Our partners vary greatly in size, capacity and the context in which they work, but they share with WOMANKIND a firm commitment to ending discrimination against women.
Here are their messages to you for International Women’s Day 2007:
Elizabeth Adubofuor, Centre for Development of People (CEDEP, Ghana):
‘The women who have been reached are very appreciative of your support. They are now able to assert themselves both in private and public. We still need your support to reach the millions of other rural women who still need to be educated about their rights."
Read more about our partners in Ghana.
‘Violence against Women is an epidemic but it is a myth that you can do nothing about it.
Zimbabwean Women demand Justice: Create a Criminal Justice system that protects the rights of survivors of Gender-based Violence!’
Zimbabwe Women Lawyers’ Association (ZWLA)
Read more about our partners in Zimbabwe
‘Let us admire the changing status of Somali women ― from cheering after decisions were made to equal partners in political decision-making. For a decade-long struggle (through courage, then persistence and perseverance) we achieved a record 12% women’s representation in the national parliaments of Islamic work.’
Asha Hagi, Save Somali Women and Children (SSWC)
Read more about our work in Somalia
‘If women are half of the planet, it is just fair to live in an equal and harmonised world, neither with exclusions nor discrimination.’ Teresa Canaviri, RED ADA, Bolivia.
Global March of Women (Bolivia):
‘Another world is possible, a world of hopes, of life, a world in which it is pleasant to live.’
‘Bolivia Sovereign and United, Women and Men need worthy work with just wages without violence.’
CEPROSI (Bolivia):
‘Gender discrimination not only harms millions of individuals everywhere, it also limits the development of countries.
‘We promote women to defend human rights and we see that this happens.
‘Women make a call to all the people of the world for Equality, Liberty, Solidarity, Justice and Peace.’
Read more about our partners in Bolivia
‘The Afghan Women Youth Committee, Peshawar wishes all the women around the world their day International Women’s Day and calls them to fight for their rights and prestige. No more should we let anybody use women as their bought toys!’
Read more about our partners in Afghanistan
CADEP, which works with indigenous communities in the High Andes of Peru, sent the following messages:
· Rights are not human without women
· Without the rights of women there are no human rights
· The women from the original indigenous and Amazon populations also have human rights
· Women of all races also have rights
· Rights are for making us more human
· 8th March, International Women’s Day: ‘Your rights and mine are important’
Read more about CADEP in Peru
From Irula Tribal Women’s Welfare Society (ITWWS), South India:
‘Today, the Irula women own the housing rights and land rights as important assets in women‘s names ― breaking the patriarchal values and bringing changes to the lives of thousands of women.
‘Before ITWWS, these women never had any scope or opportunity for attaining their rights. But today, they demand their rights and needs which is visible everywhere in all our working villages.
‘In fact, the government is adopting our model of empowerment. Decisions are taken by women in our villages with the support of women’s associations ― great achievements due to ITWWS-WOMANKIND involvement in people’s empowerment.
‘Illiteracy is the major constraint in empowering them in different levels. We are finding solutions through learning centres and literacy activities, but lack of education is a big barrier.’
Read more about our partners in India
