How do we plan and build the future we want in a measured and deliberate manner, using current trends and projecting into the future?

FUTURES AFRICA: Trends for Women by 2030. This is a collation of available data, trends and facts that help us better understand and imagine the future of the African woman and the African Women’s rights movement. The report is a result of our Strategic thinking process and an intentional decision to focus on the future when strategising around the future of AWDF. The process involved talking and thinking through large amounts of research, resulting in Futures Africa, the first document of its kind from a process that was as novel as its product. It allowed us to better understand the growing issues within women’s rights– and how those issues may snowball into larger more complex problems in the future.

Futures Africa is a baseline document and contains a wide selection of available and relevant data pertaining to the African Women’s rights movement and African women in general. There were certainly some limitations and gaps within the data collected but the questions in each section encouraged discussion that required more research and underscored the need for more data that pertains directly to African women. The existing data highlights key trends for African Women and this study focused on key areas where positive change can be undertaken in order to help shift the future in a more desirable direction. Social trends like Demography, Urbanization, Mental health and Education as well as Economic trends including Female Labor force participation, food sovereignty and poverty reduction were all captured and analysed. Other trends that were critically examined included Governance and Trends in Internet use especially the growing use of mobile technology on the continent, and its implication on how African Women will interact in virtual spaces in the future.

To see the report in its entirety please click the link below:

Futures Report

Although some trends were troubling, it was important to see the impact of women’s rights work over the years and the necessity for new thinking and new strategies. For example, although great strides have been made in the criminalisation of child marriage, data shows that we would need to cover 8 times as much ground in order to end child marriage by 2030. This highlights the need for more advocacy and strategies to bring an end to this flagrant violation of women’s rights . Some data also highlighted the growing importance of young women’s movements and how they have managed to connect and organise over social media.

This study is the beginning of a new and radical thinking about the direction of women’s rights movements and it offers both a daunting and exciting foray into the future. To explore other aspects of our futures research and also see animated versions please visit our futures page (africlub.net/awdf/futures)

Comment planifier et construire facilement l’avenir que nous souhaitions avoir à l’aide des tendances actuelles et des projections dans le futur ?

Perspectives d’Avenir pour l’Afrique: Tendances pour les Femmes à l’Horizon 2030 est un document de base qui rassemble des données disponibles, des tendances et des faits qui nous permettent de mieux comprendre et d’imaginer l’avenir de la femme africaine et du mouvement qui œuvre pour les droits de la femme africaine. Ce rapport constitue le résultat de notre réflexion stratégique et d’une décision délibérée de se miser sur l’avenir. L’analyse de plusieurs rapports a donné lieu à ce document « Perspectives d’Avenir pour l’Afrique » qui est le premier document issu d’un processus aussi nouveau. Il nous permet de mieux comprendre les questions croissantes sur les droits de la femme et comment ces derniers pourraient engendrer d’autres problèmes plus complexes dans l’avenir.

Perspectives d’Avenir pour l’Afrique contient plusieurs données déjà disponibles, pertinentes au mouvement qui œuvre pour les droits de la femme africaine et à la femme africaine en général. La préparation de ce rapport a été confrontée à certaines difficultés comme par exemple la non-concordance des données recueillies. Cependant, les questions posées dans chaque section ont encouragé une discussion qui exigeait davantage de recherches et donc exige plus de données sur la femme africaine. Les données existantes mettent en exergue les tendances clés des femmes africaines. Elle porte sur les domaines spécifiques où des changements positifs pourraient être entrepris afin de redéfinir l’avenir souhaité. Les tendances sociales telles que la démographie, l’urbanisation, la santé mentale, l’éducation et les tendances économiques comme par exemple la participation de la main-d’œuvre féminine, la réduction de la pauvreté ont été recueillies et analysées. Les autres tendances qui ont subi une analyse approfondie incluent la gouvernance, l’utilisation de l’internet, en particulier l’utilisation croissante de la technologie mobile et son implication sur la manière dont les femmes africaines pourront interagir dans des espaces virtuels dans l’avenir.

Bien que certaines tendances soient inquiétantes, il s’avère nécessaire de reconnaitre l’impact de l’effort fait concernant les droits des femmes au cours des années et la nécessité de reconstruire de nouvelles idées et de nouvelles stratégies. Par exemple, bien que des progrès considérables aient été réalisés dans la criminalisation du mariage des enfants, les données montrent que nous devions redoubler d’efforts pour mettre fin aux mariages des enfants d’ici à 2030. Cela nécessite plus de plaidoyer et la mise en place des stratégies pour mettre fin cette violation. Certaines données ont également souligné l’importance croissante des mouvements de jeunes femmes et leur façon de se connecter et de s’organiser sur les réseaux sociaux.

Cette étude constitue la base d’une nouvelle réflexion radicale sur l’avenir des mouvements qui œuvrent pour les droits de la femme. Elle offre à la fois un domaine intimidant et passionnant dans l’avenir. Visitez notre page africlub.net/awdf/futures pour explorer ce rapport ainsi que les images animées.

Cliquez sur le lien ci-dessous pour avoir accès au rapport

RAPPORT

Some people are made of change, of strength, of will and of resilience. You have been an inspiration to us all, with an unrelenting sense of fearlessness that serves as our only comfort in this time of mourning. Your life was a celebration of sisterhood and of solidarity. You stood with those who others would have ignored.

Your historic work in the fight for the rights of South African women living with HIV to secure affordable accessible treatment and your solidarity as you stood with Fezeka aka ‘Khwezi’ during the rape trial of Jacob Zuma are testament to your strength of character and willingness to stand up for the rights of those who could not always stand up for themselves.

We are honored to have known you and worked with you in your tireless efforts in the Treatment Action Campaign and the 1 in 9 Campaign. You were never afraid to carve out new and necessary paths and as a strong advocate for the marginalized, you stood with communities and people living with and affected by HIV. Your work on LGBTI rights was both inspirational and moving to those who had the privilege to know and walk with you. Your identity informed so much of your politics – and your vision was of change not only on a global scale but also of change on a community level. It was this deep and personal passion that many of us came to associate with you. Though you are gone, memories of your fire, and strength remain.

Rest in Peace and Power Prudence.

You are missed. You are loved. You are remembered.

In short 12-minute inserts, Siyayinqoba, a television documentary series, helps young women claim their spaces by telling their own stories to other young women. Using popular media such as television and social media outreach, the programme makes substantial gains in the fight to give South Africa’s youth enough information to make informed decisions about their health rights. South Africa has one of the highest HIV rates in the world and the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province has the highest concentration of HIV in the country. It continues to record consistently high prevalence of the HIV in the age cohort of 15-49 years. Rising HIV rates are attributed to declining knowledge as well as an increase in risky sexual behaviour.

Research shows that young women have a disproportionate risk compared to their male peers with adolescent girls ages 15-19 eight times more likely to be infected with HIV. Young women ages 20-24 are more than three times likely to be infected with HIV than their male peers. Young women’s risk for HIV is further exacerbated by high rates of violence against women as well as rape, income and gender inequalities and other harmful cultural practices that target women. Siyayinqoba is a media product of the Community Media Trust (CMT) which promotes knowledge, transparency, accountability and democracy through the production of multiple forms of media, training and communication “in order to capacitate communities to improve their quality of life in South Africa”.

Watch their amazing story below:

Read the entire Grantee highlight here: CMT Grantee Highlight

New Faces New Voices is a pan African advocacy group that focuses on expanding the role and influence of women in the financial sector. “For us to have inclusive growth,” said NFVF Executive Director Nomsa Daniels, “we can’t afford to leave 50% of the population behind.” This belief that women have the potential to deliver a significant contribution to economic growth in Africa drives the organisation’s mandate. In 2015, the organisation identified the need to bring women into the formal banking sector to enable them to have access to financial services. NFNV Uganda Chapter director Theopista Ntale had been a banker for over 20 years, and therefore, understood the sector. “She also saw how the banking sector does not really serve women who are not able to access the full range of services,” explained Daniels. In Uganda, as in many African countries, there are clear gender inequalities in the finance sector with the majority of women lacking access to financial services and remaining unbanked and financially excluded.

The 2013, FinScope Uganda’s national survey on demand, usage, and access to financial services noted that the low usage of the formal banking products and services impacts heavily on the level of savings mobilised domestically through the financial system, which in turn affects access to credit and investment by the private sector. That survey also identified that the level of financial literacy among the adult population also remained low. “Lack of knowledge about existing financial products and services was rife among a large proportion of the adult population,” said the Finscope Report. Limited access to financial services is one of the biggest obstacles to development — especially in rural areas. Often the gap is bridged through the use of savings groups — most of whom are led by women.

Read the rest of their riveting story below, and watch the interview above for more insight into the work of the advocacy group.

New Faces New Voices: Grantee Highlight

6th AWDF CEO Forum Report

For the rest of this photo story click this link: Box Girls Photo Story

Les organisations de femmes connaissent à fond les barrières socioculturelles qui entravent l’égalité entre les sexes et l’autonomisation des femmes et sont en mesure de mener des actions pour aborder ces sujets selon leurs forces financières. Elles ont de bonnes idées mais n’arrivent pas à les exprimer clairement et de façon cohérente pour susciter l’intérêt d’un bailleur de fonds. Or l’architecture des financements pour les activités de défense des droits de la femme et les exigences des bailleurs de fonds est devenue très complexe. Il s’agit malheureusement d’une réalité dans le monde des financements que les organisations de défenses des droits de la femme doivent accepter et s’adapter à ce système afin d’accéder à des financements et produire des rapports pertinents.

RENFORCEMENT DES CAPACITES, REDACTION DE DOCUMENT DE PROJETS ET RAPPORT DE PROJETS

Sofia Omar, 19, is Muslim young woman and part of BoxGirls Kenya. She joined Box Girls whilst in high school, at the age of 16. As a result of engaging in the organisation’s programmes, she has honed her boxing skills. In addition, she has nurtured her entrepreneurial abilities and become more proficient in financial management. Currently a mini-coach and life skills facilitator, Sofia has defied the odds and transcended stereotypes on the basis of her gender and religion. As a result, she has leveraged an inborn capacity for leadership to influence her peers and mentor young girls and women in her community.

To read the rest of Sofia’s story click the link below:

Box Girls Profile: Sofia Omar

Click here for the AWDF 2016 Activity Report

[tp lang=”en” not_in=”fr”]AWARD OF GRANTS FOR 2017-2018

AWDF is happy to announce the award of the first round of grants for “Leading from the South” for Africa and the Middle East, supporting advocacy and lobbying to advance women’s rights.

The demand was tremendous and we received many very exciting applications from women’s rights organisations and coalitions from across Africa and the Middle East. After a rigorous screening, 23 grants have been approved with grant awards totalling US $4,421,805.

Unfortunately, due to the volume of applications received, we are unable to provide individual feedback. Successful applicants will be contacted directly by Friday, May 26^th 2017. For information on the basis of our assessment and our selection, please see the information below. [/tp]

[tp lang=”fr” not_in=”en”]

NOUVELLE PHASE DE NOTRE PROGRAMME DE SUBVENTION DANS LE CADRE DU PROJET « LEADING FROM THE SOUTH »

SUBVENTIONS OCTROYEES AU COURS DE LA PERIODE 2017-2018

L’AWDF a le plaisir de vous annoncer sa première série de subventions octroyées en Afrique et au Moyen Orient dans le cadre du projet «Leading from the South» dont l’objectif est d’appuyer les actions de plaidoyer et de lobbying en vue de la promotion des droits des femmes.

La demande était très énorme. Les organisations de défenses des droits des femmes et des coalitions en Afrique et au Moyen Orient ont envoyé des propositions de projets intéressants et après un examen rigoureux de ces dossiers, 23 subventions d’un montant total de $4,421,805 dollars américains ont été approuvées.

Malheureusement, en raison du volume de projets reçus, nous ne pouvons pas vous faire des retours à tous les candidats. Nous allons contacter directement les organisations retenues d’ici vendredi le 26 mai 2017. Pour de plus amples informations sur le fondement de notre évaluation et sélection, veuillez consulter le tableau ci-dessous. [/tp]