Woman of Purpose (WOP), an NGO based in Pallisa in Eastern Uganda, has gone a notch higher in transforming and empowering women and communities.

WOP was established in July 2004 as an effort to help communities living in rural areas, who usually have no ready access to resources and opportunities due to poverty. It empowers communities to develop their potential by equipping households, especially female headed households, with practical, vocational and life skills in order to alleviate poverty. As a result households become socially, economically and emotionally self-sustaining and independent.

WOP is committed to undertaking grassroots-based interventions that serve women and their families, often in hard-to-reach rural areas.

Jane Opolot, the executive director of WOP, said: “Our purpose is to be flexible, pragmatic, relatively quick and effective in the implementation of our desired goals and projects. Our major activities are centred on training people in life skills, human rights and vocational training [as well as] poverty alleviation projects, community mobilization and counseling as a way of emotionally liberating people from constant social and economic hardships.”

WOP began as a working group of Ugandan women from Pallisa who are passionate about women’s rights and community development. The group initially worked with volunteers in reaching out to communities on various issues regarding women’s rights.

In 2005, Widows’ Rights International (WRI) funded WOP to establish and operationalise its Secretariat and increase the capacity of communities to understand widows’ rights. This was done through a widows’ rights education programme, the aim of which was to contribute to policy-making on widows’ rights issues, create public awareness and undertake strategic public interest litigation.

In June 2005, WOP set up a Secretariat and recruited full-time staff and volunteers.

WOP aims at promoting observance and entrenchment of women’s civic, social and economic rights through mainstreaming awareness and observance of human rights. It also aims at building the capacity of women and communities to generate income, and provides technical and policy expertise to communities, civic leaders and policy makers on human rights and community development. WOP also increases public awareness of human rights and Uganda’s obligations under international law, and participates in forums to exchange ideas on promoting the observance of human rights and community development.

Since its formation, WOP has contributed to increasing public awareness of women’s rights as well as community development aimed at releasing vulnerable groups like women and children from the grip of poverty.

According to Jane Opolot, the executive director: “WOP operates in a contextual background in which poverty continues to dehumanize communities, especially in areas where poverty takes on gender attributes arising from the vulnerability of certain specific gender groups such as widows and children due to years of persistent human rights abuse meted out against them.

“Nevertheless many Ugandans, including policy makers and civic leaders, are not fully knowledgeable about the gender effects of poverty. WOP has made efforts to increase public awareness, understanding, and entrenchment of the role of human rights in eradicating poverty and spurring community development.”

The achievements of WOP have been in providing legal and policy advice to communities, providing policy makers and civic leaders on human rights issues, enhancing awareness of human rights among communities, creating public awareness on human rights and their relevance to Uganda and enhancing strategic networks with partners nationally and internationally.

Jane adds: “Even as we aspire to grow better each year, the organisation is still faced with a number of challenges. Key among these is the high expectations from the communities. Secondly, we still suffer from scarcity of skilled workers, which in turn has an adverse impact on the quality of the work of the organization. Although we have tried to address this problem by using volunteers most of our members and volunteers are illiterate, which makes the work a bit challenging.

“The literate and educated people are very reluctant to give up the comfort of living in towns to come and work in rural communities. Due to the high incidence of poverty in the rural areas where we operate many people expect a lot from the organization in terms of assistance and yet the organization is also constrained by resources, which are very limited compared to the need.

“The countrywide draught and famine led to increased malnutrition, poverty and disease among the communities. It was a challenging time for WOP as our members kept making request after request for assistance.”

WOP’s current projects include the Heifer Chain Program (commonly known as ‘the cow scheme’), which has been operational since 2005. The cow scheme is a livestock sharing program aimed at improving the livelihood of poor rural families. Under this program, a heifer is given to a family who tend it under the supervision of the Community Resource Assistant. When the heifer calves, the first female calf, after being weaned, is passed on to another beneficiary. Under the program, WOP assists in marketing the milk as well as ensuring that families utilize some of the milk produced to enhance their own nutrition.

Another program saw 38 goats purchased and given to women. This benefited a number of families badly affected by the floods and bitter famine, which hit most parts of Uganda. At the time of writing this report, five of the goats were gestating. The animals will go a long way in improving the income of the beneficiaries.

The Widows Housing Program is aimed at alleviating poverty housing among poor widows. By facilitating these widows to build new houses or renovate dilapidated houses, the program plays a large role in improving the living conditions of poor widows and their families, most of who live in dilapidated mud-walled, grass-thatched houses. Through this program, the houses are converted into low cost brick and iron roofed houses.

WOP also mobilises men and women in community development and trains them in life skills, women’s rights awareness and sustainable livelihoods. This is done through workshops and conferences where women share experiences and receive education in various disciplines and life-skills, ranging from financial literacy to hygiene and primary health.

WOP also visit women in their homes, asses their living conditions and give them the opportunity to share their experiences on a one-to-one basis. The NGO will use music, dance and drama to convey messages to local leaders and the community to respect the rights of women, widows, orphans and other children.

In addition, Community Resource Assistants carry out widows’ rights education within widows’ respective home villages. This involves visiting a bereaved widow then during the funeral, asking for the opportunity to have a word with other mourners then requesting the immediate family, the clan and the community at large to support the widow and the orphans in any way possible to enable them to continue living decent lives. Whenever possible, people will give financial support to the bereaved family at such times. In some cases, they have been able to offer counselling to those who need it. In other cases they offer food items.

Zimbabwe will next week (24 to 25 May) host a high-level meeting of the Global POWER Women Network Africa.

The meeting’s theme will be Accelerating Action for Women Empowerment and Gender Equality in the area of HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: Getting to Zero in Africa.

The meeting will be held by the African Union in collaboration with UNAIDS. At least 300 women parliamentarians, leading African women entrepreneurs, civil society leaders, and development partners from Africa and beyond are expected to gather in Harare for the meeting.

Tawanda Chisango, UNAIDS Communications Officer, says the meeting will serve as “a strategic political platform to advance innovative game-changing approaches that positively impact the lives of women and girls in Africa in relation to HIV and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and to accelerate action on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in particular Goals 3, 4, 5 and 6″.

More women than men in Africa are living with HIV. In 2010, women accounted for 59% of people living with HIV on the continent, with young women aged 15 to 24 being at particular risk. In some countries women in this age group are up to six times more likely to be infected than young men of the same age.

In 2010, an estimated 390 000 children under 15 years were newly infected with HIV globally—of that total 350,000 were in Africa. More than half of all maternal deaths are estimated to occur in Africa, with an average maternal mortality ratio of 620 per 100 000 live births—a significant proportion by AIDS-related causes.

“These strikingly high figures are attributed to multiple socio-economic and cultural factors, including gender inequalities and gender based-violence, which exacerbate the risk of HIV infection among women and girls,” Chisango says.

Against this backdrop, the Global POWER Women Network Africa has organised a high-level meeting to generate action for women’s empowerment and the advancement of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of women and girls.

The outcome of the meeting will be a ‘Harare call to action’ to reaffirm the Global POWER Women Network Africa’s commitment to the key issues related to women and girls. After the meeting, the call to action will be tabled at the AU Heads of State Summit in Lilongwe, Malawi.

The opening session will be co-chaired by Hon. Thokozani Khup,e Global POWER Women Network Africa President and Dr. Bience Philomina Gawanas, Commissioner for Social Affairs, African Union.

Key remarks will be given by President Robert G. Mugabe, Zimbabwe, Joyce Mujuru, Vice President of Zimbabwe, Morgan R. Tsvangirai, Prime Minister, Zimbabwe, Prof. Arthur Mutambara Deputy Prime Minister Zimbabwe, Dr. Jing Ping, Chair of the African Union and Michel Sidibé, Executive Director UNAIDS.

Also a panel discussion on financing and accountability will focus on the issue of investing in women’s health particularly the African investment case for health financing.

Participation will include a representative of the African Development Bank, H. E Salgado, former Vice President of Spain and Hon. Tendai Biti, Minister of Finance in Zimbabwe among other prominent government officials.

Women should always have bald heads, lose weight and dress shabbily to reduce their attractiveness as part of measures to curb the spread of HIV, a Zim politician has said. go →

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights has launched a new report following a 2011 public inquiry into the extent and nature of the violation of sexual and reproductive health rights in the country.

Kenya is a signatory of international human rights laws and as such it has an obligation to respect, protect and fulfil the sexual reproductive health rights of its citizens by ensuring essential services are available, accessible, and acceptable top all and are of good quality.

Besides this, the Constitution sets out reproductive healthcare as a right for all Kenyans as it outlines that ‘every person has the right to the highest attainable standard of health, which includes the right to health care services, including reproductive health care’ (Article 43 (1) (A). The right to reproductive health implies that people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life, that they are able to reproduce and that they have the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so.

The Sexual and reproductive health report by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, follows the commission’s 2011 public inquiry into the extent and nature of the violation of sexual and reproductive health rights.

At the report’s launch the Minister for Medical Services Peter Anyang’ Nyongo, in a speech read on his behalf by the Chief Executive Officer of the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) Richard Kerich, said that despite the challenges faced by the government in ensuring Kenyans enjoy reproductive health rights and services, it remains committed to enhancing access to health for all. This is in line with Kenya’s 2030 vision, which seeks to provide equitable and affordable healthcare at the highest quality standards.

“The government has put in place a number of legal policy and administrative measures to enhance the realization of this right for all Kenyans, and a robust policy framework to enhance access to reproductive health,” Mr Anyang’ Nyongo said.

The report finds barriers still exist that inhibit the realization of maternal health rights and family planning in Kenya. The rights of sexual minorities and vulnerable and marginalized groups are often violated and these people face constant stigma and discrimination as well as being excluded from service provision. Sexual violence is also an issue that many people across the country face, while health financing is cited to be a major challenge, resulting in a weak health system.

The report recommends laws regarding sexual violence be fully implemented and for the government to increase health resources and adopt a more open and transparent budgetary process.

The report also recommends the decriminalization of same sex relations and sex work and for community sensitization to be carried out to cultivate a culture of tolerance around sexual minorities. The commission argues this vision can only be realized if the government appreciates the needs of the sexual minorities and formulates policies and programs to specifically target these groups.

On family planning and maternal health, the report recommends that measures be taken to improve access to family planning services and a human rights based approach to the provision of maternal health services be adopted.

Getrid Nakabira MP for Lwengo district, Uganda has rubbished the Marriage and Divorce Bill 2011, which fellow lawmakers and civil society organizations are advocating should be passed into an Act. go →

Giving birth to a baby is a joy for many women but this is not the case for many in Zambia given the high number of maternal deaths. Many women in rural areas see giving birth as not only a burden but a nightmare. Women are scared of falling pregnant due to high costs and also the shortage of midwives, which leads them to give birth at home using the services of traditional birth attendants (TBAs).

Engwase Mwale, executive director of the Non-Governmental Organizations’ Co-ordinating Council (NGOCC), has called on the government and stakeholders to treat the high levels of neonatal deaths in Zambia as a crisis.

She was commenting on UNICEF statistic that in Zambia 199 infants out of a thousand die before their fifth day. The infant mortality rate is 70 deaths per 1,000 live births and maternal mortality is 769 per 1,000 births, according the Zambia Demographic Health Survey of 2007.

Last week (12 April), Muvi TV news reported hat two women who had gone to deliver at Zambia’s University Teaching Hospital (UTH), the country’s biggest referral hospital, lost their babies due to not being attended to by midwives for four hours. The women have since engaged the Women’s Legal Aid Clinic to bring charges against the hospital.

Zambia is facing a serious shortage of midwives, doctors and nurses that will make it impossible to achieve its national and international goals including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) if no investment is made in health systems and services

Health systems in sub Saharan African countries face shortages of health staff, essential supplies and equipment, adequate facilities and management skills. Other problems include creating demand for available services and overcoming the stigmatization that prevents people from accessing services. The cost of health care continues to be a significant barrier to access services.

Also health systems in many sub-Saharan countries cannot deliver essential interventions well enough to reduce mortality due to challenges such as armed conflict, natural disasters, high HIV burdens and low adult female literacy rates, which when combined contribute to stagnating or deteriorating coverage.

The shortage of skilled professionals is a huge concern. In many African countries, rates of one doctor for every 10,000 people are not uncommon. Stopping the brain drain of qualified medical personnel seeking better salaries and working conditions abroad is a priority. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that sub-Saharan Africa will need an estimated one million more health workers in order to reach the health related MDGs.

One of the ways of reducing maternal and neonatal deaths is the early recognition of preventable risks as this enables families to take timely action to prevent mortality and morbidity. It is important to focus on entrenched cultural attitudes and beliefs around pregnancy and childbirth that contribute to increased risk. Few countries have community health strategies when adopting facility based approaches, which fail to take into account the factors at play in the lives of women.

Another factor is funding,which remains a challenge for both rich and poor nations. It is essential to invest in sectors that support basic healthcare, infrastructure, logistics and the referral process.

One of the biggest challenges for maternal and neonatal health is the shortage of skilled health personnel as revealed by a 2006 WHO survey. This indicates that although Africa accounts for more than 24% of the global disease burden it has only 3% of the world’s health workers and spends less than 1% of total global resources dedicated to health, even after loans and grants from abroad are taken into account.

 

Thomas Banda (name changed) tip-toed in the dead of night to the nearest hut where the two young girls were sleeping. He entered and forced himself on the defenceless girls and had sex without their consent.

He was among 20 boys who had just graduated from the traditional school where boys who have come of age are taught life skills. This act is the Segu (meaning ‘to open’) a practice found in the Eastern Province of Zambia where boys target young virgin girls to prove their sexual prowess.

When I interviewed Banda, who has since moved to Lusaka, he regretted his action. He said: “I was ignorant at the time and never realised that the Segu tradition was a bad one which contributed to the spread of HIV and AIDS and sexually transmitted infections like Syphilis.”

He narrated that during the same Segu encounter, a pregnant teenage girl suffered a miscarriage.

Segu is a form of violence that has serious medical, social, economic and psychological consequences on the life of a girl and can affect relationships and decision making regarding sexuality and related issues. It also increases risk of HIV infection among women and girls.

In Africa, culturally accepted norms and practices often limit a woman’s ability to safeguard her own sexual and reproductive health and survival. In many countries, the law remains silent about harmful traditional practices such as child marriages. In areas where protective legislation does exist, statutory laws can be undermined by customary laws.

Programmes that emphasise the role of men as agents of positive change and involves them more fully in promoting gender equality and social change offer significant opportunities to help men understand how gender inequities harm women and girls.

Gender based expectations can keep men from enriching the lives of their children and their own lives as well. Many societies condone male risk taking and use of violence to exert authority. Risk taking behaviour by men and boys such as having sex with many partners is seen as a measure of a young man’s virility. Such behaviour, which is very common in Sub-Saharan Africa, not only puts the man at risk but endangers the lives of their partners.

The situation calls for comprehensive, age appropriate sexual and reproductive health education for youth both in and out of school in every society. The foundation from adolescence to adulthood should be supported and enriched through public policies that value girls’ and boys’ rights, cherishes their potential and encourages gender equity.

To affect lasting change, laws and policies to ban harmful practices must accompany locally driven education efforts to end such practices and honour the rights of girls and women. It is a well known fact that this will take time, leadership, activism and education at the local and national levels.

 

One in five women giving birth in Kenyan health facilities face disrespect and abuse, according to the latest figures released by the Kenyan Population Council.

The council, which aims to change the way health systems, providers and women think about childbirth care, conducted the survey in partnership with the Ministry of Health to investigate the often overlooked issues that prevent women from seeking skilled care.

“Today, just four in ten Kenyan women have their babies in a hospital or birthing clinic. One reason for low rates of skilled birth attendance is that some women experience disrespect and abuse at hospitals and clinics,” said Population Council researcher Charlotte Warren.

“Certainly every woman seeking care doesn’t experience this terrible treatment but even one case of disrespect or abuse is too many. Women deserve quality care and support during pregnancy and childbirth.”

With funding from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the council and its partners have documented the types and prevalence of disrespectful and abusive treatment women experience at hospitals and clinics in select districts around Kenya in order to address the problem and thereby increase the number of women seeking skilled childbirth care in health facilities

The baseline surveys found out that nearly one in five women were treated in a humiliating way or felt disrespected in clinics. 7.4% of women attending the hospitals felt their privacy was compromised and pain relief was also ignored.

The survey also reports that there is irregularities as the patients receive treatment they did not consent to, and others reported being physically abused in the process of finding treatment. Finance was also reported to big issue as mothers who lack funds to pay for treatment are detained with their infants and not allowed to leave the hospital.

The council’s assessment also found some quality of care issues that must be addressed at the health system level including dirty facilities, insufficient resources (e.g. a lack of beds, curtains and equipment), and shortages of food, drinks, and bathing water. All of these factors may further discourage women from delivering in facilities.

The Population Council is working with community members, policymakers, and partners the Ministry of Health, the Federation of Women Lawyers, and the National Nurses Association of Kenya to examine the data and define solutions that will help to end poor treatment.

The council seeks to ensure that women and families understand that mistreatment is neither normal nor acceptable. It also aims to train managers and supervisors to create a culture of excellence where respect for patients is the norm, and to help providers understand the importance of treating patients with dignity.

The council will be working closely with communities and health facilities to define and implement initiatives, which will be closely monitored and evaluated. The most effective solutions will be refined and expanded across the region.

 

Recently the Kenyan media has been highlighting stories of women beating their errant husbands. In whichever form violence should not be condoned as it is a violation against human rights. Everyone should live in an environment that is free from the threat of violence.

However, the few incidences in Nyeri of females’ violence towards their male partners have been blown out of proportion considering that many women are subjected to violence by their husbands on a daily basis. In normal circumstances men are generally the perpetrators of violence but more often than not these cases are not highlighted – and when they are they are not given the attention they deserve.

According to the UNFPA, gender based violence both reflects and reinforces inequities between men and women and compromises the health, dignity, security and autonomy of its victims. It encompasses a wide range of human rights violations, including sexual abuse of children, rape, domestic violence, sexual assault and harassment, trafficking and several harmful traditional practices. Any one of these abuses can leave deep psychological scars and damage the general health of women and girls, including their reproductive and sexual health. In some instances, gender based violence results in death.

As the HIV epidemic continues, the prevalence in Kenya seems to have stabilized. New infections are on the decline but available evidence shows the rate of new HIV infection is still unacceptably high, estimated at 124,000 new cases each year. This translates to around 0.5% of the Kenyan population -  or 1 out of every 200 people – becoming newly infected. In 2010, an estimated 105,000 Kenyan adults (15 – 64 year olds) become infected.

Women account for 57.7% of all adults living with HIV. Among people aged 15 to 49 years, the prevalence among women is about 8.0%; almost twice that of men (4.3%)(KNASP III MID_TERM REVIEW CONSENSUS DOCUMENT).

The growing access to antiretrovrials (ARVs) and the recognition of the potential benefit of knowing your HIV status has prompted more women to access HIV testing services. Mostly this occurs during pregnancy and childbirth through Provider Initiated Testing and Counseling (PITC). PITC is specifically carried out to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV. While it has its advantages it has also resulted in discrimination, stigma and violence against women especially from their partners and spouses. With more women accessing HIV services an unprecedented wave of violence has been directed to women.

Caro* is an example of the many women who have been subjected to violence at the hands of their husbands after undergoing PITC and learning of her HIV positive status.

“When I was pregnant with our third child, I went to the hospital. I didn’t know that I was supposed to be tested for AIDS because I delivered the other two at home with the assistance of a birth attendant. The second time I almost died; that is why I decided to go to hospital the third time round.”

At the hospital, Caro was tested and counseled as is the usual case. On finding her status to be positive, she was lost for words with which to disclose the news to her husband. However, she says she took courage and decided to face him. After all she had always been faithful to him.

“Prostitute! You want to kill me!” were the words that answered her disclosure to her husband.

She tried to explain to him of her innocence to no avail. Caro says her husband is a man predisposed to violence and from time to time would physically beat her without provocation but rather to assert his authority. After her disclosure it was a situation of from the frying pan into the fire. Caro’s husband refused to go for testing and began to beat her regularly.

Caro says: “At one time he beat me so badly after which he threw my things outside and chased me away together with my children. I had nowhere to go or no one to turn to. But with time I have managed to survive by doing odd jobs and attending a support group for people living with HIV.”

Eva tested positive during a random health check. One day she was going on with her daily activities when she chanced upon a mobile voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) unit. She says she decided to take the test because she never trusted her husband.

Since finding out her positive status Eva has not told her husband because she is afraid of the consequences. She is on ARVs but takes careful measure to ensure her life saving drugs remain hidden.

“I hide my drugs very well that he can never find them. I put them with the laundry soap in the dirty laundry bucket,” she laughs in spite of herself.

Moraa is a widow living with HIV. Her husband died after passing HIV on to her and she has been living positively ever since. Her smiling face hides the pain she has undergone over the years since her husband died. Her children have turned against her and emotionally abuse her because of her status. They do not provide for their elderly mother who supplements the small income she makes from bead work by providing services as a traditional birth attendant in the vast Kware slums in Rongai.

Her son who is a local religious leader has since vowed to one day kill her if he comes across her while her daughter and daughter-in-law openly stigmatize her in her own husband’s compound.

“The normally remove my clothes from the clothes line when I do my laundry and throw them near the pit where we burn our rubbish. They don’t give me food or even allow my grandchildren to come near me.”

Moraa cries out: “These are my children, the children I gave birth to treating me like this….it really hurts but God sees all.”

Gender based violence whether physical or psychological is a reality that requires involvement from everyone.

We all have a role to play in creating a society free from violence.

 

Emmanuel Chansa, Provincial AIDS Co-ordinator Advisor, revealed during a meeting of the Provincial AIDS Task Force that 68 girls at Chipata’s Hillside Girls High School in Zambia fell pregnant in the last two months of 2011. All of them were below the age of 16.

An estimated 25% of the world’s population is made up of people between the ages of 10-24, most of whom live in the developing world, according to a World Health Organisation study from 2007.

In many parts of the developing world, adolescents face serious challenges associated with growing up. In sub-Saharan Africa, the combination of poverty and conflict further compound the situation. Some of the most central problems facing young people relate to sexuality and reproduction.

Reproductive health challenges facing young people in Zambia include low use of contraception. Ministry of Education policy does not allow distribution of condoms in lower institutions of learning. Sexual activity begins early and is often unprotected and is associated with risks such as HIV/AIDS, pregnancy and unsafe abortion, economic hardship and school drop-outs.

According to Unicef’s Progress for Children report from 2008, more than half of the mothers in sub-Saharan Africa give birth before the age of 20, compared with one third for Latin America and the Caribbean. The range of unplanned pregnancies among adolescent girls ranges from high to very high in some sub Saharan countries where up to 50% of adolescent mothers reported that their pregnancies were unplanned.

Adolescents face higher reproductive risks than older women. Pregnancy is the leading cause of death for young women aged 15-19 worldwide with complications of childbirth and unsafe abortion being the major risk factors.

Teenage girls who are not physically mature are at greater risk of obstructed labour, pregnancy-induced hypertension and obstetric fistula (the creation of a hole between the birth canal and anal area during prolonged labour).

Girls aged 15-19 are twice as likely to die in childbirth as those in their 20s. Death and injury rates are higher among infants born to young mothers who are less likely to get pre-natal care, and babies born to very young mothers are most likely to be premature or underweight.

The problem is compounded by a lack of clear government policies on adolescent reproductive health in many countries in the region. This creates uncertainty and hinders provision of information and services. Supportive policies are needed if countries in this region are to deal effectively with adolescent reproductive health and related issues.

While biological and socio-economic factors contribute significantly to early sexual activity and related consequences, socialization also plays an important role in shaping the attitudes of adolescents towards key aspects of reproductive health. It leads to stereotyping which in turn affects the planning and implementation of reproductive health, family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention programs.

Young people must be provided with the information and skills that will enable them postpone their sexual debut.

Every Girl Campaign is a Lifting the Barriers project to help the girls from underprivileged places learn in dignity by providing them with sanitary towels collected from well-wishers, organisations and shops. The first campaign and collection took place on October 29, 2011. more →

For the first time, an alliance of young women from the Pacific region, including Australia and New Zealand, has been formed following the successful launch of the Pacific Young Women’s Leadership Strategy.

This Alliance of organisations, known as the Pacific Young Women’s Leadership Alliance (PYWLA) recently met for the first time in Suva, Fiji.

Members of the Alliance include non-government and UN organisations working to develop the leadership of young Pacific Island women. The Alliance includes representatives from World YWCA, Fem’LINK Pacific, UNFPA, Commonwealth Youth Program, UNICEF, UN Women, Fiji Women’s Rights Movement, Pacific Youth Council, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and International Planned Parenthood Federation.

The formation of the PYWLA is a first for the region and presents a unique opportunity for regional stakeholders to work in partnership with each other to focus specifically on young women, their empowerment and promoting young women’s leadership.

In a press briefing released yesterday, Ms Alice Iwebu Kale, member of the World YWCA Board and representative to the Alliance said: “The Alliance presents an opportunity for stakeholders to raise the concerns of young women to the national, regional and international policy makers and Pacific leaders and ensure that their needs remain firmly on the policy agenda”.

She said the purpose of the Alliance is to add value to, and not replicate or undermine the existing work of Alliance members and other stakeholders in the region. The members are working towards creating more visibility and ensuring that young women are considered in leadership roles and are able to participate in decision making processes.

The Alliance has already experienced a number of successes, including a unanimous commitment by members to host a Pacific Young Women’s Dialogue, scheduled to coincide with the Triennial Conference of Pacific Women in 2013. Other Alliance projects include a mapping study of policies (national, regional and international) to identify the main gaps for young women and an online community of practice for young women and practitioners.

The potential of the PYWLA has recently been recognised when the group was short listed for a small grant by FRIDA – the young feminist fund which awards funding for initiatives driven by young feminists around the world.

Veena Singh Bryar, who represents Femlink Pacific on the Alliance said: “Not only will this community of practice allow us to share information regarding young women’s leadership and their rights as young women but it will also provide us with the platform to engage with other individuals, groups and organizations to share thoughts, good practices, ideas to learn from and be in better positions to influence decision making processes”

She added: “Having this Alliance established specifically to promote young women’s leadership and their rights will very much  contribute to changing the current status quo and hopefully will somehow contribute to the realization that inequalities should not only be understood through dichotomies of male domination and female subordination, but rather inequalities have also emerged along generational, class and racial lines”.

In a later exchange with www.keycorrespondents.org , Ms Alice Iwebu Kale said: “Specific challenges of illiteracy, accessibility to health and medical services and relevant information on health issues affecting young women like teenage pregnancy, sexual and reproductive health and rights will be addressed. There are also challenges of gender based violence and rape in addition to being suppressed, and the lack of recognition for young women’s potential by community members, national and regional leaders”. 

She added: “Issues around health in general were raised by many young women around the region which were outlined in the Pacific Young Women’s Leadership Strategy. The Alliance would assist by lobbying regional leaders to recognize and support young women’s leadership and will support the implementation of the strategy by seeking funding for initiatives for young women and girls around the region”

Emaweyesh Kassie, a 19-year-old woman from Gonder, Northern Ethiopia married when she was six. Here, she shares her experience as a child bride.

My oldest brother told me about the day they came to kill my mother. He said I was six months old, and my village was attacked by violent men. I have no memory of my mother. My brother told me my father disappeared as well, but nobody knows how or where. When my mother was killed, my brother named me Emaweyesh, which in Amharic means ‘you share my feelings’.

When I was six years old I was forced to marry an older man. In a way, my four brothers were relieved to see me go, thereby reducing the burden on my already shattered family.

Life as a six-year-old bride was never beautiful. I did not have the opportunity to go to school like other children my age. My husband forced me to work all day in the house, and spending the night with him was always a very painful experience.

When I was 12 I gave birth to Almaz, my beautiful daughter. It was a natural birth that lasted for several days. I never believed that creating a new life could cause so much pain. I was going to give birth in my village when a group of foreign aid workers found me and took me to the poli-clinic in Gonder.

Shortly after returning to my village my husband left me because of my post-childbirth condition. My fragile body was rattled by the experience, I was no longer useful to him, and he left me for another woman; that is, another child. My only choice was to migrate to the city of Gonder where I lived on the street and begged for food to feed my infant daughter.

I worked as a daily laborer for over two years, keeping my child alive by the grace of God. When I could not find any work, I resorted to begging. One day I was approached by a social worker from Wogen, an association that aims to assist orphans and street children. This year, they enrolled me in the USAID Urban Gardens Program school garden in Kebele 03 Elementary School.

Today I am 19 years old and in the fifth grade, and my seven-year-old daughter is currently in the first grade. The school garden allows both of us to go to school and to eat vegetables every month. In my free time I wash clothes, sell injera (Ethiopian flatbread), and roast coffee beans to pay the 150 birr (US$9) monthly rent.

Every day I work alongside more than 100 children from the school, ranging in ages. We each have individual garden plots, and I now take home cabbage and Swiss chard every month. In addition, as a group we raise and market vegetable seedlings to sell to other farmers, earning enough money to pay for clothing and school materials.

My dream is to be a doctor. I don’t want to see children suffer the misery and pain that I went through. I will not allow my daughter to marry until she is at least twenty years old.

Many families living in the rural areas of Ethiopia continue to sell their daughters for as little as 3000 birr (US$150) and as much as 10,000 birr (US$575). The practice is slowly disappearing as urban populations rise and awareness spreads.

Emaweyesh owes much of her success to the teachers and administrators of Kebele 03 Elementary School, who have even taken child-bride suitors to the regional authorities.

Kababush Lisanark, Emaweyesh’s mentor and physical education teacher at Kebele 03 Elementary School, said: “We are pushing her to keep learning to improve her life.”

Uganda joined the rest of the world to commemorate International Women’s Day last week, and many issues need to be considered. Many African countries still have a low retention rate for girls in school. In Uganda’s Nebbi district, the host of the Women’s Day celebrations, and Zombo district, the retention rate of girls in school is very low.

According to Nam Eddie, the programme officer for NGO Forum in Nebbi stated that there are no girls in primary six and seven at Cam Kwan Primary school in Atyak sub-county in Zombo district. When they reach these classes they show signs of maturity, and their parents encourage them to get married.

In cases where a child is defiled the parents prefer to settle matters out of court or pay a dowry or exchange for cows, thus these girls often drop out of school.

A lack of sanitary pads is also causing many girls to drop out of school in Katakwi district. Parents do not know how to help the girls during menstruation. Damalie Asekenye, the community development officer, believes girls will continue to drop out of school and get married at an early age.

There is a need for African governments to take the lead or provide some subsidy on the taxes levied on businesses conducted by women to enable them to compete with men. When resources are limited, boys are sent to school instead of girls, so governments should think of inspiring girls to continue schooling.

Uganda’s government should ‘empower girls’ to improve the social and economic status of women, according to an International Women’s Day address by Woman Members of Parliament.

Victoria Businge Rusoke, Woman Member of Parliament (MP) for the Kabarole district, said government should give girls an environment that will allow them to fulfil their potential.

The National Resistance Movement (NRM) representative addressed a gathering at Kiyomba Primary School in Buhesi sub-county in Kabarole district on Friday on the theme: ‘Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures’.

She said: “It is important to focus on the girl child, re-think and determine their future which will inspire the women of Uganda.

“Today we are looking back at the past struggles of women and looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generation of women.”

Rusoke pointed her finger at police officers and parents for conniving with criminals to abuse the rights of girls instead of protecting them.

She said: “It breaks my heart to see the police force – which is expected to protect a girl child – join hands with criminals to drag parents of defiled, raped and tortured girls into being compromised by offenders who give them a little money and they withdraw cases or they don’t report at all.”

Rusoke praised NRM for supporting women in Uganda, bringing them from kitchens to boardrooms to campaign for their rights.

But maternal mortality remains a concern despite the number of women dying while giving birth falling from 505 per 100,000 live births in 2001 to 435 per 100,000 live births in 2006.

These figures are still well below the target set as part of the Millennium Development Goals to reduce maternal mortality to 131 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2015.

Fellow NRM representative Margaret Zziwa Nantongo, Woman MP for Kampala, called for zero tolerance on sexual harassment and abuse in homes, communities, schools and at work places.

Zziwa also urged parents to educate their daughters, saying that education is a basic human right, and achieving gender equality in schools is the key to the empowerment of women.

More than 70 outstanding women were recognized for inspiring girls in the district, including the Queen Mother of Toro Kingdom Best Kemigisa, Elizabeth Bagaya, and Robinah Bwitwa of Travellers Inn in Fort Portal.

Many men report being battered and abused by women in their homes and many more are silent when they are beaten, denied sex and robbed of their property, says Paul Tentena the coordinator of Coalition Against Men Persecution (CAMP) a Ugandan organization which assists men who have been persecuted, battered and robbed by women.

The organization is affiliated to the Kenyan Association of Battered Men. There have also been recent reports from Uganda’s neighbour, Kenya about women beating men and men remaining silent because they are ashamed to acknowledge that they were beaten by women.

Paul Tentena says, “We are helping out men who are battered. In the 90% of the cases of domestic violence reported at police stations, the men are found guilty of beating women. No women are reported and found guilty of beating men.”

The Coalition Against Men Persecution provides legal services through a team of legal experts to men who are poor and are constantly battered by women. They also provide counselling to men that are stressed with their marriages.

The Coalition aims to restore African family values – where there is mutual respect and proper behaviour for partners in marriages within the various cultures of Africa. In addition, the Coalition fights for men’s rights.

“Men too have rights but not many organizations talk about them, because they think men are strong enough and can get whatever they want for themselves. Men invest a lot in relationships with an expensive African introduction ceremony, lavish wedding and gifts given to the girl’s parents. At the end of the day, a man is denied sex, is not given food, is locked out of the house, is not allowed to see the children and is issued with divorce summons. When the divorce comes, the woman wants 50% share of the property and everybody is willing to listen to the woman not the man,” added Tentena.

But according to Apio Joy Margaret there is a different side to the story in Uganda. “I do not support it [women beating men]. But women do not go out on the rampage to beat men. They sometimes do it in self-defence. In most of the cases it is the men who batter women. Men are foolhardy to try and fight women even when they are under the influence of alcohol, and in such circumstances, women stand on their own feet to fend off men beating them. When a woman beats a man, it is normally an act of revenge for an earlier beating. It is important that the two parties respect each other.”

However Paul Tentena says that CAMP have registered so many men with cases of having been battered and robbed which are later reported to the police and the Federation of Ugandan Women Lawyers that end up inclined to be sympathetic to the women’s cause.

“We are a pressure group but already women are very negative about our work and activities. But for us we are approached by men who are in trouble and we are ready to help them”

Zimbabwe has joined the UN Africa Unite campaign to end all forms of violence against women under the theme: “Speak out, Climb up.”

In solidarity with the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon’s, Unite global initiative and a continent wide partnership to end violence against women, Zimbabwe has sent three experienced climbers to reach the roof top of the African continent, Mount Kilimanjaro.

Coinciding with the International Women’s Day, the climb will symbolically raise women’s voices to the highest peak of Africa.

Violence against women is a serious concern on the continent, as well as in Zimbabwe. Women suffer daily the effects of domestic, sexual and other forms of gender-based violence in the country.

In the sub-Saharan region, between 13% and 45% of women suffer assault by intimate partners during their lifetimes. Recent studies from the region show that between 16% and 47% of girls in primary or secondary school report sexual abuse or harassment from male teachers or classmates and over 3 million girls in Africa at risk of female genital mutilation.

The Africa Unite campaign coordinates actions on these issues from 11 UN agencies, governments and civil society

Violence against women is one of the most old fashioned ways in which gender inequalities are manifested in Zambia.

Gender based violence is a serious problem in Zambia and the battering of women by their spouses remains widespread. Children have not been spared by this vice especially the girls.

Campaigners for women’s rights called a press briefing this month (February 2012) to bring to the nation’s attention their claim that gender based violence is on the increase resulting in more women being mutilated and dying. In order to safeguard the lives of women and children the campaigners are calling on the government to make the matter a top priority.

Present at the briefing were the Permanent Secretary in the Child Development Division (GCDD), the Inspector General of Police, co-operating partners, civil society representatives, the press and the public.

Campaigners are also seeking to gain support from the media, the public, co-operating partners, civil society organizations, the church, politicians and traditional leaders to spread the message that gender based violence is not a norm but human made and could be eradicated by standing together.

Beatrice Grillo, the chairperson of the Non Governmental Co-ordinating Council (NGOCC), said hardly a day passes without media reports on gender based violence perpetrated against women and children.

The shocking statistics reveal that 14 women had died due to gender based violence since 25 November 2011. As if that was not enough, information from the paediatrics unit of Zambia’s University Teaching Hospital indicate that six to ten defilement cases were being reported every day.

Overall about 250 cases of GBV had been reported country-wide during 2011. Ms Grillo said this was “unacceptable” and called for a war against gender based violence.

As shocking as they may be, the statistics are just the tip of the iceberg compared to the reality on the ground. What these statistics also don’t portray is the agony of orphans left by murdered women and the psychological torture and insecurity that defiled girls undergo. The feeling of shame, stigma and discrimination that raped women are subjected to for the rest of their lives remains untold.

Resolutions made at the meeting were that a current ‘technical committee’ of experts who are looking at Zambia’s constitution making process must ensure the automatic domestication of all women’s rights in treaties and conventions signed by government. It was also agreed that resources should be made available so that the implementation of the Anti-Gender Based Violence Act can be operationalized in a comprehensive and coherent manner.

Ms Grillo further stated that the fight against gender based violence was not an issue for the women’s movement alone but a fight that required concerted efforts by the press, the state, the church, political and traditional leaders, mothers, fathers and all peace loving Zambians. She also appealed to all media bodies to join in this cause by not only reporting or following up on cases of gender based violence but also providing free space on the airwaves, on television and in the newspapers for messages against these acts.

Another appeal was made to the corporate world, professional bodies and all co-operating partners to resolve to mitigate the effects of gender based violence through supporting the civil society organizations across the board.

“It is only through putting our heads together that we shall win the fight against gender based violence,” she stated.

 

Zimbabwe‘s national responds to HIV and AIDS in Southern Africa is commendable and has become an envy to many countries in the region.

But do Zimbabwean women have a reason to celebrate as gender discrimination in our societies and their lower position continue to negatively affect them when it comes to the fight against HIV and AIDS?

HIV and AIDS affect women and men differently in terms of vulnerability and impact.

In Zimbabwe HIV and AIDS has a woman’s face, the pandemic has led to child headed families or rather ‘girl child headed’ and ‘granny headed’ families. Being a young girl in charge of a family means that girl will have to forgo education to look after other family members.

HIV pandemic has increased the burden for women. Poor household adjust by shifting more of the care into the household and on the shoulders on women and girls.

In our society we have a cultural tradition of extended families; if somebody gets sick with HIV and AIDS they are returned to their homes to the care giver who is usually a mother or the grandmother. If the person with HIV dies the orphans are left in the hands of the grandmothers or aunts or sisters.

In the end it’s the woman or girl who bears the burden of HIV and also poverty without any help from other extended members of the society or government.

Women and Aids Support Network (WASN) Communications Manager Evince Mugumbate said: “The work that women carry out, paid or unrecognised, is more easily disrupted by AIDS. This is due to the fact that the burden of caring for HIV infected family and community members falls more on women and girls; this diminishes income generating and schooling possibilities.”

Other factors are that of inheritance, custody and support laws, which spell doom for women living with HIV and AIDS who would have lost partners.

Some women are abandoned and consequently deprived of economic opportunities simply because of the stigma that is associated with HIV and AIDS.

This thus leaves them shunned and marginalised subsequently increasing the pressure on them to survive.

Girls under the age 15 are engaging in sexual activity, many through coercion, and society ignores them because they are not important. This is despite the obvious fact that they have limited knowledge of sexual and reproductive health and more vulnerable to HIV and AIDS.

Gender based violence both physical and verbal, which is rooted in Zimbabwe’s traditional practices, increases women’s vulnerability to HIV as women fear to question their male partners’ extramarital sexual behaviour or negotiate for safer sex.

Sexual violence against women is also another factor that contributes to women’s vulnerability to HIV. According to an adult rape clinic, of the rape survivors who attended to at the clinic in 2010, 11 tested positive for HIV and were referred to the opportunistic infections clinic at Parerinyatwa Hospital in Harare.

As a result of these gender inequalities, women lack the choice and power to control their sexual and reproductive health.

Again women living with disabilities have a disadvantage in terms of access to information on HIV and access to services such as treatment.

The Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMCTC) programme, whcih was introduced to fight the pandemic, has got its challenges. In as much as clinics now offer counselling and testing to every pregnant women not all of them accept it while others fail to return to receive their results due to lack of integration of services, cost, and other social factors. Most men still believe that PMCTC is a woman’s concern.

According to the UN, women in Zimbabwe still face several hurdles in removing the inequalities and discrimination that impede on women’s health rights. The limited access to health services is cited as one of the reasons for women and girls’ vulnerability to HIV.

The Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS) found that 81% of women age 15-49 know that consistent use of condom is a means of preventing the spread of HIV although they face a challenge of accessing the female condom.

Self- protection of women against HIV is not legally enshrined. The National Family Planning Act does not have a mandate to assist women in self-protection initiatives against HIV infections.

According to the UNAIDS’ Know your epidemic-know your response 2010 report, Zimbabwe’s gender policy, which was approved in 2004, does not provide adequate guidelines for addressing the gendered and development dimensions of HIV and AIDS. Neither does it mention the gender issues that increase women’s risk of HIV infection.

The Ministry of Women Affairs Gender and Community Development has the overall mandate for the mainstreaming of gender to contribute to the Zimbabwe’s HIV response but is under-resourced and so is unable to fulfil this critical mandate and has not made much headway in supporting initiatives that seek to address the HIV epidemic among women.

Organisation such as the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council must provide information and materials to facilitate the ability of women to protect themselves against HIV infection.

The effort that is being done on the male circumcision (MC) campaign that was launched in October 2009 should also involve women  as they have strong influence when it comes to the circumcision of their sons.

In addition, the Ministry of Finance should make sure that HIV budgets take into consideration the needs of the varying categories of women.

It was all about the ladies during a two day conference to discuss the human resources crisis facing health, which impacts health systems throughout the world especially in developing countries already plagued with a high burden of disease.

The Global Health Workforce – Pathways to Health conference held last week (2-3  February 2012) at the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI) in collaboration with the Irish Forum for Global Health (IFGH) and Dublin City University (DCU), hosted a wealth of dignitaries, distinguished guests, researchers and students.

In a field where so many ‘big-wigs’ are men, the conference anticipates an impending shift in gender influence. Although there was no distinguishable difference in sex representation amongst attendees, females stole the show when it came to making lasting impressions and commanding the audience’s attention. If participants were polled, this author would guess that three of the top four most memorable presenters would be women. Their names? Ms. Dorothy Ngoma, Minister Mphu Ramatlapeng, and Ms. Yvonne Chaka Chaka.

Ms. Ngoma , Oxfam Ambassador and the executive director of the National Organisation of Nurses and Midwives of Malawi, began the first discussion by showing pictures of pregnant women in Malawi and explaining how they are encouraged to travel long distances to deliver in a setting with a skilled attendant, but are often met with lack of resources and staff.

She told the audience that this is “somebody’s sister, somebody’s mother”. She commanded attention by asking, then stating, “Can we do more? I think we can do more!” Ms. Ngoma put a face to the issues discussed throughout the conference. Her emphatic demeanour and her passion helped reiterate to the audience the importance of the human resources for health (HRH) issue and exactly how it affects individuals in low income countries.

The Honourable Minister of Health (MOH) of Lesotho, Ms. Mphu Ramatlapeng, commanded the stage throughout the whole two days. The initially shy-looking MOH came across with an air of approachability and power, with her strong and confident voice exceeding her petit frame. With knowledge and conviction, Ms. Ramatlapeng educated the audience, commended the Irish and Irish Aid for all their efforts in Lesotho, and spoke very bluntly on her work and her opinions on health.

She elicited a loud cheer when asked if teaching abstinence to prevent HIV in youth was ridiculous, and before the questioner could even finish she proclaimed “It’s ridiculous!”. Ms. Ramatlapeng helped give hope to health systems throughout Africa by highlighting her drive for change and also her stories of success.

Ms. Yvonne Chaka Chaka, a South African recording artist and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, stole the evening show. Not only did she have the whole audience dancing and singing during her two songs she was an engaging and powerful speaker who elicited laughter throughout the night. She was even able to entice Ms. Ramatlapeng and the Kenyan Ambassador, Her Excellency Catherine Muigai Mwangi, to dance on stage for all to witness.

Ms Chaka Chaka spoke with great conviction when discussing health issues, and the ever publicised ‘bad politics and politicians’ that go along with it and was not afraid to express her opinions by advocating for “giving credit to those who do good, and shaming those who do bad”. She ended the night by calling several distinguished male guests WOmen – Well Organised men, and by asking the attendees by song “What have you done today to make you feel proud?”

The conference was closed by Dr. Eilish McAuliffe, Director of the Centre for Global Health at Trinity College Dublin, who demonstrated her vast knowledge on the HRH crisis by summarising the conference findings, outlining ways forward and concluding with a positive spin on the dim reality.

Not to discredit the male presenters as they too were informative, passionate and entertaining, especially Father Michael Kelly, but the representation of women at the IFGH conference was undoubtedly inspiring. From the main organising committee (which included five women), to the volunteers (the majority of whom were female), to the key presenters and distinguished guests, women ran the show.

However, if we go by Yvonne Chaka Chaka’s definition, where everyone is a man, but the Well Organised ones are women, I think you would have been hard pressed to find a single ‘man’ in attendance. As a woman, an advocate and an individual, I was honoured to stand side-by-side with so many admirable and passionate people at the IFGH 2012 Pathways to Health conference, and was reassured that even though times are tough and resources are scarce, there are many strong and determined men and women who are not giving up any time soon.

 

Obstetric fistula (known as ‘ecwilili’ in Ateso, the local language) is a severe medical condition in which holes develop between the rectum and vagina or between the bladder and vagina after a traumatic labor.

Women with fistula often become incontinent and are the subject of stigma. Many men reject their wives due to the odor produced by the incontinence and they are rendered helpless in society.

“I got scared when one morning I woke up to find my vagina no  longer functioning. It is a bad condition. I need to enjoy my sexual rights”, Alice  Emasu, executive director of the Association for Re-orientation and Rehabilitation of Teso Women for Development (TERREWODE), said. “What to do if your vagina is not functioning?”

TERREWODE is a non-government organization whose mission is to empower women and girls to actively participate in development activities with the aim of improving the livelihoods of women in Teso, north eastern Uganda and that of their families and communities.

The organization works in Katakwi, Kaberamaido, Bukedea, Serere and Soroti districts. This excludes Ngora and Kumi districts although TERREWODE plans to expand into these areas if more funds become availed.

TERREWODE also addresses other issues connected to the plight of fistula sufferers such as ignorance, poverty, bad governance and a lack of rights for women.

More than half of fistula cases are in young women or child mothers as fistula tends to occur in females of a tender age. Women who do not seek maternal health advice tend to be the group most affected.

“The young girls are exposed to fistula because their organs are not yet matured. They  suffer labor pains for five days. Babies suffocate when they are being produced. 95% of babies survive during childbirth,” Emasu added.

Records show that 200,000 women are living with fistula cases in Teso sub-region in eastern Uganda. Currently, TERREWODE has treated 400 women in Teso.

“On average, a woman [in Teso] has lived with fistula for almost three years. The hormones in the rectum do not interfere with the sexual reproductive organs,they are still sexually active. Unfortunately, they are divorced early by their sole husband,” Emasu explains.

“When the numbers of holes are many, the treatment is difficult for the doctor to perform at once. We worked hard to repair more than 400 women and put them back to the community. The community needs a lot of psycho-social counseling; they need a lot of follow ups,” Emasu adds.

She cites the case of one woman who had fistula. She raised her son then was shunned at 80 due to her condition. “She was isolated in an old hut due to fistula case. Three days later she died.”

Emasu regrets the current situation in which some women with fistula are dragged to court to be divorced. “Some parents demand bride price to be paid back when fistula cases arise, yet during marriage they were normal.”

She urges men not to divorce their wives suffering from fistula but love them instead. “These women are normal, sexually active and functioning; once they are repaired you can love them again. Let’s love and care. Nobody has invested money in TLC [tender, loving, care], which makes our women suffer. Psychologically, such women are tortured by loneliness and lack of care,” Emasu adds.

She also said that some men become violent with their wives due to fistula and commended Soroti police for wide investigations over fistula cases.

A recent dialogue with top district leadership in Soroti led to a commitment for TERREWODE’s work plans to be incorporated into a bigger district work plans for action against fistula

Prior to the meeting, TERREWODE officials discussed with leaders of women’s groups in Katine, Gweri, Soroti, Kadungulu, Kumi and Bukedea about fistula situation. These groups have become very powerful in the fight against fistula in the region.

Emasu adds: “We are the best advocates of maternal health and poverty issues prior to fistula. We have at least 30 members, mostly women and some young people, most of whom are engaged in agriculture activities to help them acquire basic needs. They also interfere in promoting girl child education.”

During the meeting Donath Eswilu, Soroti’s Assistant Chief Administrative
Officer, said that it is important to support TERREWODE activities in fighting fistula cases.

He said that a different form of fistula is found in men. “When will we start this kind of intervention in men?” Eswilu asked the audience. Eswilu urged government to intervene in TERREOWDE activities in the region so that their initiative can expand to other areas.

“Once a mother suffers from this condition, the chance of child survival is minimal. Let government take action in providing us with huge grants for maternal health,” Eswilu added.

He urged the police to reduce the number of cases in which under-aged children are married off.

“We [society] even participate in their marriage yet they are not ready to produce in their marriage yet. Let’s join hands to fight fistula; the media, government, district,” he said.

Eswilu said there was only one doctor handling fistula case in Soroti, meaning that many patients suffer. He called for the social integration of community development for fistula patients in psycho social support and for women with fistula to be introduced into rehabilitation earlier in the process.

He also called upon the public to support education for girls movement and said moves should be in place to tackle the delay many women in labor face when trying to reach a health facility.

“Let’s join our heads together to fight fistula cases in our midst if we are to support and emancipate our women for development,” Eswilu said.

Also at the meeting Chief Ejupu, chairperson on TERREWODE’s board of directors, called upon development partners to support TERREWODE in repairing more fistula women so as they are restored and able to join society.

Ejupu added that TERREWODE’s activities should be expanded to the parishes, sub-counties and the districts and information and experience shared with technical staff. He commended the work of TERREWODE for repairing school girls and restoring them to school.

Joseph Ekalam, Soroti district Probation and Welfare Officer, urged stakeholders to restore hope amongst women with obstetric fistula.

“Do not shy away from fistula news; preach about fistula cases and put the knowledge learnt into practice,” Ekalam said.