The United Nations (UN) Women in Liberia has dedicated two peace huts to the women of Weala, Margibi County and the women of Totota and Salala District, lower Bong County.
South Africa has some of the highest rates of HIV prevalence in the world. Over a decade ago, to prevent the mother-to-child transmission of HIV during breastfeeding, the Government of South Africa rolled out a policy providing free infant formula for all HIV-positive mothers.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has completed the renovation of a midwifery school in Al Fashir, North Darfur, in time for Safe Motherhood Day.
Source: VOA
Senegal's new president, Macky Sall, has promised to usher in a "new era" for the West African country. Yet, it is his wife who has sparked particular excitement among Senegalese women, who say for the first time one of their own is taking up residence in the presidential palace as the nation's first lady.
Source: The Herald
WOMEN entrepreneurs have been urged to contribute to the positive transformation of the sectors in which they operate.
Source: The New Vision
World Women MPs attending the 126th Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in Kampala are calling for equal representation in key leadership positions saying most of the influential positions are taken over by men.
Source: IPS
"There were three people. One person was holding me down; one person was holding my hand; and the other person was doing the job. They lay me down, and..." Fatu said of the female genital mutilation she underwent as an eight- year-old in Liberia.
Source: Vanguard
In a bid to check the challenges of infertility among Nigerian couples, TruCare Fertility Centre, held a free interactive forum for couples, in Lagos, to enlighten them on infertility issues in men and women alike.
Source: Tanzania Daily News
SOME people already think that methods being applied to fight Gender Based Violence (GBV) particularly rape and abuse of women are failing to prevent the dilemmas in the community.
Source: the Herald
ZIMBABWE has been implored to ensure its new Constitution enshrines gender equality and women's equal participation in decision-making. Genderlinks chief executive officer Ms Colleen Lowe Morna said in an interview that Zimbabwe's greatest opportunity in addressing gender disparities was in the new Constitution.
Source: Daily Trust
Wife of former South Africa's former President, Nelson Mandela, Graca Machel, has called on African financial institutions to support women involved in agriculture.
Source: Allafrica.com
To the casual visitor, the dusty, dimly lit room may not look much like a birthing center. But many women consider their babies lucky to enter the world in this mud-walled space in Kibera, one of Africa's biggest slums, because of Emily Mteeshe.
Source: CNN
Last month, a delegation of members from the U.S. House of Representatives, which I was honored to lead, met with inspiring women of North Africa who are helping to change the world.
In Cairo, Egypt; Tunis, Tunisia; and Tripoli, Libya, we held discussions with women who are committed to ensuring that women have a seat at the table and are able to succeed in this rapidly changing and strategically important region. It is an uphill climb, but there is no better time than the present.
The women we met were outspoken in their belief that the new governments must be truly democratic, and that longstanding biases against full participation by women in their society must be abolished. These women came from many different backgrounds and viewpoints, yet they are aware that while their moment is now, the obstacles are great.
Nancy Pelosi
Some had participated in the massive Arab Spring demonstrations that challenged decades of autocratic rule. Others had studied in the United States and other countries and then returned to build a future where women's voices are equal to those of men. Some are already serving in government but spoke about a need for more women to serve and to lead in forming new democracies in the Middle East.
One message came through clearly in every discussion: They look to the United States as an essential partner in their efforts to build democratic societies.
Women journalists played a crucial role in the overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Women are already deeply involved in rebuilding the political and economic systems of their country. Although just 10 of more than 500 members of the new parliament are women, the signal we received is that Egyptian women are committed to expanding their influence and their ranks, and to ensuring that the constitution under development will fully protect the rights of women in Egypt.
Similarly in Tunisia, Deputy Speaker Mehrezia Labidi pledged to lead the effort for women's rights and secular law in her nation. Women already hold 26% of the seats in the Constituent Assembly, which is responsible for drafting Tunisia's Constitution.
The determination of Tunisian women has been demonstrated outside the legislative chambers as well. In the midst of unrest at the University of Manouba, a young woman watched outraged as a zealot tore down her country's flag, and she then courageously climbed the flagpole to restore the flag to its rightful place, winning the plaudits of her countrymen.
Fundamental to opening opportunities to women in public and private life is expanding their access to education. The young women with whom we met in Tripoli were unanimous in their belief that improving the quality of education for all Libyans is essential to the success of their revolution and the modernization of their country, particularly in light of the utter failure of the nation's secondary schools and universities under Moammar Gadhafi.
What I heard from the women of North Africa was a refrain I have also heard in Iraq and Afghanistan and throughout the Middle East: Women and young people are weary of war. They are fed up with leaders who use ideology, religion and war to distract from the real challenges to peace, prosperity and democracy: a lack of education, a failure to provide jobs and economic opportunity, and the subjugation of women. They employed social media such as Facebook and Twitter to circumvent the repression imposed for decades by autocratic regimes and demonstrated astonishing bravery to liberate their countries from tyranny.
They have succeeded in that first phase: Gadhafi, Mubarak and Tunisia's Zine el Abidine Ben Ali are gone. These young women are under no illusions about the challenges they face. They are deeply committed to building democratic societies, and they are looking to us. We cannot fail them.
Leaders throughout North Africa and the Middle East must honor the role women played in freeing their countries: All their citizens -- including women -- have important contributions to make at this historic moment. That is a lesson it has taken the United States many generations to learn, but it is surely one of the most important pieces of wisdom we can share with developing democracies around the world.
Editor's note: Nancy Pelosi is the Democratic leader of the House of Representatives in the 112th Congress. From 2007 to 2011, she was the first woman speaker of the House and is also the first woman in American history to lead a major political party in Congress, having served as House Democratic leader from 2003 to 2007. Pelosi has represented California's 8th Congressional District for 25 years.
Source: VibeGhana
Mrs Faustina Boakye, Regional Gender Advisor of World Vision (WV) has said 109,784 cases of domestic violence were recorded in Accra alone within the past ten years.
Source: IRIN News
Twelve HIV-positive women held a fashion show in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on 30 March to highlight the plight of tens of thousands of people with HIV/AIDS, and challenge donors and the authorities to provide adequate treatment.
Source: IRIN News
Under the sweltering sun, women at Jamam refugee camp, in South Sudan's Upper Nile State, dig through the clay of a dried up waterhole in their search for water.
Source: Ahram Online
Family and personal status issues, particularly in relation to women, remain hotly debated with some seeing a move on behalf of Islamists to rescind recently won rights. Over the past year and a half, much debate has taken place regarding Egypt's Family Law. Whereas some, mostly Islamists, have argued that certain articles must be changed or removed, many, women and men, have taken the streets demanding that rights be added, not stripped away.
Ghana colloquium recommends African governments should increase women’s representation in cabinet, parliament and local government to a minimum of 30 per cent.
Women's Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA) has called on the National Assembly to pass the Gender and Equal Opportunities (GEO) Bill and the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Bill.
Poll finds wide public support for female employment, but few actually have jobs