Tag: AWDF

The following organisations have been supported by the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) to carry out a range of activities in support of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign. Grantee partners for 2011 are:

Centre for Legal Rights Education, Advocacy and Development (CLREAD)	Kenya
Christian Women Child Ministries (CWCM-Uganda)	Uganda
Childolescent and Family Survival Organization – Women’s Rights Action Group (CAFSO-WRAG)	Nigeria
Women’s Initiative for Self-Actualization (WISA)	Nigeria
Kikandwa Rural Communities Development Organization (KIRUCODO)	Uganda
Echoes of Women in Africa Initiative (ECOWA)	Nigeria
Malawi Human Rights for Women with Disabilities	Malawi
Oromia Development Association	Ethiopia
Defence of Human Rights and Citizen Rights – Tanzania Chapter	Tanzania
Lokiaka Community Development Centre	Nigeria
Creative Centre for Communication and Development (CCCD)	Zimbabwe
Guidance and Counselling Development Association (GCDA)	Nigeria
Justice for Widows and Orphans Project	Zambia
Conscience International (CI)	Gambia
SOS Femmes en Danger	DRC
Reseau SOS Femmes en Detresse (SOS FED)	Burundi
Association Femmes Artisanes de la Paix (FAP)	DRC
Forum for African Women Educationalist (FAWE/Benin)	Benin
Organisation des Femmes Actives de Cote d’Ivoire	Cote d’Ivoire
Movement contre les Armes Legeres en Afrique de l’Ouest (MALAO)	Senegal

 

16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence commences on 25^th November and ends on 10^th December. Globally, women’s rights activists use this period to draw even more attention to the violence that women face on a day to day basis. This year’s theme, From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Let’s Challenge Militarism and End Violence Against Women highlights the issue of militarism and its violent repercussions for women and girls.

During this campaign period, AWDF will also join in an international tweetathon alongside its international partners. Follow @awdf01 via twitter for more updates.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“AWDF has been that group that has stood by Women Peace and Security Network since we started…they gave us our first grant, but beyond that you rarely see donors who are concerned about the welfare of an institution, who are concerned about the little day to day things that are happening, who are concerned about the people who run the organisation so I say they walk the talk…the women who work there are fantastic…The Women Peace and Security Network has been in existence for 5 years, and for 5 years AWDF has stood by us.” Leymah Gbowee in an interview aired on ‘Standpoint’, GTV, 28^th October 2011

Watch the full interview here

On Saturday 8^th October, Professor Wangari Maathai was laid to rest in Kenya. There will be an official memorial service for her on 14^th October, giving her country, her many friends and admirers and the rest of the world an opportunity for an official farewell.

The board and staff of AWDF would like to take this occasion to join the myriad of voices across the world that have paid tribute to Wangari in the two weeks since she passed away. The loss of Wangari Maathai means that African women have lost an iconic role model; that Africa has lost a caring and visionary leader; that the world has lost a global citizen of honour and integrity; and that the earth has lost an effective, courageous and unrelenting advocate.

Wangari Maathai’s passion for the environment inspired the planting of billions of trees across the globe. Yet her passion for social justice went beyond her beloved trees and beyond her well known and documented environmental activism. Her vision of social justice encompassed both human and ecological rights. She believed passionately in protecting our environment but her Greenbelt Movement was as much about asserting and advancing women’s rights as it was about reforesting the earth and rebalancing the relationship between humanity and mother earth.

Her fierce intelligence was complemented by a generous and easy warmth that was the foundation of her ability to relate so strongly to the diverse range of people she interacted with: families living in absolute poverty in urban slums or princes surrounded by extraordinary wealth; indigenous communities protecting their knowledge and traditions in the hearts of untouched environments or young people struggling to make sense of their lives in post conflict wastelands; African women changing the faces and fates of their villages or African women changing the destiny of their nations and our continent.

Wangari believed strongly that peace was essential for the true regeneration of the African continent and the preservation of the earth more generally. As the first African woman Nobel Peace Prize winner, she would have been delighted at the news that Africa now has its second and third female Nobel laureates in President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee – and particularly the citation regarding their efforts to promote peace building. The pride and inspiration to African women generated by the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winners echoes that first provided by Wangari Maathai in 2004.

Wangari, the board and staff of AWDF hail your life and your legacy. Our heartfelt condolences go to your family, to the Kenyan nation and to African women everywhere. We pledge ourselves to join with the millions of people in Africa and across the world who will work to ensure your legacy is honoured. You will not be forgotten.

Rest in Peace.

[tp lang=”en” not_in=”fr]PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

 

The African Women Leaders Network: Bringing Women’s Realities to Policy Decisions

The African Women Leaders Network for Reproductive Health and Family Planning (AWLN) will hold a series of high-level policy meetings with Ghanaian parliamentarians and stakeholders between the 10^th-14^th of October 2011. This will include meetings with Prof. Mike Ocquaye, the 1^st Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Members of the Women’s Caucus in Parliament, and the Finance and Health Committees.

 

On 13th October, AWLN will hold a public dialogue with policy makers and other key stakeholders from 9am-5pm at the MÖvenpick Hotel, Accra. The policy dialogue will focus on the role of family planning as a developmental tool to achieve reductions in maternal/child mortality and emphasize the value of Government investments in family planning commodities and services.

 

The African Women Leaders Network for Reproductive Health and Family Planning (AWLN) is a network of 35 African women leaders from government, civil society, and the arts, who have committed to advocate for greater support for family planning and reproductive health by governments, donors and international agencies. Formed by the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) and the International Planned Parenthood Federation—Africa Regional Office (IPPF-ARO), the AWLN seeks to build upon the collective power of African women’s voices to ensure quality reproductive health and family planning services and supplies throughout Africa. The Network is supported by the Advance Family Planning initiative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Institute on Population and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

 

Press Enquires:

Abigail Ony Nwaohuocha (AWLN Communications Consultant)

Email: Abigail.ony@africlub.net/awdf

Tel: 024 8440 425

Web: http://www.africawln.org[/tp]

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Les dirigeants du Réseau des femmes africaines: Apporter les réalités des femmes aux décisions politiques

Le Réseau des femmes dirigeantes africaines pour la santé reproductive et la planification familiale (AWLN) tiendra une série de réunions politiques de haut niveau avec des parlementaires et des intervenants ghanéens entre le 10 et le 14 Octobre 2011. Cela comprendra des rencontres avec le professeur Mike Ocquaye, le 1er vice-président du Parlement, les membres du Caucus des femmes au Parlement, et les commissions des finances et de la santé.

Le 13 Octobre, AWLN tiendra un dialogue public avec les décideurs politiques et d’autres parties prenantes de 9 heures-17 heures à l’Hôtel Mövenpick, Accra. Le dialogue politique se concentrera sur le rôle de la planification familiale comme un outil de développement pour réaliser des réductions de la mortalité maternelle / infantile et souligner la valeur des investissements du gouvernement dans les matières premières et les services de planification familiale.

Le Réseau des femmes dirigeantes africaines pour la santé reproductive et la planification familiale (AWLN) est un réseau de 35 femmes africaines chefs de gouvernement, de la société civile, et des arts, qui se sont engagées à plaider pour un plus grand soutien pour la planification familiale et la santé reproductive par les gouvernements, les donateurs et les organismes internationaux. Formé par le Fonds Africain de Développement de la Femme (AWDF) et le Bureau régional de Planned Parenthood Federation-Africa International (IPPF-ARO), l’AWLN vise à tirer parti de la puissance collective de la voix des femmes africaines pour assurer des services et des produits de qualité pour le santé de la reproduction et de planification familiale dans toute l’Afrique. Le réseau est soutenu par l’initiative Advance Planning Familial de l’Institut Bill et Melinda Gates sur la population et la santé reproductive, et la Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Questions presse:

Abigail Ony Nwaohuocha (AWLN Communications Consultant)

Email: Abigail.ony@africlub.net/awdf

Tel: 024 8440 425

Web: http://www.africawln.org[/tp]

 

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

 

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

About AWDF

 

The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) is a grant-making foundation, which supports local, national and regional organizations in Africa working towards women’s empowerment. AWDF through institutional capacity building and program development seeks to build a culture of learning and partnerships within the African women’s movement.

 

The vision of AWDF is for African women to live in a world in which there is social justice, equality and respect for women’s human rights. To this end, our mission is to mobilize financial resources to support local, national and regional initiatives led by women, which will lead to the achievement of this vision.

 

Press Enquiries

 

Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah

Programme Officer for Communications, AWDF

Tel: +233 302 521 257

Email: nana@africlub.net/awdf

Website: www.africlub.net/awdf[/tp]

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AWDF ANNONCE LES FINALISTES DES PRIX DES CONCOURS D’ESSAIS ET DES BOURSES HAWA YAKUBU LEGACY FUND

 

Le Fonds Africain de Développement de la Femme (AWDF) est heureux d’annoncer les finalistes de la compétition du Fonds d’héritage de la dissertation et l’octroi de bourses Hawa Yakubu. Le 5 Juillet 2011, AWDF tiendra une cérémonie à la Maison AWDF à East Legon pour reconnaître ces finalistes.

 

Le fonds de dotation a été lancé le 12 Novembre 2010, dans le cadre des célébrations du 10e anniversaire d’AWDF, en mémoire de Hawa Yakubu, une activiste sociale, membre du Parlement lors de la Quatrième République du Ghana et un ancienne ministre du Tourisme.

 

A cette occasion, Son Excellence Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Présidente du Libéria et invitée spéciale d’AWDF pour les célébrations du 10e anniversaire, a parlé de son profond respect pour le travail de Hawa Yakubu et a exprimé sa joie que son héritage a été commémoré. Le fonds a été lancé officiellement par l’hon Frema Osei-Opare, Membre du Parlement, Ayawaso Ouest. M. Bernard Moro a prononcé un bref discours au nom de la famille d’Hawa Yakubu, exprimant la gratitude de la famille à AWDF pour honorer la mémoire de cette dernière.

 

Les finalistes qui font partie de la cérémonie le 5 Juillet sont Shiraz Saadijda de l’Université du Ghana, Phyllis Addo de l’Université du Ghana et Linda Atbilla de l’Université des Etudes de Développement qui ont été choisies après un processus concurrentiel rigoureux. Cela revenait à soumettre une dissertation sur le thème «L’autonomisation des femmes ghanéennes Pour une participation politique effective – une réalité ou rhétorique politique” Les 3 finalistes retenues se verront remettre une bourse pour soutenir leurs études universitaires et une subvention pour faciliter un projet qui profite à d’autres jeunes femmes.

 

 

A propos d’AWDF

 

Le Fonds Africain de Développement de la Femme (AWDF) est une fondation d’octroi de subventions, qui soutient des organisations locales, nationales et régionales en Afrique travaillent à l’autonomisation des femmes. AWDF à travers le renforcement des capacités institutionnelles et le développement de programmes vise à construire une culture de l’apprentissage et des partenariats au sein du mouvement des femmes africaines.

La vision d’AWDF est pour les femmes africaines de vivre dans un monde dans lequel il y a la justice sociale, l’égalité et le respect des droits humains des femmes. À cette fin, notre mission est de mobiliser des ressources financières pour soutenir les initiatives locales, nationales et régionales dirigées par des femmes, ce qui mènera à la réalisation de cette vision.

 

Questions presse

Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah

Programme Officer for Communications, AWDF

Tel: +233 302 521 257

Email: nana@africlub.net/awdf

Website: www.africlub.net/awdf[/tp]

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

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