Category: News

Grantee Highlight: T.O.M Pictures

In 2003, Akin Omotoso, Robbie Thorpe and Kgomotso Matsunyane came together to found a production company in Johannesburg called T.O.M Pictures. They have been able to produce several feature films since then and are continually pushing the boundaries of filmmaking and bringing amazing work to African audiences. As a result of all of their efforts, they have built a reputation for themselves as one of the most progressive, creative and professional production companies in South Africa. T.O.M Pictures says that it runs on one simple philosophy: “To make content that reflects the true nature of our African identity, and also to contribute to and participate in the growth and understanding of South Africa and the African Continent.”

 

In order to produce a feature film, there has to be a tremendous amount of passion and commitment, indefinitely. Over the past four years, the team at T.O.M has been working tirelessly on a film project called Tell Me Sweet Something. This film follows the love story of two people leading very different lives. Moratiwa (Nomzamo Mbatha) is the owner of a small bookstore, and hopes one day to be a writer. However, her store is not as successful as she would like it to be and her love life is faring even worse. That is until she meets a male model, Nat (Maps Maponyane), who in his entire life has never read one book. Opposites attract, it appears. Both want to find love and to be desired for who they really are, rather than just how they appear on the outside. However, as the story unfolds, a woman from Nat’s past comes back into his life, pregnant with his child. Of course, this leads to complications and confusion, and the love between Moratiwa and Nat is tested.

 

 

Stories about love, relationships, and the complex nature of human relations are universal stories that people all over the world can relate to. T.O.M. pictures in particular also believe in portraying strong women as lead characters, and as complex human beings. The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) recognizes the potential that the Arts (including film) hold for shaping the way people perceive African women and it is for this reason that AWDF supported the funding of intensive rehearsal and workshop for actresses working on the film. In addition to Nomzamo Mbatha, the film stars other actresses including: Thembi Seete, Mandisa Bardill and Thishiwe Zigubu. The workshop rehearsals was used to help prepare the actresses along with director, Omotoso, for the shooting of the film. This was a month long process, during which actresses could get a grasp for how Omotoso worked and thus exactly how he wanted them to act in the film. It was important because the team was able to work together and develop chemistry prior to shooting. In order for everything in a film to be believable, it has to come from a very real place. Also, the most impressive outcome of the process was the development of an organic script by everyone involved. Each actress and actor contributed to the writing of the script. Therefore, they all own the script and this ownership has been important to the success of the film, according to T.O.M. Pictures.

 

 

AWDF cares about the successes of women artists around the continent, because these creative minds are ones that have the capability to reach thousands and millions of people! We believe in encouraging women to follow their dreams, and many dream of becoming artists, writers, singers, actresses, etc. There is always a space for people with a talent and a drive to be seen and heard.

 

 

AWDF could not be more proud to have been a part of this project. T.O.M Pictures was able to finally begin the shooting of the film during the month of May after waiting for three and a half years! All of the hard work of the cast and crew is paying off, and we cannot wait to see the completed film!

 

 

 

The following note touches on some broad issues that we struggle with as we ride the waves of leadership in our organisations. The note is a product of various moments of self and organisational-assessment and organizational development over the years. It is work in progress.

 

Leadership is the topic of the moment.

‘Leadership’ is one of the sexy topics of the moment. Many young women[1] are targets. Some well-known organisations have programmes related to young women and leadership. Examples include Akina Mama, Young Women Leadership Institute in Kenya, Katswe Sisterhood in Zimbabwe (Vagina Warriors) and Forum for Democracy in Uganda. Isis WICCE promotes women’s leadership in conflict and post conflict countries. The overall aim is to have a cadre of leaders with political skills to analyze, and strategize so that they can change the norms, institutions, policies, and practices that perpetuate inequality.

Generally, underlying some of the current approaches to leadership training and to definitions of leadership is the idea of leadership as a single leader representing a collective agenda, or a leader as the ‘director’, the formal head of an organisation or group. Often we forget that leadership is about learning how to shape the future collectively, especially if feminism is about building a movement with shared values.

Our goal should not be to build leaders, for the sake of building them as much as to build people who show commitment, support and drive activism, those who mobilize others to take risks, stand up for what is both innovative and just and who give their best. Some of them are already leaders, others will become leaders over time and yet others will be more comfortable in different roles, after all, a movement cannot be all leadership. What’s the point of having a good ‘leader’ if there’s nobody left in the army to fight the struggle?

As we coach, tool and support leaders we need to be aware that there are danger in extricating an individual from her community, training her again and again and sending her back to the community without ever checking if she still fits or belongs. One leader, after being trained, told her board ‘I have outgrown you. Better fire yourselves before l fire you.’ She fired them.

Many different models of leadership

 

We have many models of leadership. For example there are some people we have to greet with fancy words ‘the honourable x’; people who expect to be able to command everyone’s attention. Some of these are in our movements. Have we really and truly adequately considered the classism in many of our activist cultures? What kind of leadership are we promoting? Do we have a vision of the leader that we want as women, the kind of leader Africa needs? How do we deal with positional power vs activist power? Be that as it may, leadership is not about positional power, accomplishments, not even about what we do. It’s about creating a domain in which human beings continually deepen their understanding of reality and become more capable of participating in the unfolding of the world. It’s about giving people hope. Effective women’s organizing requires varieties of activist leadership – including the capacity to facilitate, mediate and mobilize – embodied in multiple leaders. Charter of Feminist Principles for African Feministsprovides guidelines for cultivating innovative new forms of power and leadership and for dismantling patriarchy and its structures.

Ability to inspire: Part of what makes a leader, is their ability to inspire others to action, and to build the capacity of those around them, to encourage people to give their best; and to recognise and value everyone’s participation, rather than requiring recognition themselves. So why are so many of our leaders so concerned with visibility & recognition? Are we contributing to the problem by having different kinds of awards, etc.? Does it also have to do with the need to prove to donors that x leader/organization is worth investing in?

Love:Activist leadership is about shifts in psychology, ideology and practice. It is about transformation.Transformation requires fundamental shifts. It requires love. Why love? It is the ultimate motivation of a transformative leader. Love of a country, movement, cause, principles, people we work with or those whose lives we want to change and love of the future. Love inspires, it activates audacity, boldness and courage, and it generates boundless energy. Without love of a cause, how can we take a stand, how can we make sacrifices, how can we venture, how can we take risks? It is love that generates the energy that keeps us unfolding the future, that keeps us engaged, that keeps us in the ‘groove’. There is a deeper commitment to seeing something through that also makes one willing to be ‘daring’ and not just be a bureaucrat and ‘represent’ people in an ‘all protocols observed’ kind of way. Love is what keeps transformative leaders going when the barriers the movement is fighting against seem insurmountable. Love should be ingrained in the DNA of our leadership training programmes.

Self-renewal: We have some tired leaders and organisations that have done the same things over and over again. A leader should be able to renew her energy and spirit and that of her organisation otherwise both expire. Inside itself, an organisation must be alive and constantly re-inventing its creativity. It should reflect on the spectacles and lenses that inform its practice, and critique these. Critical self-reflection is core not only to the quality of practice but to the ability to withstand processes of rusting and erosion. Anything less and the organisation succumbs to the forces that it thinks it’s so very different from.

 

Any programme aimed at supporting leaders should seriously encourage them to renew themselves so that they can deliver their messages with a quality of thinking that goes further and deeper than (probably) the prevailing thinking that is taking place around them. One way of renewing oneself is to expand the creative use of social media and improve communication.

Stop: The more we work, the more our work increases. It’s not possible that there will be ‘free time’ unless we create it. Being busy has become a positive value in itself, it’s as if we need to show that we are busy in order to feel validated, useful and important. How many conversations have you been in where people kind of compete with each other to show how busy they are? Should we not start a new competition, where leaders compete to show that they are spending time learning and thinking? Where are the organizations that include in their budgets time to think about what they have done; time to explore with the people in the communities they work with, with the other organizations they ally with – how they are doing? Is our work-style building up the capacity and confidence of those we work with? Are our strategies taking us where we want to be going? Resisting and ultimately transforming power – in all its relations, structures, forms, spaces, and places is not work for extremely tired leaders. It is work for those who stop, re-energise and retool.

Read and theorise: Leadership development needs to be supported with reading. How many of us set aside the time to read and to theorise our work? There are some leaders who claim they do not read because they do not have time. Yet, again, reading is part of keeping abreast of what is going on, and situating one’s own strategies appropriately. And when I am talking about reading, l am not talking about an hour a day on face book keeping up with people and enjoying some jokes although face book and other sites can be very helpful in keeping us aware of struggles going on in our own countries and beyond. But I am talking about reading research findings on our issues, so that our demands are grounded in evidence. Being a credible activist leader also means having an updated sense of political debates and critical thinking on the issues that we work on. Leaders need to have a sense of social movements across Africa and what their agendas are, the strategies they are using, and how these are changing and adapting. They should be able to respond with sharp minds if they are going to stay ahead of the game! There are now a range of online editorial and news sites run by African social justice activists that we could use to strengthen our work.

 

Share openly: Change is not possible withoutsharing leadership challenges and lessons learnt at least within own organisations or with other sisters. Good leadership encourages people to talk about what is not working, rather than only talking about what is working. The Hewlett Foundation, for example, has a ‘worst grant’ competition, where program officers have to describe the worst grant they made – looking at what lessons they can learn about the way they make grants, from these negative experiences. This is validating learning – creating a safe space within which we can talk about challenges. It also validates failure, acknowledging that many of the ideas that we have do not work! If we do not interrogate what went wrong we are very likely to repeat the same mistakes which is neither a good use of resources nor a contribution to moving our work forward. This is a good point in terms of making the case for both organizations and their donors to invest in regular organizational reflection.

 

[1] The Southern African Young Feminist Leadership Course looks at the meaning of feminism and how it shapes the politics of our everyday lives. It examines why men dominate in various spheres of life and what women can do to change this. By the end of 2014, the course will have been conducted in six countries, with over 400 young women participating.

 

References

[1] Zieliñska, M., Kowzan, P and Prusinowska, M., ‘Social movement learning: from radical imagination to disempowerment?’ Studies in the education of adults, 43(2), 2011:251-267.

[1] Ollis, T, ‘The ‘accidental activist’: learning, embodiment and action’, Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 48(2), 2008:316-335.

[1] Barefoot Collective, Barefoot Guide to Working with Organizations and Social Change, The Barefoot Collective, (published online), 2009. http://www.barefootguide.org/download.php.

[1] Holland, J., Reynolds, T. and Weller, S, ‘Transitions, networks and communities: the significance of social capital in lives of children and young people’, Journal of Youth Studies, 10(1), 2007:97-116.

The CEO Forum forms part of AWDF’s commitment to strengthening the leadership of women’s organisations in Africa. It is a biennial event that provides a safe space for the leadership of women’s organisations to discuss strategic leadership issues, share experiences and build skills that will support their personal and organisational development. It is a safe creative space, imbued with feminist values, for renewing energy and spirit.

 

The (3^rd) Chief Executive Officer’s Forum will be held from 2- 4 June 2014 in Nairobi, Kenya and will focus on the theme, ‘Leadership, Governance & Communication for CEO’s and Executive Directors from African women’s organisations’.

 

The forum was set up with two key objectives:

• To create safe spaces for the leadership of women’s organisations to share challenges and ideas within the current global context with their peers and collectively develop strategies for addressing these
• To create a platform for the leadership of women’s organisations to discuss challenges around leadership, management and governance issues facing women’s organisations in Africa and how to promote these for development.

 

These objectives do not end with Nairobi. As part of its core mandate, AWDF has committed itself to efforts that seek to enable and strengthen African women’s organisations and their leadership to contribute to wider development goals and especially those around women’s development. Therefore, as part of its leadership support, AWDF is offering a ten month coaching support to ten Africa women leaders from AWDF grantee organisations in leadership and communication. This coaching is not about teaching, it’s about walking and thinking alongside leaders and supporting them into being transformational in their leadership capacity.

Please see PDF below for bios of the leaders undertaking the coaching programme.

Profiles of 10 leaders to be coached over 10 Months (final)

By: Nafi Chinery, Capacity Building Specialist, AWDF

 

 

 

 

In 2013, the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) provided grants of US$2,232,250 to 126 women’s rights organisations in 27 African countries.

 

Our smallest grant was US$4,000 to a community based organization and our largest grant was US$90,000 to a national organization.

 

We worked in the following African countries: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somaliland, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, The Gambia, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

 

Our work is spread across 6 thematic areas:

 

• Women’s Human Rights
• Economic Empowerment and Livelihoods
• Governance, Peace and Security
• Reproductive Health and Rights
• HIV and AIDS
• Arts, Culture and Sports

* Many thanks to Catchafire who matched us with Brian Coursen who volunteered his time and talent to create this infographic of our grantmaking in 2013

The African Women’s Development Fund seeks to hire a Communications Consultant who may either work out of AWDF House in Ghana or virtually if they are located outside of Ghana. Please send your C.V. by email to grace[at]awdf dot org by 10th of June 2014.

Please see PDF of job description in the link below

JD – Communications Consultant (May 2014)

 

 

The African Women’s Development Fund, (AWDF) is pleased to announce that after a competitive application process, 22 African women writers have been selected to take part in its first creative non-fiction writer’s workshop. This is the first of a series of workshops intended to give African women writers the space, time and enhanced skills to write in compelling ways about a range of social, economic and political issues of concern.This event is being organized in collaboration with the Uganda Women Writers Association (FEMRITE) from 21^st-31^st July in Kampala, Uganda. The lead facilitators for this workshop are award winning writers Mamle Kabu and Yewande Omotoso.

The successful applicants are as follows:

Abena Kyere – Ghana

Adegbeye Olutimehin – Nigeria

Alexis Teyie – Kenya

Amina Doherty – Nigeria

Beatrice Lamwaka – Uganda

Chinelo Sylvia Onwualu – Nigeria

Comfort Mussa – Cameroon

Deborah Frempong – Ghana

Eunice Kilonzo – Kenya

Fafa Yvonne Quashigah – Ghana

Florence Khaxas – Namibia

Fungai Rufaro Machirori – Zimbabwe

Hannah Wanja Maina – Kenya

Jennifer Thorpe – South Africa

Kagure Mugo – South Africa/Kenya

Kechi Nomu – Nigeria

Moiyattu Banya – Sierra Leone

Njoki Wamai – Kenya

Rita Nketiah – Ghana

Ritah Atwongyeire – Uganda

Tendai Garwe – Zimbabwe

Valérie Dginia Bah – Benin/Haiti

AWDF’s creative non-fiction workshop aims to support African women writers who seek to use the power of the written word to highlight issues around women’s rights and social justice. Theo Sowa, AWDF’s CEO states, “We know that as African women, we are in the best position to tell the world our multiple, diverse stories and yet those stories continue to be told predominantly by others. So we are delighted to have such a diverse and talented group of African women writers taking part in our very first writers’ workshop and intend to facilitate relationships between these writers and media outlets all over the world in order to amplify the voices of African women.”

This workshop has been made possible through the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

[tp lang=”en” not_in=”fr”]Grantee Highlight: When Life Gives You Lemons, Build a Chicken Coop!

The Ababiti-bantu Women’s Group and Gender Integrated Development Program, Uganda

In the Kasekenya Village of the Pallisa District of Uganda, there is an outstanding group of women known as the Ababiti-bantu Women’s Group. Many of these women are living with HIV, disabilities, or have children with disability. In 2003, they made the conscious decision to come together in order to encourage each other and to collectively improve their lives. When living with an illness or disability, having a stable support group in one’s community becomes crucial for mental well being.

In 2012, the women discovered a Ugandan organisation called the Gender Integrated Development Program (GIDP). The mission of GIDP is to “provide capacity building services to enable marginalized groups to articulate their mutual concerns and demands, and promote their productivity sustainably for better and equitable livelihoods and self-help” (Global Giving). There is also a focus on aiding people living with HIV. Taking the next logical step, the Ababiti-bantu women approached GIDP for support in setting up means of earning income, since most did not have ways of doing so. GIDP and the women decided that poultry keeping would work best for them due to its simplicity and their prior experiences with free-range poultry. After this assessment, GIDP enlisted the financial support of the African Women’s Development Fund based on these needs.

 

The women’s clan of chickens!

Of course AWDF agreed to fund this project and GIDP received the necessary grant. Next, the women were put in charge of finding a piece of land on which the poultry house could be built. Amina Nabusigo, the group’s treasurer, had a place in mind and donated it to the cause. After the construction, twenty-three of the thirty-two members were trained in poultry rearing at a two-day training workshop. Then, the women were given 300 chicks, feed and medication for the animals. The group divided into three teams that take turns in managing the poultry farm. They even created a seven-person management committee that oversees the project in general. The farms were set up in September 2012 and the chicks started laying eggs in March 2013. As a result, the women have acquired poultry rearing and business management skills, which they use in managing the projects and are applying to their individual endeavors as well. Many of the women have even started breeding chicks in their homes applying the knowledge and skills gained.

The poultry project has given the women confidence, visibility and respect in their communities. Currently they have negotiated with hotels in the outlying areas that buy their eggs on a cash basis. These negotiations were entirely initiated by the women without the help of GIDP. They are effectively managing their sales and have adopted good saving habits because sales of the eggs are always banked immediately. A good perk is that every two weeks the group members get some eggs to supplement their own diets. With the continuation of all of these good practices, the project is definitely building up capital but not so much so that sharing of profits has begun. The women say that they are appreciative of the eggs they get and look forward to building the capital and for profit sharing to start. Since March 2013 the group has collected and sold 86 crates of eggs at a cost of 8,600 Ugandan shillings ($3.5) each.

The poultry project has really worked wonders in creating a more unified group of women who feel empowered by their ability to run a successful business. With their improved outlooks on life, they are better able to be there for each other through difficult times. It is even true that some of the group members’ husbands are so happy about the determination, perseverance and hard work of the women that they sometimes help out at the poultry house!

AWDF is proud to have been able to be a part of this story and that the women are well on their way to leading prosperous and happy lives with their poultry house!

 

The Ababiti-bantu women in celebration of their hard work!

Story and photos collected during a personal visit by: Beatrice Boakye-Yiadom (AWDF Grants Manager) and Gifty Ayebea Anim (AWDF Grants Administrator)

Words by Emily Barnard (AWDF Communications Intern)[/tp]

[tp lang=”fr” not_in=”en”]Highlight Bénéficiaire: Quand la vie vous donne des citrons, de construire un poulailler!

Le Groupe des Ababiti-bantu femmes et l’égalité du Programme de développement intégré, en Ouganda

Dans le Kasekenya Village du district de Pallisa de l’Ouganda, il ya un groupe exceptionnel de femmes connu sous le nom du Groupe des femmes Ababiti-bantu. Beaucoup de ces femmes vivent avec le VIH, handicapées, ou ont des enfants en situation de handicap. En 2003, ils ont pris la décision consciente de se réunir afin d’encourager les uns les autres et d’améliorer collectivement leur vie. Lorsque l’on vit avec une maladie ou d’un handicap, ayant un groupe de soutien stable dans sa communauté devient cruciale pour le bien-être mental.

En 2012, les femmes ont découvert une organisation ougandaise appelé le Programme de Développement Intégré (GIDP) Sexe. La mission de GIDP est de «fournir des services de renforcement des capacités pour permettre aux groupes marginalisés à exprimer leurs préoccupations et demandes communs de placement, et de promouvoir leur productivité de manière durable pour de meilleurs moyens de subsistance et équitables et auto-assistance” (de Global Giving). Il est également l’accent sur l’aide de personnes vivant avec le VIH. Prendre la prochaine étape logique, les Ababiti-bantu femmes approché GIDP pour le soutien à la mise en place des moyens de gagner un revenu, puisque la plupart ne disposent pas des moyens de le faire. GIDP et les femmes ont décidé que la tenue de la volaille serait le mieux pour eux en raison de sa simplicité et de leurs expériences antérieures avec volailles fermières. Après cette évaluation, GIDP enrôlé le soutien financier du Fonds de développement des femmes africaines sur la base de ces besoins.

Le clan des femmes de poulets!

Bien sûr AWDF a accepté de financer ce projet et GIDP reçu la subvention nécessaire. Ensuite, les femmes ont été mis en charge de trouver un terrain sur lequel la maison de la volaille pourrait être construit. Amina Nabusigo, le trésorier du groupe, avait une place à l’esprit et en fit don à la cause. Après la construction, vingt-trois des trente-deux membres ont été formés dans l’élevage de la volaille lors d’un atelier de formation de deux jours. Ensuite, les femmes ont reçu 300 poussins, aliments pour animaux et des médicaments pour les animaux. Le groupe divisé en trois équipes qui se relaient dans la gestion de la ferme avicole. Ils ont même créé un comité de gestion composé de sept personnes qui supervise le projet en général. Les fermes ont été mis en place en Septembre 2012 et les poussins ont commencé à pondre dans Mars 2013. Par conséquent, les femmes ont acquis la volaille d’élevage et les compétences de gestion d’entreprise, qu’ils utilisent dans la gestion des projets et appliquent à leurs efforts individuels. Beaucoup de femmes ont même commencé poussins d’élevage dans leurs maisons d’appliquer les connaissances et les compétences acquises.

Le projet de la volaille a donné la confiance aux femmes, la visibilité et le respect dans leurs communautés. Actuellement, ils ont négocié avec les hôtels dans les zones périphériques qui achètent leurs oeufs sur une base de trésorerie. Ces négociations ont été entièrement initiées par les femmes sans l’aide de GIDP. Ils gèrent efficacement leurs ventes et ont adopté de bonnes habitudes d’épargne parce que les ventes des oeufs sont toujours misé immédiatement. Un bon avantage est que toutes les deux semaines les membres du groupe reçoivent des œufs pour compléter leurs propres régimes. Avec la poursuite de l’ensemble de ces bonnes pratiques, le projet est définitivement constitution d’un capital, mais pas autant que le partage des bénéfices a commencé. Les femmes disent qu’elles apprécient des oeufs qu’ils obtiennent et sommes impatients de construire la capitale et pour le partage de profit pour commencer. Depuis Mars 2013, le groupe a collecté et vendu 86 caisses d’œufs à un coût de 8.600 shillings ougandais (3,5 $) chacune.

Le projet de la volaille a vraiment fait des merveilles dans la création d’un groupe plus unifié des femmes qui se sentent habilités par leur capacité à diriger une entreprise prospère. Avec leurs perspectives améliorées sur la vie, ils sont mieux en mesure d’être là pour l’autre dans les moments difficiles. Il est encore vrai que certains des maris des membres du groupe sont tellement heureux de la détermination, la persévérance et le travail acharné des femmes qu’ils aident parfois sortir à la maison de la volaille!

AWDF est fier d’avoir pu faire partie de cette histoire et que les femmes sont bien sur leur façon de mener une vie prospère et heureux avec leur poulailler!

Les Ababiti-bantu femmes dans la célébration de leur dur labeur!

Article et photos recueillies au cours d’une visite personnelle par: Beatrice Boakye-Yiadom (subventions AWDF Manager) et Gifty Ayebea Anim (subventions AWDF administrateur)

Words par Emily Barnard (AWDF Stagiaire en communications)[/tp]

The African Women’s Development Fund invites qualified persons to apply
for the position of Administrative Assistant with our organization. See
detailed information on the requirements and responsibilities of this
position below.

AFRICAN WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT FUND

JOB VACANCY

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Background

The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) is a grant making foundation, which aims to support the work of the African women’s movement for peace, equality, sustainable development and social justice. AWDF, which is based in Accra, Ghana, requires the services of an astute, experienced, innovative, dedicated and dependable Administrative Assistant. Priority shall be given to female applicants.

Scope

Her responsibility shall be to assist the Human Resource Manager in providing administrative and HR services to the organisation to ensuring that AWDF’s operations are executed in an effective, accurate and up to date manner.

Responsibilities:

Resolves administrative problems by coordinating logistical complaints: receive, record and invite the relevant service provider to fix the problem
Ensures operation of equipment by completing preventive maintenance requirements; calling for repairs; maintaining equipment inventories; evaluating new equipment and techniques.
Maintains supplies inventory by checking stock to determine inventory level; anticipating needed supplies; placing and expediting orders for supplies; verifying receipt of supplies.
Assist in procurement processes according to the organisation’s procurement policy
Maintain electronic and hard copy filing system
Maintain confidential records and files
Take minutes at meetings and distribute them 7 days after the meeting
Provide professional administrative support to supervisor during recruitment process – collate soft and hard copies of applications received; communicate interview schedules, etc.
Maintain and file applicant information in a structured way.
Coordinate logistical arrangements both in-house and external events according to laid down procedures (flight bookings, accommodation, venue, for board meetings; Organise information / board papers other organisational meetings.
Ordering and maintaining stationery and equipment supplies (checking quotations, wait for approval before purchases are made)
Renewal of permits , NGO recognition certificate and Filling of annual returns
Ensure effective and efficient filling of documents
Any other duties as may be assigned by the line manager
Person Specification

Bachelor degree in HR/ Administration or its equivalents required
Minimum of 2 years of hands on administrative support experience
Proficiency in MS Word, MS Excel and MS Outlook a must
Knowledge of office administration and reasonable knowledge of Human Resource management
Knowledge of operating standard office equipment
Competencies required:

Must have excellent communication (oral and written ) and listening skills
Ability to speak and interact clearly and professionally
Ability to prioritise work and strong problem solving skills
Good research skills and attention to detail
Ability to work methodically, accurately, timely and neatly
Must be a team player with excellent inter personal skills
Experienced working with an international organisation and has cultural awareness (preferred)
Has good analytical skills
Extremely organised. Strong multi-tasking and time-management skills.
Can handle sensitive information with the highest degree of integrity and confidentiality.
Knowledge in ticketing is a plus.
Ability to work on one’s own with minimum supervision.

Qualified candidates should send typewritten applications and a CV of not more than 3 pages to the Human Resource Manager, African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), 78 Ambassadorial Enclave, East Legon, P.M.B.CT 89, and Cantonments Accra Ghana. Copies should be sent by email to grace@africlub.net/awdf, with ‘Administrative Assistant’ as the subject reference. Applications should reach AWDF no later than April 20, 2014.

Only short listed candidates will be contacted for additional information and interviews.

 

Thank you, and we look forward to hearing from you!

On Friday March 7, 2014 AWDF and partner, Brand Woman Africa, brought together influential African women artists, authors and musicians to honor International Women’s Day here in Accra. The evening began with a gallery opening featuring the works of Sena Ahadji, Kis Keya and Zohra Opoku. There was a common theme of identity and self-discovery among the artists’ works, which were very thought-provoking for the gallery-goers. The next phase of the night continued with readings and discussion with authors, Boakyewaa Glover, Yewande Omotoso and Alba Simprim led by their friend and colleague, Kinna Likimani. The women garnered a lot of laughter and appreciation from their audience. Finally, we concluded the night with two sensational performances by up-and-coming talents, Cae and Diana Bada. They made sure the crowd left the Alliance Française feeling energized and stunned in awe of the power of women.

Our artists’ gallery

Kis Keya

Sena Ahadji

Zohra Opoku

Kis Keya and her son, who clearly approves of his mom’s artwork

Zohra Opoku (left) and Sena Ahadji

AWDF Communications Specialist, Nana Darkoa, is a huge fan of Kis Keya’s artwork

The four women authors begin their discussions, from right: (Kinna Likimani, Alba Simprim, Boakyewaa Glover and Yewande Omotoso)

Audience members, absorbed in the discussion

“The novel isn’t dead for me because, for me, it’s like saying brushing your teeth is dead…it’s more like a habitual practice [writing]” – Yewande Omotoso on the so-called extinction of the need for written word.

“In my mind, I was thinking, what if a guy wrote it? Would he say the same thing? When a woman writes about certain things, it becomes such a topic…” – Boakyewaa Glover on female writers, photo by Portia Duah

“I have never thought of myself as a woman writer…I am a writer who happens to have a vagina…I am unapologetic about it.” – Alba Simprim, photo by Portia Duah

AWDF staff members enjoy listening to the authors read excerpts from their recent works.

Joana Foster, a co-founder of AWDF, purchases books by the authors after the reading.

Kinna Likimani, the night’s mediator who asked all of the right questions so that we could get to know the authors even better. Photo by Portia Duah.

AWDF Director of Programmes, Sarah Mukasa gives thanks to all who came on behalf of the organisation, as Patrice Gilles, Director of Alliance Française waits to give his piece. Photo by Portia Duah.

French-Haitian musical powerhouse, Cae performs with guitarist, Kyekyeku

Soulful songbird, Diana Bada, from Nigeria begins her set.

Diana invites anyone who wants to dance to come dance with her, and she is delighted to see this!

Not shy about sharing the spotlight!

Cae and one of her guest singing partners of the night, Ms O of Live FM, chat with actor, Narsh Smith after the performance.

One of the happiest fans of the night!

Joana Foster and Sarah Mukasa

A HUGE thank you again to all of those who made it out that evening! We appreciate your continued support of our mission and of women across the African continent!

Photos by Emily Barnard and Portia Duah