World YWCA delegation to discuss the power of movements at AWID Forum
A World YWCA delegation will join 2000 women's rights leaders and activists from around the world to discuss the power of movements at the Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) Forum in Cape Town, South Africa, November 14-17 2008.
"The AWID forum is a strategic conference to further the World YWCA strategy to reaffirm itself as a leading actor in the international women’s movement with an outreach to 25 million women and girls," said World YWCA General Secretary Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda.
The AWID Forum is both a conference and a call to action. Delegates to the Forum participate in four days of plenary speeches, interactive sessions, workshops, debates, and creative sessions geared to powerful thinking on gender equality and women's human rights. Delegates also participate in informal caucuses, gala events, cultural activities, and social and political events geared to global and regional networking and alliance building.
The World YWCA delegation will take part in a variety of events at AWID that include panel discussions, book receptions and presentations.
The World YWCA will lead an interactive panel session entitled, 'Lessons learned from a first generation women’s movement: What has kept the World YWCA alive?' The panel is comprised of young and established women activists who will look critically at the YWCA as one of the world’s largest women’s movements. The session will share lessons learned on how the movement has evolved and sustained itself while exploring the inter-generational issues faced by women’s organisations and the women’s movement.
A delegation from the YWCA of Angola will partner with World YWCA on November 14, to introduce Girls Building Bridges to AWID delegates. Girls Building Bridges is a self esteem manual that uses a bridge model to empower girls with life skills. The manual was developed through the learnings of the Girls Building Bridges programme the YWCA of Angola runs to increase the self-esteem and awareness of girls aged 10-24.
To highlight the importance of addressing inter-generational issues in the women’s movement, World YWCA Ambassador Bonnie Fatio will also join the World YWCA delegation to discuss her book 'Age Esteem – Growing a positive attitude towards aging.'
World YWCA General Secretary Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda will co-present with Charlotte Bunch from the Center for Women’s Global Leadership a session 'Violence Against Women – The next big ask'. The YWCA of Belarus will also attend the AWID Forum to deliver a presentation on 'Trafficking and Women’s Human Rights in a Globalised World.'
Among the key messages that the World YWCA delegation will be taking to AWID is the importance of women’s leadership and inclusion of young women’s leadership in sustaining the women’s movement. "The power and strength of the women’s movement in advocating for safety and security of women and young women, especially in the context of HIV and violence against women is essential," says Gumbonzanda
The World YWCA delegation consists of:
World YWCA Board Member Juliate Malakar
World YWCA General Secretary Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda
World YWCA Asia and Pacific Programme Director Juli Dugdale
World YWCA Communications Assistant Sarah Davies
World YWCA Advocacy Intern Leanne Baumung
World YWCA Short-Term Intern Grace Karasi Bakaramu (YWCA of Sudan)
YWCA of Angola General Secretary Elisa Tuiku Kiakayama
YWCA of Angola Girls Building Bridges Educator Maria Mendes
YWCA of Angola Girls Building Bridges Coordinator Juliana Feliciano
YWCA of Angola member Moreina Ndongala Samuel
YWCA of South Africa General Secretary Esther Twiske
World YWCA Ambassador: Bonnie Fatio
