JOHANNESBURG, August 2012 (IRIN) - Boys learning new ideas of masculinity around campfires in rural Africa and “sisterhoods” formed to provide a common voice to women are starting to change attitudes about African women farmers, say the authors of a forthcoming book about gender and agriculture. But it will take many more such efforts to support women food producers, who make up 43 percent of the agricultural labour force in developing countries. In some countries, that number rises to 70 to 80 … [Read more...]
Women in Senegal succeed thru Proctor & Gamble – ‘Rewrite the Future”
Senegalese women rewrite their future thanks to UNESCO and Procter & Gamble literacy partnership. The Sowame village of about 500 inhabitants is one of the first villages in Senegal to benefit from a new literacy project launched by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the multinational firm Procter & Gamble. Under the slogan “Rewrite the future”, the two year project aims to educate about 10,000 girls and women from 15 to 55 in … [Read more...]
RAPE: Eve Ensler ~ ‘Dear Mr. Akin, I Want You to Imagine …’
Dear V-Activists, I posted this letter on The Huffington Post and I have been flooded with thousands of emails, tweets, texts, stories of terrible rapes and profound emotion. There is a loud trembling unspoken story of women about to break to the surface of the world. It must break through if we are to survive as a species. It must break through. I want to thank each and every person (woman and man) who shared their story of violation with me. Your courage, your support, your anger, … [Read more...]
UN Women, 1st reparation order issued by International Criminal Court
Landmark ruling paves the way for strengthening women’s access to justice for conflict-related crimes. United Nations, New York — The ruling made by the International Criminal Court this week regarding reparations to victims in the case of convicted former Congolese militia commander Thomas Lubanga reflects a growing recognition in international law that justice must go beyond mere prosecutions and a focus on perpetrators to include an equal focus on victims’ rights to redress and … [Read more...]
Abby Osoba – WOMAN of ACTION™
A Celebration of Women™ is elated to Celebrate the Life of this powerhouse of example for female empowerment, offering her life to helping other women learn, as her Mother taught her: “You have to be twice as good.” In her own words, "I would empower women, because the empowerment of women has a powerful effect on any society, because if women are empowered in a society, it is a proxy for every positiveness going on in that society." WOMAN of … [Read more...]
Sierra Leone, women candidates prepare their political platforms
ELECTION 2012 - WOMEN Taking Action The gathering in a well-lit Sierra Leone classroom comes off as remarkably joyful. “By my side… by my side…” chants a group of vibrantly-clad women, swaying and clapping in unison. “No longer men in front and the women at the back, but women and men walking side-by-side.” In Makeni, Sierra Leone’s fourth-largest city, a mobile campaign school has just swung through. Run by the civil society-organized Campaign for Good Governance (watch video below) … [Read more...]
Kenya,1 Million Dads against Gender-based Violence
Celebrating Campaign to mobilize one million dads against gender-based violence kicks off in Kenya On a bright Sunday afternoon in July, over a thousand people gathered in Nairobi’s Arboretum Park to launch a campaign that will see one million men join the fight against gender-based violence in Kenya. Part of the UN Secretary-General’s Africa UNiTE Campaign, the 1 Million Fathers initiative will be engaging men in their roles as fathers, brothers, husbands and friends. The launch on 15 … [Read more...]
INCEST is more rampant than one knows…Take Action!
Does INCEST strip the INNOCENCE of a CHILD? That is the Question .... The problem is that this information is rarely tracked by third world countries. In developed nations, the case of sexual abuse, will always be naturally under reported. In the case of consensual incest, the topic is still taboo, but due to the nature of consent, we have a better picture. High Incest Activity Countries That is a hard question to answer. Several countries share the spot for … [Read more...]
Ethiopia: HIV+ Mother Pulls Family Back from Brink
With the help of WFP's food support and livelihood assistance programmes, Belaynish Dabe and her HIV-positive husband no longer struggle to feed themselves and their children. WFP's food support to people living with HIV helps ameliorate the double burden of lack of income and deteriorating health. DEBRE ZEIT--Belaynish Dabe, an HIV-positive mother of six children, used to struggle to feed herself and her children due to a lack of regular income. She grew only maize, which she could … [Read more...]
Fidelis Wambui Karanja – WOMAN of ACTION™
A Celebration of Women™ Celebrates the Life of this powerful human being that has offered her life to the bettering of the lives of others. Drawing from her inner strength and never giving up as she faced one obstacle after the next, this powerhouse is now the founder of an organization designed to provide women survivors of war, civil strife, gender based violence and young women in distress with tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and … [Read more...]