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Greetings!
Welcome to July's issue of AWDF News, the newsletter for donors and supporters of the African Women's Development Fund (AWDF).
AWDF News is designed to keep you informed about the difference your donation makes to the lives of African women,update you about our grantee partners and share with you some of the ways through which you can work with AWDF to transform the lives of African women and girls.
Thank you so much for your feedback on the maiden edition of our newsletter. It was so nice to receive all your messages of support and encouragement. Please continue to give us feedback and tell us what you would like to be featured in our newsletter.
This month's newsletter features an interview with the Akuapem Community Foundation, an organisation that AWDF has supported through our internship programme as well as some of the achievements of our grantee partners, Women Aid Collective in Nigeria and Kira Women and Youth Inititiative in Uganda. These organisations in their respective areas are both doing fantastic work to preserve and protect women's rights.
Thank you for enabling us to support these women
Sincerely,
Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi
Executive Director
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INTERVIEW WITH AKUAPEM COMMUNITY FOUNDATION |
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 Stella Owusu Aouad, Program Manager for Akuapem Community Foundation (in white top) with members
of AWDF's grants department
In June, Stella Owusu Aouad, Program Manager of the Akuapem Community Foundation completed a period of internship with the African Women's Development Fund. AWDF's Programme Officer Nana Sekyiamah, sat down with Stella to learn more about the work of the foundation.
AWDF: How did the Akuapem Community Fund come into being?
ACF: The Akuapem Community Fund evolved out of a forum initiated by Nana Oye Mensah Yeboah, the first female deputy governor of the Bank of Ghana. In 2002, she was made Dompiahene of the Akuapem traditional area which makes her the general of the Akuapem army. (The Akuapem traditional area can be found in the Eastern region of Ghana) In the past, this was a position that used to be reserved for men - Nana Oye Mensah is a chief and not a queen mother..continue reading 'Interview with Akuapem Community Foundation'.
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| AWDF NEWS |
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GRANTEE PARTNER UPDATE FROM WOMEN AID COLLECTIVE (WACOL)
Cross section of participants at the public hearing
One of the challenges faced by women's rights activities is the resurgence of issues. In Nigeria, activists are battling a resurgence of conservatism as evidenced by the 'Public Nudity, Sexual Intimidation and other Related Matters' Bill. One of AWDF's grantee partners WACOL was present at a public hearing on the bill to advocate for women's rights and against the passing of the bill...continue reading 'Grantee Partner update from Women Aid Collective (WACOL)'.
BRIDGING THE ICT GAP FOR AFRICAN WOMEN
It is widely acknowledged that we now live in a world driven by information technology. However,the majority of African women are being left behind in the information technology stakes. A lack of IT knowledge can be a barrier to employment and it was for this reason that AWDF supported Kira Women and Youth Inititative's IT resource centre. Gloria Namayanja, a widow who was previously unemployed is now running a secretarial bureau and wrote a poem about the programme...continue reading 'Bridging the ICT Gap for African Women'.
ENDING IMPUNITY FOR SEXUAL AND GENDER BASED VIOLENCE
Sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) is a scourge on Africa; a pandemic that has undermined women and girls' rights to autonomy, bodily integrity, human dignity, sexuality, security and tranquillity. SGBV has, and continues to be a major hindrance to rights and justice. It is prevalent in all our societies across the continent, including non-conflict situations. It is repeatedly used as a weapon against girls and women in conflict/crisis situations. SGBV, including intimate partner violence, is a leading factor in the increasing "feminisation" of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa...continue reading 'Ending impunity for sexual and gender based violence' |
| EXCERPTS FROM THE AWDF BLOG |
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MOTHER OF THE YEAR
I had settled in to the flight from Entebbe to Nairobi on Monday June 30th , feeling a bit sorry for myself. I had to catch the 5am flight out of Entebbe, which meant leaving Kampala for Entebbe at 3am which in turn meant I got no sleep. The flight attendant offered us some local papers, so I picked out the day's edition of the Ugandan national daily, The New Vision. There it was on the front page, 'Mother cuts off defiler's penis'. By the time I finished the story, my spirits were up and I have been in a great mood ever since.
According to the newspaper report, Angelina Kyomugisha from Rugyerera village in Kashari County, Mbarara district, Uganda, was weeding her banana farm, when she heard her 10 year old daughter cry out. The cries persisted, and she went over to have a look, only to find 40 year old Geoffrey Mugarura 'defiling' her little girl...continue reading 'Mother of the Year' |
| AWDF AT INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE, MEXICO 2008 |
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 Funding African women working on HIV/AIDS issues
The African Women's Development Fund (AWDF) will be attending the XVII International Aids Conference in Mexico, August 3rd- 8th. Activities AWDF will be involved in at the Mexico conference include the press launch of a progress document on the achievements of our HIV/AIDS fund since it's inception in November 2005. To date, AWDF's HIV/AIDS fund has disbursed U$2,013,375 in grants to 107 African women's organisations in 25 countries, provided grant-making and technical support for grassroots organisations, networks and support groups of women living with HIV/AIDS in several countries and invested in multi-year funding in order to scale up some of the initiatives of African women's organisations working on HIV/AIDS. Key events for AWDF at the Mexico conference include...continue reading 'AWDF at International Aids Conference' | |
The African Women's Development Fund (AWDF) is a grant-making foundation which supports local, national and regional organisations in Africa working towards women's empowerment. AWDF through institutional capacity building and programme 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 mobilise financial resources to support local, national and regional initiatives led by women, which will lead to the achievement of this vision. AWDF funds women's groups across Africa working in the areas of Women's Human Rights, Political Participation, Peace Building, Health and Reproductive Rights, HIV/AIDS and Economic Empowerment.
AWDF has funded over 600 women's organisations in 41 African countries. AWDF's grants range from U$1,000- U$50,000, and multi-year grants of up to $120,000 can be made to grantees engaged in strategic work.
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