women supporting women - concern worldwide · women supporting women fatmata sankoh, sierra leone...
TRANSCRIPT
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11.
Summer Newsletter, June 2011
Contents
Page 2 WelcomePage 3 Upcoming eventsPage 4 Events updatePage 5 Amrao Manush project update
Welcome
Welcome to Issue 4 of your Women of Concern newsletter, designed to keep you informed of Concern’s
women’s projects, events and news. As always, more in depth information can be found on the website
www.concern.net/womenofconcern
There is information on what we are planning for the rest of the year and updates on the events that have happened since
last year. We have updated information on the Amrao Manush project in Bangladesh and will share with you stories from
the field in Sierra Leone and Rwanda. These stories show how Concern’s work can really improve women’s lives; helping to
empower a women’s group in Sierra Leone and ensuring child survival in Rwanda. We have recently updated our Women
of Concern web-page. Check out www.concern.net/womenofconcern for information on Women of Concern, news
on upcoming events and stories of how we are helping women in the countries in which we work. Although the stories in
this newsletter show what our work with women has achieved so far, we cannot forget that a lot still needs to be done.
The majority of the 69 million children in the world who are out of school are girls. Girls are still less likely to complete their
primary education. Women still earn less for their productive work and are less likely to have secure jobs. We need people
like you to continue to support us so that with your help, we can continue our work with women and girls in developing
countries and help to bring about real change in their lives. Thank you for all the support you have given to Women
of Concern. On behalf of all the women and girls whose lives you have helped to improve, we wish to say a massive
Thank You.
Page 6 Rwanda: Community health worker AriveraPage 7 Sierra Leone: Mayorgbo Women’s GroupPage 8 How you can help
Liz YeatesT: 01 417 8064 E: [email protected]
Mary FilanT: 01 479 1301 E: [email protected]
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Thank You.
Upcoming events
Dining for LivingSeptember: Launch of Dining for Living
We are looking for your help to organise a dinner party in aid
of Women of Concern. Instead of bringing a gift for the host,
guests would be invited to make a contribution to Women of
Concern. In return, we can provide the host with assistance in
organising their dinner party e.g. invitation design, tasty recipes,
a Concern speaker to brief the guests (if required) and materials
for the evening. There will also be an opportunity for each host to
participate in a draw for a unique prize!
If you are interested in arranging a Dining for Living
dinner party in aid of Women of Concern, please email
We will be sending out more details next month so watch this
space!!
Dress Swap
September 28th: Dress Swap in Charlesland Golf Club, Greystones, Co. Wicklow
One of our Women of Concern supporters is organising a Dress
Swap which will take place in Charlesland Golf Club, in the
beautiful surrounds of the Wicklow Mountains on the 28th of
September. Friends and family will be invited to donate an item of
clothing. All clothes will be displayed at the venue and all money
raised from the dress swap will go towards Women of Concern.
You are welcome to attend the event. Further details will be sent
out soon!
Would you like to arrange a fundraiser in aid of
Women of Concern?
If so, please let us know and we can supply you with Women of Concern materials!
Call Mary on 01 4791301 or email [email protected]
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Events update
A celebration of 100 years of International Women’s Day.
March 8th 2011
Liz Yeates
International Women’s Day kicked
off with a full day awareness-raising
event at the St Stephen’s Green
shopping centre in Dublin. Women
of Concern was profiled at an event
in Dublin hosted by Accenture which
reflected on the achievements in the
lives of women in the last 100 years,
while also focusing on what still remains
to be achieved in the lives of women
in the developing world. The theme of
this prestigious event was ‘Reinventing
Opportunity: Looking through a new
lens’. Our very own Angela O’Neill,
Concern’s Regional Director, gave an
inspiring speech on a day in the life of
a woman living with HIV in Zimbabwe.
President Mary McAleese was the
key note speaker and she challenged
the audience to reinvent the way we
think, act and collaborate in order to
address the many challenges faced by
women in the developing world. Mary
Kennedy interviewed a panel of women
including Eilish Hardiman, Dr Emmeline
Hill, Gary Joyce, Justice Catherine
McGuinness and Niamh O’Donoghue
who all spoke about how they had
reinvented opportunities in their lives.
Many thanks to the Accenture team
for organising this fantastic event. I
was delighted to be there on behalf of
Women of Concern.
Our Women of Concern photo
exhibition opened on March 8th
in the University of Ulster, Belfast
and the Hunt Museum, Limerick. The
exhibition includes photos taken by
three of Ireland’s top photographers
- Kim Haughton, Marie McCallan
(Press 22) and Brenda Fitzsimons
(The Irish Times) who visited Women
of Concern projects in Ethiopia,
Bangladesh and Haiti. At the Hunt
Museum, Amy Huberman (Women of
Concern Ambassador) and Frances
O’Keeffe (Chairperson of Concern
Worldwide) both spoke, paying tribute
to the powerful images and the women
depicted in the photos. The underlying
message was that whilst things may be
looking quite bleak for us in Ireland at
present, these images remind us that
we should try to show some solidarity
for those women further afield who
have fewer opportunities and are less
fortunate than ourselves. The exhibition
proved to be a popular event through-
out the month of March in both cities.
On the 28th of March, the exhibition was
shown in the Riverbank Arts Centre in
Newbridge arranged by chairperson of
the Celbridge Camera Club, Christine
Taylor. A cupcake and coffee morning
was hosted by Clare O’Neill in her
workplace on International Women’s
Day. Thank you to Christine and the
Celbridge Camera Club and Clare for
their support. International Women’s
Day was a great success with a total of
€30,000 raised for our Amrao Manush
project in Bangladesh. Through the
range of events, it was a lovely way
for women in Ireland from all walks of
life to get together and celebrate 100
years of International Women’s Day.
Paula Neary, Accenture, President Mary McAleese & Angela O’Neill, Concern Worldwide. Photo: Courtesy of Accenture.
Amy Huberman, Women of Concern Ambassador with photographer Marie McCallan in the Hunt Museum, March 8th 2011. Photo: Brian Gavin/Press 22.
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Events update
Flora Women’s Mini Marathon June 2011
Mary Filan
Liz and I, as well as ten of our Concern colleagues and 26 other women from
around the country were joined by Women of Concern Ambassador Amy
Huberman to participate in the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon on the 6th
of June. We were walking and running in aid of our Amrao Manush project
in Bangladesh and the many women and children that the pavement dweller
centres support. Before the day itself, in an inspired bid for more donations, Amy
said she would run the entire 10k like Phoebe from U.S. sitcom Friends, referring
to Phoebe flapping her arms and running manically on the show. What we really
want to know is did you do this Amy?!!
A massive thanks to Amy and everyone who took part in aid of Women of
Concern. It was an amazing event to be part of with over 40,000 women walking
and running through the streets of Dublin! If you would like to join our amazing
team in the mini marathon next year in aid of Women of Concern, please email
[email protected]. It is a great day and an excellent way of showing
your concern for women less fortunate. Special thanks to Zoë Holyoak and
Fionnagh Nally for organising such a fabulous day!
Women of Concern Ambassador Amy Huberman at the finish line on June 6th. Photo: Joe Dunne
Amrao Manush update
Pavement dweller centre project
With the money raised from
International Women’s Day and
the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon,
we have continued our work with the
pavement dwellers who live on the
streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Our work
in Amrao Manush focuses on helping
the pavement dwellers by providing
health services, education, access
to food, water and hygiene services,
locker facilities and access to savings
schemes. Since January of this year,
5,400 people in Dhaka have received
healthcare services in our centres while
13,685 people have got involved with
our savings scheme programme and a
total of €11,000 has been deposited.
We strive to provide care to many of
the child pavement dwellers who come
into our centres. We are delighted to
report that 977 children have received
day-care services, 497 children have
been enrolled in non-formal education
and 589 children are continuing their
education in primary schools.
Since the start of the year, 170 people
have completed a three day life-
skills education training class. Many
pavement dwellers told us that it is not
safe to be on the street at night with
valuables as they are very vulnerable
to theft. For this reason, we provide
lockers for pavement dwellers who
can store their valuables safely. Since
the start of the year, 4,211 people
have used these locker facilities
for safekeeping of their valuables
and personal belongings. Five of
our nine pavement dweller centres
open through the night and we have
provided night-time shelter facilities
for 844 people since January.
Asha Moni 20, making use of the locker facilities in Mirpur pavement dweller centre, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Photo: Marie McCallan/Press 22.
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Stories from the fieldEnsuring child survival in Rwanda
In rural Nyabiyenzi, Rwanda, families come to health worker
Arivera Mukantagara for advice about health-related
issues or when their children are sick. In 2007, Arivera was
elected to be a Community Health Worker (CHW). Concern
Worldwide’s Child Survival Programme trained Arivera to
identify and treat children suffering from malaria, diarrhoea,
and pneumonia the leading killer diseases. In remote areas,
where it may take hours or days to reach the nearest health
facility, trained CHWs provide critical care for sick children
and mothers.
“I trusted Arivera because I know she was trained…”
Francine, Nyabiyenzi, Rwanda.
In Rwanda, CHWs have been treating malaria and
diarrhoea for years as well as teaching parents how to
protect their children from illness. Now, with advanced
training and simple, inexpensive equipment like
respiratory timers, they are also helping save children
from pneumonia. A local mother, Francine, one day
found her son very ill. She brought him to see Arivera
who promptly used a respiratory timer, which revealed
that Ndayisaba was having 59 respirations per minute, a
sign of pneumonia, for which she then treated the baby.
When Concern asked Francine how much she trusted
the community treatment she received from the CHWs
in comparison to the care available at the Health Centre,
she responded, “I trusted Arivera because I know she
was trained. My child could have died on the road on the
way to the centre.” Concern’s Child Survival Programme
will train thousands of Community Health Workers just
like Arivera in an effort to reach hundreds of thousands
of children who, without critical intervention, are at risk
of dying from preventable illnesses.
Josephine Mukahirwa, a community
health worker of three years, visits
the home of Tuyishime Sylvie,
26, and her seven month old
baby girl Ineza Marie Bonnheur in
Gasambu, Rwanda to educate on
the importance of using a bed net.
Photo: Esther Havens, Rwanda,
2011.
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Stories from the fieldWomen’s empowerment in Sierra Leone
“All of us are illiterate. We don’t want our children to remain illiterate.
Whether a girl is part of the group or not, if she shows she is willing we
can help her. Before we took loans, now we give loans, we educate our
children. We are proud to say we know how to do business. We have
more power. Life was difficult before. And now it’s 100% better.”
Left: Fatmata Sankoh, chairperson of The Mayorgbo Women’s
Group, Petifu Chain, Tonkolili, Sierra Leone.
Photo: Siobhan Sheerin, February 2011
The Mayorgbo Women’s group has 23 members and is
based in Petifu Chain village in Sierra Leone. In the local
Temne language Mayorgbo means ‘let’s just do it.’ Originally
the group worked on small scale farming and business,
but in 2007 Concern spotted the group’s ambition and
potential for growth so it worked with them to strengthen
their capacity and provided training for them. Concern also
encouraged them to start a small revolving fund scheme,
with each woman making a weekly contribution. With their
initial savings, Mayorgbo bought 100 drums of palm oil
kernels and cracked all of them by hand, using rocks as
tools. 22 bags were sold in Freetown, earning the group
€162. They used €99 of this to send four village girls to
secondary school.
In 2009, Concern supplied the group with improved variety
seed rice to enhance their production levels, and gave them
micro enterprise training and adult literacy training. Then
in 2010, we supplied them with a nut-cracking machine
to reduce the amount of physical work needed and also
to increase the efficiency of production. Since then,
Mayorgbo’s output of palm kernels has grown significantly.
In 2010 Concern helped link the group with a palm oil
business based in Freetown which has purchased two
consignments of palm kernels, for a total of €820. The extra
money means the group have been able to buy more seed
rice and move into mechanised farming. They currently farm
about ten acres and production levels of rice are steadily
growing. Fatmata Sankoh, 40, is chair of the group. Fatmata
says life has changed since the machine arrived.
Now the women are financially secure and are also a
powerful voice in the community, taking part in decision
making. “Life is very good now because we can say
we have money. Before, none of the men listened to
us. Now we speak with confidence and men listen.
We feel more comfortable and powerful and we can
buy things without asking them first.” Now the women’s
business is well established, buying and selling on a large
scale. The group use their money to hire machinery and local
manpower to work for them. They also pay for poor girls in
the community to go to school. Having started with almost
nothing, their bank balance currently stands at over €650.
The group used €99 of their initial earnings
to send four girls to secondary school.
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How you can help
“We are all responsible for making a change in the lives of women
by being ‘change agents’ in our families, schools, communities,
and workplaces.”
Left; Isla Gilmore, Concern Tanzania programme staff,
Ngara. Photo: Concern 2010.
I hope you have enjoyed reading the latest issue of your Women of Concern newsletter and the stories of our work with
women and girls in developing countries. Make sure to pencil the dates in your diary for the Upcoming Events, some of
which we will be in contact with you about once details are finalised. We cannot continue to help women and girls improve
their lives without your support.
• If you would like to give a fixed amount each month to Women of Concern, or to increase the amount you give
currently, please do let us know by calling or emailing us; see details below.
• You can also donate online by going to www.concern.net/womenofconcern
• If you would be interested in arranging a fundraiser in aid of Women of Concern, we would be delighted to help you
with this. Please contact Mary Filan on (01) 4791301 or by email [email protected]
Your support is critical for us to continue to work with women and girls in developing countries. The stories shared in
this newsletter prove that our work with women and girls does make a difference to their lives and with some assistance,
women in developing countries are more than capable of making a change in their lives.
Finally, we would love to know what you think of Women of Concern. If you have any suggestions or feedback, please email
“We women have wounds in our minds, we have wounds inside from our experiences during the war. Now I have something healing inside, from standing up strong with other women.”
Mama Kolubah Johnson (pictured right) and Miatta Sah (left) of The West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP) of LiberiaPhoto: Jenny Hobbs, February 2011.
Questions?
Mary Filan Phone (01) 4791301 Email [email protected]
Liz Yeates Phone (01) 4178064 Email [email protected]
www.concern.net/womenofconcern
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