Abstract
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are an effective instrument for increasing choices for women, for multifaceted empowerment. They are enabling mechanisms for achieving specific goals. In this case, ICTs can be great mechanisms for expanding knowledge and access to information among different categories of women especially rural women, and can enhance their abilities to negotiate for their resource share and participation.

Women and ICTs in Africa
During the 2007 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), world leaders committed to turning the digital divide into a digital opportunity for all. They also agreed on a set of targets for improving access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), to be achieved by 2015 at the latest.

When we talk about ICTs we refer to “a diverse set of technological tools and resources used to communicate, and to create, disseminate, store, and manage information.” These technologies include computers, the Internet, broadcasting technologies (radio and television), and telephony (fixed and mobile). In the last 20 years we have witnessed a revolution in the continent through the use of ICTs in how we communicate, share information, collaborate on different initiatives in- country and across borders and how information is generated, stored, retrieved and transmitted.

We have seen a proliferation of media houses and the democratisation of information including that, which is in the custody of the governments in Africa. Most developing countries in Africa are fast in catching up with the higher income countries in terms of the use of and access to mobile phones and Internet usage and broadband. Many hard to reach areas are now easily accessible. The major hindrance in the use of ICTs in Africa is the inconsistent power supplies even in larger economies like that of Nigeria. The limited availability of consistently collected data and poor financing of national statistics institutions makes it difficult to assess and ascertain the actual coverage of access to ICTs.

However, several countries in Africa have undertaken surveys, mainly as part of the general household surveys, to ascertain levels of accessibility. Different media houses have also undertaken mini surveys to ascertain the most appropriate ways of meeting the information needs of different communities and interest groups. For example in Uganda the survey conducted by the Uganda media Women’s Association in the late 1990s before the organisation set up the Mama FM Radio station was useful in establishing the levels of access women have to radios in different communities (Urban, semi- urban and rural communities), determining the interests and information needs of different categories of women and how best to involve the different stakeholders in developing and broadcasting their programmes.

Current status/trends

Despite the revolutionary progress made in Africa in the ICT sector the ICTs accessibility for women in Africa is still a big challenge. The majority of women in Africa still live in poverty making access to ICTs such as the Internet, and mobile short text messaging (SMS) a matter of hard choice. Due to financial constraints and limited economic power most African women are faced with a dilemma of choosing whether to spend their money on use of ICTs or to buy food for their families and meet other very basic needs of survival. The unequal power relations between men and women that contribute to differential access, participation and treatment of men and women in the Information Society is in most cases over looked in the various interventions that have made over the years.

For instance, the great majority of women have no buying power, no access to modern means of communication and are further excluded from the mainstream of ICT development on account of certain challenges that impede their integration into the Information Society. Such challenges include low literacy levels and education, the language barrier, time constraint due to multiple roles of women in their public and private lives, the time consuming activities in the care economy, the cost of accessing ICTs, certain social and cultural norms that prohibit women from using public access points and the urban bias in connectivity.

Women and ICTs in Africa
ICTs can be instruments of empowering different categories of women with technological information and skills for political, economic and social participation and to achieve sustainable food security and livelihood. It is clear that ICTs offer enormous potential for transforming the lives of women in developing countries. They can be used to provide access to training and market information that can help women’s businesses succeed, and they offer a direct and more inexpensive means of communication for women’s organisations and enable them to share knowledge on a quick and collective basis.

However, they alone cannot bring about lasting change. They need to be coupled with responsive legislative and policy frameworks and changes in people’s attitudes about the potential they have to transform their lives. ICTs can be effective tools to expand the knowledge among different categories of women and can enhance their abilities to negotiate for their rights and also enable them to effectively participate in their governance. The Geneva Declaration of Principles of 2003 also acknowledge women as important stakeholders in the information society and it states that “We affirm that development of ICTs provides enormous opportunities for women, who should be an integral part of, and key actors, in the information society. But, to date women still lag behind in access and participation in the ICT sector.”

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are increasingly being used in democracy work to strengthen solidarity, increase communication among organizations and individual activists, share information quickly and mobilise effectively. In particular, the introduction of ICTs in developing countries, especially throughout Africa, has sparked growth in the use of Short Message Service (SMS) technology on mobile phones and the use of the Internet by individuals in different communities including in remote or hard to reach rural areas.

Projects launched by Google and Fahamu have provided Internet and mobile phone use in remote areas of Africa, enabling towns to become more informed about events that affect and impact their lives. For example, the UmNyango Project, launched by Fahamu, distributes mobile phones throughout rural communities in Africa so men and women can report human rights violations on a regular basis. Moreover, investments in ICT development in Africa are slowly leveling the global playing field and enabling people to become more active politically

Case study: Rural women reporting: the power of community media
By Deborah Walter

“This workshop taught me to be responsible. It also taught me to be patient with people. When coming here I had so many unresolved issues but when interviewing some people I found I was healed. I also learned how to approach people, how to do a radio programme, edit scripts, which I had no clue about.”

In a three-part project initiated by FAHAMU Networks for Social Justice and in collaboration with local partners, CMFD Productions worked with rural women in South Africa, Kenya, and Sierra Leone to produce radio/ podcast programmes about women’s rights, especially related to rural women. In each of the participatory workshops women, mostly from rural communities, identified their priority issues, learned basic journalistic skills, conducted interviews, and produced on-site radio programmes. Community radio stations and groups received copies of the programmes, and Pambazuka, an online initiative of Fahamu, disseminated the programmes through their podcast service. In each of the three countries, participants worked together to interview sources using digital recorders and produce radio programming on diverse issues, such as women’s inheritance rights, HIV/ AIDS, early marriage, elections, and access to health care. The collective voices from the three countries show that in many cases rural women all over the continent face similar obstacles when it comes to accessing health and rights. Yet, these programmes also very clearly show that given the opportunity everyone, even people who have never held a microphone or conducted interviews, who may not be literate, or be considered to be “experts,” have a voice and the abilities to make it heard. In doing so, the process not only empowers the individual, but also provides a unique perspective in the media on the world we live in. This project was created to both produce programmes that actually speak to the issues that these women face, and also empower those who participated through learning new skills and new confidence in finding a way to make their voices heard.

“Now I can be able to write a story. I would like to have another workshop like this so we can improve our skills and knowledge, in that way we can go to our community to pass the knowledge that we get. I enjoyed this workshop a lot because now I know I can be a journalist if I want to, and that is another opportunity.”

The story of Thandiwe Zondi
Thandiwe Zondi was married to a chief by force when she was a young girl. When he died mysteriously in 1990, her husband’s family refused to allow her access to his body, claiming they did not know the chief was married. A young male relative who was to inherit the chieftainship evicted Thandiwe, heavily pregnant with her 6th child, and her five little daughters from their home. When she tried to resist the eviction, he sent a group of former Kwa-Zulu police heavily armed with guns to intimidate her.

Thandiwe went back to her parent’s home. When her father died a year later, her brother tried to evict her, claiming that he was the sole heir. The Director of Rural Women’s Movement (RWM) saw Thandiwe’s story in the local newspaper and went to look for her in a remote rural area. Thandiwe became a member of RWM, allowing her saga to be used as a living example. Thandiwe’s story was written up in submissions to parliament and in articles in the newspaper, discussed on radio and TV shows, and circulated to sister organisations at home and internationally. Thandiwe cannot seek compensation through the courts because she was evicted prior to the 1996 Interim Constitution that would have allowed her to take legal action. RWM has a number of similar cases that cannot go to court because the crimes were committed before 1996.

During the workshop, Thandiwe Zondi produced a 5-minute feature on evictions, in which she interviewed a traditional leader, a police officer, and a representative from The Commission of Gender Equality, asking tough question on the practice and how it could be allowed. Thandiwe’s daughter, Sne Zondi, created a feature on forced marriage.

ICTs in form of Community radio provides an important opportunity for rural communities, especially women. This project shows that there are unique perspectives and stories from engaging with rural women, and this is not just empowerment, but also good journalism. It also shows that there are creative ways to create a presence for communities such as rural women on the internet, through such mediums as oral communication, as demonstrated by the use of the radio programmes for online podcasts. Community radio provides an ideal medium for this, because of its accessibility to local communities. Linking radio with new technologies, where appropriate, can also enhance voices. Evidence from the three training programmes conducted by FAHAMU Networks for Social Justice and in collaboration with local partners, CMFD Productions suggests that longer-term engagement with community would have significant impact.

There is also evidence on how women are successfully using ICTs in there work, such as in Uganda where the Uganda’s Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE) uses information gathered by women parliamentarians from the Internet to address critical issues to their constituents, and as input in reviewing laws enacted by parliament. In South Africa Women’s Net is providing, training and building the capacity of policy-makers and members of civil society to influence policy-making processes to redress gender-based inequalities in that country. Information is provided on how to draft proposals for parliamentary committees and how to bridge the gap between those who have technology and those who do not. Many women’s rights organizations are using ICTs to contribute to the reduction of all forms of violence against women and girls through their prevention, urgent response and treatment initiatives.

However, women’s participation and access to ICTs in Africa is restricted, and ensuring that the policies that guide their use are gender-responsive remains a challenge. This is mainly attributed to low levels of literacy, limited technological access, know-how and the often inadequate infrastructure and high cost of connectivity in developing nations. Insufficient legislative and policy frameworks to enable free access to information prevent many women from taking full advantage of the opportunities offered by ICTs. Based on AWID’s most recent survey results (2006), of the 958 women’s organisations which responded, only 161 mentioned to work on ICTs, accounting for 17% of the sample.

The regional distribution of these organizations is as follows: 43% based in Africa, 12% based in Asia, 19% based in Latin America and the Caribbean, 6% in the Middle East and North of Africa, 16% in Central/Eastern Europe and 4% in North America and Western Europe. The graph below illustrates these percentages:

In Africa ICTs are mostly views as a commodity which is controlled, sold and bought, rather than a tool to harness development. This is also hampered by lack of free access to information in many African countries. Many countries still do not have modern laws and regulations that support free access to information. In countries where such laws exist very little has been done to increase access to ICTs that support broad-based sharing of technologies, information, and knowledge, and promote respect for human rights and freedoms.

Source: AWID

From the graphical representation shown above, it is clear that many women’s organizations in Africa have not sufficiently explored the potential of ICTs in enhancing there work.

A number of issues of concern have been identified relating to women and ICTs in Africa

- Increasing levels of Poverty in some communities
- The use of ICTs for sabotage activities that affects the work of human rights defenders including those promoting the rights of women
- Increased exposure to pornography which has led to some households to limit access to computer and internet for their children
- Lack of ICTs skills limit usage among women
- The fast changing technology and the costs involved makes it difficult to respond appropriately to the ICTs needs of women in a timely and efficient manner
- Cultural inhibitions and control over women in some communities
- The costs involved
- The differing levels of development – increasing the dap between the rich and the poor in terms of information access
- Lack of and/or poor implementation of government policies and legislation where it exists, that would benefit women in their struggles to realize, protect and demand for their rights

Internet governance
The internet governance discussion gained momentum during the WSIS 2003 Geneva, and also WSIS 2005 in Tunis). A Working group established after a United Nations-initiated World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) defined Internet governance in its June 2005 report as: the development and application by Governments, the private sector and civil society, in their respective roles, of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures, and programmes that shape the evolution and use of the Internet.

With the increasing sophisticated forms of ICTs including access to broadband infrastructure, understanding and addressing Internet policy issues has become a critical issue in Africa. The growing awareness of the Internet’s major social and economic impact in both developed and developing countries has brought the question of Internet Governance. The debate on issues relating to the governance of the Internet and on the policy and decision making process that are governing and shaping the development and allocations of its resources, technologies and related systems is no doubt an outcome of the growing importance of the social, economic, cultural and the political role of the Internet. The question of who owns or governs the Internet; who are the key decision-makers as per the issues governing the Internet; which aspects of the Internet to govern and by whom; the role of specific international bodies and governments and civil society in determining the rules governing the operations of the Internet including issues relating to the allocation of its resources can all be seen within the context of the growing importance of the Internet.

In many African countries, the citizenry do not fully understand how Freedom of expression relates to internet governance. A number of African have enshrined freedom of expression and human rights in their constitution. The majority of the African countries addressing the freedom of expression and human rights issues view them as issues within the context of constitutional rights of their citizens rather than as Internet Governance public policy issues. In many countries, measures taken to secure internet in terms of security and to curb crime have lead to violation of freedom of expression, which is guaranteed in article 19 of the Universal Declaration of human rights and also in the WSIS Declaration of Principles.

Recommendations

ICTS have the potential to help address issues facing women and provide opportunities to build the capacity and potential of women to improve their quality of life. However, there is a need to understand how to harness these technologies of the benefit of women. There are a number of key areas of possible action.

Governments
• Use of ICTs to help inform women so that they can make appropriate and informed decisions that affect them, their families and communities. For example, government can increase awareness among women on how the legal system and parliaments function and how they can effectively engage in their decision making process through use of ICTs.
• Governments to invest in the use of ICTs for storage and easy retrieval of data and information in institutions that are responsible for processing land titles, trading licenses, birth and death and other legal documents that affect women’s rights to own, control and have access to development resources.
• Support the use of ICTs in education (formal and informal) and literacy programmes to build ICT skills among young and adult learners and increase awareness about the opportunities for development using ICTs.
• Support girls and women to take courses that are relevant for employment in the ICTs sector at higher education levels.
• Formulate policies that encourage women to use ICTs within the household, in their businesses and also make ICTs affordable for women.
• Invest in ICTs for development and also allocate money from national budget to build women’s capacity to use ICTs in advancing themselves.
• Strengthen monitoring of implementation for policies and guidelines on ICTs at different levels and in all sectors.
• Regularly review ICTs indicators to assess use and contribution to the goals of poverty eradication at national and regional level.
• Promote the use of ICTs to increase understanding, knowledge sharing and action on HIV/AIDS, other preventable diseases that are the main causes of maternal and child morbidity and mortality as a gender and human rights issue.

African Union
• Develop ICTs policies that are specific to Africa which promote regional integration and networking among African countries.
• Take more concrete steps towards the creation of an enabling ICT environment for women in Africa.

Civil Society
• CSOs need to document best practice stories how women’s participation in development processes at various levels has been enhanced by use of ICTs and how usage has improved their lives.
• The digital divides at various levels need to be seen as opportunities for further engagement on ICTs with women.
• Build capacity for collection of vital data which inform policy formulation and implementation.
• Partner more with the ICTs industries (public and private) to support women’s access to vital information, knowledge, skills, and opportunities for development.
• Seek to strengthen the practical and technical skills of women entrepreneurs that women organizations work with through basic training on the Internet, e-commerce, international trade, business management and gender issues.

Conclusion

By addressing challenges and seizing opportunities, ICTS can be harnessed to benefit women in various spheres – education, health, rights, etc. The can be important tools, when put to good use, can make a big difference not only in the lives of individual women, but also to communities and countries, as the efficacy of individuals improves their contributions to society. Empowering women through ICTs is another peace of the puzzle towards human development and a rights-based Africa.

Writers bio
Carlyn Hambuba is a Development Communication Specialist currently working for the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) in Nairobi-Kenya as a Communications Officer. Prior to joining FEMNET, she worked for CARE International Zambia as Communication and Advocacy Coordinator.

She has also worked in the media in Zambia and contributed stories to international magazines, blogs and websites such as The Women’s Enews, EIS Africa, and The Environment Times. Carlyn has also worked as consultant for the Group on Earth Observation (GEO) based in Geneva Switzerland as Press and Public Relation Coordinator for Africa Region. She is a member of a number of professional organizations, including the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), The International women’s Media Foundation, African Network for Environmental Journalists and a Board member of Zambia Media Women Association (ZAMWA).

A study conducted by the United Nations Millennium Campaign (UNMC) covering 17 countries in Africa undertaken in 2010 as part of the MDGs +10 Review process indicates that Africa remains the only region in the world that risks not meeting most of the Goals by 2015. The study concludes that citizens have to redouble their efforts and pressurize their governments to adopt appropriate policies and MDGs-focused national planning and
budgeting prioritisation, and implement concrete actions to accelerate achievement of the Goals by 2015.

http://www.un-ngls.org/IMG/pdf_The_Missing_Link.pdf

 Born on 26^th December 1958 in Bassar Togo, Kafui Brigitte Adjamagbo -Johnson is late Cornélie and late Dr. Paul Adjamagbo’s daughter. She holds a PhD in law. Her political career started in October 1990, with the Democratic Convention of African Peoples (CDPA) as a founding member. Kafui Brigitte Adjamagbo –Johnson was until 8^th January, 2010 Coordinator of Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF) Sub-Regional Office for West Africa. She is now a Presidential candidate in Togo. Elections are expected to be held on the 04^th March 2010.

 Kafui Brigitte Adjamagbo -Johnson holds a PhD in Compared Law and Foreign Law from the Université Panthéon-Sorbonne in Paris (France).  She worked as a lecturer at National School of Administration) and at the Université du Bénin (Lomé). From 1989, she worked as Programme Manager at the Scientific Research Directorate. The same year, she worked as a World Bank Consultant for a study on the integration of women in the development processes in Togo. Later on, she carried out some ten other missions for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the International Committee for Jurists, the United Nations Fund for Population (UNFPA) and the European Union.

 In 1991, Kafui Brigitte Adjamagbo -Johnson was elected Rapporteur General of the Provisory Bureau of the National Sovereign Conference, from which she inherited the Special name “the President asks me to Say”. She shortly worked as a Member of the Haut Conseil (HCR) (Parliament) of the Republic before being appointed Minister for Social welfare, Human Rights and National Solidarity in the first Transition Government of Togo. Known for her straight talk and firm positions regarding democracy and human rights, she was no more a member of the new government after the Prime Minister’s office was attacked in December 1992.

 Supporter of the Tchekpo slogan “Democracy first, multiparty later”, she went on with her fight for a standing Togo, fighting without flinching, not only within her political party, CDPA, but also in civil society, particularly in the Collectif des Associations féminines (CAF) (Gathering of women’s Associations). Her tenacity will flinch at nothing: neither by the numerous attacks on the democratic process by an ultra conservative regime which then devoted itself to erasing the gains of the popular combat, nor by the turpitudes of an opposition failed to take full advantage of available opportunities for putting an end to an archaic political system which the Togolese people no more accepted.

 Kafui Brigitte Adjamagbo -Johnson has decided to rise up to the occasion and contest for the Presidency in Togo. She believes the time is right for Togo to experience a different form of leadership. Her election as the President of the Republic of Togo is what her country needs most at this time. When elected to office, Kafui Brigitte Adjamagbo -Johnson will become Africa’s second female President. FEMNET is calling on all African women on the continent and the diasporas to support Kafui Brigitte Adjamagbo –Johnson. New Leadership will bring renewed hope for the people of Togo.

 For more Information about Mrs. Kafui Brigitte Adjamagbo -Johnson or if you want to send your message of goodwill and support please email: to: adjakafui@yahoo.fr info@adjamagbo2010.com  / cdpatogo@hotmail.com  and Definitely Visit her website: adjamagbo2010.com

TEL: + 228 917 52 45/ + 228 904 34 80/ + 228 935 87 25

By Carlyn Hambuba

The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa commonly referred to as the - African Protocol on the Rights of Women is one of the greatest instruments that women of Africa can use to champion their rights. However, few women are aware of this important legal framework. In this article below I share with you information about the protocol.  

The African Charter on Human and People’s Rights is the mother treaty of the African Women’s Rights Protocol. [1]The Charter was adopted on June 27, 1981 and entered into force on 21st October 1986. Although Article 18 (p.3) of the Charter guarantees women’s rights.

The Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, a comprehensive legal framework to guarantee African women’s rights, is a supplement to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights. The protocol advances a broad range of human rights for African women in creative, substantive and detailed language.[2] For the first time in international law, the reproductive rights of women to medical abortion when pregnancy results from rape or incest, or when the continuation of the pregnancy endangers the health or life of the mother, are explicitly set out. In another first, the protocol specifically calls for the legal prohibition of female genital mutilation.

Following various advocacy efforts by African women’s NGOs, the need for an African women’s right Treaty gathered momentum and led to an increasing consensus on the urgency to address the specific concerns and needs of African women. After a decade of concerted effort by Civil Society Organisations, African woman’s NGOs, On 26 October 2005, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa received its 15th ratification, meaning the Protocol entered into force on 25 November 2005. This marked a milestone in the protection and promotion of women’s rights in Africa, creating new rights for women in terms of international standards. Solidarity for African Women’s Rights, a coalition of groups across Africa in which the Africa Regional Office of Equality Now plays a leading role, has been campaigning for the ratification, domestication and popularization of the Protocol since April 2004 after learning that the pace of ratification was very slow and concern was raised that it might take years for the Protocol to come into force unless member states were held publicly and consistently accountable for their promises to ratify it.

Initially, it was ratified by 15 countries, but as of 25^th November, a total of 26 African countries have ratified the Protocol. The list of countries is available on the African Union website:   http://www.african-union.org.)

Making a difference

The adoption of the Protocol represents a milestone in the struggle to ensure and strengthen the rights of women in Africa. This important instrument has reinforced the protection of these rights under CEDAW and other human rights conventions, as well as international and regional declarations and resolutions. It managed to achieve this in three aspects:

Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa

This groundbreaking Protocol, for the first time in international law, explicitly sets forth the reproductive right of women to medical abortion when pregnancy results from rape or incest or when the continuation of pregnancy endangers the health or life of the mother. In another first, the Protocol explicitly calls for the legal prohibition of female genital mutilation, and prohibits the abuse of women in advertising and pornography.  The Protocol sets forth a broad range of economic and social welfare rights for women. The rights of particularly vulnerable groups of women, including widows, elderly women, disabled women and “women in distress,” which includes poor women, women from marginalized populations groups, and pregnant or nursing women in detention are specifically recognized.

 The Protocol requires African governments to eliminate all forms of discrimination and violence against women in Africa and to promote equality. The Protocol also commits African governments, if they have not already done so, to include in their national constitutions and other legislative instruments these fundamental principles and ensure their effective implementation. It also obligates them to integrate a gender perspective in their policy decisions, legislation, development plans, and activities, and to ensure the overall well-being of women. The Protocol will enter into force after fifteen states have ratified.

The African Women’s Development and Communication’s Network (FEMNET) and FAHAMU (Networks for Social Justice), are members of Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR), a regional coalition consisting of more than twenty Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and development partners working towards the promotion and protection of women’s human rights in Africa. SOAWR has been responsible for the fastest ever ratification of an African Union (AU) Protocol; the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, which is a continental legal framework for the protection of women’s rights. The Protocol entered into force in November, 2005 and the focus of campaigning have now shifted towards popularising provisions of the  African Protocol across Africa.

As a way of popularising the Protocol, FEMNET and FAHAMU through the Media for Women’s Right (MEWOR) Project have produced a 6 CD serial Drama aimed at creating awareness around key issues in the Protocol such as the right to peace, life, intergrity and freedom from violence.

The drama is also aimed at demystifing the Protocol by sensitising both men and women about women’s rights. The drama also provides information to stakeholders and servicer providers working in communities, and also encourages citizens to lobby policy- makers to enact laws that will protect women’s rights.

The  SOAWR campaign has recorded a direct policy impact by contributing to the ratification of the Protocol by 25 African countries. These include; Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde,The Comoros, The Gambia, Ghana, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Liberia and most recently Zimbabwe ratified the protocol on 5^th September,2008. Testifying to the fact that despite the slow start, the speed at which the Protocol has come into force on November 25^th 2005 historically broke all records for African human rights instruments.

As more countries ratify the Protocol, and the event of the coming into force of the Protocol, the challenge has lately shifted from getting countries to sign and ratify the Protocol to domestication, implementation and rights’ realisation. From experience with the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and national legal frameworks, a number of obstacles will stand in the way of harnessing the potential force of the Protocol. At the societal level, the strength of patriarchal (interpretations of) culture, tradition and religion, the co-existence of multiple legal systems and the public/private dichotomy continue to disempower African women. At the national level, gender machineries in several African countries are characterised by powerlessness and poor resources. This is exacerbated by the lack of political will to implement their commitments on the part of our leaders. Because of these and other reasons the Coalition realized that there is need for rigorous and urgent measures to be taken, so that the Protocol does not suffer the same fate as that of its predecessors and remain guaranteed only on paper.

The struggle for the rights of women in Africa has been a long battle. Available documentation hardly shows the resilience and strategies of advocates and lobbyists.  They largely ignore the hard work and invaluable contributions invested in the campaigns and the eventual instatement of sanity in the community.

The experiences of SOAWR should motivate women and men working on diverse types of campaigns, to challenge people in Africa to rise up and advocate towards desirable changes in their communities.

Now that 26 countries have ratified the protocol, more need to be done for the remaining countries to ratify. Countries that have ratified also have a responsibility to take action by implementing the protocol.

To obtain a copy of the drama contact: admin@femnet.or.ke

[1](http://www.uneca.org/beijingplus10/resources.htm.) [1] http://www.fahamu.org/advocacy/article/campaigning_on_the_african_womens_rights_protocol

 By Carlyn Hambuba

Goma is a city in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and on the on the northern shore of Lake Kivu. The city has come in the lime light following the war that has ravaged the area for more than a decade now. Women and girls in this city continue to bear the blunt of the war.

A lot of efforts by the United Nation and the African Union have been put in place to try and restore peace in this war-torn region of Africa. But amid the conflict a small group of physically challenged women in Goma have come together and found a way of helping themselves move ahead with life. The women are using their skills in tailoring and designing to fruition. These women come from refugee camps and rural villages in Eastern Congo.  They have little or no formal education, yet the crafts and clothes they design and sew have found their way onto one of the world’s online market place- EBay. Over the past 8 months these women have built a sustainable business, with no outside funding through working with other groups of women at SHONA Crafts. FEMNET News Spoke to two inspiring young women Argentine and Mapendo who are part of the SHONA crafts women.

Argentine Irankunda and Mapendo Anouarit live together and work together in a house that they rent with their proceeds from SHONA. Argentine’s famiy lives in a rural village where it would be unsafe for her, and Mapendo’s family lives in a refugee camp.  Thus these two women find themselves in a somewhat unique position of truly needing to be independent and be able to take care of themselves.

 Q: Does your work with SHONA help you?

Argentine:  Yes.  First of all it has helped me to be able to work and to know that I will be paid at the same time.  Before this, I would work and some months there would be money and some months there wouldn’t…This way I know that if I work hard, I will be paid. It has also helped me to begin learning French, so that I can stand on my own.

 Question:  What do you do with the money you earn?

Argentine: It allows me to take care of myself.  My mother is living in a village and she has nothing.  She doesn’t even have money to take care of my siblings.  This way I can take care of myself even though I don’t have strong legs.  I also send money to my mother each month, so that she can take care of my siblings.  I also save part of my money so that some day I can buy land and have a place for my family and I to live.

 Question:  Has your mentality, your way of thinking, changed?

Argentine:  Yes.  Before I couldn’t even imagine what a better life would look like.  Other people might dream of buying land or doing something in the future, but I am crippled and I didn’t have that confidence.  I just hoped someday, something would change and life would somehow be better.  But, after coming to SHONA women’s craft my perception changed; my eyes are open and I know what is possible in the future.  I want to have my own land, my own place.

“Our house has been destroyed by the war.  Where would I be, if I could not take care of myself” Mapendo Anouarit 

Question:   Does your work with SHONA help you?

Mapendo:  Yes, very much.  It helps me, first of all, to take care of myself.  I am the youngest child in my family and I am handicapped.

People could say that I should depend on my family.  But my mother is old and she and my siblings live in a refugee camp.  Our house has been destroyed by the war.  Where would I be, if I could not take care of myself? IT also helps me to take care of my mother, little by little.  And I am rebuilding my mother’s house with her money from SHONA.

She is the only person, of all her siblings, who has contributed any money to the house, and she is literally building it on her own.  She has already bought all the wood and the tin for the roof.)

Question:  How else does SHONA help you?

Mapendo:  It has taught me that I can do things myself.  Where I worked before, we would rely on others to cut the cloth for us, and then we would sew it.  But here at SHONA I learned that I can do it myself despite being handicapped.  So, now I plan how to cut it and how to sew it the fabrics on my own.

Also, the classes here at SHONA help me.  I am learning maths and accounting which is very important because it helps me see how much money I earn and plan how to use it.  “ A person can have good work and earn good money, but they can lose it all quickly.  It is important to plan for the money you have, how to split it up, and save part.  And anyway before I never had enough money to split up, now I do.” Explains Mapendo

SHONA: Crafts from Congo” was started last year by Dawn Hurley, an American woman living in Congo.  She was looking for a small way to empower a few women to change their lives, without creating dependency.  She met with a group of handicapped women who had learned to sew. “The women impressed me because they could already do so much with their own hands.  All they needed was the opportunity to show the world their talent.  SHONA is a way of providing these young women with an international market.  And to be honest, I have been blown away by the response their products have received.” Hurley explains

The women of SHONA have found an enthusiastic market in the United States.  They have made over 100 sales on Ebay alone, and have earned 100% positive feedback.   Determined to keep all of the profits returning directly to the craftspeople, SHONA operates with no paid staff and no marketing budget.  “The only way we have gotten this far has been through the incredible response of our customers.  They return again and again, and they spread the word.  On both sides of the ocean, we are truly a grass roots organization, working through one person at a time,” Hurley says.

It is the small-scale of SHONA’s success which is so striking.  Through the miracles of technology, SHONA has bypassed traditional sales methods, and reached directly from the craftswomen to the customers, empowering them both.  As the saying goes, disability is not inability.

More information about Shona women’s craft is available on: www.shonacongo.com

The Ministry of Home Affairs wishes to inform the general public that the Government of the Republic of Zambia has set 31st May 2009 as the last day for the usage of the old machine readable passports.

This therefore means that the old passports will not be recognized as valid document at any immigration exit border point for the purpose of travelling internationally.

The public is also informed that the issuance of the new passports is a continuous process and citizens are free to apply for the change of passports at any time.

However, Zambian nationals living in the diaspora will be permitted to travel to Zambia using the old passports for an extra three (3) months period until up to August 31, 2009.

Furthermore, there are a lot of processed but uncollected passports at Passport Office in Lusaka. I appeal to people who have applied for passports to make an effort to collect these documents

Hon. Dr. Kalombo Mwansa, MP

Minister of Home Affairs

Carlyn Hambuba                                        

Malawi is a land-locked country in southern Africa. With a population of between 11.5 to 12.5 million and is among the poorest countries in the world. Like many other sub Saharan countries, Malawi is grappling with the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Women are most affected by the pandemic – out of 809, 833 persons living with HIV in the country, 473, 000 are women.

The civil service is the worst hit sector in the country. The Malawi police service has a high HIV prevalence rate among its service women; an update on the Malawi National Response to HIV/AIDS indicates that 32 percent of female police officers are currently infected with HIV.

There has been marked success within development organizations that are able to design HIV/AIDS mainstreaming strategies in an effort to prevent, and mitigate the effects of HIV/AIDS. These lessons along with the strategies employed by a handful of dedicated individuals have the potential to make real change in ho Malawi and other African countries address HIV/AIDS.

As the world commemorates World AIDS Day, The African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) celebrates the role of dedicated women in Africa who work tirelessly to fight HIV/AIDS. Eluby Jere, a policewoman based in Malawi’s commercial capital Blantyre, is one such person who has worked hard, with little recognition.

Malawi is a land-locked country in southern Africa. With a population of between 11.5 to 12.5 million and is among the poorest countries in the world. Like many other sub Saharan countries, Malawi is grappling with the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Women are most affected by the pandemic – out of 809, 833 persons living with HIV in the country, 473, 000 are women.

The civil service is the worst hit sector in the country. The Malawi police service has a high HIV prevalence rate among its service women; an update on the Malawi National Response to HIV/AIDS indicates that 32 percent of female police officers are currently infected with HIV.

There has been marked success within development organizations that are able to design HIV/AIDS mainstreaming strategies in an effort to prevent, and mitigate the effects of HIV/AIDS. These lessons along with the strategies employed by a handful of dedicated individuals have the potential to make real change in ho Malawi and other African countries address HIV/AIDS.

As the world commemorates World AIDS Day, The African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) celebrates the role of dedicated women in Africa who work tirelessly to fight HIV/AIDS. Eluby Jere, a policewoman based in Malawi’s commercial capital Blantyre, is one such person who has worked hard, with little recognition.

For the past five years Eluby has been mobilizing men and women of Malawi’s Police force to take an active role in the fight against HIV/AIDS. She encourages men and women in uniform to go for HIV testing by telling her own story as a woman living with HIV/AIDS. Since 2003, she has reached out to 3974 people. However, the role women play in caring for people living with HIV and orphaned children is rarely recognized or monitored and these women therefore remain unsupported.

Eluby Jere like many other caregivers in Africa experiences stigma and discrimination. Studies show that home-based carers experience considerably more stress than those working in the medical environment, and without adequate training, mentoring and support. In response to this need, caregivers have formed groups and networks to provide mutual support and to build their own capacity. Through these groups and initiatives, caregivers are engaging in peer learning, training and empowerment to negotiate with local government authorities and decision makers to access funds and gain access to decision-making structures. Less progress has been seen on this last score, with older carers remaining largely invisible in the HIV response.

African governments and funders need to realize that caregivers play an important role in assisting people who are HIV-Positive to access basic services, food, clean water and medication. as such they need to support there efforts through providing adequate funding for home based care programmes.

Home-based caregivers are first-line responders to AIDS and are well versed with its affects in their communities including knowledge on the types of interventions that are working.

The Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, bilateral and multilateral funding agencies, and national AIDS authorities should prioritize attention to care and caregivers as they need to be recognized as valued stakeholders through giving them a formal place in decision-making bodies, including Country Coordinating Mechanisms.

Many governments have failed to integrate care into their national budgets and make funds inaccessible to caregivers. Macro and micro funding policies must be strengthened to ensure that funding becomes accessible to the caregiver. To ensure progress, an official role for home-based caregivers to act as monitors and evaluators of AIDS programs should be established at the community level. In addition, a small percentage of funding should be earmarked to directly support community-led responses to AIDS, particularly those driven by women. Donor accountability is essential if global goals on HIV prevalence reduction are to be met. Donors must ensure that the caregivers have everything they need in order to carry out their work safely and efficiently.

Currently 2.8 million people in Malawi have undergone HIV testing. In 2007 and 2008 alone the country tested over 1 million people. The highest risk group is the 15 to 24 age-group; however it is interesting to note that the infections are increasing in the highly knowledgeable groups. Sex workers top the chart with an HIV prevalence rate of 70 percent.

The number of Malawians living with HIV in rural areas is estimated at 630 000 compared to the urban areas at 179,745. Out of this number, 89, 055 are children below the age 15.

As a way of scaling up HIV testing and counseling services the country in 2006 introduced the HIV Testing and Counseling (HTC) week which was the first of its kind in the world and has since been described as a success. Last year, 187,000 people got tested during HTC week, of which 53 percent were female and 47 percent were male. Another HIV Testing and Counseling week was held in November 2008.

Barely a week after the Malawi government withdrew a much needed cash handout to HIV/Aids infected civil servants, the Malawi Police Service released alarming statistics showing that the force at risk of being wiped out.
With soaring food prices coupled and low wages, experts say Malawi’s ability to realize the Millennium Development Goals will be greatly hampered by loss of skilled people and declining health care budgets.

Sub-Saharan Africa is more heavily affected by HIV/AIDS than any other region of the world. An estimated 22 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2007 and approximately 1.9 million additional people were infected with HIV during that year. In just the past year, the AIDS epidemic in Africa has claimed the lives of an estimated 1.5 million people in this region. More than eleven million children have been orphaned by AIDS.

The extent of the AIDS crisis is only now becoming clear in many African countries, as increasing numbers of people with HIV are falling ill. In the absence of massively expanded prevention, treatment and care efforts, it is expected that the AIDS death toll in sub-Saharan Africa will continue to rise. This means that the impact of the AIDS epidemic on these societies will be felt most strongly in the course of the next ten years and beyond.The social and economic impact is already widely felt, not only in the health sector but also in education, industry, agriculture, transport, human resources and the economy as a whole.

In many parts of Africa, as elsewhere in the world, the AIDS epidemic is aggravated by social and economic inequalities between men and women. Women and girls commonly face discrimination in terms of access to education, employment, credit, health care, land and inheritance. These factors put women in a position where they are particularly vulnerable to HIV infection. In sub-Saharan Africa, around 59% of those living with HIV are female.

In many African countries, sexual relationships are dominated by men, meaning that women cannot always practice safe sex even when they know the risks involved. There is need to empower the African woman who is at greater risk of HIV AIDS with knowledge on how to protect herself from HIV/AIDS. African governments need to ensure that women like Eluby Jere of Malawi are provided with the necessary information and support.

The role of Women in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa can not be over emphasized. It is clear that women are the force that sustains the continent and hence at the centre of the HIV/AIDS response. It is also evident everywhere the epidemic is taking a toll; there are gallant women engaged in prevention, care and support. In sub-Saharan Africa, women as mothers, as primary care givers and economic providers will continue to depend on subsistence farming, petty trading and other sectors of informal economy to support families and communities. It makes sense then that support for these women should be central to whatever strategy for the future and meeting MDG 3 target by 2015.

One of the most important ways in which the situation in Africa can be improved is through increased funding for HIV/AIDS. More money would help to improve both prevention campaigns and the provision of treatment and care for those living with HIV. Developed countries have increased funding for the fight against AIDS in Africa in recent years, perhaps most significantly through the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. There is need for African governments to ensure that funds committed to fight HIV/AIDS benefit African women especially those at community level who need antiretroviral drugs for themselves and their unborn children.

References

1. How are different countries in Africa affected?
2. National AIDS Commission of Malawi (2000) “National HIV/AIDS Strategic Framework 2000-2004
4. What will be the impact of HIV-AIDS on women and children?
5. World AIDS Day 2008 Statement by, The Huairou Commission, GROOTS International along with partners at CORDAID, the World YWCA and Help Age International.
6. Case Study of the Malawi Police Service

Source: Pambazuka

* Carlyn Hambuba works for the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) in Nairobi-Kenya as a Communications Office