Gender Linked – August 2010

Date: September 16, 2010

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ââ‚¬ËœSure God created man before woman. But then you always make a rough draft before the final masterpiece.ââ‚¬â„¢ ââ‚¬”
Unknown

Issue 12 | August 2010

Table of Contents

»Words from the Editor

» Botswana Office

» Mauritius Office

»Team Work & Dream Work

» Programmes Updates

Programme Updates

	Gender & Governance Abigail Jacobs Williams & Governance Country Facilitators Plans for August 2010 – All country facilitators are busy bringing their ten identified councils to the same levels, i.e. stage one, two, three and possibly stage four activities to be completed in all ten identified councils per country, pre 16 Days planning in October. – The Gender and Governance Manager will be doing in country visits to provide on the job support to country facilitators. Country updates Click here to read update on Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe Lesotho Drafts Law on Human Trafficking Mpho Mankimane: In the last decade, human trafficking has slowly evolved as the new face of gender violence within the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Even though several research studies have been conducted by various organisations, human trafficking has proved to be the least understood and the most difficult form of gender violence to tackle. (click here to read more…) *******************************
	Gender and Media Programme By Thabani Mpofu Gender and Media awards deadline extended Gender Links, MISA and GEMSA are extending the deadline for submission of the Gender and Media awards 2010 to 3 September 2010 following the overwhelming response from some countries and a slower response from others. The deadline has been extended in the interest of fairness and to ensure there is equitable regional representation in all categories. Due to time constraints the awards will no longer be held at national level but at the Fourth Gender and Media Summit and Awards in Johannesburg from the 13-15 October 2010. The awards include a cash prize and attendance at the summit. Go to https://www.genderlinks.org.za/article/gender-and-media-gem-summit-and-awards-2010-2010-06-10 to fill in online or download the relevant application forms. GMPS, GIME, Glass Ceilings consultative workshops Gender Links, MISA and GEMSA will be holding consultative workshops in 14 countries between 4 August and 3 September to canvass the findings of the Gender and Media Progress Study (GMPS), follow up to the 2003 Gender and Media Baseline Study (GMBS) and the Gender in Media Education (GIME) research. Inception workshop for gender policies in Botswana Gender Links will hold an inception workshop for gender policies for five media houses in Botswana on 13 August 2010. The media houses are Mmgei, Yarona FM, Eco, Sunday Standard and The Voice. After the workshop there will be newsroom visits to share the findings of GMPS, Glass Ceilings and GIME as well as assist journalists in filling in gender and media entry forms. Media Literacy and Training BU training at Heads Of State in Namibia As part of ongoing efforts to publicise the economic provisions of the SADC protocol on Gender and Development, GL will conduct a Business Unusual training workshop ahead of the SADC Heads of State Summit. The key output from this workshop will be an eight-page supplement which will run in The Namibian newspaper on 17 August, on the day of the key meetings. This is an important time to remind SADC leaders of their commitments to economic justice provisions. Gender Links will conduct the workshop in collaboration with the Polytechnic of Namibia. GL Opinion and Commentary Service Womenââ‚¬â„¢s month One of the busiest times of the year for the GL office is South Africaââ‚¬â„¢s month long celebration of women. This yearââ‚¬â„¢s Womenââ‚¬â„¢s Month will be no exception and we have plenty of stories and activities planned to make it extra powerful. Weââ‚¬â„¢ll be closely exploring the issue of sex and identity, especially important in a year that saw Caster Semenya make international headlines. The Commentary Service will run a photo essay about women in Southern Africa, delve into what it means to be a woman in todayââ‚¬â„¢s technological marketplace and investigate and how womenââ‚¬â„¢s roles have changed in relation to traditional and non-traditional jobs. To wrap up a busy month, GL will host a special forum and debate on sex and identity on 30 August and we hope to include students, activists and key players from across the country. Stay tuned to see how you can be involved.
	GBV Indicators Project By Mercilene Machisa Gauteng July was a wrapping up period for the Gauteng GBV prevalence and attitudes survey. We were able to finalise the data collection phase of the survey and data is being currently cleaned before analysing. A reference meeting was also held on 16th July with key partners attending. Following the meeting and the closing of the data collection phase, our main thrust will now be focused towards other aspects of the project for example obtaining the remaining administrative study as well as analysing it. The writing up of the Gauteng report scheduled to be launched during this yearââ‚¬â„¢s 16days of Activism against gender violence has commenced. Kwazulu Natal Key resolutions from the meeting included obtaining Medical Research Council (SA) approval to replicate the study in all provinces and submitting an ethics application to University of Kwazulu Natal (UKZN) to conduct the costing study and the prevalence and attitudes survey in KZN. A meeting with the implementer (HEARD) was held to map way forward and to plan for the KZN study especially towards obtaining the research permit. Currently HEARD is putting together the application for submission. Botswana We have finally received the permit to conduct the study in Botswana. Plans have been made to meet with implementing partners on the 12th and 13th August in Gaborone to plan for study commencement.
	GL Monitoring and Evaluation goes online By Susan Tolmay The M & E unit has worked hard to develop and streamline all of the tools and processes that GL has been using for M and E as well as to finalise the forms and manual. An exciting development in the M and E department has been developing and testing our new online forms. All staff have been trained on how to upload these new forms. The online forms relate largely to the GL Profile at the moment and include the GL in the media log, events tracking, queries and testimonial logs as well as publications feedback, protocol village workshop reports, workshop evaluation and workshop participants which feeds into our workshop statistics. Having these forms online has made it easier and less cumbersome to capture, also decentralising this function so that instead of sending a lot of documentation to head office, which is costly and time consuming, forms and information can be captured off site at our satellite and field offices thus reducing the burden of the capturing having to take place at head office , promoting ownership of these processes by satellite and field staff. Initial feedback has been that it is an easy system and we have had no major problems thus far. Happy capturing.

	Words from the Editor

Hello everybody! Happy Womenââ‚¬â„¢s Month to every women and especially those in the Republic of South Africa, were 9 August is National Womenââ‚¬â„¢s Day. A day set aside to appreciate and acknowledge contributions made by women in RSA. The national theme this year is ââ‚¬Å“Ke Nako!ââ‚¬ , ââ‚¬Å“The Time Is Nowââ‚¬ . A theme that is so relevant at a time when our SADC Alliance programme has just completed updating the SADC Gender Protocol 2010 Barometer, a tracking tool that informs on the progress made by the SADC States to the 28 targets in the Gender and Development Protocol. The report will be launched in Windhoek on 14 August, ahead of the SADC Heads of States Summit. GL has compiled and populated Womenââ‚¬â„¢s Month events in RAS, we invite you to go to our website on www.genderlinks.org.za . We are also inviting you to contribute articles to our Commentary Service, particularly pieces focusing on womenââ‚¬â„¢s issues. Please submit to GL Editor, Danny Glenwright, on editor@genderlinks.org.za Here is a quick overview of what our programme units are busy with this month. GL Media programme, MISA and GEMSA will be holding consultative workshops in 14 countries between 4 August and 3 September to canvass the findings of the Gender and Media Progress Study (GMPS), follow up to the 2003 Gender and Media Baseline Study (GMBS) and the Gender in Media Education (GIME) research. Alliance programme has worked tirelessly on updating the SADC Gender Protocol 2010 Barometer, this will be launched on 14 August in Windhoek, ahead of the SADC Heads of States meeting. The Alliance Strategy Meeting will be held on the 16 and 17 August in Windhoek. Gender Links exhibited at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair from 29 ââ‚¬” 31 July. This was held at the Harare Gardens under the theme ââ‚¬Å“Promoting Cross Cultural Dialogue.” There were over 40 exhibitors including NGO organisations, local and regional book distributors, local universities, civil society and human rights organisation. The ZIBF provided GL a fantastic opportunity to network and showcase our publications. By the end of Fair, we had identified and contracted a Harare based book distributor, Best Books, who will be promoting GL publications in Zimbabwe. Other strategic contacts established included Library of Congress Office and the East African Educational Publishers Ltd, based in Nairobi, Kenya; The African Capacity Building Foundation and the Zimbabwe Publishing House, to name a few. All this and more, to look forward to in this monthââ‚¬â„¢s edition of Gender Linked. Keeping you GL linked. Happy reading.
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	Satellite Office News

Botswana Office Updates By Keabonye Ntsabane & Roos van Dorp Dumela! le kae? Local Government In July the Botswana office held two Gender and Local government workshops for Kweneng District, starting with Letlhakeng sub district 13-15 July 2010. The workshops was successful in sensitizing the councilors and officials of the respective councils on gender issues. Gender Links and BALA assisted the participants to develop action plans to incorporate gender in their daily activities. Workshops were also held in Mogoditshane on 27-29 July and Molepolole 2-4 August 2010. GEM Summit Press Briefing A press briefing was held on the 9th of July 2010 to inform the media on the GEM Summit, local and regional media awards. Media houses were urged to send in their applications. Fundraising dinner All staff in Botswana are busy preparing for the fundraising diner to be held at the 13th of August 2010 in Gaborone. The ceremony will be officaited by Gender Links, Dr Pinkie Mekgwe. We are looking forward to receiving a delegation from Johannesburg and to liven up our event, the GL Joburg choir will be performing! The Eleventh National Women Exposition By Lydia Keenao GL GMDC Intern Gaborone: The eleventh National Women Exposition held on the 23rd of June at the Ditshupo Hall Fairgrounds was an event not to be missed. This yearââ‚¬â„¢s theme was ââ‚¬Å“Women entrepreneurs in the informal sector: Pillars in economic diversificationââ‚¬ and the objectives of the Exposition were to: expose women to new products, to offer womenââ‚¬â„¢s community organisations and groups an opportunity to exchange experiences related to their products, to provide an opportunity to forge links and create partnerships and networking among women entrepreneurs. The Women Affairs Department targets 200 different women every year with the aim of giving as many women as possible the chance to showcase their projects and offers grant to women groups to start up businesses. (click here to read moreââ‚¬ ¦) Mauritius Office Updates By Loga Virahsawmy Un grand bonjour a tous! Comment allez-vous? IBA Code of Ethics Davinah Sholay’s kick-start within GL family provided her with valuable experience as she attended a dialogue session on the ââ‚¬Å“Code of Ethicsââ‚¬ organised by the Independent Broadcasting Corporation (IBA). The dialogue session began with a speech from Suraj Bali, Director of the IBA; followed by a presentation delivered by Roukaya Kasenally. The key journalistic principles including accuracy, impartiality and children were elaborated on. GL suggested that a few lines be added to the existing ââ‚¬Å“Code of Ethicsââ‚¬ addressing the issue of women stereotyping, namely in advertising, violence, sex and nudity. The suggestion was well received, the Director Suraj Bali, expressed his willingness to meet with Loga Virahsawmy to discuss the matter further. National Volunteer Programme Mary Coopan attended the second meeting of a National Volunteer Programme on the 22nd of July with NGOs and potential volunteers. The workshop was facilitated by a consultant from Canada under the Non State Actors Unit (NSA Unit) which falls under the UNDP and the Ministry of Social Security. Local Authorities as Centres of Excellence Mary Coopan has been following up with the Liaison officers of the five identified Councils; all except Port-Louis have started the process, the latter has been replaced by Curepipe. Stage 1 will begin in two more Councils, namely Grand-Port Savanne and Quatre-Bornes. ââ‚¬Å“Strengthening the Existing Coordinating Mechanism to Combat Domestic Violenceââ‚¬ Loga Virahsawmy attended the launching of a National Programme on ââ‚¬Å“Strengthening the Existing Coordinating Mechanism to Combat Domestic Violenceââ‚¬ by the Ministry of Gender Equality. Gender Links presented gave its programme of activities mainly the Centre of Excellence and the 16 days campaign. The Ministry will draw a consolidated programme of action with suggestion on how the Ministry can help. Women in Politics of the Indian Ocean Commission Loga Virahsawmy attended a two day workshop on empowerment of women in politics in the Indian Ocean Commission (Comores, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles). The workshop was opened by the Prime Minister of Mauritius who committed himself to find ways and means of helping more women to join politics and become Parliamentarians. The workshop was closed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs who confirmed that Mauritius will not sign the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development as it is against the spirit of the Constitution of Mauritius. A high level National Platform for each country was instituted and Gender Links is part of the Platform for Mauritius and Madagascar. Gender Links is also part of the Regional Platform which is under the aegis of the IOC. Testimonial record We were pleasantly surprised to receive a heartfelt testimonial record by a journalist from DRC testifying how Gender Links has provided space and opened a window on the world for journalists. Media Coverage Both Loga Virahsawmy and Mary Coopan represented GL in the news this month. Coopan was interviewed by the MBC radio on the 7th of July on ââ‚¬Å“Exclusivement Femininââ‚¬ , a program dedicated to giving a voice to women. She provided an overview of Gender Links and Media Watch. She talked about local government, Centre of Excellence and SADC Protocol. Virahsawmy was interviewed by Radio One, on Tuesday 13th of July. She talked about Glass Ceilings, parental responsibilities and breaking stereotypes. She explained the equal importance of both mothers and fathers. Virahsawmy emphasised the need to give fathers the opportunity to take care of their children. The interview was published in Lââ‚¬â„¢express on the 15th of July 2010. GEM Gender & Media Award 2010 The Satellite Office went the extra mile in telephoning and meeting journalists to encourage them to send applications. The Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation sent institutional applications for the Gender Policy and the HIV and AIDS Policy. Mauritius Satellite Office received 21 application forms for the Gender & Media Award. News from Madagascar GEM Gender & Media Award 2010 July has been busy with advertising the Gender and Media Awards to be held in Johannesburg from 13-15 October 2010. During the month of July, Ialfine Papisy, GL Country Facilitator was invited by the Malagasy National Radio to give details on the awards. Calls for applications were launched with all media networks. By 16th July 2010, 26 applications were received including two institutional applications. Applications were also received from former provinces. SADC Protocol Barometer A round table was organised in the office of Focal Development, Noro Ravaozanany, Consultant, on Friday 16th July 2010 to brainstorm and to update the Barometer. Ms Ravaozanany in charge of this project invited 15 organisations including Gender Links. Ialfine Papisy had the priviledge of meeting Tove Zetterstrom Goldmann from Diakonia, Kenya. Centre of Excellence The training manual in Malagasy will soon be out and will be used during the planned workshops.
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	Team Work, Dream Work & Innovations
67 Minutes of Goodwill and Charity, celebrating Mandela Day Ntombi Mbadlanyana On the 18th of July the world celebrated the 92nd Birthday of Tata Nelson Mandela; former statesman and President of South Africa. His birthday also commemorated a special initiative of ââ‚¬Å“67 minutesââ‚¬ of charity, the aim of the 67 minutes was to try to celebrate the goodwill and good work that Tata Madiba had given to society. GL too embarked on a 67 minutes initiative – the GL team alongside their spouses and children volunteered to assist with painting and renovations at Nkosiââ‚¬â„¢s Haven, an orphanage which houses children living or orphaned by HIV/ AIDS in Berea Johannesburg. The GL children helped to paint the walls and GL staff assisted by scrapping old paint of walls. There was a lot of team spirit, helping each other and getting our hands all dirty for a good cause and everyone; young and old played a crucial role on that day. The day was filled with a lot of laughter and joy as we all felt that we were all making a difference to those less fortunate than us. One of the outcomes of the event was that there should be a 67 list of activities that GL staff should all partake in, be it within their communities i.e.- churches,charities, orphanages to continue with the work that was lay down by Tata Mandela as well as GL also living and continuing to spread the goodwill, and thus creating a legacy. A warm thank you to all GL staff, kids and spouses who took part in the 67 Minutes for Madiba, we are reminded of an African proverb which says ââ‚¬Å“Izandla ziyagezanaââ‚¬ loosely translated means ââ‚¬Å“hands wash each otherââ‚¬ meaning when we put our hands together and work together we help to cleanse and strengthen one another. *****************
Public Holidays August – September 2010 Mauritius: Sunday, 15 August: Assumption Day Wednesday, 1 September: Ganesh Chathurthi Saturday, 11 September: Eid Al-Firt South Africa: Monday, 9 August: National Womenââ‚¬â„¢s Day Thursday, 24 September: Heritage Day

August Key Dates 11-13 Aug: GMPS/GIME Namibia 12-13 Aug: GMPS/GIME Botswana 13 Aug: Botswana Office Gala Dinner 14 Aug : Launch of SADC Gender Protocol 2010 Barometer 16-17 Aug: Alliance Strategy Meeting, Namibia 16-20 Aug: GMPS/GIME Zimbabwe 19-20 Aug: GMPS/GIME DRC 26-27 Aug: GMPS/GIME Mauritius, Mozambique, Zambia 30-31 Aug: GMPS/GIME Malawi, Lesotho, Seychelles, Tanzania Johannesburg staff please refer to E- Calendar for detailed breakdown


AUGUST BIRTHDAYS 15th August Sarry Eises Xoagus Wishing you many more!!!!! *******************************
Human Resources News New Staff Announcement Danny Glenwright joined in July as the new Editor. He has over ten years experience, with a keen interest in human rights, gender and media development issues . Aparana Kollipara joins as the Gender Justice Manager from in September 2010. Good Byes At the end of July we saod good bye to our own IT guru ââ‚¬” Mwenda Yeta Mkhize who has been with Gender Links since February 2002. We wish her all the best in her career development. Nwabisa Jama Shai joined GL in July 2009 as a Research Manager, she left at the end of July. She has been key to the GBV study and will continue to render her services on a contract basis ââ‚¬” so we shall be seeing her from time time! Changes & Promotions Kubi Rama, currently Director of Programmes, moves to head the Training and Advisory Service for Gender Links, a new unit that will be set up in training wing of GL Advisory Services. Loveness Jambaya has been promoted to the position of Deputy Director and Director of Programmes which she assumes at the beginning of October 2010. Mukayi Makaya has been promoted to the position of Alliance & Partnerships Manager. A position she will assume at the beginning of October 2010 Saeanna Chingamuka has been promoted to Media Training Coordinator and now will be joining the Media Unit as from the beginning of October 2010 Congratulations to all of them, and best wishes in your new positions. Capacity Building GL will soon be accredited as a training institution, and the first accredited course will be run for GL staff! The course outline has been finalised, and confirmed dates for training will soon be circulated.
Editorial Team Abigail Jacobs-Williams, Jennifer Elle Lewis, Loga Virahsawmy, Mukayi Makaya; Roos van Dorp

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