants’ skills in delivering impactful messages and managing issues related to the promotion of women’s rights. Modules on feminist communications, media relations, and the writing of press releases provided a fertile ground for discussions and learning.

Advocacy, the central pivot of the discussions, shed light on the specific challenges faced by women in Francophone countries, while exploring innovative strategies to influence policies in favor of gender equality. The training emphasized the crucial importance for women’s rights advocacy organizations to be visible, creative, and consistent in their communication to impact change.

For LaDouce Irakoze, from the Young Women’s Knowledge and Leadership Institute in Burundi:

“The workshop was very beneficial, and I want to thank the facilitator for her excellent communication skills. Our organization, engaged in advocacy in Burundi for clear policies on women’s rights, especially for domestic workers, gained essential skills. Communication training for feminist associations is crucial to be creative, effective, consistent, well-coordinated, and to communicate impactfully to our audience. The section on press releases was particularly enriching for me, and I am confident that it will significantly enhance our work.”

Tools Against Online Violence: Reflections on Feminism 2.0

An essential part of the workshop was dedicated to the challenges of the digital world, where women journalists and communicators face a growing threat: cyber harassment. Participants discussed the concepts of feminism 2.0 in Francophone Africa, image appropriation, cybersexism, and online security. Experienced speakers shared strategies to address these challenges, emphasizing the importance of cybersecurity for feminist activists.

“As a communicator, journalist, and feminist, I actively manage several feminist pages and communicate daily on social media. I consider this to be an important step, but as a feminist activist, the need to communicate, inform, and especially advocate for our causes is crucial. I particularly appreciated the module on communication strategy and cybersecurity for feminist activists. I am convinced that all feminists should acquire these skills. AWDF should continue to further support training in communication and advocacy, both for organizations and their communication officers.” Aminata Pilimini Diallo, Guinean feminist web journalist

Francophone Connection and Future Perspectives

The training took a well-being break with a rejuvenating yoga session. Beyond the physical movements, this experience created a special connection among the participants, strengthening the bonds within the group. Shared smiles, compassionate glances, and emerging camaraderie contributed to forging a strong Francophone connection within the community.

At the end of the training, participants expressed the need to develop additional skills and emphasized the importance of post-workshop follow-up. This request underscores the ongoing commitment of organizations and AWDF to support the professional development of participants and enhance the impact of collective actions for gender equality.”

Bintou Mariam Traoré, Communications officer

Are you interested in learning more about African feminist theories?

Do you want to learn how to be a feminist researcher?

Do you want to know more about how to use Wikipedia to tell African women’s stories?

Join the AWDF staff for an afternoon of trainings, conversations and deep critical thinking about African feminist theory and praxis.

This session will be open to AWDF staff and (feminist) public interested in deepening their knowledge of African feminist research practices and learning more about Wikipedia usage.

Register for the event HERE

The African Women’s Development Fund is organising the 4th Resource Mobilisation bootcamp in Accra, Ghana from the 28th to the 31st of August 2017. The Resource Mobilisation Bootcamp is one of the capacity building programmes organised by AWDF to support grantees to develop their resource mobilisation strategy. AWDF has been providing capacity building support to its grantees to enhance their ability to effectively and efficiently achieve their set mandate.

AWDF recognises that a resource mobilisation strategy is critical to ensuring the sustainability of women’s rights organisation and to this end has organised this bootcamp for selected grantee partners since 02013. As at the end of 2015, a total of over 77 organisations had benefited from the first 3 resource mobilisation boot camps.

This year’s bootcamp has 19 participants from Cameroon, Kenya, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria Zambia and Zimbabwe. By the end of the 4 day boot camp, participants would have drafted their resource mobilisation strategy document. They will then be supported over a 4 months period through virtual coaching to finalise the draft Resource mobilisation strategy.

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.

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.

THIRD FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT TRAINING FOR AWDF GRANTEES IN

LAGOS, NIGERIA

16 – 18 AUGUST, 2016

“I am once more excited that The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) is able to organise this important training with support from Comic Relief. Since 2014, thirty-six (36) organisations have benefited from our Finance Management Skills Trainings. Of these, 22 have already reported steps put in place toward sound financial systems. As feminist grant makers we understand the need for accountability and results and therefore work towards building robust organisations by investing in human resource development of our grantees. This skills enhancement training on finance management for finance officers and managers in Nigeria is one of the ways by which we do this.” Nafi Chinery, Capacity Building Programme Specialist, AWDF

Second Financial Management Training held in 2015 in Uganda.

The Capacity Building Unit of AWDF is organising its third Finance Management Training programme for finance officers and managers of grantee organisations. This skills enhancement training will be held from 16 – 18th August 2016 in Lagos, Nigeria.

This training forms part of AWDF’s mandate to provide technical skills to grantees in order to ensure sound and prudent financial management of resources for results in their organisations.

The three-day (3) training will bring together nineteen (19) finance managers and officers from twelve (12) grantee organisations from seven (7) states in Nigeria including Lagos, Akwa Ibom and Gombe states. The training will cover budgets and cash flow projections, grant management, internal controls and checks, compliance with statutory requirements, and financial reporting among others.

It is our hope that participants will gain insights and skills into developing sound financial systems that meet minimum international standards for any financial management including donor reporting. Below are some expectations expressed by some participants ahead of the Lagos training.

“My main expectation from the training is to gain additional best practice procedures to include in our Financial and Accounting Manual which is currently being developed. I expect to strengthen my knowledge on NGO regular financial recording and management.” Ms. Joy Ngwakwe, Executive Director at Centre for Advancement of Development Right (CEADER) in Lagos.

“Knowing the logic in allowable and unallowable expenditures and developing the ability to analyse financial reports as well as develop skills in prudent financial resource management” Lucy Auwalu, Executive Director, Women and Children of Hope Foundation, Lagos.

To learn financial management best practices that will promote HELIN in her dealing with donors and how to harmonise the management of finances from diverse donors.” Doris Brendan, Executive Director, Heal the Land Initiative Nigeria (HELIN), Uyo

4th AFRICAN FEMINIST FORUM

Harare, Zimbabwe April 9-12, 2016

It’s finally here! AWDF is honored to be hosting the fourth regional African Feminist Forum (AFF) in Harare, Zimbabwe from 10-12 April 2016 under the theme: African Feminism: Voice, Power and Soul.

The forum will be preceded by a pre-forum of feminists from Francophone Africa, who will meet on April 9. This year, AFF is being organized in partnership with the Zimbabwe Feminist Forum and coordinated by the Zimbabwe Women’s Resource Centre and Network (ZWRCN).

Over 170 feminists from all over Africa will be attending this power charged programme which will include:

• Plenaries- to set the context, take stock and identify areas of strategic concern around politics, economics and society.
  
• Breakout sessions- for more in-depth strategizing on the key themes
  
• Skills sharing– sessions where feminists specialists train participants
• The Great Debate- a highly participatory debate on a contentious issue within feminism
  
• Wellness space– one-on-one and group sessions focused on physical and emotional health and wellbeing.
  
• Arts programming– showcasing African feminist art-activism

Each of the three days of the forum will be dedicated to Zimbabwean feminists ancestors Day 1: Chiwoniso Maraire singer, mbira player and advocate of social justice. Day 2: Award-winning writer Yvonne Vera, and Day 3: Freedom Nyamubaya, freedom-fighter, poet, dancer and farmer.

The African Feminist Forum (AFF) regional gathering brings together African feminist activists to discuss strategy, refine approaches and develop stronger networks to advance women’s rights in Africa.

For more information, please check out the relaunched African Feminist Forum website at: www.africanfeministforum.com

At AWDF we recognize the importance of celebrating women in our daily lives and during the month of March we especially invite the public to join us in this joyous task. This year, we marked the day with three special events, each of which had a strong recurring theme: Voices and Truth.

AWDF believes conversations like these are vital to changing stereotypical notions about African women and their role in society.

Renowned Ghanaian photographer Nana Kofi Acquah’s photo exhibit “Don’t Call Me Beautiful,” was a work that focused on displaying the complexity and variety of the African woman, and in that vein it definitely succeeded. AWDF held a panel discussion at the close of the exhibition, on 8th March – International Women’s Day – to explore these themes and to question the relevancy of the word resilience in connection to the African woman. The event took place at Alliance Francaise Accra.

The room was filled with members and staff of Alliance Francaise Accra and an engaged public. At times contentious, never dull, the panel, which was moderated by Kinna Likimanni, discussed notions of beauty, colour and skin bleaching, with active participation from the audience.

Our second panel discussion organized jointly with the Centre For Gender Studies and Advocacy ( CEGENSA) on Friday March 11 was another opportunity to tackle thorny issues.

The theme “About Last Night,” focused heavily on student relationships, date rape, and sexual abuse on Legon Campus and the ways in which victims are treated both by the institution and their peers. The room was full of students from the University and some students from SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College. A few young undergraduate women were brave enough to share harrowing stories of their own abuse that they’d suffered on Legon Campus and the lack of response that followed it.

“He walks around here like this untouchable, charming guy and no one knows that this is what he really is,” said a young woman about the male student friend who assaulted her.

And she was not the only one– many students and people in the room expressed the unfairness of society’s expectations for young girls and the need for women to be the ones who guard themselves from sexual assault. It was clear that there was much to discuss, and the event ended on a note of bittersweet hope for all involved.

One high note was the presence of the SOS students (all female), whose vocal and confident contributions underlined their heightened self-awareness and knowledge of women’s rights and feminism.

“They were the real stars of tonight. They absolutely made my day – and the entire programme,” said Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo, who acted as moderator for the discussion.

We wrapped up the week with a celebration of music at Accra’s cultural mecca Alliance Francaise, where the Francophonie festival began with a concert by Malian singer Fatoumata Diarawa.

At AWDF we recognize the importance of the arts as a tool to promote social justice and a medium to nurture and raise the profile of African women and their achievements. Teaming up with Alliance Francaise and other partners for Diawarra’s concert was a way in which we could salute one of the continent’s brightest talents.

After a soulful curtain opener by AWDF’s communications staffer “Suga” and high-energy Ghanaian musician Sherifa Gunu, Fatoumata hit the stage for an unforgettable night of music and dance. Two of Fatoumata’s songs, “Oumou” which celebrates African Female Artistes and “Boloko,” a song with a strong anti FGM message, reinforced the power of music as a tool for social change.

From the various ways in which we portray women in art to the lives women lead in silence, these events examined the truth of African women, finding it painful, complicated and inspiring.

African women and their achievements and struggles must be celebrated and discussed. And the spirit of International Women’s Day, that week and month must be carried through the entire year if we are to reach the goal of gender parity. For us at AWDF we will continue to strive to see that women are understood as deserving of recognition, celebration and a voice.