The second edition of the G(irls)20 Summit opened today in Paris, and will run until October 21. Because girls and women are half of humanity and that they are always the first affected by the different global challenges, this international summit is dedicated to women and to solutions they can provide to major global economic issues. The G(irls)20 is an integral part of the international campaign “3.3 Billion Ways,” based on the assumption that the planet has 3.3 billion women and therefore, there are 3.3 billion ways to change the world!
We often look at war through the eyes of a man: killing, destruction, power and violence.
What if we looked at war -– and most importantly, peace –- through the eyes of a woman? What would that look like? A century ago, 90 percent of war casualties were male soldiers; today, nearly 70 percent are civilian women and children.
In the 110-year history of the Nobel Peace Prize, most honorees have been men. The first African woman to win was Kenyan activist Wangari Maathai, who was recognized in 2004 for her persistence in democracy, human rights and environmental conservation. But last week, the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize was honored to three campaigning women: Yemen’s Tawakul Karman, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and her compatriot Leymah Gbowee. The women were awarded for their nonviolent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full peace-building work.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced earlier today that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 is to be divided in three equal parts between Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is Africa’s first democratically elected female president. Since her inauguration in 2006, she has contributed to securing peace in Liberia, to promoting economic and social development, and to strengthening the position of women. Leymah Gbowee mobilized and organized women across ethnic and religious dividing lines to bring an end to the long war in Liberia, and to ensure women’s participation in elections. She has since worked to enhance the influence of women in West Africa during and after war. In the most trying circumstances, both before and during the “Arab spring,” Tawakkul Karman has played a leading part in the struggle for women’s rights and for democracy and peace in Yemen.
Johnson-Sirleaf’s son James spoke to Reuters on the phone from Monrovia saying “We are very excited. This is very big news and we have to celebrate.”
It is the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s hope that the prize to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman will help to bring an end to the suppression of women that still occurs in many countries, and to realise the great potential for democracy and peace that women can represent.
After Forbes published their list of the world’s 20 youngest power women — which includes Beyonce, Serena Williams and Lady Gaga — they decided to create one just for Africa.
Click to view the slideshow on Forbes’ website
The list, “The 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa,” is a rundown of ladies under 45 who are making the biggest impact on African business, technology, policy and media. You may recognize some of the names, like Chimamanda Adichie (who wrote “Half of a Yellow Sun”) and Ory Okolloh (the founder of Ushahidi), and companies, like Barclays Bank, Ernst & Young and Google. Take a look:
Looking to perk up your Tuesday night? Look no further –- we’re having a Twitter party, and you’re invited. ONE is teaming up with Mom It Forward, a worldwide network dedicated to enhancing the lives of women, their families and the communities in which they live, on Tuesday, March 8 to discuss women’s empowerment in the developing world. Perfect timing, since that just so happens to be International Women’s Day.
So how does this Twitter party work? Every 10 minutes, Mom It Forward will tweet a question on empowering women, and ONE will tweet back the answer. You’re free to discuss via Twitter…until the next question comes along! There are some serious chances to win ONE swag, so keep your eyes peeled!
Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome to join (so guys, that means you, too!). And we would love if our members and blog readers could be there to represent ONE and help boost awareness around our Senate budget petition.
Here are the details:
What: Girls’ Night Out Twitter party. Use the Twitter hashtag (#gno) to show that you’re participating! When: Tuesday, March 8 from 9 to 11 p.m. EST (8CT, 7 MT and 6 PT) Where: From your computer or mobile phone Who: Brand Panelist: @ONECampaign; Moderators: @jylmomIF @Dadventurous @troypattee and @MomItForward RSVP: Click this link and enter your Twitter URL and Twitter ID
There’s so much potential in Africa’s females, and with 430 million women and girls currently driving Africa’s economy, we’re getting there. When women are given the proper tools, they can help lift communities out of poverty and transform millions of lives.
Sexual violence is an overwhelming problem for women and girls living in the Democratic Republic of Congo -– but a new center aims to eliminate sexual violence and build an army of women who can make their voices heard.
The program, called City of Joy, supports nearly 180 Congolese women -– mostly who are rape victims. Started by Eve Ensler, a feminist and playwright of “The Vagina Monologues,” City of Joy is helping to heal these women, empower them and put them on track to becoming leaders in their communities. Women can take courses in self-defense, computer skills and human rights; learn trades and farming; and take therapy sessions for their past traumas at the center.
Having support groups like City of Joy is particularly important in a region where the use of sexual violence is used as a political tool and a weapon of war. According to the UN, an estimated 160 women are raped each week in the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu in the DR Congo.
Just recently, the African Union hosted a summit to discuss ways to keep the continent’s women safe and equally represented. Margot Wallström, who works on sexual violence in conflict for the UN secretary general, urged African leaders to take responsibility for the widespread sexual violence in Africa and work to eliminate it. “We have to give them a role and a voice, and a place at the decision-making table. There should be no peace negotiations without women present at the table because there can be no peace unless we have peace also for women,” she said.
When you give women an education, you give them a voice. And when you give a community of women a voice, it creates a movement. We’re hopeful for the change the women of Africa will bring to their continent, and we’re glad that the African Union and support groups like City of Joy are helping to lead the way. To learn more about stats, stories and recommendations for African women, read our report, Africa’s Future is Female.
Eve Ensler and Noella at City of Joy. Photo courtesy of V-Day.
ONE is campaigning to ensure that the Congressional budget does not cut foreign assistance programs like Feed the Future that help people break the cycle of poverty and hunger.
The Horn of Africa is experiencing its worst drought in 60 years. More than 11 million people, mostly nomadic pastoralists and farmers in south-central Somalia, north-eastern Kenya, and south-eastern Ethiopia, are severely lacking access to food.
2011 marks 30 years since the first cases of AIDS were documented. Take a closer look at the specific, achievable goals we must hit by 2015 to make this year the beginning of the end of AIDS.
As aid agencies warn more than 9 million people could be affected by a food crisis in East Africa, world leaders are failing to keep their 2009 promises to tackle the causes of chronic hunger and support farmers in the world's poorest countries.
Photo courtesy of GirlsandWomen.com.
