Women whose traditional role is child bearing are rendered voiceless and illiterate.  Such is the case in the poor Gusheigu District of Ghana where agriculture is the main economic activity.  In this semi-arid region dependent upon natural elements for subsistence uneducated women have little hope of improving their lot.  They, like their sisters around the world, desire the empowerment for their daughters and themselves that is a product of education.

A group of concerned citizens, Association for Women Empowerment (AFWE), decided to address the literacy issue in the Gusheigu District.  Schools in this district had been at the bottom of the West African Examination Council rankings for two consecutive academic years.  Girls were only about 40% of the primary school population and 22% in higher grades as a result of high dropout rates due to parental pressure or teenage pregnancy.

The AFWE proposed a project to “improve teaching and learning and also encourage enrolment and retention of the girl-child in school in the Gusheigu District.”  Desired outcomes of the project were:

• for communities to enact codes requiring households to send children to school
• for an understanding of the importance of community participation in the administration of education
• for competition among households in the education of their daughters

 VGIF funds were used for training parent-teacher associations and school management committees, conducting a conference on the education of girls for chiefs and religious leaders, educating women on the importance of educating their daughters,  purchasing school supplies, providing awards and prizes for the best (girl) students and for various public awareness activities.

Parents in the Gusheigu District are now more interested in the education of their daughters.   As a result of training provided by grant funds there has been a strengthening of Parent Teacher Associations and School Management Committees (SMC).  There are more women represented in both groups.  One mother said:

 “We mothers know our children better so our inclusion in school management is not a waste because we will tell the authorities how our children’s educational needs can be met.  In this community, we mothers are generally illiterate so my participation in the SMC is like school to me because I am learning a lot for example the training organized by AFWE.  I thank them and their sponsors-Virginia fund.” 

Divisional chiefs signed and endorsed local codes requiring the enrollment of girls in school.  There has been an increase of girls enrolled in kindergarten with girls outnumbering boys in the academic years 2007-2008 and 2008-2009. 

An unexpected outcome of the project was the spread of the project’s success to another community which has instituted a reading group and sought support for a community library.

Filed under: 2008, Education, Ghana, Grants Categories

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Women are the underclass in Cameroon.  This is quite apparent by a traditional ruler of Mambu-Bafut’s comment: “I am very pleased with this VGIF aided initiative, when women have initiative and independence, they do not disturb their husbands and there is harmony in the family.”

Education and vocational training empower women to improve the quality of life for themselves, their families and the greater community.   They gain confidence and leadership skills which empower them to pass along education and training to their children and their peers.

The goal of the Ghaife project as proposed by the Ntankah Village Women Common Initiative Group was ”to improve the socio-economic, cultural and emotional wellbeing of mothers and children by creating the Ghaife Mother Centre and thus improving the quality of life for mothers, families and communities and in enhancing their public  influence.”

Funds from the VGIF grant were used to repair, spruce up and equip the center, for supplies, and training.   An intensive three day workshop was given to forty participants who came from other communities in the region as well as the local community.   The women received training in leadership, affirmative action, negotiation, business planning and marketing.   They were taught how to tie dye fabric and produce various types of soaps.

Following the workshop, participants have taught various domestic and agricultural skills to other women at the center.  Their collective and individual farming done as a means to alleviate hunger and poverty has produced a surplus which the group was able to sell.

Women from the Ghaife Mother Center in Cameroon demonstrate tie dye techniques they learned as part of a VGIF grant to visiting sisters

Filed under: 2008, Cameroon, Economic Self-Sufficiency

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When women are illiterate and unskilled, they cannot provide for their families. They must rely on their husbands or other male members of the family. This project in rural Pakistan provided literacy education and vocational skills  for older teenage girls in sewing in an effort to make them more self-sufficient and reduce unemployment in the area. VGIF funds provided  for the purchase of sewing machines, furniture, and other necessary materials.

Local teachers were hired to provide adult education to untrained and illiterate women and girls. In addition to achieving literacy and vocational skills, the girls have enjoyed the company of other girls where they can think, share, act, and discuss equal rights.

Despite problems of transporation in such a rural areas, and the distrust by some parents who do not wish their daughters to have more freedom and education, more than 150 girls from five target areas have been the beneficiaries of this project. These girls now have the skills to fight poverty and unemployment. They have also gained confidence and are more aware of their rights. They are empowered socially and economically.

Filed under: 2007, Economic Self-Sufficiency, Featured Projects, Human Rights, Literacy, Pakistan

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Adequate nutrition is crucial for effective HIV treatment. Without proper food, people affected by HIV/AIDS cannot tolerate their treatments.Parents whose children test positive for HIV are reluctant to seek treatment because they believe that they don’t have the capacity to meet and supplement their nutritional needs.

Children in these communities who test negative are also at risk of exposure to HIV infection. HIV-positive mothers are forced to breastfeed because they do not have the resources to provide alternative means to feed their infants.

The funds provided by a small VGIF grant provided families in Entoto, Ethiopia with nutritional supplements to compliment their ART (Anti-retroviral therapy). In addition, the funding provided for bi-monthly transport into the city for treatment and follow up, allowed a pediatric nurse case manager to travel to Entoto on a regular basis to conduct regular checkups and engage in HIV/AIDS prevention and outreach activities with Entoto HIV-positive and other vulnerable members of the community. Nutritional and vitamin supplements also include 300 ml of milk daily to HIV-positive children.

Maintaining health ensures sustainability, allowing parents to pursue long-term goals. The parents are linked to the Gasha Microfinance project which gives them business training to allow them to start up small commercial activities. This empowerment provides them with a means to procur basic needs for the families such as food, education, and adequate shelter.

Progress is indicated by the overall improvement in health and quality of life. The children adhere to their treatment regimen, income-generating activities improve the standard of living in the community, children stay in school longer and maintain regular attendance. Increased awareness of the plights of these families in the city center has given them more access to resources and treatment centers, thus encouraging the prevention of HIV transmission, knowledge of HIV status through testing and access to life-saving ART treatment through the Ministry of Health’s local ART program in Addis Ababa.

Small steps… huge benefits.. one community at a time.

Filed under: 2008, Countries, Ethiopia, Featured Projects, Grants Categories, HIV/AIDS, Health, UN Millenium Development Goals, Year Funded

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Oxlajuj B’atz’
A project of Asociación Tejedoras Unidas (United Weaver’s Association)

Unclean water is a major health concern in rural communities of families who live on very scarce resources especially amongst children (some extreme cases of bacteria causing diarrhea and dehydration have even been fatal.) Yet by one simple step of providing access to clean water, women and their families will be healthier and many common illnesses that once kept them from performing daily tasks will be eliminated– small step, major accomplishment!

In the first weeks of September 2007, the Oxlajuj B’atz’ (OB) educational project for Mayan women weavers and artisans successfully delivered 180 eco-water filters to 12 participating groups. These groups live in rural communities throughout the highlands of Guatemala and Rabinal in the department of Baja Vera Paz. Thanks to the generous grant from the Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund, to date every participating group in the OB project has obtained an eco-filter for clean household water.

The Eco-filter Clean Household Water Project was a collaboration between OB and the Family Association of the Americas (FAA). Along with workshops on women’s reproductive health, medicinal plants, and nutrition, FAA fabricates and delivers eco-filters. Each delivery includes a workshop by FAA on how to properly clean and care for the filter as well as a talk on the importance of hygiene and preparation of a household remedy for diarrhea and dehydration.

The unit that holds the water is a 5-gallon plastic container but what actually filters the water is a recipient made out of clay that is porous and baked with a natural substance called colloidal silver. It is recommended that the filter be replaced every year to 1 ½ years depending on the quality of the water being poured through it. The filter kills bacteria of any class of water including from lakes, rivers, or streams. In other words, in the event of a disaster like a hurricane or for any other reason that the town’s water sources have been shut down or destroyed, the women can go to the nearest stream and collect water that will be drinkable once poured through the filter.

It is important that the women contribute in some way, no matter how small, rather than just receive handouts. Various experiences have shown us that they tend to place more value on that which they commit time and/or money. In this case, the women collaborated in the cost of the filter by paying Q25 ($3.30) (Q==Quetzales) each of the Q250 ($33) cost. Q25 was a reasonable amount that the women would be able and willing to pay especially considering how much they are saving from the cost of buying purified water or wood to boil water each time–not to mention the added convenience of having clean water readily available with very little hassle. Each beneficiary was also obligated to attend the FAA workshop upon receiving a filter.

Filed under: 2007, Countries, Featured Projects, Grants Categories, Guatemala, Health, Water, Year Funded

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