Category: News

In 2012, the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) received a total of 905 grant applications from 35 Africancountries. A total of 187 organisations from 32 African countries were awarded grants of $2,176,500 in the following thematic areas: Women’s Human Rights, Economic Empowerment and Livelihoods, Governance, Peace and Security, Reproductive Health and Rights, HIV/AIDS, and Arts, Culture and Sports.

The highest percentage of grants awarded (34.3%) was in the area of Women’s Human Rights. In this thematic area AWDF prioritized funding work that addresses issues of gender based violence and access to justice including issues of forced marriages, female genital mutilation and domestic violence. Other priorities included building young women’s leadership, movement building, the promotion and protection of women’s rights including land and property rights, and adult literacy for women. Our grantee partners working in this area utilized a variety of methodologies to meet their objectives including training paralegals, setting up monitoring committees, establishing gender clubs, implementing referral mechanisms and enhancing access to justice. Grantee partners also utilized sports, drama, radio, information vans and community/market place campaigns as a tool to disseminate information on Women’s Human Rights.

The breakdown of grants disbursed in other thematic areas were as follows:

Economic Empowerment and Livelihoods – 21%

HIV and AIDS – 19%

Governance, Peace and Security – 13.9%

Reproductive Health and Rights – 6%

Arts, Culture and Sports – 5%

The AWDF offices will be closed from the 20th of December 2012 until the 6th of January 2013.

Please click here to read the ‘End of Year Letter’ from Theo Sowa, CEO of AWDF.

We wish you the best of the festive season.

Please click AWDF Activity Report 2011 to download.

Please click 2011 Audited Accounts to download AWDF’s audited accounts report for 2011.

Do you wish to give a gift to AWDF? You can give to AWDF via our sister organisation AWDF-USA by supporting the ‘Mother Africa’ campaign.

For our donors in the USA:

Did you know that if you give to AWDF USA in 2012, you could get a 100% federal tax write-off for your gift?

And did you know that the government might cap charitable donation tax deductions starting in 2013?

There are only a few weeks left in the 2012 Giving Season.

So, don’t delay.

Give today to maximize both the tax benefit and social impact of your AWDF USA donation.

A special “thank you” to those who have already given.

Your donations have had the following impact this year:

• Kept open almost 300 outstanding African women’s nonprofits providing vital services throughout the continent

• Raised awareness of millions throughout the US and Africa about the risks of infant and maternal mortality and how to prevent it

• Convened over 3000 Americans in forums and virtual townhalls throughout the country to learn about and mobilize support for African women innovators, philanthropists and leaders

The time is now! Please give to AWDF USA and our movement to advance African women’s causes and leaders.

Thank you for being our partner for a New Africa.

The Executive Board of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) is pleased to announce that in January 2013 Professor Sesae Mpuchane will take over as Chair of the Executive Board of AWDF. This follows the completion of two terms in office as Board Chair by Dr. Hilda Tadria, co founder of AWDF. The Board and staff of AWDF offer their sincere thanks to Dr Tadria for her six years of exemplary leadership in that role, and look forward to benefitting from her expertise as an ongoing member of our Executive Board.

Professor Sesae Mpuchane has been a member of AWDF’s Executive Board for 3 years, bringing her considerable experience in academia, science and fundraising to the work that AWDF does. She sees her work with AWDF as “an opportunity to be part of a network or movement that is committed to the full empowerment of women through the creation of an enabling environment for positive change” and cites AWDF as “one of the few organisations that scouts or explores for value in women, at all levels, brings that value to the fore and helps to make it grow and flourish. A caring organisation such as the AWDF can bring about much needed change to society”

Theo Sowa says, “ It has been my priviledge to work with a committed Executive Board under the leadership of Dr Hilda Tadria. I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Dr Tadria and all of AWDF’s Executive Board for their service to the organisation. I am pleased that Professor Sesae Mpuchane has accepted the nomination of her peers to take office as Board Chair. The whole AWDF team look forward to working with her in the service and achievement of African women’s rights”.

Click to read Professor Sesae’s bio

AWDF has supported 15 grantee partners across the continent to carry out a range of activities to mark World Aids Day. The following are examples of some of the work that grantee partners will carry out.

The ‘Centre for Legal Rights Education, Advocacy and Development (CLREAD)’ in Kenya will undertake an HIV prevention education among Kodiaga female prisoners in Kisumu Kenya. Penal institutions are one of the sites most affected by HIV but rarely receive the needed attention. Critical HIV prevention information and skills is needed to manage the spread of HIV. The project will provide the needed information to set the pace for HIV prevention in the Kodiaga female prisoners in Kisumu Kenya.

In Zimbabwe, ‘Student’s And Youth Working on Reproductive Health Action Team’ (SAYWHAT) have been supported to educate women students of Harare Institute of Technology on the effective use of female condoms. The project will use diverse strategies including social media; a Candlelight Memorial; A Paper Doll Campaign and the use of a Young Women’s Female Condom Dress. Although the project will take place at the Harare Institute of Technology, students from 6 other local colleges in the same province will also be beneficiaries of this initiative.

In Ethiopia, ‘Kulich Youth Reproductive Health and Development Organization’ (KYRHDO),will promote Voluntary Counselling and Testing as well as Prevention of Mother to Child Services amongst women workers on 2 flower farms in Lume district of Oromia region of Ethiopia. Ethiopia’s flower industry is a booming business, and there are growing concerns that little is being done to address the AIDS pandemic in an industry notorious for attracting a transient, uneducated workforce vulnerable to the virus. This project therefore is initiating the awareness and attention needed to address the pandemic among workers on flower farms. The project will be implemented in two flower farms

Other groups supported include:

Center for Community Empowerment (CECOE) – Kenya

Human Care and Maintenance Foundation (HUCAM)- Ghana

Socioserve-Ghana (SSG)

Ndola Nutrition Group – Zambia

Youth Impact Organization- Malawi

Women’s Rights & Democracy Centre (WORD Centre) – Liberia

Community Volunteer Initiative for Development (COVOID)- Uganda

Slum Women’s Initiative for Development (SWID)- Uganda

Loving Hand – Zimbabwe

Centre for Health Development and Capacity Building (CHDCB) – Nigeria

Girls To Mothers’ Initiative (G2Mi) – Nigeria

Southern African Media and Gender Institute (SAMGI)

AWDF has supported 20 African women’s rights organisations to carry out activities marking 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence. These are:

• Action Group for Community Development (AGCD) – Burundi
• Africa Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) – Kenya
• Associacao Khalidwe of Lago – Mozambique
• Centre for Human Dignity and Development – Uganda
• Cercle des Jeunes pour le Developpement Durable – Ayessi (ONG CJ2D – AYESSI) – Benin
• Child Aid Organization Kenya – Kenya
• Citizen Participation Trust (CPTrust) – Zimbabwe
• Ibiono Ibom Destiny Ladies Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society – Nigeria
• Integrated Women and Children’s Development Activities (IWCDA) – Uganda
• ONG SIN-DO – Benin
• Organisation Nationale pour l’Enfant, la Femme et la Famille (ONEF) – Cote d’Ivoire
• PAMBERI Trust – Zimbabwe
• Solidarity Community Care Organization – Namibia
• Stepping Stones International – Botswana
• Uganda MEMPROW Girls Network (UMGN) – Uganda
• University Women Students Association (UWSA) – National University of Rwanda (NUR)
• Women and Youth Forum for Sustainable Development (WYFSD) – Ghana
• Women Inspiration Development Center – Nigeria
• Youth Alliance – The Gambia
• Youth Coordinating Agency in Development (YOCADE) – Malawi

Activities being carried out by grantee partners include Uganda MEMPROW Girls Network (UMGN) project to raise awareness among young people on how to prevent violence against women during the MEMPROW girl’s camp; as well as share experiences of sexual and gender based violence faced by girls and young women in and out of school. ONG SIN-DO in Benin will be working to educate and sensitize 100 police trainees on the law on violence against women in Benin whilst PAMBERI Trust in Zimbabwe is organising a day’s workshop for 25 women artists to address issues of the impact of violence on women through the performing arts, film screenings and discussions.

The Co-Founders of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), Her Excellency Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, First Lady of Ekiti State, Nigeria; Ms Joana Foster, Head of Mission, medica mondiale, Liberia; and Dr Hilda Tadria, Executive Director of ‘Mentoring and Empowerment Programme for Young Women’ will be honoured on Tuesday 27^th November 2012 with the IPPFAR Philanthropy Award at the 60th Anniversary Gala of the International Planned Parenthood Foundation. This celebration takes place at the Birchwood Hotel, Johannesburg, South Africa.

IPPFAR states, “Philanthropy Awards recognises the work of individuals and institutions that are actively impacting communities and women’s development on the continent through philanthropy and community engagement”.

Theo Sowa, Chief Executive Officer of AWDF said, “We are delighted that the pioneering work of the 3 Co-Founders of AWDF is being recognised by IPPF-AR. It is important to celebrate the individuals and institutions that are working so hard to move this continent forward, and Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, Joana Foster and Hilda Tadria are powerful symbols of the change that African women are leading throughout their communities and on the continent today.”

AWDF is pleased to support the International Workshop on Resource Mobilisation (IWRM) Africa for the third consecutive year. The IWRM Africa takes place 27th-30th November 2012 in Kampala, Uganda. AWDF has awarded IWRM Africa a grant of $30,000 and in addition are sponsoring the participation of 27 women leaders from grantee organisations in 10 African countries (Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe,Nigeria, Rwanda, Mozambique, Botswana, Ghana and South Africa).
The IWRM Africa is Africa’s leading symposium on fundraising. Now in its third year, the IWRM Africa on average annually attracts more than 200
participants from over 25 countries across Africa and beyond. Many international and local NGOs on the continent now include the IWRM Africa
as an integral part of the annual training programme for their staff, leaders and board members.

Nafi Chinery, AWDF’s Capacity Building Officer will be speaking at the IWRM Africa on ‘Rendezvous: 90 minutes with your favourite donor‘. This 90 minute session is back due to popular demand, tailored to respond effectively to recommendations from last year’s event, making it the best rendezvous yet! If you will be attending this year’s IWRM Africa be sure to attend this session.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are an existing grantee of AWDF you may apply to receive a bursary to attend the IWRN Africa. Please see documents below

Logistic form IWRM Africa

IWRM ANNOUNCEMENT 2012-2

From the 19 – 21st November 2012, AWDF will hold a 3 day skills building workshop on ‘Rights and Results Based Programming’ (RBP) in Johannesburg, South Africa, for 30 grantee partners from the Southern Africa region (Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana and Swaziland). This training will seek to adapt the framework of the RBP to the needs of women’s rights organisations. Participants will be trained on how to use the RBP framework within the context of women’s rights activities and to understand the core questions around the implementation of RBP.

Key objectives for the skills building workshop are:
• To identify some of the common challenges within women’s organizations in their ability to track and report change in their programme to different stakeholders.
• To provide skills that will enable grantees to systematically align their work to anticipated results, track changes and report them in more coherent and compelling ways to the different stakeholders.

This training will be co-facilitated by Hope Chigudu, a women’s rights consultant; Zeytuna Abdellah Azasso, Monitoring & Evaluation Officer, AWDF and Nafi Chinery, Capacity Building Officer, AWDF.