Today we visited 'L'union des femmes violees veuves et enfants orphelis victime de la guerre' (UFEVEOVIG)which loosely translates as the Union of Raped Women, Orphans and Victims of the War. (I now wish I had taken my French lessons more seriously)By the end of our meeting, half our delegation were in tears.
The centre is run by Madam Zawadi, herself a victim of sexual violence. Her mother was buried alive and her sister also violated sexually which is her motivation for the work she does. The centre had to leave their downtown offices when it was taken over by the transitional authorities and were given space by a pastor in a run down part of town.
Personal testimonies by a young girl of 10 and an older woman was the reason for the delegation ending up in tears. Initially when we were told a young girl wanted to testify we were concerned but reassured that the girl was doing this of her own volition and with the permission of her parents who were at the meeting.
This is the story of the young girl paraphrased to the best of my ability.
On the 16th of May 2007, I went to school and upon my return a man from the neighbourhood asked me to come for a piece of cloth which my Dad would use to sew a shirt for him. When I went to his house, he took the cloth which he said he was going to give to me, covered my mouth and cuffed me. He threatened me with a knife and took me to his bedroom. I was there for three days and abused constantly. I left on the 18th of May at about 10pm. He took me on his back and left me about 100 meters from my house. When I got home my father asked me where I was coming from and I told him that the man had kept me at his house. We went to the police station and returned to the neighbour's house where he was arrested.
The next morning the man came with his lawyer and took me to the hospital without any members of my family. The lawyer told me that if you continue to testify when we go back to the police station I will kill you and throw you in the river. When we returned to the police station I was beaten and intimidated. I was detained and only released two days later at 11pm. We went to another police station where we filed a report. The man was then taken to prison but released a month later. This was when I met Madam Zawadi who came to see me and took me to hospital where I got tested but had no sexual diseases.
Personally what I found most heart rending was the look in this young girl's eyes. There was no light behind her eyes, her eyes were dead and it is impossible to imagine the pain she has been through. Her case is currenly back in the courts.
The second testimony was by an older woman who hails from the Eastern part of the country. Again I will try to paraphrase her story.
I was arrested in 2005. We were arrested and beaten by about 200 men. On weekends, mostly Saturdays they will give us charcoal and dirt to eat. They will also bring their children who will undress us and finger us. They would beat us and cut us with knives. I had a 5 year old child who was killed and cut into pieces. I was asked to cook the meat and eat it. They threatened to kill me so I was forced to eat a piece of my own child.
One day we were able to escape. We run for days until we reached Kinsanga where we reported to the authorities. They said there is no room here, your captors will follow you so I was put into a boat. I was very sick...the boat broke down and we changed boats until we docked at a harbour. I don't know which harbour it was. I was taken somewhere and someone rang the lady (referring to Madam Zawadi). I was wearing sacks. The lady came over with some t-shirts and cloths. My friends who I had left behind had their mouths and vaginas cut. We have no one to help us. I was really sick and for 8 months could not leave my room.
After hearing these two testimonies the majority of the delegation decided that they could not bear to hear anymore. The members of UFEVEOVIG then told us that they worked on plantations and wanted to present us with gifts from their labour which included cabbage, rice, eggs, groundnuts and an envelope filled with cash. We were overwhelmed and not quite sure what to do. Here were the donors being given money. My initial instinct was to accept the food and not the money but I was assured by the interpreter that would be inappropriate as it was the cultural practice so we quickly got together and responded with a gift in return.
What we really impressed me about Madam Zawadi was her quiet passion and dedication to her cause. She shared pictures with us...in one photo were 3 women speakng up about sexual violence and in the far right hand side was a man armed with a machete. She told us that the man had tried to prevent them from speaking up but they were not scared. Organisations like UFEVEOVIG need financial, technical and moral support. Madam Zawadi's one request was that if we ever held any conferences or workshops to invite her to participate and share her story.
Nana Sekyiamah
Programme Officer
Fundraising & Communications
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Mission to the DRC
My colleague Rissi (Francophone Programme Officer) and I arrived in the DRC on the 22nd of September for our scheduled mission in partnership with the Open Society Initiative for South Africa (OSISA). I have to admit that the DRC is not a country that has ever been on my list of ‘countries to visit before I die’ but here we were and what a welcome we got. Even before you leave the airport tarmac and enter the airport building you are asked for your yellow fever certificate. Fortunately I had mine (although no official has asked to see this document in so many years) although my colleague had accidentally left her certificate in her suitcase…Obstacle number 1.
Although our host had assured us that arrangements were going to be made for us to be issued with visas on arrival, immigration said they had no knowledge of this and all the evidence was pointing to us being put on a return flight to wherever we had arrived from. To be honest I was going to have had no issue with this. I was tired, hadn’t slept for more than 5 hours a night for a week and was feeling rather intimidated by the armed men and the harsh immigration officers who were barking questions at us in French (a language I don’t speak very well). Just as it seemed we were homebound for Ghana, a lady arrived with our names written on a sheet of paper and presented immigration with the official papers that said we could be issued with visa papers, but that was not the end of obstacle number 2. We still had to pay ‘facilitation fees’ to the customs officer, retrieve our baggage and resolutely ignore all the men who ‘tried to help us with our luggage’ and were hounding us for money when we left the airport. I have never in my life seen such a chaotic airport; Kotoka International seems heavenly in comparison. You would think Obstacle number 2 would be over by now but no, our transportation was a pick up and our guide said it would be unsafe to put our suitcases in the back (which was open) yet there was no way Rissi and I were going to be able to fit in the back with our two huge suitcases so we had to spend the journey to our hotel watching the back of the pick up in case anyone tried to lift the suitcases. Leaving your suitcases in the back of an unsecured pick up is obviously not the thing to do in the DRC as passengers in a trotro which was driving parallel to us all turned to look at us and point at our pickup. By now I was getting more and more nervous.
Eventually we get to Hotel Memling only for the receptionist to tell us that our reservation had been cancelled (they were expecting us earlier) and that there were no vacancies so we lug our suitcases back into the open back of the pickup and our guide takes us to where the rest of our delegation is meeting. After an urgent phone call by one of the organizers to the hotel, a room mysteriously becomes available which my colleague and I share. Obstacle number 3 has now been overcome.
We are in the DRC not only to show solidarity with Congolese women’s rights organizations but also to get a clearer understanding of the challenges that women face in the country and to understand how best we can support women’s rights work in the country. Today, the 23rd of September, we met with the Network for Gender and Equality which is a mixed network of male and female parliamentarians. Interestingly all MPs are members of this group although according to the President of the Network 50% of members (300) are active. In the light of discussions at the AFF about whether men can be feminists and part of the African women’s movement it was very interesting to be handed a card by a man which described him as an ‘expert’ on gender. Hmm…
We followed this meeting with a separate meeting with the Women’s Caucus of parliament where women MPs outlined some challenges they faced which were similar to some of the issues raised by the women in the Gender and Equality network. Some of the issues in common were the challenges of resources needed for running for office, women’s lack of confidence which was shown in a reluctance to speak up in discussions or sometimes being uncomfortable about expressing themselves in French which is the language used in parliament. Both sessions were very informative and personally it was good to hear from the women’s caucus that there were particular issues which united women MPs across party lines. This included issues of sexual violence, HIV/AIDS and women’s political participation. As someone who argues passionately for gender parity in politics this was welcome news.
The day ended with a visit to the office of UNIFEM to learn more about the work that UNIFEM is doing in the DRC. The Officer in charge of UNIFEM DRC is a man and to date I have never met a man who is as knowledgeable and passionate about gender issues as he was. What was also very refreshing was his candour and willingness to share information even when we were asking questions which could be perceived as critical of his organization. It was also useful to find out that some of the challenges AWDF faces in regards to impact measurement is also shared by agencies such as UNIFEM. As our colleague at UNIFEM pointed out it is very hard to compile quantitative impact indicators for Sexual Violence. Before starting a project you will not have access to baseline figures about numbers of rape victims for example and after the project you may find that the numbers rise as more women then are more likely to report rape. In his words, the high sexual violence figures are on its own an impact indicator of the consequence of doing nothing.
Nana Sekyiamah
Programme Officer
Fundraising & Communications
Although our host had assured us that arrangements were going to be made for us to be issued with visas on arrival, immigration said they had no knowledge of this and all the evidence was pointing to us being put on a return flight to wherever we had arrived from. To be honest I was going to have had no issue with this. I was tired, hadn’t slept for more than 5 hours a night for a week and was feeling rather intimidated by the armed men and the harsh immigration officers who were barking questions at us in French (a language I don’t speak very well). Just as it seemed we were homebound for Ghana, a lady arrived with our names written on a sheet of paper and presented immigration with the official papers that said we could be issued with visa papers, but that was not the end of obstacle number 2. We still had to pay ‘facilitation fees’ to the customs officer, retrieve our baggage and resolutely ignore all the men who ‘tried to help us with our luggage’ and were hounding us for money when we left the airport. I have never in my life seen such a chaotic airport; Kotoka International seems heavenly in comparison. You would think Obstacle number 2 would be over by now but no, our transportation was a pick up and our guide said it would be unsafe to put our suitcases in the back (which was open) yet there was no way Rissi and I were going to be able to fit in the back with our two huge suitcases so we had to spend the journey to our hotel watching the back of the pick up in case anyone tried to lift the suitcases. Leaving your suitcases in the back of an unsecured pick up is obviously not the thing to do in the DRC as passengers in a trotro which was driving parallel to us all turned to look at us and point at our pickup. By now I was getting more and more nervous.
Eventually we get to Hotel Memling only for the receptionist to tell us that our reservation had been cancelled (they were expecting us earlier) and that there were no vacancies so we lug our suitcases back into the open back of the pickup and our guide takes us to where the rest of our delegation is meeting. After an urgent phone call by one of the organizers to the hotel, a room mysteriously becomes available which my colleague and I share. Obstacle number 3 has now been overcome.
We are in the DRC not only to show solidarity with Congolese women’s rights organizations but also to get a clearer understanding of the challenges that women face in the country and to understand how best we can support women’s rights work in the country. Today, the 23rd of September, we met with the Network for Gender and Equality which is a mixed network of male and female parliamentarians. Interestingly all MPs are members of this group although according to the President of the Network 50% of members (300) are active. In the light of discussions at the AFF about whether men can be feminists and part of the African women’s movement it was very interesting to be handed a card by a man which described him as an ‘expert’ on gender. Hmm…
We followed this meeting with a separate meeting with the Women’s Caucus of parliament where women MPs outlined some challenges they faced which were similar to some of the issues raised by the women in the Gender and Equality network. Some of the issues in common were the challenges of resources needed for running for office, women’s lack of confidence which was shown in a reluctance to speak up in discussions or sometimes being uncomfortable about expressing themselves in French which is the language used in parliament. Both sessions were very informative and personally it was good to hear from the women’s caucus that there were particular issues which united women MPs across party lines. This included issues of sexual violence, HIV/AIDS and women’s political participation. As someone who argues passionately for gender parity in politics this was welcome news.
The day ended with a visit to the office of UNIFEM to learn more about the work that UNIFEM is doing in the DRC. The Officer in charge of UNIFEM DRC is a man and to date I have never met a man who is as knowledgeable and passionate about gender issues as he was. What was also very refreshing was his candour and willingness to share information even when we were asking questions which could be perceived as critical of his organization. It was also useful to find out that some of the challenges AWDF faces in regards to impact measurement is also shared by agencies such as UNIFEM. As our colleague at UNIFEM pointed out it is very hard to compile quantitative impact indicators for Sexual Violence. Before starting a project you will not have access to baseline figures about numbers of rape victims for example and after the project you may find that the numbers rise as more women then are more likely to report rape. In his words, the high sexual violence figures are on its own an impact indicator of the consequence of doing nothing.
Nana Sekyiamah
Programme Officer
Fundraising & Communications
Saturday, September 20, 2008
A song for Love: For Lovetta Warner, Liberian AIDS Activist
Part of what I have enjoyed the most at this year's AFF has been the sheer creativity unleashed. Jessica Horn who is a member of the AFF working group has kindly agreed that I can reproduce this poem which she wrote in honour of Lovetta Warner and read during one of the workshops I attended:
Call her love
call her brave
call her anytime
you dare
renegade butterfly in the forest
of men's endless hunger
scarlet lipped militant feeding
our days from her endless
harvest of laughter
she doesn't want bones
no burnt endings at the bottom
of life's pot, bring her the flesh
of life and she will feast
calling on all earth's children to
come, nourish, grow
call her now
call her later
call her anytime you dare
'cos til now
no man has succeeded
in silencing thunder
no way no man
is going to do it today
Nana Sekyiamah
Programme Officer
Fundraising & Communications
Call her love
call her brave
call her anytime
you dare
renegade butterfly in the forest
of men's endless hunger
scarlet lipped militant feeding
our days from her endless
harvest of laughter
she doesn't want bones
no burnt endings at the bottom
of life's pot, bring her the flesh
of life and she will feast
calling on all earth's children to
come, nourish, grow
call her now
call her later
call her anytime you dare
'cos til now
no man has succeeded
in silencing thunder
no way no man
is going to do it today
Nana Sekyiamah
Programme Officer
Fundraising & Communications
Friday, September 19, 2008
African Feminist Forum: 'I can't believe it is only Day 2'
Today has been day 2 of the African Feminist Forum and what an experience it has been. This is the very first time I have attended a conference organised solely by African women and where the speakers, moderators and participants have all been African women. I am used to attending conferences where you have the token black speaker so it has felt empowering, refreshing and sometimes awe inspiring to be surrounded by some famous, some infamous, some ordinary, but in total extraordinary women united in a belief and passion for African Feminism.
In these first two days highlights for me has included the opportunity to listen to Abena Busia speak on the subject of feminist knowledge production and recite inspirational poetry inspired by conversations with her Mother. I could listen to Abena for days on end, she has such a beautiful melodious voice...
Another highlight has been the great debate on 'Can Men be Feminists and involved in the African Feminist Movement?'. This is a crucial question which the women's movement keeps coming up against and it was great to look at this question from a fun and light hearted approach. We had people like Sarah Mukasa, Director of Programmes at AWDF for the motion and people like Solome Nakaweesi Kimbugwe firmly against the motion.Sarah came up with a great slogan for her argument which was 'women organising with feminist men' and the response from Solome's camp was 'Have you ever heard of inviting your oppressor to join you! In every sense of the word they have screwed us up'. Personally, I am firmly against the motion. Sarah, are you really for the motion or were you playing devil's advocate?
This is only Day 2 I have to repeat but we have had a book launch of Pregs Govender's book 'Love and Courage'. I have my autographed version which I am not giving up for love or money and I have also had the opportunity to interview Leymah Gbowee who led a movement of Liberian women who successfully agitated for peace in Liberia as well as interviewed Dr Musimbi Kanyoro,a long standing friend of AWDF and Director of the Population Programme at The David and Lucille Packard Foundation.
I am looking forward tomorrow to the 'Feminists on Trial' session and multi-generational dinner...details on a later blog.
Nana Sekyiamah
Programme Officer
Fundraising & Communications
In these first two days highlights for me has included the opportunity to listen to Abena Busia speak on the subject of feminist knowledge production and recite inspirational poetry inspired by conversations with her Mother. I could listen to Abena for days on end, she has such a beautiful melodious voice...
Another highlight has been the great debate on 'Can Men be Feminists and involved in the African Feminist Movement?'. This is a crucial question which the women's movement keeps coming up against and it was great to look at this question from a fun and light hearted approach. We had people like Sarah Mukasa, Director of Programmes at AWDF for the motion and people like Solome Nakaweesi Kimbugwe firmly against the motion.Sarah came up with a great slogan for her argument which was 'women organising with feminist men' and the response from Solome's camp was 'Have you ever heard of inviting your oppressor to join you! In every sense of the word they have screwed us up'. Personally, I am firmly against the motion. Sarah, are you really for the motion or were you playing devil's advocate?
This is only Day 2 I have to repeat but we have had a book launch of Pregs Govender's book 'Love and Courage'. I have my autographed version which I am not giving up for love or money and I have also had the opportunity to interview Leymah Gbowee who led a movement of Liberian women who successfully agitated for peace in Liberia as well as interviewed Dr Musimbi Kanyoro,a long standing friend of AWDF and Director of the Population Programme at The David and Lucille Packard Foundation.
I am looking forward tomorrow to the 'Feminists on Trial' session and multi-generational dinner...details on a later blog.
Nana Sekyiamah
Programme Officer
Fundraising & Communications
Thursday, September 18, 2008
No longer a voice in the Wilderness
AWDF in association with our partners Akina Mama wa Afrika are currently convening the 2nd African Feminist Forum in Uganda. At the opening ceremony this morning Dr Susan Kiguli, a lecturer at the Institute of Languages, University of Makarere shared a powerful poem which she wrote specifically for this occasion.
NO LONGER A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS
together a vision of the times
spreading revolution
creating change
No longer a voice alone
a voice in the wilderness
thunder rumbling in a distance
a mysterious noise hidden in dark clouds
wrecking the calm.
No longer a voice alone
A voice without family
Without audience
Without country
together a vision of the times
spreading revolution
creating change
We have swallowed the might of the sky
to speak language yet unspoken
unheard
to rip way the edges of time
to say yesterday, now, tomorrow
to look into the clouds of time
and speak courage together,
women unafraid
to build a dwelling of voices
assembling as song, will , action.
together a vision of the times
spreading revolution
creating change
We reach back into the memory of time
marching single file with Nyabingi
Irene Druscilla Namaganda, Pumla Kisosonkole, Rebecca Mulira.
Rhoda Kalema, Joyce Mpanga, Sarah Ntiro
and the multitudes of women
named and nameless
holding the yellow crystal of the
noon day sun
letting it bathe us in the
magic of saying
NO, NO, NO
to dictums we do not understand
standing up to the governor
to say freedom back
We want our right to choose
We need our families intact
We are planting the seed of revolution
of speech
of marching to tangible change
of breaking ranks
using language familiar and unfamiliar
to occupy citadels whose doors
have been securely locked.
we are marching revolution
we are marching change
together a vision of the times
spreading revolution
creating change
We are scattering the sunlight
rising with dawn
wearing the resplendent deep blue
of the sky
holding out with Miria Matembe, Sylvia Tamale, Akina Mama wa Afrika,
Fida Uganda and the whole company of women
Lifting the flame of fearlessness
Burying the ghosts of dictators
With their insane decrees
“Single women must marry immediately
and don’t you ever name your bodies in public
it is pure indecency
nurse your babies and dreams,
But it is in your interest not
to provoke us.”
We refuse you to take
more than we are able to supply
together a vision of the times
spreading revolution
creating change
My question to you here is 'Will you continue to be a voice in the wilderness?'
Nana Sekyiamah
Programme Officer
Fundraising & Communications
NO LONGER A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS
together a vision of the times
spreading revolution
creating change
No longer a voice alone
a voice in the wilderness
thunder rumbling in a distance
a mysterious noise hidden in dark clouds
wrecking the calm.
No longer a voice alone
A voice without family
Without audience
Without country
together a vision of the times
spreading revolution
creating change
We have swallowed the might of the sky
to speak language yet unspoken
unheard
to rip way the edges of time
to say yesterday, now, tomorrow
to look into the clouds of time
and speak courage together,
women unafraid
to build a dwelling of voices
assembling as song, will , action.
together a vision of the times
spreading revolution
creating change
We reach back into the memory of time
marching single file with Nyabingi
Irene Druscilla Namaganda, Pumla Kisosonkole, Rebecca Mulira.
Rhoda Kalema, Joyce Mpanga, Sarah Ntiro
and the multitudes of women
named and nameless
holding the yellow crystal of the
noon day sun
letting it bathe us in the
magic of saying
NO, NO, NO
to dictums we do not understand
standing up to the governor
to say freedom back
We want our right to choose
We need our families intact
We are planting the seed of revolution
of speech
of marching to tangible change
of breaking ranks
using language familiar and unfamiliar
to occupy citadels whose doors
have been securely locked.
we are marching revolution
we are marching change
together a vision of the times
spreading revolution
creating change
We are scattering the sunlight
rising with dawn
wearing the resplendent deep blue
of the sky
holding out with Miria Matembe, Sylvia Tamale, Akina Mama wa Afrika,
Fida Uganda and the whole company of women
Lifting the flame of fearlessness
Burying the ghosts of dictators
With their insane decrees
“Single women must marry immediately
and don’t you ever name your bodies in public
it is pure indecency
nurse your babies and dreams,
But it is in your interest not
to provoke us.”
We refuse you to take
more than we are able to supply
together a vision of the times
spreading revolution
creating change
My question to you here is 'Will you continue to be a voice in the wilderness?'
Nana Sekyiamah
Programme Officer
Fundraising & Communications
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
What you need to be a successful fundraiser
One of the things I had promised to do this week is to blog about my experiences at the 'Women Raising Millions' training course being held in San Francisco by the Women's Funding Network. Part of what has been great about this course has been the opportunity to learn from all the other women who lead and work for women's funds across the world. I found myself yesterday starting to make a note of 'What do you need to be a successful fundraiser?' and compiled my list based on what people were saying and ideas that struck me during the day. Part of what I think is really interesting at this point in time is that AWDF in association with Resource Alliance(UK) and the Ghana Institute of Management and Professional Association (GIMPA) is currently running in Ghana a fundraising course with trainers including Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, Executive Director of AWDF, Abigail Burgesson, Senior Program Manager for Special Programs and Joan Koomson, Donor Liason Officer.
So here is my list so far:
To be a successful fundraiser you need to :
* Be passionate about your cause
* Have an extensive network of friends and supporters
* Be knowledgeable about your organisation and have key figures and facts about your organisations to hand
* Have a compelling story about why your organisation should be funded
* Research your prosepctive donors
* Ask for advice not money ( I think I will need to write a separate blog about this)
* Understand that 'No' only means 'Hello'
* Track the impact of your work and be prepared to show the results of your work
* Think of innovative ways to raise money
* Work hard to establish connections and good relationships with your funders
* Cultivate your prospects (this could be a separate blog too!)
* Find opportunities to learn more about your prospective donors
* Not worry about making mistakes - see mistakes as learning opportunities
* Dedicate time and resources to fundraising
* Find out what issues your prospects emotionally connect with
Nana Sekyiamah
Programme Officer
Fundraising & Communications
So here is my list so far:
To be a successful fundraiser you need to :
* Be passionate about your cause
* Have an extensive network of friends and supporters
* Be knowledgeable about your organisation and have key figures and facts about your organisations to hand
* Have a compelling story about why your organisation should be funded
* Research your prosepctive donors
* Ask for advice not money ( I think I will need to write a separate blog about this)
* Understand that 'No' only means 'Hello'
* Track the impact of your work and be prepared to show the results of your work
* Think of innovative ways to raise money
* Work hard to establish connections and good relationships with your funders
* Cultivate your prospects (this could be a separate blog too!)
* Find opportunities to learn more about your prospective donors
* Not worry about making mistakes - see mistakes as learning opportunities
* Dedicate time and resources to fundraising
* Find out what issues your prospects emotionally connect with
Nana Sekyiamah
Programme Officer
Fundraising & Communications
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Accra - London - San Francisco
My flight left Accra, Ghana at about 22.30pm GMT and finally arrived in San Francisco, California at about 15.00(about 20.00 GMT) the following day. It took at least an hour to get through immigration...going through US immigration is probably one of the things I hate most about travelling to the US. I always find that I get asked the most inane questions (maybe the questions are not inane and I just hate being quizzed). One of the questions I got asked this time was 'You've been to Turkey?'. I had a Turkish stamp in my passport from a holiday there a year ago and 'Have you been to the US before?'. My answer, 'several times' and the follow up question from the Immigration Officer was ' Was this on this passport or your previous passport'. I guess it was in my previous passport as my current passport was issued in 2006 and I had no US stamps in there. Actually I just realised I probably have it easy when it comes to US immigration.I have dual nationality and carry a British passport...I can only imagine what life would be like if I travelled on a Ghanaian passport.
I am in San Francisco to participate in the 'Women Raising Millions' training program which seeks to enable women's funds to leverage millions. I have been looking forward to this course but also slightly concerned about the fact that the majority of participants are Executive Directors of their own organisations whereas I am a programme officer. After Day 1 of this course, that concern has gone. I still think the other participants have an advantage over me because they are the primary decision makers in their own organisations but the good thing is I haven't felt out of my league at all which was one of my concerns. Part of what I want to do on this blog this week is to share some of my key learnings from this course.
Key learning for me today has been:
* A reminder about the importance of 'story-telling'. When you tell a donor or potential donor about your fund you are able to connect with them at a deeper level than when you state what your mission is.
* Some of the most exciting results we get from the work we fund are 'unexpected' and may not always come across in grantee reports. A good way to get this information is to ask ' What were your unexpected results?'
* Do not ask potential donors for money straightaway. Ask instead for advice. A useful quote that the guest presenter Tuti shared is ' When you ask for money you get advice. When you ask for advice, you get money'.
If you are a fundraiser reading this blog I am really curious to find out what you have learnt about leveraging major funding from individuals? What has had to be in place for you to raise major gifts from individuals?
Nana Sekyiamah
Programme Officer
Fundraising & Communications
I am in San Francisco to participate in the 'Women Raising Millions' training program which seeks to enable women's funds to leverage millions. I have been looking forward to this course but also slightly concerned about the fact that the majority of participants are Executive Directors of their own organisations whereas I am a programme officer. After Day 1 of this course, that concern has gone. I still think the other participants have an advantage over me because they are the primary decision makers in their own organisations but the good thing is I haven't felt out of my league at all which was one of my concerns. Part of what I want to do on this blog this week is to share some of my key learnings from this course.
Key learning for me today has been:
* A reminder about the importance of 'story-telling'. When you tell a donor or potential donor about your fund you are able to connect with them at a deeper level than when you state what your mission is.
* Some of the most exciting results we get from the work we fund are 'unexpected' and may not always come across in grantee reports. A good way to get this information is to ask ' What were your unexpected results?'
* Do not ask potential donors for money straightaway. Ask instead for advice. A useful quote that the guest presenter Tuti shared is ' When you ask for money you get advice. When you ask for advice, you get money'.
If you are a fundraiser reading this blog I am really curious to find out what you have learnt about leveraging major funding from individuals? What has had to be in place for you to raise major gifts from individuals?
Nana Sekyiamah
Programme Officer
Fundraising & Communications
Thursday, September 4, 2008
WHERE IS THE PEACE?
The Northern Region of Ghana has seen so much violence in recent times. The Bawku conflict has been the most prominent but now there appears to be new conflicts as a result of politics. For a relatively peaceful nation like Ghana this is a tragedy!
Political campaigns should be focused on issues which are developmental and should not result in the destruction of meager developmental gains chalked over a rather long period. At the end of the day which group of people suffers most from conflict? Your guess is as good as mine - the grandmothers, the mothers, and the children. No wonder the Regional Minister wept after visiting the scene of chaos, burnt houses and destruction as a result of fighting between supporters of Ghana’s largest political parties. (As depicted by September 4, 2008 edition of the Daily Graphic, one of the major newspapers in Ghana).
That reminds me of a visit Hilda Gorlluh (Program Assistant, Grants) and I carried out in October 2007 when we visited a widows group, ‘Winampang Widows group’ near Bawku, the capital city of the Upper-East Region of Ghana. We broke down and wept after we visited the group. Why did we weep? We were simply overwhelmed with the poverty, misery, agony, disease, food insecurity and all the other challenges facing widows in the group. It is my sincere hope that despite the challenges of living in conflict affected zones, the recent grant provided to ‘Winampang Widows group’ group by AWDF for economic empowerment activities will enable beneficiaries to make a better life for themselves.
People of the Northern Region of Ghana, People of West Africa and people of the African continent, let us give peace a chance. Let us acknowledge the fact that we are all one people with a common destiny. There is no doubt that our continent, countries and regions are very rich in natural and human resources. Let us direct our resources and concert our efforts to development instead of destruction and the vehicle for such a process is nothing, but PEACE.
Grace Amenyogbeli
Administration Manager
Political campaigns should be focused on issues which are developmental and should not result in the destruction of meager developmental gains chalked over a rather long period. At the end of the day which group of people suffers most from conflict? Your guess is as good as mine - the grandmothers, the mothers, and the children. No wonder the Regional Minister wept after visiting the scene of chaos, burnt houses and destruction as a result of fighting between supporters of Ghana’s largest political parties. (As depicted by September 4, 2008 edition of the Daily Graphic, one of the major newspapers in Ghana).
That reminds me of a visit Hilda Gorlluh (Program Assistant, Grants) and I carried out in October 2007 when we visited a widows group, ‘Winampang Widows group’ near Bawku, the capital city of the Upper-East Region of Ghana. We broke down and wept after we visited the group. Why did we weep? We were simply overwhelmed with the poverty, misery, agony, disease, food insecurity and all the other challenges facing widows in the group. It is my sincere hope that despite the challenges of living in conflict affected zones, the recent grant provided to ‘Winampang Widows group’ group by AWDF for economic empowerment activities will enable beneficiaries to make a better life for themselves.
People of the Northern Region of Ghana, People of West Africa and people of the African continent, let us give peace a chance. Let us acknowledge the fact that we are all one people with a common destiny. There is no doubt that our continent, countries and regions are very rich in natural and human resources. Let us direct our resources and concert our efforts to development instead of destruction and the vehicle for such a process is nothing, but PEACE.
Grace Amenyogbeli
Administration Manager
Monday, September 1, 2008
Why I do what I do
I am really looking forward to the 'Women Raising Millions Training Program' that I am attending next week in San Francisco, an interactive program designed to propel fundraisers to the next meeting. The trainers have generously agreed that I can update this blog (with the proper references of course) with some of the tips, techniques and knowledge that I will gain from this course.
One of our pre-assignments has been to write a personal introduction to other participants on 'the one thing' that has influenced me to be where I am today. Now that really got me thinking, 'Why do I do what I do?' My introduction to my fellow participants is below. Let me know your thoughts?
‘Mummy why do you have to prepare food for Daddy’?
‘Sisi, can you come and help me? Mummy, I am reading my book’.
‘Ei Sisi! One day you will allow someone to insult me (direct translation from Akan into English)’ in response to my persistent lack of interest in cooking.
As a child I was aware (probably on an unconscious level) of the differences between men and women. One of my clearest memories is of my Mum complaining that she would have to prepare food for my Dad very late in the day…My Dad worked in the civil service and after work would play squash with his friends. After squash, Dad would have a couple of beers and peanuts with his friends at the Officer’s Mess near the squash court where they played. On his way home Daddy would often stop to purchase Kenkey and Fish (a staple Ghanaian dish) sold by the roadside for his dinner. Mummy would be responsible for ensuring there was fresh pepper to accompany the meal, the table was set and would have to sit by my Dad whilst he ate. Dinner for Dad would usually be anytime between 10pm and 11pm.
Now the one thing that I did not understand was why my Mum would complain about having to prepare (or serve) dinner so late. I used to think ‘Why are you doing this if you don’t want to’. I remember saying to my Dad ‘When I get married I won’t cook for my husband’. So how has all of this led me to where I am today? I felt a sense of injustice in female – male relations and it was only after reading the works of feminists such as bell hooks that I understood why my Mum would have to prepare dinner for my Dad and why my Dad expected my Mum to do so…
I passionately believe that we can live in a world where women’s rights and women’s bodies are held sacrosanct. I passionately believe that we can live in a world where women and men co-exist in peace. I passionately believe that we can live in a world where women and men share housework and care-work. Working to create such a world is the reason why I work today for the African Women’s Development Fund, a grant-making foundation for African women which provides financial, technical and capacity building assistance to African women’s organisations.
Nana Sekyiamah
Programme Officer
Fundraising & Communications
African Women’s Development Fund
One of our pre-assignments has been to write a personal introduction to other participants on 'the one thing' that has influenced me to be where I am today. Now that really got me thinking, 'Why do I do what I do?' My introduction to my fellow participants is below. Let me know your thoughts?
‘Mummy why do you have to prepare food for Daddy’?
‘Sisi, can you come and help me? Mummy, I am reading my book’.
‘Ei Sisi! One day you will allow someone to insult me (direct translation from Akan into English)’ in response to my persistent lack of interest in cooking.
As a child I was aware (probably on an unconscious level) of the differences between men and women. One of my clearest memories is of my Mum complaining that she would have to prepare food for my Dad very late in the day…My Dad worked in the civil service and after work would play squash with his friends. After squash, Dad would have a couple of beers and peanuts with his friends at the Officer’s Mess near the squash court where they played. On his way home Daddy would often stop to purchase Kenkey and Fish (a staple Ghanaian dish) sold by the roadside for his dinner. Mummy would be responsible for ensuring there was fresh pepper to accompany the meal, the table was set and would have to sit by my Dad whilst he ate. Dinner for Dad would usually be anytime between 10pm and 11pm.
Now the one thing that I did not understand was why my Mum would complain about having to prepare (or serve) dinner so late. I used to think ‘Why are you doing this if you don’t want to’. I remember saying to my Dad ‘When I get married I won’t cook for my husband’. So how has all of this led me to where I am today? I felt a sense of injustice in female – male relations and it was only after reading the works of feminists such as bell hooks that I understood why my Mum would have to prepare dinner for my Dad and why my Dad expected my Mum to do so…
I passionately believe that we can live in a world where women’s rights and women’s bodies are held sacrosanct. I passionately believe that we can live in a world where women and men co-exist in peace. I passionately believe that we can live in a world where women and men share housework and care-work. Working to create such a world is the reason why I work today for the African Women’s Development Fund, a grant-making foundation for African women which provides financial, technical and capacity building assistance to African women’s organisations.
Nana Sekyiamah
Programme Officer
Fundraising & Communications
African Women’s Development Fund
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
