Vital Voices alumna, Zimbabwean Vongai Chikwanda, writes about a recent dialogue held in her home country on women’s political and economic empowerment. Former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, was among the high-level participants, who gathered to discuss the implementation of the Zimbabwean Global Political Agreement (GPA), which posits a new political and economic order following years of political turbulence in the nation.

From April 26-20, Zimbabwean Women hosted former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, and six prominent women leaders in Africa, including: Brigalia Bam (South Africa), Chairperson of the South African Independent Electoral Commission, Dr Achola Pala (Kenya), former Chief Advisor Africa Desk UNIFEM, Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda (Zimbabwe), General Secretary YWCA and Regional Director of East and Horn Of Africa UNIFEM, Lois Bruthus (Liberia), Liberian Ambassador to South Africa and Zimbabwe, Elizabeth Lulle (Uganda), World Bank Africa, Dr Thelma Awori, former UN Resident Representative to Zimbabwe.

Former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson:

“The coming together of Zimbabwean women across their diversities provides a new impetus and bridge for implementation of the Global Political Agreement.”

The aim of the dialogue was to raise the momentum on the equal participation of women in the constitutional, transitional justice, national healing, reconciliation and peacebuilding processes. The women leaders had a dialogue with more than 500 women, including politicians, policy makers, rural women, Christian women, businesswomen, and human rights defenders. They also met with advocacy groups, civil society organizations, the UN and the diplomatic community. They shared experiences on women’s participation in national processes, and the Zimbabwean women drew lessons from the delegation members’ experiences of leadership and effective participation. Mary Robinson also emphasized the need to bring young women’s voices in the public arena to ensure that they are heard.

The delegation of women leaders identified two critical issues:

1. The constitutional reform process is pivotal to the success of the Global Political Agreement. The delegation highlighted how important it is, therefore, that women fully participate in this process so that their rights are enshrined in the new constitution.
2. Given the present economic constraints, resources are required to stimulate women’s economic activities so as to better position their participation in the economy and development.

On the evening of April 30, women’s organizations and High Level Delegation witnessed the leaders of the women’s wings of the three main political parties sign a resolution to work across their political divides to accelerate implementation of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) and build a common agenda for women’s empowerment.

The signing of this historic resolution was witnessed by Olivia Muchena, Minister of Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development; Sekai Holland, Minister in the Organ on National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration; Mary Robinson and Lois Bruthus. Lastly, as a way forward, Mary Robison proposed an International Symposium/ Colloquium in Zimbabwe based on the UNSCR 1325. She also urged the regional and international communities to support the efforts of Zimbabwean women.

The following is a post written by Global Programs Intern, Montana Mathieu.

Kakenya Ntaiya of Kenya, 2008 Rising Voices Award honoree and a valued member of the Vital Voices network, has been voted as one of the People of 2009 by One World, an online news service. Kakenya provides young girls an education through her Academy for Girls, the Kakenya Center for Excellence.

One World was introduced to Kakenya from the inspiring blog entries written by Vital Voices and Advocacy Project Fellow Kate Cummings, who spent her summer with Kakenya.

Congratulations to Kakenya and to Kate for sharing her story!

People of 2009: Neipamei Ngodia and Kakenya Ntaiya - One World

With critical elections scheduled in April, women in South Sudan are rallying for an increased role in the rebuilding of government infrastructure and civil institutions, reports IPS News. A nation severely weakened by conflict and violence, Sudan and its citizens are in desperate need of reform and development –a process that has many women campaigning for full and fair participation in political life. Hannah Dario, a social worker in Lakeside State, says that it is time for change in Sudan:

“We believe this change will come through an engendered decision-making process, as well as in implementation of these decisions…No one should gamble with the peace for which we have paid such a high price to enjoy.”

Members of grassroots women’s organizations say that the future of their nation should be shaped by an equal partnership between men and women. Sudanese women are gathering to discuss and debate important issues surrounding political, social, and economic life, preparing to offer a unified and representative platform as election season gains way. According to IPS, “the meetings also serve to collect and articulate women’s grievances and issues to be passed on to those women who occupy elected and appointed seats in government.”

Deborah Tito, a housewife and member of the Women’s Union organization, which branches across all states in northern and southern Sudan, says that women must be regarded as equal stakeholders in the political future of the state. Tito goes on to say that women’s leadership must be engaged and recognized in its many forms:

“It’s very unfortunate that the debate about women and leadership has degenerated into the number of seats we can or should have.”

Tito insists that the women’s movement in Sudan be focused on the quality, as opposed to quantity, of leadership as it affects women. The path to equality, she argues, will take more than a high percentage of female representation in government. As Sudan rebuilds, and many women are uniting to join in the effort, still others are struggling to secure basic needs of survival. One government representative says:

“For most women, even with the end of the war, survival precedes all else. As long as they can put something together to feed the family, then all else is luxury, including a more balanced gender make-up in government.”

As elections near, women’s organizations continue to mobilize citizens in an effort to communicate their needs and ideas as a community.

SOUTH SUDAN: Women’s Eyes on the Political Prize -IPS News

Sandra Kasonso is a valued member of the Vital Voices network. We were first introduced to Sandra in 2007, when she attended Vital Voices of Africa: A Leadership Summit for Women and Girls, a summit hosted by Vital Voices in Cape Town, South Africa. Sandra most recently participated in a Vital Voices Women’s Artisan Product & Business Development Program training held in Nairobi, Kenya. The following is a blog post written by Sandra about her experience organizing a Global Women’s Mentoring Walk in Zambia.

My name is Sandra Ndona Kasonso. I first heard about Vital Voices from the American Center in Zambia when a staff member, Betty Nalungwe, nominated me to attend the leadership summit in Cape Town in 2007. The article I am writing is about the mentoring walk I organized with five friends in Zambia.

Vital Voices Network member Sandra Kasonso

I can’t remember when I first saw the mentoring walk email from Vital Voices requesting interested people to participate. I took an interest but wasn’t sure I could commit and so I ignored it. Months later I was telling Melysa Sperber, Vital Voices’ Global Grants Manager, about my girls club and how I wanted to help the girls achieve their dreams. I was looking for ideas when Melysa suggested the mentoring walk. I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get involved and requested more information, which Global Programs Assistant Nicole Hauspurg sent. After going through the mentoring walk tool kit and overview I thought it was a great idea and passed the overview to friends for comments and support.

I mainly had to fight my self-doubt. First, I asked myself where would I start? Did I have what it took to lead this? So I hung back.

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Georgina Nakitari of Kenya is a valued member of the Vital Voices network, most recently participating in Rising Voices: Young Kenyan Women’s Leadership and Communications Training. Living as an HIV positive woman, Georgina was profiled by The Standard as a true crusader who has “taken a brave step by coming out in public about her status and reaching out to other infected women.” Georgina works as a social worker and supervisor at the Coptic Hope Center, where she is in charge of the adult clinic. Her inspiring story is featured in this article, “Crusader larger than AIDS virus,” The Standard.

Elizabeth Kumba Torto is challenging tradition in the eastern part of Sierra Leone, looking to leave a male-dominated political custom behind in her bid for the position of paramount chief in the local chieftaincy election. In Kono, where many believe the nation’s civil war over “blood diamonds” began, Torto is contesting a decision that has found her candidacy invalid because of a recently-passed Chieftaincy Act, which states “a person is qualified to stand as a candidate in a paramount chieftaincy election where tradition so specifies,” as IPS News reports. It is this “tradition,” which excludes women from holding high-level political positions like the paramount chief, the “highest traditional head who rules over 11 districts in the country.”

Torto and her supporters are taking her case, which has evolved into an issue of women’s civil rights, to the Sierra Leone High Court. Veronica Dauda, president of Kono Women’s Group, said of the situation:

“Madame Torto’s fight is a woman’s fight. If we are able to (allow) her to contest the election then we would have broken a strong barrier to [women’s] equal participation in politics.”

Sierra Leone: Woman Breaking Traditional Walls in Chieftaincy Elections -IPS News

The introduction of cell phones and internet access has dramatically reduced the number of maternal deaths in villages of Ghana, reports IRIN Africa News. Health workers say that “the availability of cell phones has been pivotal” in preventing maternal deaths. Since the technology came to Amensie village in 2006, not a single maternal death has occurred. In districts with only one midwife or ambulance, many pregnant women in remote villages were unable to reach out for medical assistance in an emergency. A project of Millennium Villages, the cell phone initiative is an effort to realize the UN Millennium Development Goals.

According to UNICEF, half of the pregnant women in Ghana “give birth at home with no skilled health worker present.” Beginning in 2006, mobile handset producer Ericsson teamed up with mobile communications provider Zain to install internet access and mobile phone coverage in remote villages. The Vice-President of Corporate Responsibility at Ericsson, Elaine Weidman, told IRIN:

“We entered the project because we believe information and communications technology play a critical role in helping to end the poverty cycle.”

Read the full article: Ghana: cell phones cut maternal deaths -IRIN Africa News

WASHINGTON – The Save Darfur Coalition is observing the internationally-observed “16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence” between November 25, 2009 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) and December 10, 2009 (International Human Rights Day). For each of the 16 days, the coalition’s unique campaign will honor a leader in the fight to empower, protect and uplift women in Sudan and offer a corresponding action for activists.

The global “16 Days” campaign began in 1991 at the Center for Global Women’s Leadership at Rutgers University, and is observed by thousands of organizations across the globe. The Save Darfur Coalition is raising awareness about the endemic rape and sexual violence in Darfur by honoring 16 trail-blazing individuals or groups who are:

· Fighting to end violence in Darfur

· Promoting the empowerment of Sudanese women

· Contributing to a lasting peace in Sudan.

Daily actions taken by activists will range from contacting their members of Congress and local media to educating their communities about the ongoing suffering in Sudan. The “16 Days” initiative is part of the Save Darfur Coalition’s ongoing advocacy efforts to combat the epidemic of sexual violence in Darfur and provide comprehensive services to survivors.

A calendar with complete bios and detailed actions can be found at: www.savedarfur.org/16days

Rehmah Kasule, center, addresses the crowd in Kampala, Uganda.

On November 21, Uganda joined the other six countries around the world to participate in the Global Mentoring Walk 2009.

During the FORTUNE/US State Department Global Women’s Mentoring Program in May 2009 one lady at AXA Equitable asked me the three things that if I had that would have made my life better. This was indeed an “A-ha” moment for me… This is a question that had gone through my mind for years. My answer was: “If I had proper guidance, support networks and self belief, my journey would have been simpler and better.” Coming back home, mentoring other women has become my mission - to support and guide women in Uganda by starting Mentoring Clubs which will help girls in school, women in employment and women entrepreneurs to unleash their potential.

The major purpose of the Uganda mentoring walk was rooted in Augusto Lopez-Claros’ quote “It is indeed very likely that there is a strong and positive correlation between Africa’s economic growth and the unleashing of female talent”. My objectives were:

· To raise awareness about Mentoring as a key tool for personal development.

· To bring together women professionals and emerging women professionals in mentoring partnerships in order to create a network of role models.

· To illustrate women’s dedication to building leadership and spotlight the accomplishments of women in Uganda.

· To initiate a series of activities which will identify, guide and support young women “to lead a life of Choice not Chance” so that they make a positive transition into adulthood.

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