Category: News

We have had a most active first half of the year over here at AWDF, from launching an ambassador for our new thematic area, to celebrating International Women’s Day in memorable style, to fundraisers, to organisational events for grantees.

Finally, here is a modest compilation of these months for your reading pleasure: Our Newsletter – January to June 2012

We look forward to your feedback.

It is the pleasure of African Women’s Development Fund to announce that they are now accepting proposals for grants concerning HIV/AIDS. Below is a link to the proposal document which applicants may download.

Please remember to fill in the Guidelines AS WELL AS the Financial Management Assessment Document, both downloadable from here:

CALL FOR PROPOSAL – HRR & ACS Thematic Areas

Grant Application Guidelines

Financial Management Assessment Guidelines AWDF

Applicants can also send a request to AWDF at grants@africlub.net/awdf titled “HRR AND ACS Call for Proposals” to be emailed the guideline documents, if for any reason, they are unable to download it from the website.

Please see link below for PDF of document

WOMEN LEADING AFRICA VOL1A

In recent months, AWDF has noticed with deep concern, a rise in the frequency of violence-related deaths and injuries, and domestic violence cases being reported by the various Ghanaian mediahouses. Not only does it seem that violence has increased, it also seems that it comes in a wider variety of instances, some increasingly brutal and others startlingly fatal.

In reaction to this, three of our staff put together this personal blog piece on a call to action against violence against women very recently. Barely two weeks after, the Ghanaian celebrity representative to the popular South Africa-based Big Brother Africa, a very visible and internationally broadcasted reality show, slapped a fellow female housemate in a shocking act of violence which had them both expelled from the show, and left the entire continent debating. Our Communications Officer, Nana Sekyiamah issued an emphatic disapproval of this action of violence by a male against a female, and this was captured on leading radio stations and by Big Brother’s website.

These events have prompted us on the need to always ensure the availability of educative and preventive materials for victims and potential victims as well as perpetrators, on Domestic Violence and Violence Against Women. Hence, this resource paper on what defines Domestic Violence and places to go to for safety, counselling, protection and violence-related support in several countries all over the continent of Africa.

Violence rates are rising everywhere, for a variety of reasons, and as Mr. Freeman Tettey, DOVVSU (Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit) Public Relations Officer said in an interview with The Times newspaper in Accra in March this year, there were 15, 495 reported cases of violence against women last year in Ghana, and 2,474 cases of woman-to-man violence cases in the same period. It is about time we increase public awareness and education of this negative situation in our societies.

For the Resource Paper on Violence Against Women (What to do, Where to go), please click the link below:

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

END

About the African Women’s Development Fund

Over the past ten years, the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) has blazed a trail for women’s rights and philanthropy across the African continent. AWDF is an African, not for profit, grantmaking organisation. Since the start of operations in 2001, AWDF has provided US$19 million in grants to 800 women’s organisations in 42 African countries.

AWDF’s grant making processes are uniquely designed to meet the needs of African women and activities include the provision of small and larger grants to African women’s organisations, capacity building support and a strong focus on advocacy and movement building.

The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) is pleased to support the Open Forum 2012 on the theme of ‘Money, Power and Sex’. This event takes place from the 22nd -25th May at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) in South Africa.

On Tuesday 22nd May in room 2.62 at the CTICC, Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, AWDF’s Communications Officer will moderate a session on:

“Organising Online: Feminists share experiences of cyber activism” with panelists Hakima Abbas, (Executive Director, Fahamu); Gathoni Blessol, (Co-Founder of Watetezihaki Platform); Jan Moolman, (Association for Progressive Communications); Minna Salami, (Blogger & Writer, Ms Afropolitan); and Spectra Speaks (Afrofeminist WriterArtivist, and Executive Editor of Queer Women of Color and Friends). In this conversation, feminists from Africa and the Diaspora share details of their online activism, connecting with feminists online, managing safety and security online, and linkages between online and offline activism.

On Wednesday 23rd May in the main auditorum Theo Sowa, Interim CEO of AWDF will provide an overview of ‘Power’ and its connections to Money and Sex.

AWDF looks forward to connecting with participants attending the 2012 Open Forum.

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Accra, 7^th April 2012

The African Women’s Development Fund congratulates Joyce Banda, President of Malawi

The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) extends our congratulations to Her Excellency Joyce Banda, who has recently been sworn into office as President of Malawi.

Joyce Banda has been a longtime advocate for women’s rights and through her leadership of the ‘Joyce Banda Foundation’ (an AWDF grantee partner) she has supported civic education and empowerment activities for community based women. A member of the African Womens Leadership Network for Reproductive Health and Family Planning, in November 2010, AWDF awarded Joyce Banda a ‘Woman of Substance’ award in the ‘Special Recognition Category’.

Theo Sowa, Interim CEO of AWDF states, “Our condolences go to the family of the late President Bingu wa Mutharika. Despite the tragic circumstances of her appointment, I am certain that President Joyce Banda will guide the people of Malawi with the same vision, principled leadership and diligence that she has shown in her life and work to date. Her track record as a women’s rights activist, and her history of working with community-based organisations is commendable. In November 2010, AWDF was privileged to have Joyce Banda participate in our 10^th anniversary celebrations, where she spoke on the topic, “Quality versus quantity: How far have we come in promoting African women’s participation in politics?” This panel discussion now seems prescient, and we look forward to Joyce Banda distinguishing herself as an inspiring African woman president.

ENDS

About the African Women’s Development Fund

Over the past ten years, the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) has blazed a trail for women’s rights and philanthropy across the African continent. AWDF is an African, not for profit, grantmaking organisation. Since the start of operations in 2001, AWDF has provided US$19 million in grants to 800 women’s organisations in 42 African countries.

AWDF’s grant making processes are uniquely designed to meet the needs of African women and activities include the provision of small and larger grants to African women’s organisations, capacity building support and a strong focus on advocacy and movement building.

Press Enquiries

Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah (AWDF Programme Officer for Communications)

Tel: +233 302 521 257 (Ghana)

Email: nana@africlub.net/awdf

Website: www.africlub.net/awdf

On Thursday 5th April 2012, Theo Sowa, AWDF’s Interim CEO spoke on the critical importance of ‘African Women’s Voice and Representation’, at a TEDxChange in Berlin. Germany. To watch a video of her speech please click here

Theo Sowa spoke alongside Melinda French Gates, Sven Giegold and Baaba Maal. For full details of the TEDxChange event please visit their website

Nneka Egbuna, AWDF’s Ambassador for the Arts has been featured in the April/May edition of New African Woman (English edition).

This article focuses on Nneka’s working visit to the African Women’s Development Fund in Ghana to officially start her role as the foundation’s Ambassador for the Arts. Nneka arrived in Ghana on the 12^th of February 2012 immediately after finishing her Africa tour, which had taken her to Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Zanzibar.

New African Woman is widely distributed throughout Africa and the rest of the world. For details of where to purchase a copy or for digital access please visit http://www.africasia.com/newafricanwoman/

The staff of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) congratulates Dr Hilda Tadria on being recognised by ‘New Vision’, a leading Ugandan daily, as a woman who has made a positive mark on Ugandan society. At AWDF we are intimately aware of the hard work, passion and commitment which Dr Tadria brings to women rights work, especially in the areas of mentoring, leadership and inter generational dialogue. For this reason we are especially pleased to see Dr Tadria being recognised in her own home country.

We also extend our congratulations to Winnie Byanyima, Dr Sarah Ntiro and Dr Sarah Tamale who have all contributed immensely to the women’s movement in Uganda.

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, AWDF is pleased to release ‘African Woman’. ‘African woman’ is performed by Lady Jay Wah of Pidgen Music, and the version below features the talented musician Sena Dagadu. All royalties from this song have been donated by the artists and Pidgen Music to AWDF’s thematic area of ‘Arts, Culture and Sports’. We thank all the musicians who have been involved in this process for their hard work and generosity.

Click link below to download the track:

african woman