As of 5 April, only 1,000 days remain until the end of the 2015 target date for achieving the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The eight MDGs – which range from halving extreme poverty to promoting gender equality to providing universal primary education by the target date of 2015 – form an internationally agreed blueprint which countries and leading development institutions have signed onto. Since their adoption in 2000, the MDGs have made a huge difference, helping to set global and … [Read more...]
“Women’s Voices” Project celebrated in South Sudan
April 6, 2013 by
UNESCO, in partnership with the South Sudan Women Empowerment Network (SSWEN) and a local radio station, carried out a capacity building training for women living in Guedele, a suburb located in South Sudan. The training was organized in the framework of the “Women’s Voices” project aimed at enabling women across the country’s ten states to talk about issues that are important for them, such as girls’ education and access to clean water. During the training, high illiteracy among women was … [Read more...]
Maasai, ‘They’re kicking us off our land to hunt lions!’
April 6, 2013 by
We are elders of the Maasai from Tanzania, one of Africa’s oldest tribes. The government has just announced that it plans to kick thousands of our families off our lands so that wealthy tourists can use them to shoot lions and leopards. The evictions are to begin immediately. Last year, when word first leaked about this plan, almost one million Avaaz members rallied to our aid. Your attention and the storm it created forced the government to deny the plan, and set them back months. But the … [Read more...]
Children Act Out Porn – No Surprise!
April 4, 2013 by
Activist's Journey To Life The Time is NOW to start protecting the Innocence of a Child Children in the UK have been acting out what they see on the internet - porn. Boys lure girls to parks to gang rape them, girls as young as 11 are expected to perform oral sex on line ups of boys - did we actually think that our perversity would not touch our children? Here is a Woman Taking Action to create positive change, starting with SELF: I forgive myself for accepting and allowing a … [Read more...]
Leymah Gbowee – WOMAN of ACTION™
April 3, 2013 by
A Celebration of Women™ is elated and deeply moved to Celebrate the Life of this wealth of spirit, working her courage through every fiber of her body, for the sake of women and girls' human rights through peace. Her mission of peace tells our world; "We are tired of war, we are tired of our children being raped, we are tired ... " WOMAN of ACTION™ Leymah Gbowee Leymah Roberta Gbowee (born 1 … [Read more...]
UN Women, Afghanistan condemns “honor killings” of women/girls
April 3, 2013 by
Kabul, April — Recently several cases of “Honor Killings” in Afghanistan have been reported by the media and the Afghan Women’s Network (AWN) recorded three cases of such killings across the country during the month of March. These include a young girl buried alive by her brother and father in the Kishim district of Badakhshan Province. In Heart Province, a 14-year-old girl was killed when she refused to marry her fiancé and in another case a brother killed his married sister when she … [Read more...]
CONGO, National Leadership required NOW – Take Action !!!
March 29, 2013 by
ENOUGH is ENOUGH - The Time is NOW to Take Action !!! March 2013 – Conflict-related sexual violence is one of the most urgent challenges facing the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a senior United Nations official says, stressing that leadership and responsibility on the part of the Government is critical to tackling this issue. “Only the Congolese people, with the support of the international community, can change the current situation and create a new narrative for the DRC,” the … [Read more...]
LGBT Health Awareness Week, KATHLEEN SEBELIUS
March 29, 2013 by
'Shortly after the Affordable Care Act was enacted, President Obama asked me to identify steps we could take at the Department of Health and Human Services to improve the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans. As we mark the beginning of LGBT Health Awareness Week, I am proud to say that we have been working hard to ensure LGBT Americans have the same rights and protections as other Americans. For example, we have released rules requiring Medicare … [Read more...]
The Whitehouse, ‘The most powerful moment you’ll watch today!’
March 28, 2013 by
"We Have Not Forgotten" This morning, President Obama talked about the tragedy in Newtown, which happened 104 days ago, and brought a room to silence with a simple point: "The entire country was shocked," he said. "And the entire country pledged we would do something about it and that this time would be different. Shame on us if we've forgotten. I haven't forgotten those kids. Shame on us if we've forgotten." He was in the East Room, standing with a group of mothers who … [Read more...]
The Single Mum Status is so empowering … Zimbabwe
March 28, 2013 by
Every woman longs to be loved and to be cherished. But sometimes, life is not always the way she wants it to be especially when it comes to matters of the heart and this is why she finally opts for the 'single mother' status, which in my belief is so empowering. Sometimes she gets scared that she is not going to get it right and so compromises her position especially in meeting new love prospects... ... it can be empowering but also terribly lonely. Although society at times might … [Read more...]
Rebeca Grynspan, “That’s the development message we have to give.”
March 28, 2013 by
Violence Against Women also hurts business and development | Suki Beavers & Benjamin Kumpf Violence against Women and Girls is a human rights violation – and this should be enough to trigger dedicated action. But this widespread violence also causes economic and development problems that remain invisible in most debates. A SEXUAL VIOLENCE SURVIVOR IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO. AFTER RECEIVING PSYCHO-SOCIAL SUPPORT AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING AT A MULTIFUNCTIONAL COMMUNITY CENTRE, SHE … [Read more...]
