Source: allAfrica
Madrid — Make no mistake. Violence against women has been perpetuated, specially when it comes to those who have already been deprived of their basic human rights, as it is the case of rural women in over two-thirds of the world.
Source: AfricaBusiness
The African Development Bank Group’s (www.AfDB.org) Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative is launching its second call for proposals for the Women Entrepreneurship Enablers program, targeting women’s business associations, incubators, accelerators, women-led cooperatives, and civil society organizations that promote the development of women entrepreneurs on the continent.
AFAWA is offering grants of up to $250,000 to organizations helping prepare African women-led businesses to drive the continent’s economies.
The program supports projects that enhance the viability and sustainability of formal women-led small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and enables them to access financing opportunities to grow their businesses.
Successful proposals will demonstrate innovative approaches to building a supportive ecosystem for women’s entrepreneurship, aimed at improving access to finance for women SMEs. Enablers are expected to develop a comprehensive and sustainable capacity-building program to enable access to finance in partnership with financial institutions.
Applicants from all 54 African countries are welcomed, and organizations in the Sahel region and North Africa are strongly encouraged to submit a proposal. Eligible organizations may request one-time funding of between $100,000 and $250,000, which will be provided through the Bank’s Gender Equality Trust Fund.
“Our first call for Women Entrepreneurship Enablers proposals drew nearly a thousand applications from organizations doing some groundbreaking work to equip women with the tools to expand their businesses,” said Malado Kaba, the Bank’s Director for Gender, Women and Civil Society
“Today, we are excited to pursue this initiative by bringing in a second cohort and funding the development of their capacity building activities allowing women entrepreneurs to obtain significant financing and scale,” she said.
“Entrepreneurship enablers play an important role in bolstering the skills of women to establish ‘bankable’ SMEs. However, the enablers themselves often face challenges, such as viable long-term growth plans and lack of financing, which reduce their reach, impact, and sustainability” said Esther Dassanou, AFAWA’s Manager.
A partnership between the PepsiCo Foundation - the philanthropic arm of one of the world's leading food and beverage companies, and CARE - a global humanitarian organisation, has improved the food and nutrition security of thousands of poor, rural households in Kyenjojo and Kyegegwa districts in Uganda.
Source:NewsMedical
Women in sub-Saharan Africa continue to have an elevated risk of death following childbirth long after the 42-day postpartum limit the WHO uses to define pregnancy-related deaths, a new analysis shows.
Researchers analyzed data from 12 sub-Saharan African countries to examine whether the 42-day definition accurately captures deaths following childbirth.
The analysis found that while the risk of death fell substantially throughout the 42-day postpartum period (relative to a comparison period of 12-17 months postpartum) the risk of death was still estimated to be 20% higher from 42 days to four months following childbirth. This has major policy implications for the improvement of maternal health in sub-Saharan Africa and other low- and middle-income countries.
The team included researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), the Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at LSHTM and the Kenya Medical Research Institute-Center for Global Health Research. The research is published in The Lancet Global Health.
It's vital that we have up-to-date evidence and action to make childbirth safer for every woman. To measure pregnancy-related deaths, there must be a time limit on the definition but it is concerning that the risk of death remains 20% higher from 42 days until around four months after childbirth. In light of this, we are calling for the WHO to extend the 42-day postpartum limit currently used in the definition of pregnancy-related deaths. Our results also suggest that national and international guidelines for postpartum care should include visits beyond 42 days for women who experience chronic morbidity."
Ursula Gazeley, Lead Author, LSHTM
Dr Momodou Jasseh, author from MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM, said: "This demonstration of an increased risk of death for mothers beyond 42 days postpartum in Sub-Saharan Africa suggests that the true burden of pregnancy-related mortality may be substantially underestimated in the region. Unless concerned governments commit to enhancing health management information systems that generate the requisite data on maternal outcomes after 42-days postpartum, the real burden will remain elusive."
Dr Sammy Khagayi, author from the Kenya Medical Research Institute, said: "Despite the reduction in mortality around childbirth for both mothers and babies in areas with limited resources like Western Kenya, it is vital to go a step further to provide quality care for the mothers beyond the recommended postpartum period. Ante- and post-partum pregnancy monitoring would go a long way in reducing late maternal deaths. This will be achieved if we invest in data collection platforms to monitor and track women from pregnancy to 6 months postpartum."
This large, multi-country study analyzed almost 30 years' worth of data from 1991-2020, from 30 Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems (HDSS), across 12 African countries. In total 647,104 births and 1,967 deaths within one year of giving birth were recorded in the HDSS.
This analysis was based on deaths after childbirth from any cause. To plan interventions and prevent deaths, the authors call for urgent further investigation on the causes of death after 42 days postpartum in low- and middle-income settings.
Limitations of the research include that HDSS data do not always include pregnancy reports and so the analysis did not include pregnancy-related deaths before childbirth, which is likely to underestimate maternal risk.
The research was funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council.
Source:africanews
Moroccan women demonstrated outside parliament in the capital, Rabat, yesterday calling for abortion to be legalised.
The protest on International Safe Abortion Day came weeks after a teenage girl, Meriem, died in a village in the centre of the country following a clandestine termination.
Abortion is illegal in Morocco and is punishable by up to five years in prison, except in cases when the woman's health is in danger.
As the activists honoured the teenager with posters saying ‘We are all Meriem’, they urged lawmakers to make the termination of pregnancy a legal option for women.
‘There are many who die every month, every year for the same reason, because of clandestine abortions, and they are not listened to, not even considered. They’re not honoured, as today we honour Meriem and those who died like her,’ said activist Sarah Benmoussa.
She added that they were also trying to create a stable and healthy environment for all other women who might find themselves in the same situation, with an unwanted pregnancy.
Having a child, the women said, must be a choice. ‘We're here today because our voices matter,’ said Khaoula, a 23-year-old journalism student, ‘Every human being should be able to control their own body.’
Call for law to change
Faced with hundreds of clandestine abortions performed daily, in 2015 the Moroccan government debated the need to review the legislation.
An official commission recommended that the termination of pregnancies be legalised in special circumstances, but no reforms followed, despite lobbying by women's rights activists.
‘We renew this call today,’ said Fouzia Yassine from Spring of Dignity, a coalition of Moroccan feminist associations, ‘Lawmakers bear responsibility for this situation and for the violence and hardships the women endure.’
Concerns following US ruling
The recent United States Supreme Court decision to strip women of the right to have an abortion has raised concerns globally, with many asking if the same could one day happen in their country.
It is estimated that tens of thousand of women die each year from complications resulting from unsafe practices to terminate a pregnancy.
Across the world yesterday, women and men took to the streets to highlight the need for abortion to be an inalienable women’s right.
Source: NNNNews
Burundian First Lady Angeline Ndayishimiye said the health and nutrition of women, newborns, infants and adolescents in Africa remained a concern in Africa.
Ndayishimiye made the remarks in the Burundian commercial capital Bujumbura, at the launch of a three-day high-level forum of women leaders.
The Burundian first lady, thanked foreign delegates that came to support her in the third edition of the high-level forum of women leaders on health and nutrition in Burundi.
They include the First Lady of Nigeria, Aisha Buhari, the former First Lady of Tanzania, Salma Kikwete, as well as delegates from the First Ladies of Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Sudan and Nigeria.
Ndayishimiye who is also chairperson of the Office of the First Lady for Development in Burundi (OPDD-Burundi) said currently in Africa, maternal, neonatal and child deaths are still high beyond targets set by Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“This situation is costly,” she said.
She indicated that her organisation (OPDD-Burundi) will spare no effort to support the Burundian government to address health and nutrition of women and children in the country.
She took the opportunity to invite her fellow first ladies of African countries “to act in the same direction”.
On his part, Mohamed Fall theUNICEFRegional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, pointed out that the forum is held in Bujumbura at a time when the health care and nutrition systems in the region are facing great challenges.
"These include vaccination coverage against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough in children under five, which declined between 2019 and 2021, leaving many children without any protection against preventable diseases.
Damien Mama, the United Nations resident coordinator in Burundi, congratulated Burundi for the progress already made in terms of improving the health of women and newborns.
He explained that Burundi has reduced maternal mortality from 500 to 334 per 100,000 live births as well as infant mortality from 59 to 47 per 1000 live births.
While officially launching the forum, Burundian Vice-President Prosper Bazombanza highly commended the forum aimed at improving the health and nutrition of the population
Burundian First Lady Angeline Ndayishimiye said the health and nutrition of women, newborns, infants and adolescents in Africa remained a concern in Africa.
Ndayishimiye made the remarks in the Burundian commercial capital Bujumbura, at the launch of a three-day high-level forum of women leaders.
Source: BusinessGhana
mHub was launched in 2014 in Lilongwe, Malawi with a working space in Blantyre, Lusaka, Zambia. It aims at equipping the youth with professional skills by leveraging technology to find solutions to problems affecting development. The youth and women receive training on digital skills and software development. The centre also has a coding and robotics club for children and develops technology solutions for clients.
In 7 years, mHub has facilitated over 1 million USD in financing to emerging entrepreneurs creating more than 950 jobs and impacting over 5,000 people in diverse value chains. mHub also runs the Women’s Economic Empowerment Program. The program seeks to support women entrepreneurs in six districts with financing, branding, business development, and mentorship with funding from UN Women. mHub’s ambition is to become the leading ICT think tank in Malawi and the region.
Rachel Sibande holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Malawi, Chancellor College. She also gained a master’s degree in information science theory, coding, and cryptography from Mzuzu University in 2007 and a Ph.D. from Rhodes University in 2020.
In 2016, Rachel became Malawi’s Ambassador of the Next Einstein Forum Initiative which promotes Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). In 2017, she became one of 14 youths who were honored by Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi at Egypt`s first World Youth Forum (WYF) for her innovation. Rachel joined Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL) at United Nations Foundation in September 2017 as Program Director of Data for Development, supporting health and food security projects in African countries.
She also founded Earth Energy, a company that focuses on generating electricity from maize cobs. The initiative seeks to establish rural microgrids that can lead to a sustainable livelihood.
In 2016, Rachel led as an ICT expert in the Zambian general elections. Also in 2019, she played an important role in Malawi’s general elections by creating a monitoring system called 'Maso Athu'(Our Eyes). Since 2020, she has been a senior director at Country outreach (Africa) for the United Nations Foundation, with the mission of supporting African countries in their digital transformation.
Due to her commitment to the development of ICT in Malawi, Rachel Sibande was ranked by Forbes among the 30 most promising African entrepreneurs under 30 years old in 2016. She also received the « Women of Vision Award » from the Anita Borg Institute.
Source: allAfrica
Leaders of 150 women groups engaging in the fish sector have vowed to practice legal methods in catching products to reverse the trend of fish deficit which is causing economic challenges to millions of people who depend on it for their daily livelihood.
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) announced the year 2022 to be International year of Artisanal Fishing and Aquaculture (IAFA) so as to encourage the small sector in fishing to grow and expand volume of their contribution.
According to research done by Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries in 2020, ccurrently fish production is around 422,859.78 metric tons a year, with around 95 percent of fish sourced from small-scale fisheries and the remaining 5 percent from large-scale commercial fishing, therefore putting more efforts to lift the sector.
The sector employs more than 4.5 million Tanzanians who engage in earning their livelihood from fish and related fish products.
Small scale fishing is conducted by a big number of fishermen in the world, including Tanzania, which means it is a self-employed job and provides direct food, nutrition security and other multiplier effect to the community.
Decision made by FAO to raise the sector involves discussion to mobilize the group of small fishers and women who account for 90 percent so that they can be aware of their involvement in the sector.
Therefore, on that perspective women who have a big role in the fishing sector in Tanzania have formed a platform known as Tanzania Women Fish Workers Association (TAWFA) to strengthen their foundation from district, regional, zone and national level to coordinate their activities.
Recently in Mwanza City, leaders of 150 groups of women from 15 districts with more than 3000 members met to discuss ways of empowering small women groups to perform their business in an enabling environment.
They said there is continued decrease of fish products in Lake Victoria due to several reasons, including use of illegal fishing nets and overfishing practice.
Women who are processors of fish are a channel between fishers and consumers therefore the project helps them to strengthen working capability in the sector after post-harvest to have quality nutrition which is the foundation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Chief Fishing Officer from the Ministry of Livestock and Fishing Mr Tumaini Chambua said that after realization that now there is shortage of fish stock, the government initiated a fishing master plan to address the challenge.
"The government wants all groups in the society to be engaged in the sector, and I urge you women to join in groups so as to safeguard fish resources which are threatened by the use of illegal nets, overfishing and other bad practices" said Mr Chambua.
He said that participation of different people in all activities involving fishing would bring positive results in the sector. That is why the presence of the initiative to involve women to brainstorm on how to practice sustainable fishing in Lake Victoria has a variety of benefits.
Director of Environment Management and Economic Development (EMEDO) in Mwanza City, Ms Editrudith Lukanga said that the network of women through their leaders of TAWFA adheres to the voluntary international guideline to support the small scale fisheries sector.
She said that half of the people engaging in fishing and processing fish products are women who are still in bondage of poverty, therefore the presence of proper mechanisms to help them attain development by considering sustainability of catching products would have positive impact in the society.
Ms Lukanga said that there is contribution of small scale fishing in getting proper food nutrients and in reduction of poverty in the society, therefore having discussions will manage to impart education to the sector and hence overcome poverty.
Mwanza City Mayor, Mr Sima Constantine praised the initiative of meeting to brainstorm some challenges that
emerged so that the group of women will manage to bring revolution to the fishing sector in Tanzania.
He said that the government appreciates the steps taken to empower groups of women in the society because when you educate women in the society you have created a positive move to the whole community.
Now the trumpet has been blown for International Artisanal Fishing and Aquaculture to stand up so that their contribution can grow, be seen, be heard and realized since for a long time their contribution was not recognized properly by development stakeholders.
The project is intended to support the visibility, recognition and enhancement of the already important role of small scale fisheries to contribute to global and national efforts towards the eradication of hunger and poverty in the society.
Mr Emmanuel Bulayi, Director of the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, recently held discussions on how best to make the sector become stronger since it has a big number of players and contributes to the economy.
He said some challenges will be listed and get solution for improvement while also the groups will get technical support and financial assistance to enable them perform their business properly while focus is on sustainable development of fish.
Mr Bulayi added that the nation is blessed for having a big percentage of Lake Victoria with 51 percent, Indian Ocean, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Nyasa and several rivers which makes the area to have big resources of fish products, therefore having proper planning is the best solution for sustainable fishing.
Challenges facing the fish industry are unfavorable environmental and socio-economic conditions, unavailability of fish feed, illegal fishing, declining fish stocks, limited financial resources, poor fishing facilities, lack of relevant technological skills and manpower.
Stakeholders during the event said that community should abandon fishing practices which causes harm to generation of fish like using of harmful poison, small nets and catfish traps.
On his side, Assistant Representative of FAO Tanzania, Mr Charles Tulayi said that in support of this initiative they have injected 195 million dollars in Tanzania to facilitate the programme.
He said that FAO is interested to see the small fisheries sector manages to be stable and dynamic because it employs many individual Tanzanians.
"Financial and technical support will be extended to groups of small fishermen in Tanzania because the sector has many people, therefore by supporting them the fishing sector will grow" said Mr Tulayi.
He said since small fishing contributes more on output of fish product, improving the sector can help the country to attain development, increase nutrition and employment opportunities.
Source: allAfrica
THE East Africa and South region peace and security committees have been urged to come up with a national action plan of policies and laws that will involve women in peace and security issues.
Source: TheStar
Female Genital Mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is considered as one of the most invasive forms of Gender-based violence.
In Kenya, the harmful practice was made illegal with the promulgation of the 2010 constitution but some communities still hold fast to the craft.
Source: Conversation Africa
Safe abortion and post-abortion care are essential health services. But until the publication of the 2022 World Health Organization (WHO) abortion care guidelines there was a narrow definition of abortion safety. In previous WHO guidelines, medical safety was the guiding principle of safe abortion. Safety, according to the WHO, referred to abortion carried out using the recommended methods, by a person with the necessary skills or in an environment that conformed to minimal medical standards, or both.
Source: Front Page Africa
MOUNT BARCLAY, Montserrado – 18-year-old Dearest is one of five girls who made headlines last year when they were abducted and forcefully initiated into the Sande Society here. Nearly a year on she is still angry and traumatized.
What Dearest most wants to see is the women who abducted her prosecuted for their crimes. She is pleased to hear that a new bill before the legislature would do that.
Source : All Africa
Justice Sie-A-Nyene Gyapay Yuoh is the third female Chief Justice in Liberia's 175 years of existence. The founding member of the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL) and former Associate Justice was one of two female judges in the current five-member Supreme Court.
Justice Yuoh succeeds Francis Korkpor, who retires in September, a year before the next presidential and general elections. She takes over a court mired in corruption (as with many other Sub-Saharan judicial systems) with a Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) score of 29/100 (a country's perceived level of public sector corruption where 0 is extremely corrupt and 100 is impeccably lawful) and ranking at 136 out of 180 countries and territories in Transparency International's 2021 report. Liberia has dropped 12 points since 2012, making it one of the biggest decliners in sub-Saharan Africa.
During the vetting process, the career advocate pledged to push for swift, decisive, accurate decisions and to improve access to and within the court system. She also highlighted her plans for a credible and robust judiciary.
Source: IPS News
Agnes Opus sells cereals in Busia, the border town between Kenya and Uganda. This is her lifeline through which she caters for her immediate family’s needs from school fees to housing and medical care and support to her extended family. While she dedicates all her energy and time to this work which she loves, she struggles to meet all her needs. She faces many non-tariff barriers including harassment by officials and unclear and ever-changing information on trade requirements.
Agnes’ challenges are not unique to her. They represent the plight of millions of women across the continent engaged in cross-border trade. They expect that the Women and Youth in Trade Conference and the adoption of a Women and Youth protocol by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), will make it easy for women to trade.
Source: IPS
Madrid — While women in rich societies are paid around 25% less than men for equal jobs, those living in impoverished countries receive by far much lower salaries, if any at all.
Source: Africa News
Senegal will break new ground Monday as West Africa's largest-ever proportion of women MPs take their seats in a newly elected legislature, stirring hopes of change in a country where patriarchal laws and attitudes are entrenched.
Source : All Africa News
Girls in nearly a third of African countries face significant barriers to education when they become pregnant. But this is changing. In 2019, the government of Niger adopted an order directing schools to allow married and/or pregnant girls to continue their studies and return after they have delivered/have given birth.
Source: PassBlue
A mere 17 women were appointed or elected to parliaments, ministerial or electoral offices in the West Africa/Sahel region out of 134 available positions from December 2021 to June 2022. While the paltry figures have long raised concerns among the region’s women’s-rights advocates, the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres also chimed in while reporting on the concerning security developments in the region to the Security Council recently.
Source: Human Rights Watch
L’Union Africaine devrait fournir des lignes directrices et encourager des réformes politiques afin de garantir que les filles puissent poursuivre leur scolarité.
Source: Courrier international
Le coût de la violence sexiste en Afrique du Sud représente une perte sèche pour l’économie du pays. En 2019, la première puissance industrielle du continent africain a perdu plus de 2 milliards d’euros, entre soins médicaux et procédures judiciaires.