Women Are Rising up in Uganda Welcome
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Summer 2018 www.womankind.org.uk Women are rising up in Uganda Welcome The last six months have been a busy the needs and challenges but rewarding time for Womankind girls face, while promoting Worldwide and our partner girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of organisations around the world. their human rights. With your help, we have supported and As ever, we look towards the rest of the year strengthened local women-led movements with excitement and ambition for what we across Africa and Asia, helping women and can achieve, together with our partners, to girls claim their rights. We have formed improve the lives of women and girls. And we new partnerships with local feminist could not do it without your support. From organisations (See the Nepal Disabled all at Womankind, we sincerely thank you for Women’s Association on pg 8.) and, on your ongoing commitment to our work. International Women’s Day, we launched an in-depth report on women’s economic rights abuses in Uganda. You can read more about this ground-breaking report, titled ‘Digging Deep’, on pg. 3. We are also excited to announce that we will be participating in this year’s Caroline Haworth International Day of the Girl on October Chief Executive 11th. Established in 2012, the day aims to Womankind Worldwide highlight and address Womankind Worldwide’s Aims: Womankind Worldwide vision is of a just world An end to all forms of violence Wenlock Studios where the rights of all against women and girls 50-52 Wharf Road women are respected, valued London N1 7EU and realised. We work in Women’s economic rights and 020 3567 5930 partnership with women’s control over resources [email protected] movements around the world Women’s equal influence in www.womankind.org.uk to bring about lasting change decision making and ability to Registered Charity No. 328206 in women’s lives. exercise political power Company Reg. No. 2404121 2 Womankind Worldwide Women united against land grabs, Nwoya Distict, Northern Uganda Welcome Women rise up against land grabs in Uganda On March 8th, International Women’s Day, Womankind Worldwide launched Did you know, in Uganda… “Digging Deep: the impact of Uganda’s land • Women make up 76% of rush on women’s rights”. Working with agricultural workers1 3 the National Association of Professional • /4 of women earn their living as Environmentalists (NAPE) and the farmers2 National Association for Women’s Action • Only 7 – 20% of land is owned by in Development (NAWAD), this ground women3 breaking report documents how extractive companies and big business have been involved in violent land grabs blighting the But in the face of eviction and displacement, lives of local women. Ugandan women are coming together. To compile the report, Womankind’s partners, Through participation in the eco-feminist NAPE and NAWAD, interviewed over 350 movement, over 1,500 rural women have risen women affected by oil plants and industrial up to claim their economic rights. They demand activity in Uganda. that: The results were shocking. Women described 1. Women’s voices must be heard in every violent evictions from their homes and stage of decision making on land; land to make way for oil plants and factories; 2. Corporations need to fulfil their their voices silenced in any negotiations about obligations to the human rights of women compensation or resettlement. Women also lost and local communities; their livelihoods; no longer able to grow crops 3. Compensation for all lost land must be or tend to animals which provided food for their fair, transparent and equal; families. On top of this, women also reported 4. All forms of violence against women experiencing sexual and physical violence and girls must stop immediately. both during eviction, and afterwards by men coming to work in the new industrial plants. Sources: (1) OECD Uganda Country Report, 2015. (2) Read the full report Voices: Leveling the field for women farmers in Uganda, Visit www.womankind.org.uk/diggingdeep The World Bank, 2015 (3) Phillipa Lewis, Global Policy Forum, 2012. Womankind Worldwide Policy and campaigns 3 Ethiopia’s Feminist Curriculum Our Ethiopian partners, Setaweet are Each ‘Gendershop’ will include modules on: excited to announce that their feminist curriculum project is now underway! gender and sex which looks at the Setaweet aims to create a critical shift in difference between sex and gender, understanding around gender equality everyday sexism, gender stereotypes and by delivering bespoke training, titled male privilege; ‘Gendershops’, to girls and boys in secondary schools in Addis Ababa. healthy/unhealthy relationships The curriculum was developed in partnership which explores what healthy relationship with local illustrators Warkalab Designs might look like, consent and gender who created six characters each reflecting a based violence; different type of student you might find in an Ethiopian High School. Told through the the power of self which covers concepts eyes of each character, the illustrations bring of beauty, recognising personal qualities the ‘Gendershops’ to life. and the importance of self-love; Setaweet have recruited a dynamic team of young sisterhood which supports girls to gender equality champions understand the power to be gained from to deliver the course, supporting their peers when faced with many of whom are gender inequality; long-time campaigners on women’s rights in Ethiopia. masculinities which discusses both harmful and positive masculinities and how young men can shape this for themselves. Above and left: Illustration included in new curriculum by Warkalab Designs This project is kindly funded Find out more by the players of the People’s Visit Setaweet’s official website at Postcode Lottery. www.setaweet.com 4 Projects Womankind Worldwide Organising for Women’s Rights in Zimbabwe Following the fall of Robert Mugabe in November 2017, the forthcoming general election in Zimbabwe is seen by many as a period, WCoZ have recruited 280 community critical turning point in the country’s politics. champions from within its local chapters to monitor women’s rights violations. Equipped The women’s movement, led by Womankind’s with mobile phones and an online monitoring partner organisation, the Women’s Coalition tool, the champions are able to teach women of Zimbabwe (WCoZ), have united to push about their rights to participate in the election for the development of a Women’s Election process and report back to the coalition on the Strategy. Bringing together representatives local situation within their communities. from across political parties, government departments, media organisations, independent The project also provided campaign training commissions and women’s organisations, the for 325 aspiring female candidates through movement has successfully achieved cross-party the Women in Politics Support Unit. The training consensus on the key priorities that need to highlighted the difficulties faced by women be addressed to ensure women’s free and fair standing for election. Those already involved in participation in the election. local politics reported exclusion from important decision making at higher levels. The movement has successfully lobbied for voter registration to be extended to cover With the election due to take place in weekends enabling more working women to summer 2018, it remains unclear how the register to vote and has partnered with the public will vote. But thanks to the work of the Zimbabwe Association of Community Radio women’s movement, the women of Zimbabwe Stations to produce 39 podcasts specifically will continue to play a crucial role in the future aimed at encouraging young women and direction of their country. those living with disabilities to vote. These Above: Member of the Women’s Coalition of podcasts were broadcast on 12 community radio Zimbabwe stations, shared on social media and played on public transport to ensure they reached as many Stay informed women as possible. We’ll be sharing updates on the election In response to the expected increase in violence in Zimbabwe on our social media. Find us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. in the run-up to the election and post-election Womankind Worldwide Partner Update 5 Womankind at the United Nations Each March, representatives of governments, international organisations and women’s rights groups come together for the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations in Above: Patience Muramuzi (left) and Thandiwe New York. Chidavarume (right), outside the UN, New York The CSW is an important moment in our calendar year where Womankind and our international partners share our evidence and the devastating impacts on women when learnings to influence global policy extractive companies and big agri-businesses and debate. buy land and displace families from their This year, Womankind hosted an event at homes and farmland. CSW to launch our new report Digging The event provided an opportunity to Deep (see pg. 3), examining the impact of shine an important spotlight on the work land grabs on women’s economic rights. of Patience and Thandiwe and led to new At the event, we heard from Patience relationships with other activists working Muramuzi, director of our partner National on similar issues. Womankind’s advocacy is Association for Women’s Action in at its most powerful when we can use our Development (NAWAD) in Uganda and international connections to open up spaces Thandiwe Chidavarume, from Women for women’s voices to be heard on the issues and Land in Zimbabwe, who spoke of they are affected by and are experts in. Our former Head of Policy and Communications, Lee Webster, explained: “CSW is a hectic two weeks of lobbying, collaboration and building new relationships across countries and continents. I went from coffee with a Nepalese women’s rights activist, to the launch of the Gates Foundation gender strategy, to a consultation on violence against women research at the British Embassy, and finally to Womankind’s own event hosted with partner organisations from Uganda on corporate land grabs.