October 8 was world sight day and I am wondering how many of us heard about it and for those of us who heard about it, what kind of consideration we gave to it. The second Thursday in October every year has been set aside globally for awareness creation on blindness, visual impairment and the rehabilitation of the visually impaired. This year the theme for World Sight Day 2009 was “Gender and Eye Health – equal access to care”. The theme sought to highlight the fact that globally two-thirds of the people who are blind are women and girls.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), globally about 180 million people are visually impaired, of whom 45 million are blind with nearly two-thirds of people affected by vision loss being females. 80% of all cases of blindness could have been avoided with 20% being preventable and 60% being treatable.
Visual impairment is most prevalent in women and men 50 years and older. The majority of eye conditions for this age group, such as cataract, can be easily treated. However, women who form the majority of people with visual impairment do not benefit from this treatment as a result of inequal access to eye health care. In many places men have twice the access to eye care as women due to a number of reasons including accessibility in terms of cost and distance as well as lack of the power to take decisions affecting their own lives. However equal access to eye care for women and men could greatly reduce cases of visual impairment especially in developing countries.
It is ironic that in many parts of the world women do not have equal access to eye care despite the critical role they play in health care including eye health care. Women work as ophthalmologists, ophthalmic nurses, community workers, etc. Again at home it is usually women who carry the burden of care for family members who have lost their sight. In recognition of the role of women in eye care, the World Health Organization has pointed out the need to acknowledge the role of women in the prevention of blindness and visual impairment.
The causes of avoidable blindness are frequently associated with poverty and lack of access to quality eye care services. Avoidable blindness is more common amongst the poorest of the poor, women and marginalized populations. Data shows that 90% of the world's blind people live in developing countries and that people who live in the developing world are 5 to 10 times more likely to go blind than people who live in highly industrialized countries. Poverty therefore is a critical contributory factor to blindness.
Vision health could be maintained through improved access to health care, including regular, comprehensive dilated eye exams, which would facilitate early detection and treatment of eye diseases. Weight reduction is also a good strategy to prevent eye disease since obesity is a risk factor for diabetic eye disease.
It is therefore pertinent for women to take their health care into their own hands and seek regular medical care for all diseases that affect their lives especially their eyes. We all have a right to see this beautiful world.
Beatrice Boakye-Yiadom
Acting Grants Manager
AWDF
Showing posts with label gender. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gender. Show all posts
Friday, October 16, 2009
GENDER BUDGETING AS A TOOL FOR POVERTY REDUCTION: CONCEPTS, PRACTICES AND CAPACITY IMPLICATIONS BY THE AFRICAN CAPACITY BUILDING FOUNDATION. (ACBF)
A Review
By
Rose Mensah-Kutin (PhD)
1.0 Introduction
• NETRIGHT and interest in gender budgeting. 3-year capacity building initiative to benefit members.
• Awareness of a number of publications on the subject. Example: those under the South African initiative
• Pleasant surprise that a new addition had been produced.
• Congratulate the ACBF and all involved in the process and also to AWDF for hosting the launch, given its own leadership and commitment to gender equality promotion in the context of Africa.
2.0 Features of the book
• Published by the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), a renowned capacity building institution
• 187 pages, colourful, accessible language, handy.
• How to go about it
• Six sections: overview, Gender budgeting experiences analysed (3chapters); Comparative analysis across African regions; Conclusions and recommendations.
• Relevance and the modesty with which this is articulated
3.0 Key Issues In the book
3.1 Useful learning points from the model cases presented
• How it was done, challenges encountered, opportunities, successes etc
• Women’s active involvement as critical
3.2 Diverse nature of the experiences presented
• No one model is best
• Australian experience: first attempt and its implications. Shows the dangers of an initiative that is located only inside government
• South African model: Example of comprehensive research coverage of all sectors and all levels of government. It demonstrates an alliance between parliament and NGOs
• Ugandan model: A country where there are opportunities for an early participation in the budget process of non governmental- actors. It also shows the role of the World Bank and IMF in the process
• Rwanda Model
• Government political commitment to tackle gender inequality.
• One of the things Ban Ki-Moon, the UN boss first commended during his visit to that country in March was the country's attainment of gender parity at all levels.
• national consultations on gender responsive budgeting hosted by the line Ministries of Finance and Economic Planning and that of Gender and Family Promotion.
• During the consultations, findings quoted from a study conducted by United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), in some districts of Rwanda, indicate that there is an acute shortage of gender expertise necessary for gender analysis, planning and budgeting.
• This is basically one of the reasons these consultations were held, to emphasize the need to consider gender budgeting while considering the overall budgeting process.
• Rwanda, despite the fact that it has received a positive nod as one of the first sub-Saharan African countries to have attained one of the 3rd Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is at a shortfall when auditing the effectiveness of aid in advancing gender equality and women empowerment.
3.3 Methodological approaches
• Providing institutions with mechanisms to address gender inequities in development.
• Limits of the methodology: secondary data which is acknowledged by the study itself. So possibility for this to be addressed next time round.
3.4 Women demonstrating leadership in a male-dominated space:
• 80 countries have so far done it
• Women’s contribution to knowledge creation enhanced.
• Demystification of budgets/economics
3.5 Demanding accountability from governments on their commitments to gender equality.
• Locating this effort within the context of international instruments such as CEDAW. 192 countries of the UN, 185 ratified CEDAW. 90 are parties to CEDAW’s optional protocol; 51 of 53 African states have ratified CEDAW, 24 signed the optional protocol: International Bill of rights for women.
• Other instruments: AU Constitutive Act
3.6 Information on gender equality is provided
• International processes
• Civil society efforts
• What is happening on gender issues in case study countries
4.0 Relevance of the Book
• Politics : sharing of available resources
• Accountability issues
• Commitment to gender equality
• Role of civil society
• A way to do it and possible consequences and impacts
• “public budgets are not mere economic tools, but summarize policies in monetary terms and express political priorities.”
5.0 Limitations/Challenges:
• Gender budget in the context of neo-liberal economic development (no critique of economic policy frameworks: problematic)
• How do we ensure gender budgeting leads to poverty reduction?
• Financial crisis: two-sided argument
• Amount of work involved and complexity of the budgeting process itself and yet its relevance and therefore how it can form part of overall struggles of women
• What about the issue of reforming the budget process and budgeting itself?
• Methodology of secondary data and its limits. However the book itself acknowledges these limitations so in a way creates possibilities of overcoming them next time round.
• Concerns about limits of gender mainstreaming
• Extent of influence in decision-making processes
• No country in West Africa? Nigeria and Senegal have some processes.
• Nigeria
• There is work in progress in Nigeria on gendered budget analysis at the national and local levels.
• Women in Nigeria see the current political climate as an opportunity to follow up on the three important reviews concerning gender equality: the 10-year reviews of the Beijing World Conference on Women, the International Conference on Population and Development, and the World Summit on Social Development.
• This has provided an opportunity for Nigerian women to appraise their government, not only in terms of creating an enabling environment for women to participate fully in governance, but also for demanding gender equality policies for economic and social development.
• This is expected to contribute to defining a new and just political agenda, incorporating elements of government transparency and accountability in socio-economic policies, expenditure and social impact.
• Senegal
• Senegal government is supportive of women’s participation at decision-making levels, and women's representation in strategic ministerial positions has increased.
• However, despite growing trends towards participatory democracy, women’s contribution in the economy continues to be undermined and women’s work in the care economy remains invisible in national accounts and budget mechanisms.
• Given the emphasis on promoting an enabling environment for private businesses, it is crucial to monitor the implication of such policy shifts on the allocation of national budgets.
• Ghana
• Some efforts by Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs (MOWAC): Four Ministries.
• NETRIGHT
6.0 Lessons:
• Best impact when led by governments and driven by civil society.
• Initiatives that involve only government or only civil society may not be effective. Combination is more likely to succeed.
• One off training events or seminars not an answer
• Should be institutionalised within the budgetary system and the budgeting process in the preparation of the budget and while through the outcome and performance budget so it is self sustaining, effective and mandatory.
• Importance of research and relevant research to provide needed base and facts to inform policy changes and support advocacy
• Donor driven initiatives not sustainable and don’t have required results. So need for political will and commitment to gender budgeting for it to be an effective tool to reach the goal of gender equality and women’s empowerment.
7.0 Way Forward:
• Women engaging economics
• What is happening in our own country?
• More Comparative analysis needed
• Primary data and analysis
• Critique of the framework and assumptions used
• Impact assessment studies over time.
• Measures of development: need to include those by civil society e.g. Social Watch.
• An important contribution to the store of knowledge on the subject of gender budgets: that it can be done.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
PRESS RELEASE FOR ACBF BOOK LAUNCH
IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE
2 October 2009
BOOK LAUNCH: “GENDER BUDGETING AS A TOOL FOR POVERTY REDUCTION”
The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) in collaboration with the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) is pleased to announce the launch of a research book “Gender Budgeting As A Tool For Poverty Reduction” - Concepts, Practices & Capacity Implications.
The publication marks an important chapter in the African Capacity Building Foundation’s contribution to the discourse and funding initiatives on gender budgeting. The book not only identifies areas of possible capacity development in support of the development processes on the Continent, it also highlights capacity weaknesses in gender budgeting that need to be addressed by different stakeholders, in order to raise the standard of accountability and transparency in budgetary processes. Drawing on the Convention on Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) framework, the publication further highlights national and sectoral gender budgeting experiences in three African countries – South Africa, Rwanda and Uganda – to showcase best-practice models for other African countries.
Findings from “Gender Budgeting As A Tool For Poverty Reduction - Concepts, Practices & Capacity Implications” indicate that:
“Budgets are not gender neutral. They affect women and men in different ways, reflecting the uneven distribution of power within society as economic disparities, different living conditions, and ascribed social roles. Despite being signatories to the major international agreements that call for gender equality, most African countries have fallen short of their promises as their gender initiatives are facing a host of challenges relating to policy implementation, program design, management and tracking, and capacity building issues.”
ENDS
About ACBF
The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) is an independent, capacity-building institution established on February 9, 1991 through the collaborative efforts of three multilateral institutions -the African Development Bank (AfDB), the World Bank, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), African governments and bilateral donors. ACBF has 48 full members comprising three sponsoring Agencies (AfDB, UNDP and the World Bank), the IMF and 44 African and non-African countries, namely, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (DRC), Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Djibouti, Finland, France, Gabon, Ghana, Greece, India, Ireland, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, The Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Rwanda, Sao Tomé & Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Tanzania, Uganda, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Zambia and Zimbabwe. ACBF’s mission is to build sustainable human and institutional capacity for poverty reduction in Africa.
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 Sekyiamah – Programme Officer (Fundraising & Communications)
Thelma Owusu-Boakye – Programme Assistant (Fundraising & Communications)
African Women’s Development Fund
Plot 78, Ambassadorial Enclave, East Legon, Accra
Tel: + 233 21 521257
Fax: +233 21 521257
Email: nana@awdf.org or thelma@awdf.org
Website: www.awdf.org
Rutendo Kambarami
Communications Officer
The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF)
Tel: +263-4-700208/790398/9
Fax: +263-4-702915, 792894
E-mail: r.kambarami@acbf-pact.org
Website: www.acbf-pact.org
2 October 2009
BOOK LAUNCH: “GENDER BUDGETING AS A TOOL FOR POVERTY REDUCTION”
The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) in collaboration with the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) is pleased to announce the launch of a research book “Gender Budgeting As A Tool For Poverty Reduction” - Concepts, Practices & Capacity Implications.
The publication marks an important chapter in the African Capacity Building Foundation’s contribution to the discourse and funding initiatives on gender budgeting. The book not only identifies areas of possible capacity development in support of the development processes on the Continent, it also highlights capacity weaknesses in gender budgeting that need to be addressed by different stakeholders, in order to raise the standard of accountability and transparency in budgetary processes. Drawing on the Convention on Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) framework, the publication further highlights national and sectoral gender budgeting experiences in three African countries – South Africa, Rwanda and Uganda – to showcase best-practice models for other African countries.
Findings from “Gender Budgeting As A Tool For Poverty Reduction - Concepts, Practices & Capacity Implications” indicate that:
“Budgets are not gender neutral. They affect women and men in different ways, reflecting the uneven distribution of power within society as economic disparities, different living conditions, and ascribed social roles. Despite being signatories to the major international agreements that call for gender equality, most African countries have fallen short of their promises as their gender initiatives are facing a host of challenges relating to policy implementation, program design, management and tracking, and capacity building issues.”
ENDS
About ACBF
The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) is an independent, capacity-building institution established on February 9, 1991 through the collaborative efforts of three multilateral institutions -the African Development Bank (AfDB), the World Bank, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), African governments and bilateral donors. ACBF has 48 full members comprising three sponsoring Agencies (AfDB, UNDP and the World Bank), the IMF and 44 African and non-African countries, namely, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (DRC), Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Djibouti, Finland, France, Gabon, Ghana, Greece, India, Ireland, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, The Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Rwanda, Sao Tomé & Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Tanzania, Uganda, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Zambia and Zimbabwe. ACBF’s mission is to build sustainable human and institutional capacity for poverty reduction in Africa.
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 Sekyiamah – Programme Officer (Fundraising & Communications)
Thelma Owusu-Boakye – Programme Assistant (Fundraising & Communications)
African Women’s Development Fund
Plot 78, Ambassadorial Enclave, East Legon, Accra
Tel: + 233 21 521257
Fax: +233 21 521257
Email: nana@awdf.org or thelma@awdf.org
Website: www.awdf.org
Rutendo Kambarami
Communications Officer
The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF)
Tel: +263-4-700208/790398/9
Fax: +263-4-702915, 792894
E-mail: r.kambarami@acbf-pact.org
Website: www.acbf-pact.org
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Gender: The State of the Nation in Ghana
I have just been listening to the State of the Nation address by President John Ataa Mills of Ghana and there are three things he mentioned which are of interest to me.
1. The Ministry for Women and Children will be provided with extra financial resources
2. Gender centres will be established in each district assembly
3. The Women's Manifesto of 2004 will be adapted
I am especially excited about the last point because the Women's Manifesto of Ghana was compiled by our grantees Abantu for Development and funding from AWDF enabled translation of the manifesto into four local languages, Akan, Dagbani, Ga and Ewe. This (at least in my opinion) indicated that the advocacy work carried out by women has an impact over a period of time. This impact may not be easily captured by the time a donor report is due, but the impact occurs over time.
I also believe that advocacy by women's rights activists and women's right's organisations for political parties to choose a woman vice president is what led the current goverment whilst in opposition to declare that if successful during the elections they will ensure that 40% of their cabinet are women. Again, some fantastic work was done here by another AWDF grantee, Women in Law and Development (WILDAF). In a recent visit to congratulate President Mills on winning the highest seat in the land, WILDAF presented the President with a list of 500 competent women who can occupy positions in cabinet. No excuses allowed then.
My hope is that this will set a precedent for all political parties who will take even more progressive steps to ensure gender equality in Ghana.
Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah
Programme Officer (Fundraising & Communications)
1. The Ministry for Women and Children will be provided with extra financial resources
2. Gender centres will be established in each district assembly
3. The Women's Manifesto of 2004 will be adapted
I am especially excited about the last point because the Women's Manifesto of Ghana was compiled by our grantees Abantu for Development and funding from AWDF enabled translation of the manifesto into four local languages, Akan, Dagbani, Ga and Ewe. This (at least in my opinion) indicated that the advocacy work carried out by women has an impact over a period of time. This impact may not be easily captured by the time a donor report is due, but the impact occurs over time.
I also believe that advocacy by women's rights activists and women's right's organisations for political parties to choose a woman vice president is what led the current goverment whilst in opposition to declare that if successful during the elections they will ensure that 40% of their cabinet are women. Again, some fantastic work was done here by another AWDF grantee, Women in Law and Development (WILDAF). In a recent visit to congratulate President Mills on winning the highest seat in the land, WILDAF presented the President with a list of 500 competent women who can occupy positions in cabinet. No excuses allowed then.
My hope is that this will set a precedent for all political parties who will take even more progressive steps to ensure gender equality in Ghana.
Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah
Programme Officer (Fundraising & Communications)
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
What's the point of the Revolution if We Can't Dance: A Personal Personal Perspective
I have been wanting to read ‘What’s the Point of the Revolution If We Can’t Dance’ since I got my copy at the African Feminist Forum in September. However, it has taken me until today the 6th of December to finish the book (whilst queuing for 6 hours to vote). For me the most interesting thing is that the book began to influence me even before I delved into its pages…At the recent Association of Women in Development (AWID) Forum, I attended a session on ‘What’s the Point of the Revolution If We Can’t Dance’ and afterwards made up my mind to write a list of personal self-care principles which are:
• Have a manicure every 2 weeks
• Have a pedicure every month
• Have a facial every month
• Exercise at least 4 times a week
• Drink at least a litre of water a day
• Read a fantastic book at least once a month
• Have a weekend break every 3 months
• Take a fun holiday at least once a year
• Have a massage once a month
The great thing for me is that although my list may appear very indulgent (and why not?) it actually will not cost me much money. I am fortunate that my favourite Auntie owns a beauty studio so I get to have free manicures, pedicures and facials. All I really need to do is tip the staff that provides the treatments, and from time to time I bring my Auntie a small gift. However I have realized that my self care routine only works when I am actually in my home country Ghana. I am quite fortunate that the organization I work for, the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) has a flexible working policy…I am a night owl so tend to go to bed very late and accordingly rise late so it is a real boon to be able to start work at 9am, 9.30am or 10am. In Ghana that’s a real luxury, many people I know have to fight through hours of traffic to start work at 8am.
By now you are probably thinking I have it good when it comes to self-care, but I have realized a pattern. Whenever I travel for work (and recently that has been up to twice a month) I fall sick. I usually get a cold which in the case of my trip to San Francisco for the ‘Women Raising Millions’ training was somewhere between my 16 hour flight time from Accra – San Francisco. In Uganda, during the entire African Feminist Forum I had a cold and a racking cough, my poor room mate Sophie would wake up in a panic wondering if I was okay and very recently in Dakar I reacted very badly to the dusty conditions and sneezed for three days continuously. So what am I going to do about this? These short term illnesses have given me a clear message. I need to take even better care of myself. I need to start taking some good vitamin and mineral supplements, I need to go to the clinic to run some tests to ensure there is not an underlying reason for these persistent coughs and colds, when I am outside Ghana attending conferences or convenings I need to try as much as possible to emulate some of the healthy eating practices I maintain at home and not indulge in lavish hotel breakfasts or the pastries and biscuits that are sometimes present at conferences and convenings. I also need to ensure that I find ways of taking a break whilst traveling for work…So what do you do to take care of yourself? Let’s share some ideas and strategies. Any recommendations
Nana Sekyiamah
Programme Officer
Fundraising & Communications
• Have a manicure every 2 weeks
• Have a pedicure every month
• Have a facial every month
• Exercise at least 4 times a week
• Drink at least a litre of water a day
• Read a fantastic book at least once a month
• Have a weekend break every 3 months
• Take a fun holiday at least once a year
• Have a massage once a month
The great thing for me is that although my list may appear very indulgent (and why not?) it actually will not cost me much money. I am fortunate that my favourite Auntie owns a beauty studio so I get to have free manicures, pedicures and facials. All I really need to do is tip the staff that provides the treatments, and from time to time I bring my Auntie a small gift. However I have realized that my self care routine only works when I am actually in my home country Ghana. I am quite fortunate that the organization I work for, the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) has a flexible working policy…I am a night owl so tend to go to bed very late and accordingly rise late so it is a real boon to be able to start work at 9am, 9.30am or 10am. In Ghana that’s a real luxury, many people I know have to fight through hours of traffic to start work at 8am.
By now you are probably thinking I have it good when it comes to self-care, but I have realized a pattern. Whenever I travel for work (and recently that has been up to twice a month) I fall sick. I usually get a cold which in the case of my trip to San Francisco for the ‘Women Raising Millions’ training was somewhere between my 16 hour flight time from Accra – San Francisco. In Uganda, during the entire African Feminist Forum I had a cold and a racking cough, my poor room mate Sophie would wake up in a panic wondering if I was okay and very recently in Dakar I reacted very badly to the dusty conditions and sneezed for three days continuously. So what am I going to do about this? These short term illnesses have given me a clear message. I need to take even better care of myself. I need to start taking some good vitamin and mineral supplements, I need to go to the clinic to run some tests to ensure there is not an underlying reason for these persistent coughs and colds, when I am outside Ghana attending conferences or convenings I need to try as much as possible to emulate some of the healthy eating practices I maintain at home and not indulge in lavish hotel breakfasts or the pastries and biscuits that are sometimes present at conferences and convenings. I also need to ensure that I find ways of taking a break whilst traveling for work…So what do you do to take care of yourself? Let’s share some ideas and strategies. Any recommendations
Nana Sekyiamah
Programme Officer
Fundraising & Communications
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Letter from Mozambique
Oi, (As we say in Mozambique).
I get the singular privilege of changing my identity every week for the next few weeks so this week I am Mozambican. Remember Samora Machel? Yes this is the beloved land of Samora Machel. Maputo is the capital of Mozambique and as Ghana is to the cedi and pesewa so is Mozambique to the meticais and centavos . I arrived in Maputo on the night of October 30th, 2008, expecting to have some communication difficulties but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that just about everybody speaks some amount of English. Do you know that Mozambicans are Portuguese speaking? Anyway, I go through immigration and customs with no incidence and was met on arrival by a host I had met over the net (He happens to be a man who speaks English better than the partner who I had asked to kindly coordinate the visit). Pedro my host is a very cordial and meticulous person and has done a good job of arranging all logistics, including translators, convenings, meetings with local authority officials and grantees.
My first point of call the next morning as early as 8.15am was the office of the Provincial Directorate of Women and Social Affairs, Angelina P. Lubrino, a very affable lady who warmly welcomes us and holds a long chat with us (I mean myself and my translator) on the situation of women organizing in Maputo. I then rush off to the convening, I had unfortunately kept the very busy women of Mozambique waiting for 15 minutes, because I spent too much time at the Provincial directorate for women’s office, well you can’t cut a “big” woman off you know. The meeting went very well and I was very fascinated about these three young articulate activists for sexual minority rights. Their message was simple, in their own words “we have come to the meeting to inform our mothers and grandmothers that we are” and had to be listened to.
After a one on one chat with a few organizations after the meeting (Remember organizations are always looking for exclusive scoops or contacts after such convenings), I rushed off again to visit the first grantee on my itinerary. The project had gone well and everything was in place. I was happy with myself, my only regret was my inability to visit some of the beneficiaries because the project was implemented up North about 8 hours ride away. I then proceeded to visit LAMBDA, an LGBT group, one of the groups I had volunteered to visit and had such an eye opening chat with these two young ladies who gladly gave me a tour of their offices and shared with me the plans they had for the place. I finally get to retire to my hotel room around 6.30pm. I did a lot of stairs climbing that day, I have noticed that most offices are in high rise buildings, and the pain in my tendons the day after made me resolve to stop being elusive with John our wellbeing consultant. Wearing slit (a traditional long Ghanaian skirt) and climbing stairs is not a past time for an ‘old school’ member you know. Anyway, thank God I had a good night sleep, I wished I could have slept the whole day but that was not to be. I had already agreed to visit a women’s HIV&AIDS network. I set off the next day thinking it was going to be a quick one, being a weekend. Apparently this group had something else in mind. After a lengthy chat in their offices with the aid of an interpreter (It prolongs the chat you know) they led the way to the field to visit some beneficiaries of their home based care project.
This project actually kept me thinking? Why are networks entangling themselves in direct service? I though networks were suppose to be coordinating and providing institutional and programmatic support to its members? As well as focusing on critical advocacy issues? Anyway, here we were after about 30 minutes drive to this community in Maputo with a very small driveway that we quickly navigated in order to park the car. Well we really did not have a choice, there was no way we could have driven around all the points of call. It was such a long winding walk through the sandy community. We entered the first house and my first shock, there were about 7 elderly women sitting on mats in the compound of the house eating their lunch. Wondering what is cooking for lunch? Salad and bread, very healthy, no wonder at their age they look so strong. We enter the common room, I guess, and I and the interpreter were offered a chair, all others had to sit on a mat on the floor of the room. So now I got the catch, it is their culture, they sit on mats with one or both legs of women bent to the side, and with the legs of men bent in a kind of squatting position in front of them. Unfortunately, the beneficiary had passed away the week before leaving behind 4 children in the care of their grand auntie who pleaded passionately with us to help her support the children through school, meanwhile all the children are boys. This sets me thinking again, can the AWDF funds be used to support the care giver to support the children who are all boys? I need some clarifications from my Director of Programmes. Well, the network will not let me be, till we had visited three families, it can be emotionally tiring and the expectations of those visitors are raised so that one wonders how one can personally be of help. Well it was another eye opener. At about 3.30pm I get a view of the city of Maputo, It is a very nice city with good road networks and some good cars, a beautiful coast line and they use platoons as well to get to other parts of the city. A few noticeable issues are the number of cars that have detachable trailers (you can easily hire them for use) which carry their goods and the way they carry their babies in the man made traditional kangaroo pooches. The way the women tie their wrappers is also worth noting.
The next day saw me (and my translator of course) on a long ride (About 4 hours) to the city of Xai Xai (it is pronounce Shaishai). The ride to the district of Xai Xai in the Gaza Province was a smooth and awesome one. The scenery was simply breathtaking especially on entering the district of Xai Xai which has an amazing well developed beach, very good road networks, a lot of greeneries and fascinating developments. One cannot miss the presence of beach goers every where in the town and I had the privilege of staying in one of the lodges by the beach. The coast line is incredibly well developed with camp houses on stilts, cabins they are called l think, guest houses, hotels, restaurants, etc. Despite all these developments it is so obvious that great care had been taken to preserve the flora and fauna in the area. Later upon enquiry I was told that it was one of the conditions that go with being granted a license for development in the area. Maybe some of our cities and towns should learn a lesson or two from the city of Xai Xai. Another noticeable scene was the presence of families. A good number of the beach patrons were there with their families, another lesson to be learnt there. After a tour of the coast line which had considerable motor able roads I managed to have my dinner after some miss-communications had cost me some serious hard earned cash.
Monday is another day, an 8.30 am meeting with the Xai Xai Provincial Director of Women Affairs. Can you imagine? The provincial Director for Women’s Affairs was a man, (Well we have a similar case in our back door). A very pleasant man though who offered us the use of the District’s social centre for the convening without charge. The meeting with him went well and I proceed to the convening afterwards. Meeting community women can be so invigorating, clearly articulating their views, needs and solutions. Another great convening there raising issues of violence against women, HIV&AIDS and neglect by partners coupled with the perennial drought in that part of the country. Afterwards I visit a new grantee that has just been awarded a grant. ACTIVA is implementing a huge home based care project but appeared unprepared for our visit despite the fact that they were our key contacts to Mozambique. Come to think of it, this could have been as a result of communication problems.
Anyway we return to Maputo that night only for me to learn that my booking for my last night in Maputo has mysteriously disappeared on their system even though I had left my luggage in their storage and categorically asked for a reservation, but I had no papers to confirm this so had no case. The staff were however concerned enough to get me another hotel which was just excellent. I collected my luggage and headed for my new place of abode. The icing on the cake was, it was a very good hotel with very fast internet service in the rooms free of charge, just plug and surf. So here I sit at 12.00 midnight just hitting away at my lap top, I really do not want to sleep, such luxuries in the field is very rare you know. But as nature will have it I have to obey so this is to say bye and hope to link up again.
Ciao
Beatrice from Mozambique
(Acting Grants Manager)
I get the singular privilege of changing my identity every week for the next few weeks so this week I am Mozambican. Remember Samora Machel? Yes this is the beloved land of Samora Machel. Maputo is the capital of Mozambique and as Ghana is to the cedi and pesewa so is Mozambique to the meticais and centavos . I arrived in Maputo on the night of October 30th, 2008, expecting to have some communication difficulties but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that just about everybody speaks some amount of English. Do you know that Mozambicans are Portuguese speaking? Anyway, I go through immigration and customs with no incidence and was met on arrival by a host I had met over the net (He happens to be a man who speaks English better than the partner who I had asked to kindly coordinate the visit). Pedro my host is a very cordial and meticulous person and has done a good job of arranging all logistics, including translators, convenings, meetings with local authority officials and grantees.
My first point of call the next morning as early as 8.15am was the office of the Provincial Directorate of Women and Social Affairs, Angelina P. Lubrino, a very affable lady who warmly welcomes us and holds a long chat with us (I mean myself and my translator) on the situation of women organizing in Maputo. I then rush off to the convening, I had unfortunately kept the very busy women of Mozambique waiting for 15 minutes, because I spent too much time at the Provincial directorate for women’s office, well you can’t cut a “big” woman off you know. The meeting went very well and I was very fascinated about these three young articulate activists for sexual minority rights. Their message was simple, in their own words “we have come to the meeting to inform our mothers and grandmothers that we are” and had to be listened to.
After a one on one chat with a few organizations after the meeting (Remember organizations are always looking for exclusive scoops or contacts after such convenings), I rushed off again to visit the first grantee on my itinerary. The project had gone well and everything was in place. I was happy with myself, my only regret was my inability to visit some of the beneficiaries because the project was implemented up North about 8 hours ride away. I then proceeded to visit LAMBDA, an LGBT group, one of the groups I had volunteered to visit and had such an eye opening chat with these two young ladies who gladly gave me a tour of their offices and shared with me the plans they had for the place. I finally get to retire to my hotel room around 6.30pm. I did a lot of stairs climbing that day, I have noticed that most offices are in high rise buildings, and the pain in my tendons the day after made me resolve to stop being elusive with John our wellbeing consultant. Wearing slit (a traditional long Ghanaian skirt) and climbing stairs is not a past time for an ‘old school’ member you know. Anyway, thank God I had a good night sleep, I wished I could have slept the whole day but that was not to be. I had already agreed to visit a women’s HIV&AIDS network. I set off the next day thinking it was going to be a quick one, being a weekend. Apparently this group had something else in mind. After a lengthy chat in their offices with the aid of an interpreter (It prolongs the chat you know) they led the way to the field to visit some beneficiaries of their home based care project.
This project actually kept me thinking? Why are networks entangling themselves in direct service? I though networks were suppose to be coordinating and providing institutional and programmatic support to its members? As well as focusing on critical advocacy issues? Anyway, here we were after about 30 minutes drive to this community in Maputo with a very small driveway that we quickly navigated in order to park the car. Well we really did not have a choice, there was no way we could have driven around all the points of call. It was such a long winding walk through the sandy community. We entered the first house and my first shock, there were about 7 elderly women sitting on mats in the compound of the house eating their lunch. Wondering what is cooking for lunch? Salad and bread, very healthy, no wonder at their age they look so strong. We enter the common room, I guess, and I and the interpreter were offered a chair, all others had to sit on a mat on the floor of the room. So now I got the catch, it is their culture, they sit on mats with one or both legs of women bent to the side, and with the legs of men bent in a kind of squatting position in front of them. Unfortunately, the beneficiary had passed away the week before leaving behind 4 children in the care of their grand auntie who pleaded passionately with us to help her support the children through school, meanwhile all the children are boys. This sets me thinking again, can the AWDF funds be used to support the care giver to support the children who are all boys? I need some clarifications from my Director of Programmes. Well, the network will not let me be, till we had visited three families, it can be emotionally tiring and the expectations of those visitors are raised so that one wonders how one can personally be of help. Well it was another eye opener. At about 3.30pm I get a view of the city of Maputo, It is a very nice city with good road networks and some good cars, a beautiful coast line and they use platoons as well to get to other parts of the city. A few noticeable issues are the number of cars that have detachable trailers (you can easily hire them for use) which carry their goods and the way they carry their babies in the man made traditional kangaroo pooches. The way the women tie their wrappers is also worth noting.
The next day saw me (and my translator of course) on a long ride (About 4 hours) to the city of Xai Xai (it is pronounce Shaishai). The ride to the district of Xai Xai in the Gaza Province was a smooth and awesome one. The scenery was simply breathtaking especially on entering the district of Xai Xai which has an amazing well developed beach, very good road networks, a lot of greeneries and fascinating developments. One cannot miss the presence of beach goers every where in the town and I had the privilege of staying in one of the lodges by the beach. The coast line is incredibly well developed with camp houses on stilts, cabins they are called l think, guest houses, hotels, restaurants, etc. Despite all these developments it is so obvious that great care had been taken to preserve the flora and fauna in the area. Later upon enquiry I was told that it was one of the conditions that go with being granted a license for development in the area. Maybe some of our cities and towns should learn a lesson or two from the city of Xai Xai. Another noticeable scene was the presence of families. A good number of the beach patrons were there with their families, another lesson to be learnt there. After a tour of the coast line which had considerable motor able roads I managed to have my dinner after some miss-communications had cost me some serious hard earned cash.
Monday is another day, an 8.30 am meeting with the Xai Xai Provincial Director of Women Affairs. Can you imagine? The provincial Director for Women’s Affairs was a man, (Well we have a similar case in our back door). A very pleasant man though who offered us the use of the District’s social centre for the convening without charge. The meeting with him went well and I proceed to the convening afterwards. Meeting community women can be so invigorating, clearly articulating their views, needs and solutions. Another great convening there raising issues of violence against women, HIV&AIDS and neglect by partners coupled with the perennial drought in that part of the country. Afterwards I visit a new grantee that has just been awarded a grant. ACTIVA is implementing a huge home based care project but appeared unprepared for our visit despite the fact that they were our key contacts to Mozambique. Come to think of it, this could have been as a result of communication problems.
Anyway we return to Maputo that night only for me to learn that my booking for my last night in Maputo has mysteriously disappeared on their system even though I had left my luggage in their storage and categorically asked for a reservation, but I had no papers to confirm this so had no case. The staff were however concerned enough to get me another hotel which was just excellent. I collected my luggage and headed for my new place of abode. The icing on the cake was, it was a very good hotel with very fast internet service in the rooms free of charge, just plug and surf. So here I sit at 12.00 midnight just hitting away at my lap top, I really do not want to sleep, such luxuries in the field is very rare you know. But as nature will have it I have to obey so this is to say bye and hope to link up again.
Ciao
Beatrice from Mozambique
(Acting Grants Manager)
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