Category: News

Congratulations to Mphatheleni Makaulule, Founder of the Mupo Foundation who was recently awarded a Global Leadership Award by the International Indigenous Women’s Forum (FIMI). The Mupo Foundation works to preserve and revive cultural and biological diversity in South Africa and in 2011, AWDF provided a grant of US$25,000 to the organisation in support of training of women’s groups in land rights and environmental protection issues, as well as undertake advocacy activities on the protection of sacred sites, watersheds and forests.

Mphatheleni has been working closely with women of the VhaVenda nation in northern South Africa, to preserve local seed varieties (especially the sacred finger millet known locally as Mufhoho) in order to secure food sovereignty. The foundation has also opposed mining in their community which constitutes a threat to land, and a traditional way of life.

Accepting the award, Mpatheleni stated:

“I say ‘Aa, Ro livhuwa’ (Thank you) to FIMI. Even though I went to school and university, I can never be disconnected from indigenous ways. I have a bond with my culture, and my ancestors. We the descendents of the vhavenda traditional healers, children of indigenous clans, recognize that as humans we depend all the other creatures of the Earth for our wellbeing. Our lives are intimately connected to the wellbeing of our indigenous forests, rivers, springs and our indigenous seed and food as evolved with us over time.

We, as women, hold the responsibility for the custodianship of life, because the ancestors chose us to be Makhadzi. Makahdzi is not just a name or title; it is a role – a spiritual role. We are the custodians of water, soil, seed and forests, and traditional medicine that come from indigenous trees. Rituals and food are our responsibility. At this time of such destruction of our Mother Earth, Mupo, we cannot stand back and watch life being destroyed. As mothers we recognize the pain of life being destroyed so recklessly when it takes so much to create life.

I believe that women need to stand up now as never before, against mining and all that is destroying life. We must do this for the sake of future generations of all of life. Human children will have no future without the children of the fish and the birds, the animals and the frogs, the bees and the plants, the waters, the rocks and the soils. We are born at this time to take a stand, to call people to wake up before we loose it all.

This award is a huge recognition of the task which I feel that I have in this life. The meaning of my name is “build for me”, and so I see that my ancestors want me to work with them to rebuild what has been undermined – our indigenous ways of living which protect and respect Mupo, all of creation. We are part of creation and we have a responsibility to take care of it. I never thought that my vision and being a Phangami (a leader from behind) would be recognized in this way and I would like to also acknowledge the Makhadzi and communities of Venda, and all those who are committed to reviving their ancestral path. This award from FIMI is a great motivation to continue to stand for the real role of indigenous women in protecting life.

Our role as spiritual leaders is to bring harmony (shothodzo) and wellbeing to all of Mother Earth’s communities. To all women around the world, we must remember our role as mothers and healers. Today we need to heal our Earth from all challenges we are facing through climate change, biodiversity extinctions, water shortages, We need to learn from our knowledgeable elder women before they pass away. They are our living library, but not forever.

I am a defender of sacred sites and indigenous spirituality, which is why I defended the destruction of Phiphidi sacred waterfall and also the role of makahdzi. Venda people know that they cannot be chiefs or leaders without the leadership of the makhadzi, the women. We women are natural leaders; our leadership is a scared leadership role.

I call on the South African government and those who appreciate the vital role of indigenous knowledge in dealing with the many crises of ecosystem collapse and climate change, to recognize indigenous peoples and their way of life. This means, as the UN Declaration on Indigenous Rights calls for, recognizing our sacred natural sites and territories and custodial governance systems so that we can continue to live according to our indigenous knowledge systems. Indigenous knowledge is rooted in practice, not in libraries. It is about protecting the sanctity of life, as a way of life, as we have done for millennia. Now, more than ever, the industrial world needs to wake up to the fact that our planet is in crisis and everyone needs to learn once again that we are inextricably part of the web of life, and need to abide by her ecological laws – for the sake of all the children of all species.”

 

 

Negemelelakennew HIV Positive Women Support Organization (NLK) is a much needed space for women living positively in Ethiopia. The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) has provided NLK with US$80,000 in grants since 2007. AWDF’s grant making and capacity building support to NLK has included supporting the leadership of the organisation to strengthen their resource mobilisation skills by participating in the International Workshop on Resource Mobilisation, and supporting NLK’s economic empowerment activities which has included supporting the purchase of sewing machines, and training women living positively in sewing and knitting skills.

Recently NLK went through a leadership transition and Ms Beteleheam Ashebir, former General Manager, in an email to AWDF stated:

“At the time of NLK’s conception as village level consultation and experience sharing meeting group of 5 HIV positive women, we did not realize that one day NLK would become a large organization reaching thousands of women and children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS; today but, NLK has grown-up to be one of successful front liner reputable charity organization in changing the tide of HIV/AIDS in the countrywide grass root communities of Ethiopia. Beloved sisters, all these development and achievements would have been never possible without generosity support of several international and national compassionate donors such as African Women Development Fund (AWDF), Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF), World Learning- USAID, Global Fund for Women, Global Fund, Volunteer Services Over Seas (VSO), Federal HIV/AIDS Control Office (FHAPCO); and People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) Networks. On behalf of our HIV/AIDS infected and affected target groups we are dedicated to work for life time; we value, appreciate and heartily thank forever these partners. Indeed, I cannot have enough words ever to thank our most respected donors- African Women Development Fund (AWDF),World Learning- USAID and Stephen Lewis Foundation(SLF) for their long term incredible dedication and devotion to the cause of NLK women from the past to present and future as well I believe. Indeed, the lion’s share of NLK’s achievements belongs to them.”

AWDF is honoured to have had the opportunity to work with NLK. We especially thank Ms Beteleheam Ashebir for her hard work, sacrifice and dedication to improving the quality of life for thousands of Ethiopian women living positively. AWDF is especially impressed with the rigourous steps the NLK has taken to ensure a smooth leadership transition. A testimony of the impact of Beteleheam Ashebir’s work is evident in the letter sent to AWDF by Ms Rahel Gizachew Demussie, NLK’s new General Manager.

The letter is shared in full below with the permisson of Rahel.

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************

Dear Beatrice and all colleagues at AWDF;

Kindly allow me to introduce myself. My Name is Rahel Gizachew Demessie the new General Manager of NLK since June 22, 2013 succeeding Mrs. Betheleheam Ashabir. Dear Colleagues, firstly, I would love to share on my association to NLK and Mrs. Betheleheam Ashabir long before the current transition.

I knew Mrs. Betheleheam Ashabir before we co-founded NLK with other three sisters in 2005. I met Betheleheam for first time late 2003, when she was teaching positive living for People living with HIV/AIDS to general patients at waiting room of a hospital in Addis Ababa. That day was not the first day I went to Hospital to consult my physician about my Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART), but it was the first day; I saw a confident HIV Positive women speaking out openly about HIV/AIDS from her own experiences.

Influenced by her speech, I approached and told her after teaching session, about my distressful life due my HIV status. That time I was 20 and dropped out of school upon learning my status six months before. My status was confidential, nobody even my parents, but only the physician I was being supported at the Hospital. That day, I confidentially requested Bethlehem, if she could be help and advise me on perspective of future life and hopes as I was young and HIV positive. Bety replied, “Rahel, you know I am also HIV positive women, does not matter, we can still live positively and help ourselves and even others, we can still make difference, we can still live for purpose, strictly follow the advice of your therapists and Adhere to your ART, be strong, Tomorrow is Another Day”.

Then, I left to my home. That night though I went to my bed I could not sleep as my mind repeating her words as “tomorrow is another day, I can live and help myself and even others. Dear Colleagues, I cannot tell enough how much I was inspired by her responses. Her inspiring respond to my questions did pour power into my soul; changed my long perspective of self-worthless for optimism of bright future and purposeful life

A few weeks later, I went back to Betheleheam to thank her for her inspiring responses to my questions on the earlier week. I told her since that day, my soul filled with power and hope; my worthless self-perspective had been changed. In response to my feedback, Bety jumped up with joy, “Yes, Yes” she said. She was extremely happy about the new experience and change in my life shortly. She happily said to me, “thank you Rahel! Now I advise you to restore to your education and I need you to work together in future on purpose as well” Six months later, she organized us with 4 HIV positive women in the community whom she knew taught at the hospital to work together in future to support other women living with HIV/AIDS in our communities. Then, with no delay, we got to discussion on how we would go ahead to realize our dream. Shortly; we formed ourselves as village level consultation and experience sharing meeting volunteer group and started with confidence speaking out to families, neighbors, friends, relatives and the community members that we were all HIV positive, but we wanted to provide consultation and share our experiences to save the new generation from HIV/AIDS.

At that onset, I cannot tell enough the extent of hardship we faced from our own families and community members for doing that. We were blamed, Judged, and labeled. Besides, there were many who abusively ridiculed us. Nevertheless, under the dedicated leadership of Betheleheam, all the challenges could not stop as from moving forward; selflessly, we continued be involved in a wide variety of activities at all levels of the fight against AIDS; from appearing on posters, bearing personal testimony, and supporting and counseling others.

That selfless commitment gradually resulted into remarkable changes. We could be able drew attention of most community members and local support providers after one year of such tough work. Subsequently, we could be able to upgrade our village confined experience sharing and consultation group to “HIV positive women support association” which we called NLK is Acronyms which stands for “NEGEM LELA KEN NEW” in Amharic which means “Tomorrow is another day” in English.

In 2006, the meeting group (now NLK) with a membership of 70 infected women gained NGO status with legal registration by the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia charities and Societies Agency. It further entered into Project Agreements with the respective bureaus of Addis Ababa City Administration, Amhara and Oromiya Regional National States of Ethiopia in 2006 which has been renewed every three years and renewed this year up to 2015 as well. As April of 2013, the organization’s membership is in excess of 1200 members, associate members and 2200 volunteers of which women account for 90%. NLK has a General Assembly which has supreme power over all corporate matters and has 19 members with wide ranging experiences; and has a clearly articulated constitution which governs all of its’ activities.

Today, NLK operates through a National Secretariat in Addis Ababa and has three regional offices located in Ambo Town of Oromiya Regional National State, Shewa Robit and Ataye towns in Amhara Regional National State. NLK’s activities in Addis Ababa are focused in Gulele and Addis Ketema Sub Cities. In addition, NLK has three IGA training centers for training all beneficiaries.

Currently, NLK has equipped with qualified and well experienced 19 employees. Luckily, the NLK staffs are reliable and most dedicated to the shared vision of NLK. I cannot tell enough their earnest feeling of organizational ownership, devotion, belongingness, flexibility and ability. They are outstanding performers independently and as Team. That is why we call them always “The NLK Team!”

Today NLK become a meaningful organization reaching thousands of women, grandmothers and children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. Indeed, many thanks to our national and international compassionate partners, including our respected donor African Women Development Fund (AWDF) without their generosity and dedication to our effort all would have been impossible.

Dear Colleagues, on this historical transition I am really proud of Betheleheam as she is leaving us on good foundation. Going forward, however, we still aware of waiting tough work and commitment as NLK continues to respond to truly curb the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in our communities. On this regard, during working with Betheleheam on the transition process, I was informed many programmatic and institutional issues seek attention prospectively. Among others, diversifying the resource base of NLK and enhance its ability to garner adequate resources required for executing projects that is going to be undertaken in order to meet the need of our target affected and infected women, grandmothers and OVCs as in our strategic objectives, establishing NLK’s own building which will serve for offices and all IGA centers at one center… and ensuring NLK’s long term sustainability are most attention seeking priorities.

Going forward, therefore, primarily, we continue engage in aggressive executive board, management and staff, involvement in effort of local resource mobilization; on this regard, the current resource mobilization strategy developed plan through the compassionate assistance of AWDF will be our guiding tool. Moreover, we continue work hard to strengthen ties with our existing financiers of NLK’s national and International Organizations whilst continue more assessing the interest of national and international donors financing in the area of HIV/AIDS and proactively designing and proposing projects that are acceptable to them.

Dear colleagues, I regret to take much of your time on this, but I feel to ensure our partners keep well informed on this transition process and our way going forward. Thank you so much indeed for your understanding, cooperation and continued dedication to NLK and our target needy HIV/AIDS infected and affected poor women and children we continue work for with full commitment and dedication.

Warmly Regards

Rahel Gizachew Demessie
General Manager
Negemelelakennew HIV Positive Women Support Organization,(NLK)

Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi is a Co-Founder and Board Member of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF). She is also a member of the African Women Leaders Network for Reproductive Health and Family Planning. Bisi is also the wife of the Governor of Ekiti State, Nigeria.

In this video, Bisi shares her thoughts on the current controversy in Nigeria about the minimum age of marriage, and strongly advocates for the protection of the rights of girls and women.

 

One of the issues raised time and time again by AWDF’s grantee partners during a recent monitoring visit to Nigeria was the need to prepare for the 2015 general elections. In the context of insecurity and domestic terrorism, women’s rights organisations working in the areas of governance, political participation and leadership stressed the importance of encouraging women to enter the formal party political spaces, and to participate fully in political leadership positions. AWDF’s partners are adamant that women’s political participation is necessary not just on the basis of equity, but also a requirement for a change in ‘the old boys system of politicking’.

Women Environmental Programme (WEP) is one of AWDF’s grantee partners working to increase women’s participation in politics. An update in WEP’s recent newsletter provided this update below:

To be part of decision making on critical issues that affect them, women must come out to participate in political processes such as registering and voting in elections and vying for political positions. Participation of women in politics is the way through which the voices of women can be enhanced and their inputs captured for development purposes.

Due to religious, cultural and other factors, the women in Zamfara State, North Western Nigeria do not participate fully in electoral processes. In 2011 general elections out of a total of 2088 candidates that contested within the North West region only 49 were women representing 2.3% and out of this number, only 3 women contested from Zamfara State.

Unimpressed with the low level of participation of women in political processes in Zamfara State, Women Environmental Programme (WEP) initiated an action on Capacity Building for Women in Electoral Process and Political Participation in the Build Up to 2015 Elections in Zamfara State, North West Nigeria.

This action supported by African Women Development Fund (AWDF) has the overall objective of increasing the level of women participation in politics and democratic governance in Zamfara State through awareness creation.

WEP has started raising awareness in the three (3) senatorial districts of the State on the need for women to participate in political processes. WEP targets men, women and the traditional leaders to talk them into allowing women come out to participate in electoral processes. WEP has also launched media campaigns on radio in the state to call for women participation in politics in Hausa language for easy communication. With this WEP anticipates an improvement in the turnout of women come 2015 general elections in Zamfara State.

 

 

 

In July 2012, the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) supported Prudence Mabele, Executive Director of the Positive Women’s Network in South Africa to attend the XIX International AIDS conference in Washington D.C. in the United States of America. Under AWDF’s Solidarity Fund the organisation supports existing grantees partner to “…engage in activities which promote learning and the sharing of experiences on a local, national and international level”.

Prior to the conference, Ms Mabele attended two pre conference events: a 2 day conference organised by the Global Network Of People Living with HIV and NERELA’s pre conference organised by Religious leaders living with HIV.

During the conference, Ms Mabele participated in a plenary session on the theme ‘Collaborating Across Borders to Advance the Health of Women’, where she used the personal story of a PWN member to illustrate the gendered aspect of HIV and AIDS.The story is shared in full below:

 

Monica Modise died at the young age of 35. She left behind two daughters, Nomsa (17) and Zodwa (15), as well as a four-year old granddaughter, Zintle.

In 2005, Monica Modise was diagnosed HIV positive. It came to her as a shock. She was married to her husband, had been faithful in her marriage, and so had no reason to suspect that she would contract HIV. Her husband died in 2007 of AIDS related causes.

Monica was not employed, nor did she have the right educational qualifications or skills for the employment market. With limited options to make a means, she moved with her two daughters into her parental home then headed by her older brother, Mandla.

Moving back to her childhood home would prove to be a horrifying experience for Monica and her daughters. Unbeknownst to Monica, her brother, the uncle to her daughters had begun raping Nomsa on a regular basis. She was 13. She discovered this violation when Nomsa became pregnant. When Monica asked Nomsa why she had not told her about what was happening, Nomsa replied that her uncle had threatened to evict them from the home if she even thought of telling anyone. Monica was trapped. Without financial means, information, or support from other relatives or friends, she did not know where to go or who to turn to. They continued living with her brother, who now openly continued his criminal behaviour knowing that his sister had no alternatives.

It was through a PWN door-to-door campaign that Monica learned about living with HIV, support groups, counselling sessions, information about health facilities and people who she could turn to. Monica started attending one of PWN’s support groups and confided in the support group leader, who after hearing the story opened her home to Monica and her daughters.

At last, they had a place of safety. Baby Zintle was born healthy and in a place of safety. She escaped the nightmare that her mother, aunt and grandmother had lived through.

It was only in the place of safety that Monica could reflect and try to make sense of what had happened. She had lived in crisis management mode, never having a chance to examine her life on so many levels: discovering she is HIV positive, how to live with HIV, discovering her husband’s deceit, mourning the death of her husband, being left destitute, having to move back to her childhood home, having to negotiate living with her brother, finding out her daughter has been sexually violated, finding out her daughter is having a child by her uncle, having to find a way out of her living situation … With her stipend from PWN, she was able to take care of some of her basic needs and regain some sense of independence.

It took time for Monica to regain her strength and deal with depression, sadness, anger, disappointment, disillusionment, guilt and loss. Through the support groups and counselling, she built her strength to the point where she was able to report her own brother to the police and pursue the justice she and her daughters deserved. Upon hearing of the police case being filed, her brother fled their home and went to hide in the rural areas.

Monica followed up on the police case with little success. There was no follow-through by the police, the case was eventually dropped without explanation.

Monica became an active member of PWN. She campaigned, she counselled, she did all she could to provide women with the information she did not have access to. She often said that had she known what was out there in terms of support, she would not have made the decisions she had. But we encouraged her not to blame herself for what she did not know.

Monica died in January 2012. It was too soon, but at least she was able to make a difference in the lives of her daughters and granddaughter.

The South African Constitution is often mentioned as one of the best constitutions in the world for the rights it guarantees and protects its citizens. In terms of our policies, we can also be proud to have legislation that is progressive and seeks to serve the interest of all those who live in South Africa to the best of the nation’s ability.

However, it is unfortunate that with all the best policies and Constitutions in the world, when policy meets people it fails to live up to its promise. The story of Monica is one of many examples that demonstrate that somewhere we are missing the point.

When we look at HIV/AIDS through a gendered lens, then we can identify three main areas that cover the concerns that women and girls have to contend with:

Gender inequality and poverty

Rights to sexual autonomy and HIV

Rights to bodily integrity and HIV

 

1. Gender inequality and poverty

‘Women’s limited access to and control over assets and resources as well as the gender division of labour in the household increases their vulnerability to HIV and at the same time makes these conditions for women and girls living with HIV worse.’

In the case of Monica – and other women in her position

• She found out about her status when her husband got sick
• She had to look after her sick husband and then look after herself
• She had to start treatment
• She had to deal with her husband’s death
• She had to deal with finding a home and a means of survival
• Having moved in with her brother, she had to negotiate living in ‘his’ space
• She had to then deal with her daughter being raped
• She had to deal with her daughter’s pregnancy from her uncle
• She had to find a new home for her family

All these point to women and girls being extremely vulnerable. When women and girls do not have the security of access and control over assets and resources, it increases insecurity and vulnerability of the person. Also, even though the woman is sick as well, she still has to take care of the husband, and in many instances neglect herself and her children.

2. Rights to sexual autonomy and HIV

‘In most societies, women and girls, as compared to men and boys, face further restrictions on their sexual autonomy and bodily integrity. Women’s and girls’ inability to make sexual and reproductive choices free from discrimination, coercion or violence, as well as their inability to access and use information and products such as condoms, contraceptives, safe and legal abortion, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), etc. Such restrictions occur: at home, where women may not be able to negotiate safe sex; in communities and public spaces, where condoms or comprehensive sexuality education may be banned or unaffordable; and in health care settings, where women and girls living with HIV may be coercively sterilised or denied contraceptive information or products.’

In the case of Monica’s daughter Nomsa – and many other girls in her position

• Nomsa’s bodily integrity was violated by a member of the family
• Monica and the daughters were so embarrassed by the pregnancy that they did not have the courage to access health facilities due to stigma and discrimination
• Because of not accessing health facilities, they were not informed about the options available to them from PEP, to safe and legal abortion, and general well-being
• Nomsa did not have control or choice over her sexual and reproductive health
• Nomsa’s physical health was compromised because of being pregnant at a young age
• Nomsa had to drop out of school – she did return to complete high school
• Nomsa’s sexual interest and pleasure as an adult will be affected
• Nomsa’s exposure to HIV
• Nomsa’s access to justice was denied as the docket was closed without reasons provided

With Nomsa’s exposure to sex and sexuality in such a violent manner, she’s been ripped of experience sex as a positive experience. It will take considerable time and counselling for her to work through her experience. The restrictions placed on her sexual autonomy and bodily integrity reinforce discriminatory and patriarchal norms against women and girls.

3. Rights to bodily integrity and HIV

Gender based violence is a violation of human rights and impacts on people’s health and well being as well as inhibits their freedom of movement, ability to access education, employment, and political participation. The threats to bodily integrity and gender based violence hamper women’s and girls’ ability to prevent HIV – just as disclosure of HIV positive status may increase their vulnerability to violence. Harmful cultural and traditional practices that control women’s and girls’ sexual autonomy and bodily integrity, such as female genital mutilation, widow cleansing, property and spousal inheritance, early and forced marriages, and polygamy and virginity testing also exacerbate women’s vulnerability to HIV infection.

Monica’s story is in many ways a story of gender based violence

The violation of Monica and her daughters’ basic rights to bodily integrity and sexual autonomy are self-evident

The impact on their mental, physical and emotional well-being will remain with them through out their lives

Lack of financial independence restricted their freedom of movement and they were forced into a situation of danger

Lack of access to information and resources meant that Monica was not able to take advantage of social and health facilities available to her

The combination of all these factors place women and girls in high risk situations, and as seen through the live of Monica, the vulnerability to HIV infection is high. Without their mother, the girls have to negotiate their way through life in a manner that no child should have to. But it is through the work of support groups and counsellors that we seek to make a meaningful difference in the lives of women and girls in South Africa.

Conclusion

• Women are not a homogenous group. This principle must inform the policies and programmes that lead to the implementation of gender equality.

• Women’s rights should be seen as human rights.

• As NGOs we need to monitor and evaluate the work the we perform in the field, so that we can reduce the vulnerability to social injustice such as poverty, violence against women and girls, and HIV/AIDS.

• We need to realise that all these are cross-sectoral actions on cross-cutting issues such the girl-child, violence against women, HIV/AIDS, and the need for collaboration among partners is important.

• We must continue to work network with organisations such as the African Feminist Forum that works with organisations across the African continent towards achieving equality for women.

• We must continue to collaborate with women’s organisations in Africa but also outside of Africa to address the social and health challenges.

• We must continue to use women’s rights approach in the work that we do.

• We must look at existing instruments like CEDAW and implement the protocols. Regionally in Africa we have the African Women’s Decade 2010 – 2020 (AU) with its protocols, or the Agenda for Accelerated Country Action for Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV.

 

In June 2013, a 3 member team from AWDF – Rose Buabeng, Anglophone Programme Officer; Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, Communications Specialist, Solange Kuadjo, Programme Assistant – visited 19 grantee partners, and 3 potential grantee partners in 7 Nigerian States (Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan, Ilorin, Nasawara, Ile Ife, Kwara). Chika Oduah, a multi-media journalist who took many of the lovely images you will see below, accompanied the AWDF team on this monitoring visit.
One of the advantages of being on monitoring visits is that you get to see directly the impact of the work being done by grantee partners. An unexpected and always pleasant surprise is the positive feedback you get directly when you are doing a good job.

Below are some of the comments our grantee partners said about the work of the AWDF:

“I am happy to see women trying to touch the lives of other women. I am so glad and encourage you to continue. I know what touching lives mean and the effort and resources that goes into it.”
Ms Ndudi Bowei, Executive Director, The International Center for Environmental Health & Development

“AWDF is supporting a lot of women on the African continent, I am happy for AWDF and praying that they will get more money to continue funding women’s organizations.”
Ms Lucy Attah, Executive Director, Women and Children of Hope Foundation

“I thank God for the people who supported AWDF. It is a wonderful women’s organisation. No matter the quality of one’s application and the standard of the organisation, they still have patience for everybody. Please keep it up. I know this project will take FARDEM to a higher level”

Ms. Rose Nwaogwugwu, Executive Director, The Family Resources Development Motivators

“With AWDF even if you don’t ask, they know you are there so we don’t need to let them down; we thank them for all the support through the years. They are really a women-focused organization and are always there for women”
Ms Funmi Doherty, Executive Director, Society for Women and AIDS Africa Nigeria

“The partnership between GADA and AWDF has boosted the organization’s morale. We have always resorted to AWDF in times of need and they don’t disappoint. The partnership has also helped GADA leverage more funding and other opportunities. I wish GADA and AWDF partnership never ends”
Ms Ada Agina-Ude, Executive Director, Gender and Development Association – GADA).

“AWDF has always supported Ajegunle’s women in politics and leadership project. The women here who are now active in politics owe AWDF and those who support them a great gratitude. They are now very vocal and demanding their rights from political party leaders and others in various leadership positions. The International Workshop on Resource Mobilisation has also been very useful to me. Thanks AWDF”
Ms Funmi Adeniyi, Senior Programme Manager, Ajegunle Community Project

By Rose Buabeng with Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah

In this interview, Happy Gloria, Executive Director of ‘Busia Community Based Services’ (BUCOSS) in Kenya speaks to Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah of the AWDF on some of the detrimental cultural practices contributing to the spread of HIV and AIDS in Busia, Kenya. Here she shares details of the innovative ways in which BUCOSS has been working to change these cultural practices. This interview was conducted on the sidelines of AWDF’s recent strategic meeting on economic empowerment and livelihoods in Cape Town, South Africa.

Click link below to listen to this audio interview:

Happy Gloria of Busia Community Based Service

Site visits are one of the numerous ways in which the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) keeps in touch with its diverse constituencies. These visits enable AWDF to interact directly with grantee partners, learn about issues of concern to women’s rights organisations, identify the developmental needs of grantee partners, assess the impact of grants provided, and offer technical assistance to the women’s rights organisations funded.

 

A bird’s eye view of the 2013 Nigeria site visit

 

In June 2013, a 3-member team from AWDF visited 19 grantee partners (and 3 potential grantee partners) who had received financial support between 2011 and 2013. The organisations visited worked in the following thematic areas:

 

Number of organisations	Thematic area of work
7	HIV and AIDS
6	Women’s Leadership, Governance and Political processes
2	Economic Empowerment and Livelihoods
4	Health and Reproductive Rights

 

Overall, AWDF’s grantee partners in Nigeria are creating significant change with relatively small amounts of money. Some of the change created has led to the creation of new policies at the level of state government. Family Resources Development Motivation (FARDEM) for example, successful lobbied for a gender equality law resulting in Imo State Community Administration Law No.1 of 2012.

 

The main challenges grantees spoke of were linked to a lack of resources, challenges with fundraising in an economic downturn, and the inability of non-governmental organisations to retain well trained staff. Many spoke of the need for consistent institutional support, something that many funders outside of AWDF are often reluctant to consider. Grantees also spoke of the difference AWDF’s resource mobilisation capacity building support had made to those organisations that had benefitted. Organisational outcomes included completed fundraising strategies, diversification of funding sources and more innovative and robust fundraising programmes.

Highlights of the visit included:

Towards Gender Parity in Politics and Governance

 

The women politicians being supported by Ajengunle Community Project (ACP), an AWDF grantee partner in Lagos sing:

ACP song

No longer men in front

And women at the back

Together we shall walk

Side by side

Side by side

 

‘2015’ came up several times during AWDF’s monitoring visit. That is the year when Nigeria next goes to the ballot box, and there is already considerable anxiety around the forthcoming elections. There are concerns around potential political and physical insecurity in the context of increased conflict in parts of the country, as well as numerous challenges affecting women’s political participation in the next general elections. The Ajengunle Community Project (ACP) has already started working with women politicians in the Lagos and Delta States with the goal of increasing the number of women politicians in public office. Towards this goal, ACP has trained 20 advocates in their target states who are in turn reaching out to women involved in politics at various levels in the states. A key success has been changing the mind-set of women who previously supported partisan parties by mobilising other community women as voters, cooks and dancers for the benefit of male politicians.

 

Grace Bayo, participated in ACP’s training programme and stated:

 

I used to be quiet until I joined ACP. Politicians had reduced women to singing and dancing. I had become disappointed in politics until I came to ACP. I have learnt to demand my rights. Women are not elected into office or given [government] contracts. Now we negotiate with the men.

 

Women trained by ACP now want to play active roles within their parties, and have learnt the art of negotiating with the key figures within their chosen political parties to gain more substantive political office. Women like Alhaja Babs-Olurun Kemi Ndurat, a local government Chairperson of the ruling PDP, and a beneficiary of ACP’s training programme, has taken on the responsibility of mentoring younger women politicians.

Living Positively

 

Several of the projects visited (for example ‘Women and Children of Hope Foundation’, ‘Positive Action for Access Treatment’ and ‘Heal the land Initiative’) have been working for many years with some of the most vulnerable and marginalised people living with HIV/AIDS. They spoke to the AWDF team about some of their key learning points over the years, including the importance of ensuring that women living positively are “economically empowered”. This translates to having sustainable and adequate incomes, and being able to afford nutritious foods and supplements, which are essential for those on anti-retroviral medication. Grantee partners also reported that stigma is still very much an issue of concern for women living positively. Click here to listen to a member of a support group run by Women and Children of Hope Foundation in Lagos share her experience of dealing with stigma.

A third key concern related to ensuring the sustainability of their organisations and services. An important part of AWDF’s support to grantee partners includes organisational strengthening in multiple ways. Organisations like Heal the Land, who had benefited from initiatives such as AWDF’s resource mobilisation training (run in conjunction with Resource Alliance UK), reported that training had provided greater knowledge in fundraising, with some organisations reporting a more diversified approach to fundraising including elements such as reaching out to the corporate sector, implementing work place giving schemes and even starting small enterprises.

Watch a video of Jacinta Ine, Finance Manager of Heal the Land Initiative of Nigeria share her experiences of attending a resource mobilisation workshop organised by AWDF.

 

Reducing Maternal Mortality

 

The International Centre for Environmental Health and Development (ICEHD) has been working with the Ogun State Government towards reducing maternal mortality rates. Towards that goal, ICEDH has focused its efforts on training traditional birth attendants (TBAs) whose services are in high demand from women in the community because TBAs are more affordable than some other maternal health services. The traditional birth attendants AWDF spoke to said they often accepted whatever sums of money women were able to pay, and even provided services when clients had no money. However, they highlighted how a lack of money still affected women’s health choices as some women are reluctant to attend clinics because they have to pay for consultations; treatments, and medication – which sometimes include paying for services that are supposed to be offered for free.

 

ICEDH has worked with local hospitals to train TBAs on a broad range of topics including menstrual cycles, diagnosis and management of pregnancy, and dangerous signs and symptoms in pregnancy. TBAs are then provided with a certificate of training and a birth attendant kit filled with sanitary equipment. More importantly, the hospitals involved have built and continue to maintain relationships with the TBAs.

 

Grace Olubunmi Popoola, a traditional birth attendant shared,“I used to run away from the police, but now that I am certified, I am free to work. I also practice family planning. Before I would use Dettol, now I use Jik, cotton wool and forceps. I also use a surgical blade instead of an ordinary blade.”

Who would have thought that working with rubbish could become so exciting? 9 years ago, 5 Ethiopian women, Kiros Wolde-Giorghis, Embafrash Berehie, Legawork Ayle, Tsehay Haile and Mulatua Haileselassie decided that Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia needed cleaning up, and that they would help do that whilst giving women a means of making a living. The plan was simple: pay unemployed women to collect the plastic waste that littered the city of Addis, and ensure that this waste gets recycled. And that’s how SOS Addis was born. From its genesis, the cooperative has prioritized working with the most marginalised women in Addis Ababa including elderly women, and women living with HIV/AIDS. Most of the members of the cooperatives have low education levels, and as the organization has grown, they have hired young women to manage their administration.

 

The business of collecting rubbish is no easy task. A hefty 132,000 kilograms of plastic waste has been collected by members of SOS Addis and delivered to a recycling plant. As we all know, one person’s rubbish has the potential to become something a lot more precious, and to capitalize on this potential SOS Addis trained 34 of its members to re-use plastic waste bags.

 

A priority for the group was to stop people from using the plastic waste bags that have become so commonplace. Towards this goal, the group launched a campaign to ban the importation of these bags. Extensive media outreach was embarked on; an annual walk through the principal streets of Addis Ababa commenced; and a tree-planting programme was instituted to take place every 4 years. Numerous environmental awareness workshops and anti plastic pollution campaigns supported this effort to ban the importation of plastic bags. The result? The group has been successful. In Ethiopia today, government Proclamation Number 513 bans the importation and manufacturing of plastic waste bags. Elenatane Getachew Fikre, the Executive Director of SOS Addis, is adamant that this change in national policy is due to the advocacy efforts of her group.

It is clear that SOS Addis has made a significant difference to sanitation in the city of Addis Ababa, whilst impacting government policy at a national level. What is even more impressive is that the Ethiopian government has rolled out the model of plastic waste collection implemented by SOS Addis Ethiopia, and there are now 90 cooperatives throughout the nation’s capital working on plastic waste collection.

These are the kind of groups that the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) specializes in funding. To date, SOS Addis has received US$45,000 in grants from AWDF. This funding has been essential in supporting the organization in its efforts to create a cleaner environment in Addis Ababa, creating decent jobs for some of the most marginalized women and establishing a model that now benefits all of Ethiopia through Proclamation Number 513.

Make a difference to the lives of African women by supporting the work of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF).

To donate via wire transfer from anywhere in Africa, please makes a deposit into AWDF’s account using the following information:

Account Name: AWDF/Fundraising

Account Number 064/1008737

Bank Name Barclays Bank Ghana Limited

Bank Address P O Box 2949

High Street Branch

Accra

Swift Code BARCGHAC

 

If you are in Ghana you can make a donation to us in Ghana cedis by making a deposit into our cedi account per the details below;

Account Name: AWDF/Fundraising

Account Number 048/1014077

Bank Name Barclays Bank Ghana Limited

Bank Address P O Box 2949

High Street Branch

Accra

Any time you make a donation into our bank account, kindly notify us by email at specialprogrammes@africlub.net/awdf to let us know the details of your donation in addition to whether you want your donation to support a specific aspect of our work. Most importantly, contacting us will give us the opportunity to thank you in person for supporting our work.

If you are in Ghana, you can also sign on to our direct debit payment system and make regular monthly contributions support the work of AWDF. Refer all enquiries on the direct debit to specialprogrammes@africlub.net/awdf.