Category: News

The Capacity Building Unit of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) has developed a series of technical support programmes to respond to the organisational development needs of AWDF’s grantees and those of women’s rights organisations in Africa.

The first in the series of these technical support programmes is ‘Financial Management Training for Finance Manager and Officers’ which will be held in Nairobi from 10 – 12 February 2014. This training will be held in collaboration with Orwa & Co an accounting firm in Nairobi whose team are providing pro-bono financial support services to selected AWDF’s grantees in Kenya. From 2013, AWDF in collaboration with Orwa & Co designed a project which seeks to enhance the financial management capacity of grantee organizations, and to review existing internal control systems and processes. The project which is on-going will also look at developing and improving processes that will allow for strengthened overall financial management systems and structures of AWDF’s grantee partners.

The 3 days training will bring together 17 finance managers and officers from 17 grantee organisations in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. The training will look at issues of budgets and cash flow projections, financial management in context, grant management, internal controls and internal checks, compliance to statutory requirements, and financial reporting among others.

It is expected that this training will be beneficial to participants and provide skills and insights aimed at strengthening grantees’ institutional capacity to manage donor funds and develop a sound financial management systems for their organisations.

When asked why they wanted to participate in this training programme our grantees said:

“The principle objective for participating in the upcoming workshop is to gain additional practical administrative and finance management knowledge and skills to enhance smooth execution of the above job purpose”. Ritah Atwongyeire, Better HAG, Uganda.

“To build my financial skills so that I can be able to operate effective financial management systems and manage programmes more efficiently and effectively… Learn about compliance and statutory requirements” Ms. Eunice Ndung’u, Ogiek Peoples’ Development Program (OPDP), Kenya.

“To refresh on the concepts and key financial issues, to update myself with the new statutory regulations in different areas such as payroll administration, withholding taxes etc” Evelyn Dzame,

Finance & administration Manager, Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW) Kenya

“To gain knowledge in financial management, with aim to consolidate NACOA’s compliance with Donor’s financial requirements”. Juliet Muhumuza, Nacoa Uganda

“… we need to get financial management skills and I have no direct experience on accounting and have direct experience on budget preparation and control”. Elenatane Getachew, SOS ADDIS Tefetron Bemalimat Bkletn Masweged Mahiber.

 

A selection of participants at the workshop. In the foreground and from left to right are: Faith Kwebaze, National Community of Women Living with HIV&AIDS in Uganda; Juliet Muhumuza

National Coalition of Women with AIDS in Uganda; and Eunice Wanjiku Ndung’u, Ogiek Peoples Development Program.

The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) is administering a call to consultants with expertise in building comprehensive web-based databases. This project entails the development of an integrated Information Management System for multiple departments within AWDF. If interested, submit both technical and financial proposals to the AWDF.

The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) is a grant making Foundation that awards grants to Women’s rights organisation on the African continent. AWDF seeks to make information management a tool for organisational development and therefore is looking for a functional database that meets its needs. The Terms of Reference for the Consultant is attached.

All proposals should be sent to

The Officer in Charge

African Women’s Development Fund

P. O. Box PMB CT 89 Cantonments, Accra-Ghana

Tel: 0302 52 12 57

Email: awdf@africlub.net/awdf; sionne@africlub.net/awdf ; zeytuna@africlub.net/awdf

All Proposals should be sent in by February 28th 2014

Please click here for terms of reference

The 3rd assembly of the African Grantmakers Network (AGN) will take place in Accra, Ghana from the 17th-19th November, 2014. This gathering will be hosted by the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF). The theme for this year’s AGN is ‘Philanthropy in Africa – People, Policies and Practice’.

A two day arts and culture festival, ‘AfriFEST’ will be held on the 15th and 16th of November in the lead up to the conference. AfriFEST will showcase how arts activism animates philanthropic practices across Africa. What are the diverse contributions African artists have made to the field of philanthropy? How does art and culture stimulate social transformation among our communities? These queries will be illustrated through a number of activities including film, music, a visual exhibition, fashion, theatre, discussions and more.

For more details of the AGN please click here

In May 2013, the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) held a strategic meeting with grantee partners, researchers and activists on African women’s economic empowerment and livelihoods. One of the immediate outcomes of this convening was a statement to the Africa regional meeting of the World Economic Forum.

Watch the video below for highlights of the meeting which included discussions on food sovereignty, seed security and land rights. Women featured in the video delivering presentations include Liz Hosken, Gaia Foundation; Nancy Kachingwe, independent consultant; Herschelle Milford, Surplus People Project; Happy Gloria Akhayalu, Busia Community Based Services and Hope Chigudu Chigudu, an independent consultant.

Earlier on this year the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) welcomed Golden Baobab into our network of grantee partners. The organisation has a powerful mission to:

“…fuel the global imagination through African children’s literature by inspiring the creation, ensuring the production and facilitating the distribution of enthralling, high quality, culturally relevant literary content by African writers and illustrators for African children“.

In line with AWDF’s goal of amplifying the voices of African women, and utilising the power of the Arts for gender equity and social transformation, Golden Baobab has received a grant of US$20,000 towards the production of an anthology of children’s stories authored by African women.

Deborah Ahenkorah, the founder of Golden Baobab in describing her motivation for the work she does has stated:

“Once upon a time, I was a little girl who loved to read. Now I am a social entrepreneur trying to create a world of wonder for African children who, for far too long, have failed to see themselves in the books they read.”

Golden Baobab is already making a difference in the production of childrens literature. One of their innovations is the Gee Bee bag packed with a selection of books. These are the kinds of books that African children will recognise themselves in. These books make ideal gifts not only during the festive season but all throughout the year. At AWDF we believe in gifts that make a difference so if you are looking for that perfect present for a child we recommend getting a Gee Bee bag.

See flyer below for details

Gee Bee Bag, the perfect gift for a child from Golden Baobab, an AWDF grantee partner
Deborah Ahenkorah

 

The Nisaa Institute for Women’s Development in South Africa has been a grantee partner of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) since 2010, and to date has received US$15,000 in grants. AWDF has supported Nisaa to air ‘Change the Tune’, which comprises of selected pre-packaged radio programmes addressing issues around gender and gender based violence via selected community radio stations within the Southern African Development Community. The goal of ‘Change the Tune’ is to inform and engage listeners on issues of violence against women through active and critical dialogue. Nisaa has been successful in this endeavour. Feedback from listeners included the following:

“Thank you for the motivations you are giving to women on Inanda FM. I was also once married and in abusive relationship and can therefore relate to most of the things you are referring to. I have been separated from the man for 5 years, he does not support the kids nor see them, he refuses to sign divorce papers although, I have pleaded him too, for couple of times. When i go to the local magistrate, I get told I need to know where they can get hold of him as he is my husband. Sometimes the staff at the Magistrate, rub it on, now I understand why most women end up in jail and I still consider myself that I did not end up in jail for killing my perpetrator. It is so sore, only a person who has been there will understand it. I am still suffering, as I am still legally married to him.”

In November 2013, Nisaa published ‘Rising Up Moving On – Women Writing Our Lives’ with the support of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and OXFAM Deutschland. This book is a testimony to the incredible work that Nisaa does in supporting women survivors of violence, and a credit to the women who have indeed risen, and moved on from abusive relationships. This book is also equally inspiring because the women who so bravely shared and wrote their stories are women who were not previously writers, yet through Nisaa’s supportive writing retreats have now been able to add to the collection of knowledge documenting African women’s stories. Sima Diar, Advocacy and Research Manager for Nisaa in describing the book stated:

“The book highlights the journeys of many women (of different races and different backgrounds) as they moved out of their abusive relationships. The book looks to inspire and motivate people to talk about violence against women, to encourage women currently in abusive relationship to seek help and to provide hope by emphasising that there is a way out“.

Download the book for free here.

“Let’s talk again about possible futures. What would the world look like if more grandmothers were given opportunities and support to help them to take on leadership roles? With 100,000 more women like Mariam sitting on local land councils, would property grabbing come to an end? With the counselling, support and encouragement of 100,000 more women like Zodwa, how much more quickly might we overcome stigma and fear, and get more people into treatment? Would the advocacy of 100,000 more women like Magret bring wife inheritance to an end? We’d surely be a lot closer to reaching those goals.” Theo Sowa, African Grandmothers Tribunal: Seeking justice at the frontlines of the AIDS conference

Read the full report here and check out the special edition of Stephen Lewis Foundation’s Grassroots newsletter dedicated to the trial with features, highlights and reflections on the Grandmothers Tribunal.

 

 

 

The 16 Days against Gender-Based Violence event launched around the world on Monday. The campaign takes place annually between November 25^th [International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women also commemorating the lives of the Mirabal sisters] and December 10^th [International Human Rights Day and the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights]. The 16 Days campaign is also an organizing and mobilizing strategy calling for the elimination of all forms of gender-based violence by persons and groups throughout the world.

The Center for Women’s Global Leadership at Rutgers University [New Jersey, U.S.] began the 16 Days movement in 1991. It has now grown to include over 2,000 organizations in more than 154 countries worldwide.

Violence against women across the world has been frighteningly normalized. In Africa, women and girls can be subjected to a variety of violations including domestic abuse, rape, female genital mutilation, sexual assault, human trafficking and inimical widowhood rites. Violence against women can occur in all aspects of women’s lives and will encompass abuse of women’s civil, cultural, economic, social and political rights. AWDF, as part of its grant-making commitment, gives support to women’s groups and organizations to collectively raise awareness about the work of African women to transform their realities into peaceful and sustainable futures.

*Check out this short film by South African photographer and visual activist, Zanele Muholi, supported by Human Rights Watch for #16Days2013

AWDF has participated in the event since 2003. In that year, we began awarding grants annually as part of our Special Projects Initiative to support the 16 Days campaign. The objective of these grants are to enable African women’s organizations working to eliminate violence against women to better coordinate activities to commemorate the 16 Days event. In addition, the grants awarded strengthen an international, Pan-African women’s network on violence against women to develop into an effective mechanism for social transformation and to create opportunities for this network to join their voices to a critical global campaign.

The 2013 theme for the 16 Days campaign is “From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Let’s Challenge Militarism and End Violence against Women.” According to the main organizers, the 2013 campaign “advocates for awareness and action on the multi-faceted intersections of gender-based violence and militarism, while highlighting the connection between the struggle for economic and social rights and ending gender-based violence.”

A three-pronged focus for action underlines the campaign by highlighting the intersections of economic and social rights with militarism and gender-based violence: 1] violence perpetrated by state actors 2] domestic violence and the role of small arms and 3] sexual violence during and after conflict. The campaign encourages worldwide participants to focus on the areas most relevant to their particular context.

For more resources on #16Days and to see how you or your organization can get involved, click here for the 2013 Take Action Kit (TAK). #16Days is also alive and thriving online. Join the campaign by sharing key information and engaging with your social networks on different strategies to eliminate gender-based violence.

At the 2nd African Women in Film Forum (AWIFF), Ade Solanke, award winning playwright and screenwriter led a masterclass on scriptwriting.

The power point from this session is embedded below:

 

 

words by Sionne Neely, Ph.D. | images by Moment Catchers GH

A nation without documentaries is like a home without photo albums. We have to gain confidence in telling our stories to the world. Without a family album, we don’t have a history.

-Yaba Badoe at AWIFF, September 23, 2013

If we have problems documenting our past how do we transcribe our future?

-Sefi Atta at AWIFF, September 23, 2013

 

 

Nearly two weeks after beginning a new position as Knowledge Management Specialist at AWDF, I joined our team in hosting the 2nd African Women in Film Forum [AWIFF] in Accra [September 23-25]. The forum featured a delightful array of intimate speaker sessions and workshops at the African Regent Hotel and free film screenings at Alliance Française d’Accra and the National Film and Television Institute [NAFTI]. Participants came from near and far including Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Cote d’Ivoire, South Africa, U.S., UK, and France. The three days zipped by in a whirlwind of creative conversations by filmmakers, writers, activists, researchers, actors, producers and students on how to sustain African women to share their stories with the world.

The forum engrossed us in the crosshairs of many stories. Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, Communications Specialist at AWDF and the lead organiser of AWIFF, did a brilliant job making all feel welcome and comfortable. Her sincere and persistent focus on creating evolving discussions and action steps on the way forward was inspiring. Therefore, we were compelled to share our experiences or what Dr. Beti Ellerson called “a plurality of perspectives” with one another. Day by day, narratives kept unfolding – stories of forced exile and bittersweet return [Yaba Badoe’s The Witches of Gambaga], stories between grandmothers, mothers and daughters that trigger the pulse of diasporic longing [Sarah Bouyain’s Children of the White Man and The Place in Between], stories that re-imagine myth-making through the portal of a father’s funeral [Akosua Adoma Owusu’s Kwaku Ananse], stories that search for answers in the dense mine fields along the Zimbabwean border [Tsitsi Dangarembga’s On the Border].

As a researcher and archivist, my job is all about mining stories. Digging for stories in the field to understand how AWDF impacts grantees. Cultivating the organisational narrative and helping our staff, donors, partners and grantees to see how our stories and solutions are interconnected. Sharing new information with all stakeholders about how our work matters and the many ways we can captivate with our stories. Stories show us the magic of life, of journeys with no fixed end in sight but rather boundless paths leading to exploration, discovery and possibility.

Stories are also relational practices – a social contract between speakers and listeners. What stories are we telling and for what purposes? By engaging storytelling as a political tool, the sharing transforms an account into an act of accountability, reciprocity and self-awareness between witnesses.

 

Here are just a few key stories that I gleaned from AWIFF:

 

1. Our Stories Are Diverse and Multi-Faceted

Hawalatu Inusah took a 24-hour round-trip bus ride, from Tamale to Accra, to see the AWIFF film screenings. She works as Project Director of Northern Friends for Development, an NGO that trains young women with professional sewing, hairdressing and weaving classes. The organization began as a way to combat “kayayoo” (female head porters) or the migration of Northern women to Accra for work that often results in exploitative conditions.

Hawa’s bright eyes and warm spirit mirrors a passion to transform the livelihoods of women in the North. “AWDF works with many local organizations in northern Ghana and helps us to stay connected, brainstorm and exchange ideas,” Hawa shared prior to the first AWIFF film. “It’s enlightening to learn about film production because it’s different from my field. They are helping to change the way African women are shown. And this affects my chances – as an African woman – of being seen and heard.”

Playwright and scriptwriter, Ade Solanke who also led a master class on Scriptwriting on the first day of the forum, asked what other genres can we explore for storytelling? Ade’s production company, Spora Stories, is invested in telling stories of the diaspora or “fish out of water stories, African abroad stories, in and out of culture stories.” Such diverse migration stories, according to Ade, are universal experiences increasingly felt by people across the world. However, cultural and commercial values are revealed in how we share our stories. Ade suggests we reframe the story by focusing on fresh, nuanced strategies to express the many realities of African lives.

 

2. Our Stories are Always on the Move

Our stories indicate that we are flexible when confronting challenges, able to adapt and thrive, and imagine alternative dimensions to expand. Anita Erskine, CEO of Brand Woman Africa, spoke about the importance of chasing the passion of our stories and nurturing organisational development. She discussed a desire to change the narrative of what it means to be African women into a destiny that is resourceful, inventive and interdependent. On the last day of AWIFF, Anita demonstrated her commitment by announcing that her company would provide production grants to two women students to make short films [and the grants will be managed by AWDF].

Similarly, Tsitsi Dangarembga pointed to the need for greater production support of African women’s stories, particularly mid-career directors who are often locked out of viable funding options. Tsitsi remarked, “filmmaking is not a site of privilege for African women but a site of struggle.” Therefore, our work should ensure that future generations of women can “climb higher.”

Writer and filmmaker Sarah Bouyain’s work sits at the crossroads of mixed-race identity and reflects the complexity of being both French and Burkinabé. Bouyain’s work is persistently framed through Burkina Faso and a dense exploration into intergenerational relationships between women family members. She muses, “I was looking for cinema even when I was writing novels. I was writing with images. [Therefore] I want to make films from the perspective of a mother – to be an example for my daughter so she can do what she wants.” In her next film, Sarah will use multi-racial identity as a conceptual device to tell the story because “it’s on my mind all the time, being from two countries where one colonized the other.”

 

3. Our Stories Are Thread with Common Experiences

Writer and documentarian, Yaba Badoe shared her story of “endless perseverance” to complete book and film projects over the past two decades. She’s continuing the journey with her next project, a feature-length documentary about the life and work of writer and activist Ama Ata Aidoo who inspires Badoe with a thriving “pan-African and internationalist” blueprint.

In the closing address, Dr. Yaba Blay shared a touching story about meeting Ama Ata Aidoo as an adult during AWIFF after hearing stories from her father for years about the writer who also named Blay at her outdooring.

Indeed, African women are the repositories of history, “the keepers of culture” says Blay. She encouraged us to be self-reflexive, to see that the story begins with ourselves. “Who are we in relation to the stories we tell?” Blay prodded. “Part of my duty in storytelling is in telling the truth. We are accountable to each other through our stories. My people, my integrity are at stake and I am not for sale.”

South African filmmaker and producer, Lodi Matsetela, was moved to tears by the women in Badoe’s Witches of Gambaga who reminded her of her grandmother and other women from home. “It doesn’t matter how far apart we are – we all have similar stories to tell,” she mused. The future of our stories is what is at stake for Lodi who asks, “how do we create alternative distribution for independent filmmakers? How do we set up a pan-African circuit for developing our projects?”

 

4. Our Stories Must be Focused on Self-Determined Strategies

Sarah Mukasa, Director of Programmes at AWDF, also raised pertinent questions about the sustainability of our stories. How do we keep the firing burning year after year? Citing how development work can use film to build capacity and raise awareness about the issues we are working against, Sarah added, “Film can amplify the voices of African women, connect us as agents of our change and help us to share new ideas. How do we sustain the generation of resources – funding, technical assistance, resource sharing – on the continent and in the diaspora?”

Filmmaker Anita Afonu understands all to well the thin line between historical preservation and extinction. The director of Perished Diamonds, the documentary chronicles the Ghanaian cinema industry and its currently endangered archive. Last year, Anita singlehandedly launched a campaign to preserve more than 15,000 colour films made during Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s tenure in office. The films – archived in London facilities for safekeeping – were under threat due to years of overdue payments shirked by Ghana’s government. “I lost weight, I couldn’t sleep, I cried so many nights,” Anita shares. With the help of forum participants, Anita will lead a committee to organize a digital archive of the films for educational and commercial use in Ghana.

Marking the way forward, we closed AWIFF with discussions on how to encourage new spaces of hope and innovation for women story makers. Where can we create “home” in the craft of storytelling and mold nodes of comfort, nurture, openness and honesty within our communities? One action group meeting in particular focused on composing an African women and media manifesto led by Dr. Ellerson and Tsitsi Dangarembga.

In addition to nurturing talent, strengthening capacity and focusing on women’s skills and expertise, we can interface digital technologies with our stories. How do we do this? By making more information available online, participating actively in digital forums, innovating digital projects, seminars and open Skype sessions, launching crowdsourcing platforms and digital distribution of our stories.

The 2nd African Women in Film Forum is proof in the pudding that we as African women can innovate alternative spaces to learn and improve our craft, establish new techniques and invent new patterns of being.

Sisters, keep stirring that magic brew.

As keepers of the archive, we must also be keepers of the flame.