News Skill Share June 2008

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June 08

Gender based violence – making the invisible visible Work has already started on counselling for women and children, assertiveness and gender sensitisation training for prospective women candidates to prepare them for the 2009 national general elections, community dialogues, legal support and strengthening of Students Against Rape clubs in schools within Maun.

A UNIFEM study in 2002 indicates that 60% of women in Botswana have been victims of domestic violence (including incest, assault, rape and refusal to use condoms). In many cases, women and girls return to these abusive situations for several reasons, that include patriarchal attitudes, women’s economic dependence on men, lack of viable options for women, and the fear of public humiliation. GBV can lock women and girls into poverty. To break this cycle women need support to gain access to new opportunities and education to facilitate their financial independence.

Two counsellors have been employed at Bana ba Letsatsi as part of this project and started this March. They have both had previous experience of NGOs and have worked extensively with children. “Previously we only had one counsellor for over 240 children. With more counsellors we are able to work more routinely with the children and also to hold group sessions weekly. We are also able to spend more time in the field getting to know the children’s family members and also involving them in the project,” explained a spokesperson at Bana ba Letsatsi.

Since December 2007 Skillshare International has been working with partner organisations – Emang Basadi, Women Against Rape and Bana ba Letsatsi, on a threeyear project 75% funded by the European Commission, Challenging Abuse Against Women and Children. These partners have the common aim of addressing GBV and related challenges and have the capacity to address the problem of GBV from a holistic approach through their experience in counselling, rehabilitation, campaigning and networking. Khwezi Mbonini, Country Director in Botswana, is managing the project, which she hails as “a life saver, the long awaited liberator for long suffering abused women and children”.

Julie’s work on trafficking ©Skillshare/Claire Lewis-Armes

Since independence, Botswana has made significant progress in alleviating poverty and improving the standard of living. However, the problem of gender-based violence (GBV) still represents a significant challenge and threat to further progress.

In this issue:

Women vote for women Prince Harry makes visit Women teachers in Kerala

Development Workers NEW PLACEMENTS

Khwezi Mbonini, Skillshare International Country Director in Botswana, is managing this GBV project

You can give a gift to Skillshare International to help fund work like this. Simply visit www.skillshare.org and click on the donate now button.

JARGON BUSTER - Gender Mainstreaming Mainstreaming a gender perspective is the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in all areas and at all levels. It is a strategy for making women’s as well as men’s concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, economic and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal is to achieve gender equality. (UN Economic and Social Council formally defined concept). Source: Wikipedia

Ekomenzoge Metuge Regional Coordinator, Project Hope, Namibia Barbara Dockalova Capacity Builder, ANGOZA (Association of NGOs in Zanzibar), Tanzania James Urwick Director of Academic Planning, Lesotho College of Education, Lesotho Monique Janssens Research and Communications Officer, COPA, Kenya Liberty Shelton Training Adviser, Permaculture Trust, Botswana Abel Mubvekere Appropriate Technology Adviser, KOMEHO Namibian Development Agency, Namibia Rebecca Young Development Adviser, Tanzania House of Talents, Tanzania

Empowering women teachers in Kerala Peter explains: “getting the teachers to consider these new ideas, which are quite alien to them, can be difficult at times, but I have written a course which the staff appreciate and the debates that take place can be fun for all concerned. For such a long time students have not been treated as the most important person in the classroom, which of course they are.” Some of the topics Peter is raising as part of his placement include, equality of opportunity, preparing the children for a lesson, raising achievements and the physical environment. Another part of Peter’s role at KMS is to organise surveys about primary education in the forest areas and work with tribal communities to find out how primary education can be most effective.

©Skillshare/Julie George

Peter with trainees and staff at KMS

Peter is also trying to get funding to build a new school because the structure of the school he is working in now is in need of major refurbishment. Peter stated: “one of the problems facing this project is that funding agencies do not consider KPS a priority because Kerala as a whole has a good educational standard, however the forest and rural areas often do not benefit from this. There is still plenty of work to do but I am optimistic that more can and will be achieved.”

Kairali Mahali Samajam (KMS) literally means women’s group. KMS was set up in 1980 by Ms Crystal Steven in a village called Chemmannuvila in the state of Kerala to help predominantly tribal women improve the quality of their lives through mutual and self help.

©Skillshare/Julie George

Katrine Musgrave NGO Liaison & Letsema Development Manager, Sentebale Charity, Lesotho Wilfred Oirere Orenge Social Reintegration Officer, AMIMO Mozambique Miners Association, Mozambique Anna Burnett Development Manager, Manzini Youth Centre, Swaziland John Burnett Project Manager (Honey Business), Manzini Youth Centre, Swaziland Beullah Muchira Clinic Project Coordinator, Swaziland Breast Cancer Network, Swaziland Boniface Olubayo Business Adviser, Gantsi Brigade Development Trust, Botswana Ian Kaayo Fundraising & Communications Officer, MAAP, Kenya Daniel Carter Lecturer in General Medicine, UCM Beira Medical School, Mozambique

COMPLETED PLACEMENTS

KMS has set up more than 40 self-help groups for women, who benefit from loans and run small businesses such as stone-crushing, tailoring and dairies. KMS offers training and technical support to the groups. It also runs two nursery schools and a primary school.

Dr Dinesh Baliga Programme Officer, HIV and AIDS Mainstreaming, Skillshare International, India

The Kairali Primary School (KPS) borders the forest areas, enrols children of all religious faiths and actively encourages girls to stay in full-time education for as long as possible. About 120 students are now enrolled at KPS and the school employs six primary and two nursery teachers, who are all local women, funded solely from self-generated income. Skillshare International development worker Peter Warner has been working with KMS for over a year. His work there involves training the teachers in new techniques and training methods centred more towards the student, such as Child Centred Learning and Peace Teacher - Peace Methods.

Katrine Musgrave Business Adviser, Botshello, Botswana

Verdiana Malanguka Resources Mobilisation Officer, Various Partners, Botswana Katrine Musgrave Marketing & Mobilisation Adviser, Lesotho Planned Parenthood Association (LPPA), Lesotho Peter with the trainee teachers

Rebecca Sanchez Business Adviser, Botshello, Botswana

March 08

Email Skillshare news editor at: [email protected]

News in brief... Skillshare International

SSM student wins prize Alex Hillman, a student at Leicester Medical School, has won a prize for writing the best essay in the Skillshare International Health and Development Special Study Module (SSM). The module provides opportunities for ©Adrian Hastings students to learn about important issues in global health and how uneven development results in a high disease burden on the poor. Alex’s essay discussed the degree to which political freedom results in more favourable health outcomes in countries with similar levels of economic development. His conclusion was that a commitment to providing equitable access to health care was more important than whether a country was led by a democratically elected government. The essay prize was sponsored by the Just Fair Trade organisation in Leicester. Alex received a Just Fair Trade hamper and gift vouchers.

Julie’s work on trafficking In May, Skillshare International’s Regional Director for Asia, Julie George, held a talk on Human Trafficking: inhibiting the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The talk was at the University of Leicester Medical School and primarily to students taking the Health and Development Special Study Module (SSM).

Virtual becomes face to face for Rebecca The Masaai pastoralists of Ngorongoro are among Tanzania’s most marginalised people and they have little influence or control over policies which directly affect them. Skillshare International's partner organisation the Irkiramat Foundation (RAMAT) has an ultimate goal; to improve quality of life for the Masaai and alleviate their extreme poverty. Skillshare International development worker Rebecca Young had been working with RAMAT for six months in an innovative online placement where she used technology to share skills remotely from the UK. Rebecca subsequently started another placement with another Skillshare partner organisation, the Tanzania House of Talents. This placement was based in Tanzania and so she was able to visit the Masaai people she had been working with through RAMAT on International Women’s Day.

©Skillshare/Rebecca Young

Masaai woman at the jewellery workshop

The women of the ward had established a village banking system and had saved 19 million Tanzanian shillings (over £8,000). They gathered under an acacia tree and were eager to begin income generating projects with their community money box. Rebecca’s role was to assist and expand their jewellery project so that they could ultimately build a better life for their community. Rebecca showed the women her tool-kit of ideas. The Masaai women tried on the different accessories; belts, necklaces, earrings and bags and looked through fashion magazines Rebecca had brought with her from the UK. Rebecca said, “I was humbled and privileged to be given the opportunity to work alongside one of Africa’s most famous yet vulnerable communities.” Rebecca explained that when she was speaking with the Masaai women, “they displayed acute awareness of the poverty that they were living in and the fact that sharing the education and knowledge that others already possessed could help change their situation.”

Editor’s Note ....

Julie explained that human trafficking is an issue that several organisations in Asia are working hard to create awareness about, especially in India and Nepal. There was an overview of the issues, initiatives and the non-funded programmes that are tackling this problem. Students also watched a short video documentary on trafficking. Julie also advised the students that the University of Leicester Medical School will be offering electives with Skillshare International’s partners in India.

Prince Harry visits St. Angela Cheshire Home

©Skillshare/Justice Kalebe

This April, HRH Prince Harry visited St. Angela Cheshire Home for disabled children as a beneficiary of the Sentebale charity. Sentebale (Forget Me Not) is a new charity founded by Prince Harry and Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso to help vulnerable children and young people in Lesotho, particularly those orphaned by AIDS. Skillshare International is working in partnership with St. Angela Cheshire Home through the Lesotho disability project and has also placed a development worker with Sentebale.

Prince Harry with children from St. Angela Cheshire Home for disabled children

Welcome to our June edition of Skillshare News. The focus this time is gender, including articles about our new gender based violence project in Botswana and our gender advocacy work in Swaziland. Please feel free to address your comments about this edition and suggestions for future articles to me at the UK office in Leicester, or by email to [email protected].

©Skillshare/Amanda Mukwashi

Best wishes

Women vote for women at Swaziland elections This year Swaziland will have the eighth elections since their independence in 1968 and women are waiting in great anticipation to vote. Civil society is advocating for women to vote for women for parliamentary representation because gaps within the constitution do not accord Swazi women equal rights to men in terms of citizenship, acquiring land, marriage and inheritance. Full representation of women will enable parliament to query such issues and lobby for legal reforms to address the gaps that currently exist. Currently the Skillshare International country office in Swaziland is running a USAID funded programme that addresses women’s rights within the Constitution of the Kingdom of Swaziland and CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women). Awareness raising training has been held in eight constituencies around the country where women are encouraged to vote women into parliament.

TV programmes have also been aired as part of this project, they are run as panel debates and address the various gaps in terms of women’s rights that exist within the constitution. Staff from Skillshare’s partner organisations SWANNEPHA and SWAGAA have both been panellists on these programmes. Already the Constitution in Swaziland has had their first female Deputy Prime Minister, Senate President and an increased representation of female cabinet ministers, senators and members of parliament. They have also had their first female judge in high court. Swaziland is looking to build on these successes to bridge the inequalities between genders. With the forthcoming elections it would be empowering to all women of the world to see Swaziland have equal representation. Who better to represent and advocate for women’s rights than women who have been affected, directly or indirectly, by inequality in women’s rights as citizens.

Claire Lewis-Armes Editor

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