By the African Women’s Development Fund

 

The Executive Board and Staff of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) extend their heartfelt congratulations to Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia; Leymah Gbowee, Executive Director of WIPSEN/Member of the African Women Leaders Network for Reproductive Health and Family Planning (AWLN), and Tawakkul Karman, Human Rights activist, for being joint awardees of the Nobel Peace Prize 2011 “for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work”.

This award is a significant recognition of the efforts that all 3 women have made to create sustainable peace in their respective communities. As Africa’s first democratically elected woman Head of State, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is a powerful symbol for women’s leadership on the African continent and beyond.Leymah Gbowee, through her tireless mobilisation of community women across religious and ethnic lines, first in Liberia and then across West Africa, signifies the power and impact of building movements for women’s rights, peace and democracy.

Theo Sowa, Interim CEO of AWDF states, “I am delighted that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman have been jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2011. This is especially important for all of us that work on women’s human rights and peace building. This is a great boost to women’s rights activists everywhere.”

ENDS

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

 

In 2008, the Centre for Widows and Children Assistance (CWCA) in Tanzania received a grant of US$10, 000 from AWDF. This grant enabled the group to do training on women’s land rights for local government leaders, widows and youth in Kisarawe district

 

Discrimination against women through customary law prevails in Tanzania, particularly in the regions where land is fertile, productive, and a scarce commodity. Since land in the areas of Kilimanjaro, Kagera, Mara, Dodoma, and Iringa is a highly valued resource (because of cash crop production) it remains under male control and is distributed through patrilineal inheritance practices.

 

In general, customary law prohibits women’s land ownership or entitlement, but allows them to work on the land, provided they give all profits to their husbands. CWCA Executive Director Utti A. Mwang’amba noted that when the one-year training programme funded by AWDF started, there were only four women representatives in the 7 village land councils in the pilot villages. That situation has now changed and all the 7 village land councils have a minimum of 3 women representatives as required by the law. In areas like Kibuta, women now chair these councils. Currently, women chair three out of seven village land councils.

 

Presently, men are unable to sell a plot of land without the consent of their wives. A 70-year-old woman won a land dispute case at the high court even though she lacked legal representation. CWCA provided coaching to her on how to present her case in the court. The copy of the court ruling was provided as evidence and a copy was given to the AWDF monitoring and evaluation team. [1]

 

AWDF’s grant to CWCA enabled the organization to attract more donors including the KIOS Foundation, which meant that the legal education program could be extended to cover ten wards in the country. Additionally, the Foundation for Civil Society in Tanzania provided funding to develop a manual of Statues/Acts in the local language to be used by the village land councilss to enable them understand the law and make good judgments.

CWCA also benefited from a consultancy contract from Concerned Worldwide to train ward tribunals in three districts. In all 721 were trained in women’s land rights. This also led to some women legalizing their marriages as it has an impact on the sharing and owning of property. Documents available also indicate that most women are now able to speak publicly and participate actively in their communities.

Through AWDF’s support the organization has also trained 60 local government leaders, women, youth, representatives of disability and HIV&AIDS groups from Kisarawe district. The training focused on issues of application of customary rights of orphans and land dispute machinery (composition of courts dealing with land issues). The training sought to enlighten the trainees on the procedures for hearing of cases, making judgments and record keeping.

By: Ewurama Nyarkoh

Communications Intern

 

Philanthropy in Africa has become an area of increasing interest in the past 10 or more years. A key focus for interrogation is the manifestation of philanthropy in the African context – its areas of strength and weakness. Another is how to build on the traditions of philanthropy in Africa to attain stronger institutional processes that scale up localized forms of giving and ground these in principles of social justice, equality, peace and sustainable development. Africans are challenging the notion that Africa is purely a ‘donor recipient’ continent and instead are pointing to the rich traditions of giving and philanthropic practice in Africa – which in many instances have been the mainstay of entire communities.

 

Whilst it is known that philanthropy is an age-old practice in Africa, there is little recognition of the contributions it has made in developing and sustaining communities. In Africa today, much of the giving takes place in familial and informal community networks responding often to immediate/ welfare concerns. Burial societies, individual support to the payment of school fees and, building of community facilities are examples of philanthropy that can be found in many variations on the continent. Religious organizing has also formed a critical avenue for much of the more formal and institutionalised mechanisms for philanthropy, with programmes driven by local actors providing a range of services including education, health services and feeding programmes.

 

More recently, a number of African philanthropic actors and organisations seeking to address social, economic and political inequalities and disparities have emerged[1]. In addition there has been an increase in the number of high net worth individuals in Africa establishing their own, more formalised philanthropic initiatives and organizations. At the same time, the private and corporate sectors in Africa are increasingly developing corporate responsibility programmes. These developments have raised the visibility of philanthropy in Africa, highlighting its critical role in our societies and communities. Initiatives such as the African Grantmakers Network- a network developed by African grant makers to promote and strengthen philanthropy in Africa- are testament to the shifts in thinking and organisation on the continent. Increasingly Africans on the continent and elsewhere are seeking to make a difference as collaborative and organised donors to the kinds of change they wish to see.

 

This is both evident and urgent within the feminist movement. The role of women within the growing field of philanthropy in Africa- their contributions, successes and challenges – remain largely undocumented and unrecognised. Yet the establishment of organizations such as the African Women’s Development Fund and Urgent Action Fund –Africa amongst others, has concretised the central nature of African women’s participation and influence in philanthropy, especially social justice philanthropy.

 

Within the feminist movement, there is a growing body of thought on the need for us as women to fund our own movements. This partly reflects an increasing unease with external donor practice in support of short term, project based approaches- which do initiate some change, but which are in the long term difficult to sustain, since often they can only address symptoms, and not root causes. Mounting pressure to demonstrate immediate results or face the risk of losing funding has driven many to develop projects that are all SMART but have little in the way of substance and relevance. Many in the feminist movement point to the need for a different type of organizing. Organising that builds strong social movements of women and institutions who are able to define their own agenda and develop appropriate responses that encompass the breadth and depth of women’s realities on the continent, and that holds the state and other duty bearers accountable for their commitments to women’s rights. This approach suggests a shift from regarding our constituencies as beneficiaries to working with them as active and autonomous citizens. This requires also long term investments, risk taking, being bold and having an understanding that occasionally being unclear is as good as it gets!

 

In as much as there is a hunger for a different approach to funding, there is also recognition within the feminist movement that it is women in Africa and elsewhere who will have to pioneer it. Globally, women’s funds have emerged as critical players and investors in feminist movements worldwide. Increasingly feminist organising is interrogating the disjuncture between their movements and their sources of funding and are responding with internally driven processes for generating income. Many organisations are evolving wide ranging strategies including schemes such as workplace giving, development of social enterprises, endowment building, and individual or collective regular donations to feminist organisations, campaigns or initiatives. In Africa women have begun to recognize themselves and one another as an untapped resource base to support the movement on the continent. They are seeking ways in which to engage the high net worth and middle class African women who have thus far been rendered largely invisible in the global discourse on finance and resourcing for gender equality.

 

This is not to let traditional donors off the hook. As 50% of the global population and as contributors to the wealth created on a global scale, women have a right to an equitable share of development resources. This needs to be acknowledged and promoted as a priority on women’s rights, development and philanthropic agendas. However, there should also be recognition that women are exercising a new kind of agency – one that gives rise to a new source of power within, to truly own their movements, agendas and issues. This is an exciting time for the feminist movement in Africa. Our wealth has been and continues to be our passion, commitment, solidarity, and contestation. This provides new opportunities for learning and growth, creativity, knowledge and increasingly, our money and economic security. We are challenging the dominant development narrative that depicts us as passive recipients of external aid to one in which we are the active agents of the change we envision. We are putting our money where our hearts are……….

 

Sarah Mukasa

Director of Programmes, AWDF

 

Sarah Mukasa is Director of Programmes at the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF). Her interest in philanthropy has been informed by over two decades of work with African women’s rights organizations in Africa and the Diaspora.

BURSARY ANNOUNCEMENT

International Workshop on Resource Mobilisation (IWRM)

IWRM Africa 2011 Kampala, Uganda

Don’t miss out – the IWRM Africa is your starting point for fundraising success!

 

29 Nov – 2nd Dec 2011

The International Workshop on Resource Mobilisation (IWRM) Africa will take place in Kampala, Uganda from 29th November to 2nd December 2011. The IWRM Africa is the Resource Alliance’s second African IWRM and is organised in parnership with The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF). This 4 day workshop will address the major challenges faced by African NGOs in the areas of financial security and sustainability. The aim of IWRM Africa is to enhance the ability of African non-governmental organisations to mobilise resources for their cause. The Resource Alliance has a 10 year history of organising the IWRM. It is widely recognised as the leading training opportunity to building the fundraising capacity of non-profit organisations in the emerging economics. Host countries have included India, Thailand, Malaysia, South Africa and Kenya.
For more information on the programme and the workshop please email iwrm@resource-alliance.org

AWDF Bursary

AWDF has put in place a small bursary to sponsor a minimum number of existing AWDF grantees to attend the IWRM. The bursary will cover only airfare and local transport for residential and non-residential delegates respectively. Applying Grantees should be ready to cost share and priority will be given to applicants who state this in their application. All successful applicants must be ready to submit a report from the workshop following a set of guidelines to be provided by AWDF. Please note that only one staff per organization will qualify for the bursary.

How to apply for the AWDF Bursary

Organisations applying on behalf of staff members should submit the following documents:

Application letter including the following:

• Name of organisation

• Address (both physical and postal)

• Telephone and Fax number

• Contact person’s name and title

• Applicant’s CV

• A maximum of 2 pages write up explaining how you intend to utilizing skills acquire from the IWRM within your organisation.

• A signed recommendation letter from applicant’s organizations

• A budget

Important information

The selection process will be highly competitive and will adhere strictly to the entry requirements. No application will be reviewed without a signed recommendation letter from applicant’s organisation’s head. Soft copies of your application should be emailed to awdf@africlub.net/awdf Please send both hard and soft copies of your application documents to the following address:

 

The Grants Administrator

78 Ambassadorial Enclave

East Legon, Accra, Ghana

 

PMB CT89 Cantonments

Accra, Ghana

Tel: +233 302 521257

Email: awdf@africlub.net/awdf

 

Please note that the deadline for receiving all applications is August 29, 2011 and that this bursary is open to existing AWDF grantees only

Are you currently a recipient of an AWDF grant? Or has your organisation ever recieved a grant for AWDF? If so, please fill the questionnaire in the link below.

AWDF Questionnaire for Financial management Assessment of grantees July 2011

Please email the completed questionnaire to awdf@africlub.net/awdf and grants@africlub.net/awdf

Thank you for your support

Journey to Ekiti State, Nigeria

 

8^th June 2011. I am en route to Ekiti State for the very first time. As I board the Air Nigeria plane that will take me from Accra to Lagos for the first leg of my journey I am handed a copy of the National Mirror by one of the flight attendants. I scan the paper and my attention is caught by 2 headlines, “Conduct bureau urges public officers to publish assets”[i] and “EU to partner Ekiti on growth, development”[ii]. The first headline refers to the fact that the Governor and Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi and Mrs Funmi Olayinka are the first political holders in office to declare and publish their assets. The second headline gives details of a visit to Ekiti state by the EU Ambassador to Nigeria “in view of the governor’s focus on reforms in governance”.

 

Reading a newspaper article on ‘the governor’s focus on reforms in governance’ is appropriate as it’s these very reforms that have led to my trip to Ekiti, Nigeria.

I am visiting Ekiti as part of AWDF’s work with the African Women Leaders Network for Reproductive Heath and Family Planning (AWLN). AWDF and the International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region (IPPFAR) are co-coordinators of the AWLN – a collective of 35 African women leaders who are critical change agents working on issues of women’s rights, reproductive health, social justice and development. Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, President of AWDF and First Lady of Ekiti State, Nigeria is also a member of the AWLN.

 

AWLN as part of its strategy to mobilize greater commitment to addressing maternal health and a range of reproductive health concerns, seeks to partner with leaders who have prioritized these issues at political levels. The AWLN trip to Ekiti is to engage with the government of Ekiti who have shown commitment to prioritizing issues of maternal and reproductive health. Whilst running for office, Dr Fayemi campaigned on an 8-point agenda including ‘women’s development’, and ‘health’ as priority issues.

 

Meeting Ekiti’s Key Public Officials

9^th June 2011. An AWLN team comprising staff from International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region (IPPFAR) and AWDF as well as Nigerian based Network Members, H.E. Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, President of AWDF/First Lady of Ekiti State; Hon Saudatu Sani, Chairperson of the House of Representatives Committee on MDGs; participated in a reproductive health dialogue alongside key stakeholders in Ekiti including the Deputy Governor, H.E. Funmi Olayinka; Dr Wole Olugboji, Commissioner for Health; Ms Peju Babafemi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs, Social Development and Gender Empowerment; Dr D.K. Aina, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health and Rev. Olu Fatile, Director, Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria – South West Region. The occasion was also used as an opportunity to launch a ‘Maternal Health Record Book’ and a ‘Multiple Birth Trust Fund’.

 

Dr D.K. Aina set the tone for the dialogue with his presentation on “Policy Dimensions: Achievements and Challenges of Maternal Health Services in Ekiti State”. According to his presentation, some of the current structural, policy and legal provisions for the improvement of maternal health in Ekiti state include:

 

• The Deferral and Exemption Scheme, which ensures that the poor and vulnerable have access to maternal health services.
• The enactment of laws to protect women’s rights and reproductive health including the prohibition of harmful widowhood rites, female genital mutilation and gender violence.
• The existence of a Life Saving Skills centre to train nurses and midwives for maternal health purposes.

 

New policy initiatives outlined by Dr Aina included:

 

• The pending launch of free health care services for pregnant women
• A community based approach to the reporting of maternal mortality through the distribution of maternal mortality registers at palaces, churches, mosques and diverse focal areas in communities.

 

His presentation highlighted maternal health data in Ekiti state with women bearing an average of 5 children, 20% of women delivering in public health facilities, 15% in private facilities and 62% at home. Major challenges indentified in accessing health care include a lack of resources to pay for care, unavailability of drugs and concerns about healthcare providers.

 

Reproductive Health Dialogue

Hon Saudatu Sani shared that in her experience as a Member of Parliament from 2003-2011, and Chair of the MDG Committee, a lack of skilled workers in hospital was recognized as the key reason for poor reproductive health services. She challenged states like Ekiti to train more midwives by 2015 and stated, “Nigeria is at the driving seat where the MDGs are concerned.” Hon Saudatu Sani shared that a network of African parliamentarians have been mobilizing African governments to commit to the achievement of the MDGs and encouraged H.E. Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi to speak to the wives of other Governors on the subject of reproductive health. She further commended Her Excellency on inspiring the creation of a Maternal Health Record Book for the women of Ekiti state which she cited as a practical example of an action to support women’s reproductive health.

 

Sarah Mukasa, Director of Programmes at AWDF invited the Deputy Governor to share how they had succeeded in obtaining the commitment of Ekiti state for women’s reproductive health.

 

In her response, the Deputy Governor, H.E. Funmi Olayinka stated,

“The first success story is a First Lady who has ‘know how’. The second success story is a Governor who respects women and is passionate about women’s rights as well as the committed staff at the Ministry of Health”.

 

H.E. Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, President of AWDF/First Lady of Ekiti State and AWLN Member shared key lessons from the process of politicizing women’s reproductive health as follows,

“Partnerships are of critical importance. If officials at the Ministry of Health were not supportive, we wouldn’t have been able to create the maternal health record book, which was inspired by the work of the Nana Yaa Memorial Trust in Ghana, an AWDF grantee. This is another example of collaboration.”

 

Dr Wole Olugboji, Commissioner for Health attributed the success of prioritizing reproductive health to political will. He further stated, “those who continue the act of FGM will face the full penalty of the law”. Dr Olugboji encouraged the people of Ekiti to take family planning seriously. In his words, “Ekiti is an agricultural state and farmers know that if you plant crops too closely to one another your output will be poor. The same applies to giving birth to children. A space of 2 years is recommended between child delivery.” He also spoke about the benefits of vasectomy as a family planning method and expressed his willingness to lead the men in Ekiti State by example in this regard.

 

H.E. Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi commended the Commissioner for Health on his efforts and urged him to consider the example set by Edo state (a neighbour to Ekiti state), which has passed a ‘Reproductive Health Bill for Women’. She described the bill as a good model for Ekiti state.

 

Community Responses to Reproductive Health Dialogue

The reproductive health dialogue was extremely well attended with participants ranging from government officials, civil society organizations, health workers and members of the community who took the opportunity to dialogue with Ekiti’s senior politicians and public officials on the way forward for women’s reproductive health in the state.

 

Comments, feedback and questions from the floor included:

 

“The use of the maternal health record books should be entrenched in the curriculum of the training for health centres and nursing schools”.

 

“CBOs want to do advocacy on the maternal health books – we will target local communities, market women, etc”

 

“More training should be given to traditional birth attendants”

 

Dr Ladley, a consultant gynecologist affirmed her support for the further training of traditional birth attendant. She said, “…most people don’t come to hospitals. University students should be trained in the proper use of the pills. Girls are using abortions as preventative family planning.”

 

Dr Olomojobi, a health researcher made the following input, “There is no single maternal audit record in the state. Statistics are not available on which mothers have been assisted, who had complications, etc. There is a need for harmonization across the health sector in Ekiti. We need the support of the AWLN at the training and dissemination levels of the maternal health record book”.

 

Key ‘asks’ from the AWLN

Funmi Balogun of IPPFAR on behalf of the AWLN made key ‘asks’ of Ekiti’s public officials and promised that the AWLN would make a return trip to Ekiti to follow up on the following:

 

• Can you commit to dedicating 15% of your budget to health as per the Abuja declaration?

 

• How do we ensure standards for faith-based organizations where many people go to give birth?

 

• Sexual health education should start from schools.

 

Closing address by H.E. Funmi Olayinka, Deputy Governor, Ekiti State

In her closing address, H.E. Funmi Olayinka informed the audience that Ekiti State had on the 8^th of June 2011 become the first state in Nigeria to pass a “Gender Policy” in line with Nigeria’s national policy and international conventions with the support of H.E. Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi’s expertise.

 

She also confirmed that the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi will be reviewing the state’s budget for maternal health and stated, “ I reinstate the unreserved commitment of this administration to preserving and ensuring qualitative health care delivery to our citizens, particularly the women and children of Ekiti state.”

By: Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah

Programme Officer

African Women’s Development Fund

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Values are priorities that define our goals. According to David M. Taylor “Values drive behaviour. Your values are like a compass. This compass does not point north, south, east or west. It points to what is right. Every decision you make is guided by this compass”.

Gender Equality is a continental shared value of the African Union, others being peace, governance, development, human rights, participation and culture. Our leaders deserve a pat in the back for elaborating comprehensive frameworks on gender equality and women’s empowerment. These frameworks include the Constitutive Act of the African Union (2000), the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA) (2004), the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (2003), the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (2004), the AU Gender Policy (2008) and the declaration of 2010-2020 on the Decade for African Women, and other instruments.

 

Although the promotion of women’s rights constitutes a shared value, the general status of African women highlights the challenges of development in Africa. It is disappointing to note the wide gap between normative instruments and practice. African women still experience high rates of maternal mortality, insufficient protection for women in conflict areas, persistent violence against women, low representation of women in decision-making structures and discriminatory laws and policies that all point to the failure to fully adopt and reinforce the set standards.

 

The 16^th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union, under the theme-“Towards Greater Unity and Integration through Shared Values, was intended to provide the opportunity for deliberation on the instruments that articulate the basic standards of human rights that constitute shared values in the African Union with a view to furthering the integration process and stregthening the platform for collective action in addressing various challenges faced by the continent.

 

The Summit was an opportunity for women’s organisatios to engage AU member states and insist that they recognize and fully implement these shared values. It provided time to reflect and come up with strong recommendations and action in order to turn commitment to action. It was an opportunity to commend the 29 countries that have ratified the Protocol and to encourage the remaining 24 to do the same, while urging countries that have entered reservations to remove them. It was also an opportunity to review the performance of the Member States in implementing the SDGEA.

 

As the debate on Regional Integration intensifies African Union member states have an obligation to set aside adequate resources to implement their commitments on gender equality, document progress to enhance their accountability to the women of Africa and to ensure that issues on gender equality remain permanently on the agenda. While this is being done, it behoves on African women themselves to be proactive and get involved in the debate, ensuring that this integration involves harmonisation and implementation of laws to embrace the continental shared values on gender equality and women’s rights, without which the dreams and gains of integration will remain a mirage.

 

By: Roselynn Musa

 

References

David M. Taylor, ‘Why Values are Important’ University of Alberta, 1989

African Union, The January 2011 Summit On the Theme “Shared Values”, 2010

African Union, Towards Gender Unity and Integration through Shared Values, 2011

African Union, Draft Discussion Paper on Shared Values, 2010

 

Over the last few weeks, we have witnessed a series of disturbing events in which we have seen the State and its law enforcement agencies respond in a brutal and often excessive manner to citizens’ demands for government action to address increased prices, cost of living, growing poverty, inequality in distribution of resources and corruption.

During this period, the Police and other security agencies have sought to quell demonstrations under the ‘Walk to Work’ Campaign using live ammunition and copious amounts of tear gas resulting in the loss of life, injuries to persons, and destruction of property. We have seen our sisters, brothers, and children affected in various ways with many still nursing injuries in hospital and others arrested and imprisoned, some without charge. In some incidences, sections of the public have exploited the volatile situation to break the law further spawning a downward spiral of violence both in Kampala and in other towns upcountry.

The shooting to death of two year old Juliana Nalwanga in Masaka, seven-month pregnant Ms. Nalwendo in the stomach and the brutal arrest and treatment of demonstrators and some bystanders are but some of the horrific incidents that have shocked us and invoked unease and a range of reactions from various sections of Uganda’s population and international actors including the Inter Religious Council, the Uganda Law Society and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

While the State has a duty to ensure law and order, the State is also obliged to respect, promote, protect, and fulfill the rights of its citizens as enshrined in the 1995 Constitution and other regional and international treaties to which Uganda is a signatory.[1] In attempting to fulfill its obligations in the last few weeks, the State has instead used excessive force resulting in the infringement of some of the fundamental rights enshrined in Chapter 4 of the Constitution including the right to life, the freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, freedom of movement, right to access prompt, fair and timely justice and freedom from inhuman and degrading treatment.

We are also deeply concerned about the suffering that has been occasioned by the escalating food and fuel prices. Many women, men and children are subsequently unable to meet their basic needs and enjoy their basic right to food, education, health and shelter. While we recognize the myriad of causes behind the current crisis, we also wish to express our profound disappointment with government’s indifference, exhibited by the lack of urgent action to curb the situation and apparent disregard of pressing priorities in allocation of government expenditure.

We as Women in Civil Society are hereby convening to register our deep concern and condemnation on the use of excessive force by the Police and other security agencies and subsequent escalating violence and to call upon the State to take critical measures to address the key issues/ concerns raised by the public so as to avert a national crisis. In particular, we wish to register our deep concern of:

1. The use of excessive force and especially the use of live ammunition to quell demonstrations, indiscriminate physical assaults on civilians, spraying of vast amounts of tear gas in closed spaces including cars, schools, dispensaries and homes occasioning loss of life and property, severe injuries and pain among innocent children, by standers, those at work and urban dwellers. We are greatly concerned that rather than enjoy state protection, citizens are preoccupied with defending themselves against its wrath;

2. The brutality of officers of the Uganda Police Force and other security operatives in handling the “Walk to Work” campaign which amounted to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment for those that were arrested;

3. The intimidation of human rights defenders who have spoken out on various issues of concern including the declining space for engagement;

4. Censorship of the media and a curtailing of press freedom and freedom of expression, including intimidation and security threats to journalists and media houses carrying out their duty as a watchdog of the state and provider of information to the public;

5. The erosion of the independence of the three arms of government. The actions and decisions of some judicial officers which cast doubt in the minds of the public on whether justice is being done. We are equally concerned that contrary to the public appeal for the perpetrators of violence to be brought to justice, the Minister for Internal Affairs has instead defended the use of brutal force. Such responses from government risk promoting impunity.

6. The increased militarization of the State and use of armed forces to enforce law and order and quell peaceful protests which heightens risks of violent conflict and will affect the entire population of Uganda including men, women and children.

We as women’s civil society organisations are calling upon the Government to respect, promote, protect, and fulfill the rights of its citizens as enshrined in the 1995 Constitution and exercise restraint in fulfilling its obligations. Government must recognize that the language of force and violence alienates more then 50% of Uganda’s population – the women and diminishes our initiative to exercise our civic duties within the public sphere;

We are calling upon Government to take proactive measures to address broader social justice issues, and ensure that key concerns voiced by various sections of the public are addressed. We demand for strong policy measures to address issues food security, unemployment, health and education. We also demand for government’s resolve to ensure greater transparency in the allocation and management of public resources, reduction of excessive government expenditure and equitable distribution of benefits of economic growth to all the citizens of Uganda.

We are formally submitting an appeal to the Government and to the International Community through the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights defenders (UNSR) requesting for thorough, prompt and impartial investigations into the human rights violations committed by the security forces.

Finally,we are calling upon the public to remain peaceful in the pursuit of various rights and to desist from violent actions. We are also calling for national dialogue between key parties and urge all stakeholders including the regional and international community to intervene in ensuring peace and justice prevails in Uganda.

UGANDA WOMEN’S CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS

AWDF will be launching its new 5-year strategic plan 2011 – 2015 shortly. As part of the strategic plan, AWDF is reworking its grant making thematic areas. The six new thematic areas are:

• Women’s Human Rights

• Economic Empowerment and Livelihoods

• Governance, Peace and Security

• Reproductive Health and Rights

• HIV/AIDS

• Arts, Culture and Sports

Guidelines are being developed for each of the thematic areas and will be uploaded on AWDF’s website and various communication outlets on completion. A new schedule for grant applications will be published at the same time. Therefore, we are asking potential grant applicants to wait until after the thematic guidelines and the grant processing schedule are published before submitting any further applications. AWDF will not be processing new grants applications until that point. .

Meanwhile we will continue to process applications that we have already received and duly acknowledged, which have increased enormously over the past year.

Please watch out for the publication of the guidelines and the grant processing schedule. We look forward to working with both new and old partners on these new exciting thematic areas.

 

Theo Sowa

Interim Chief Executive Officer

AWDF

On the 13^th of April 2011, the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) in conjunction with the International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region (IPPFAR) held the USA launch of the ‘African Women Leaders Network’ on the sidelines of the 44^th Session of the UN Commission on Population and Development, New York, USA.

The African Women Leaders Network for Reproductive Health and Family Planning (AWLN) is a collective of 35 African women leaders from 15 African countries. The network supports the efforts of African women to improve reproductive health and access comprehensive family planning. Members of AWLN seek to mobilise greater public support and political commitment to promote reproductive health and family planning as an intrinsic part of broader goals for sustainable development.

The USA launch of the AWLN introduced members of the network to civil society organizations and development partners united in the common goal of the provision of universal access to reproductive health and family planning. Members of the network at the reception included H.E. Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, President of AWDF and First Lady of Ekiti State, Nigeria; Yvonne Chaka Chaka, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for RollBack Malaria; Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, General Secretary of the World YWCA; Hon. Ruth Kavuma, Member of Parliament, Uganda; Hon. Marie Rose Nguini-Effa, Member of the Pan-African Parliament; Tabitha Njoroge, Executive Director of WILDAF Kenya; and Dr Hilda Tadria, Executive Director of MEMPROW and AWDF Board Chair.

An address was given by Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Other speakers at the reception included Dr Jacqueline Sharpe, President of the International Planned Parenthood Federation; Her Excellency Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, President of the African Women’s Development Fund, First Lady of Ekiti State, Nigeria and a member of the AWLN; Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, General Secretary of the World YWCA; Hon. Marie Rose Nguini-Effa, member of the Pan-African Parliament; Yvonne Chaka Chaka, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for RollBack Malaria and a member of the AWLN.

In his address, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin spoke of the critical importance of ensuring that there was widespread availability of reproductive health commodities and well-trained health personnel to stem the high rates of maternal mortality on the African continent. He urged African governments to invest resources in women’s reproductive health and reiterated his commitment to the African Womens Leaders Network and all progressive movements that seek the provision of universal access to reproductive health and family planning.