By staff contributor Milad Pournik

Perhaps you have heard of Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Laureate in 2003, but have you heard of khaneh-yeh-khorshid (translated as “the house of the sun”), an Iranian NGO that works with over 100 female drug addicts in Tehran?

The photo below portrays a scene characterizing the reality that women have been, and continue to, carry out the most painstaking yet unacknowledged work in Iranian society. NGOs working to support women and girls share this feature with their intended beneficiaries. My paper attempts to raise awareness around the work done by Iranian civil society organizations to advance the standing of women and girls.

A woman weaving a rug in the deserts of Kerman province. Photo courtesy of Farzad Mirhosseini

The report provides a brief history of the women’s movement in Iran and a review of the current state of civil society groups working with women and girls. A statistical background provides the context in which civil society works to empower women and girls. Informed by interviews, the report highlights seven featured NGOs, whose activities range from helping female drug addicts to working with Afghan refugee women and children; from promoting women entrepreneurs to educating adolescent girls; and from supporting HIV/AIDS widows to rehabilitating disabled children.

You can access the paper here.

By student contributor Asthaa Chaturvedi

Sally Nuamah (right) interviewing a student in Ghana/ Photo courtesy of Sally Nuamah

In her recent TEDx talk, Sally Nuamah evoked Nigerian activist M.K.O Abiola’s saying, “no man can clap with one hand.” She explained the value of educating women through her case study in Ghana and the simple idea that no nation can develop without lifting up all groups. Like Susannah Shakow, Saba Ismail, and Christina Fink, her work illuminates the relevance of why issues like equal political participation and education continue to be salient today, why women and development matter in this 21st century moment.

I recently had a chance to talk with Nuamah, a GW alumna and PhD candidate at Northwestern University. As a scholar and professional, Nuamah has worked in the field of girl’s education and empowerment of disadvantaged minorities, both in the U.S. and abroad. The research and filming she started as an undergraduate studying girl’s education in Ghana, has evolved into a documentary, called “HerStory: Educate a Girl, Educate a Nation,” that she is hoping to release this summer.

Nuamah interviewed several girls from disadvantaged backgrounds in Ghana who were pursuing secondary and higher levels of education despite barriers they faced, particularly economic ones. When she arrived in Ghana, access to education had gone through striking changes. In 1980 only two percent of women were educated at the university level, and in 2012 the rate was 35 percent. Her focus since then has been on how “disadvantaged” groups like girls in Ghana or some minorities in the U.S. have succeed despite hurdles that may set them back.

New challenges for girls have swelled in Ghana when it comes to the infrastructure necessary for girls to learn and grow in safe, healthy, and sanitary environments. Nuamah also pointed out issues like the fact that men continue to dominate the field of teaching. Corruption at the community level also poses obstacles for boys and girls who wish to continue their education.

Take a listen to the clip below to hear Nuamah’s view on how policy changes, with the help of NGOs and grassroots actors, have improved girls’ access to education so dramatically in Ghana, both directly and indirectly.

By staff contributor Milad Pournik

Photo courtesy of TIKAD

Georgetown University’s Conflict Resolution Program and TIKAD (Turkish Businesswomen Association) co-hosted a conference on “the role of businesswomen in peacebuilding and development” on May 16, 2013 at Washington DC’s Mayflower Renaissance Hotel.

Melanne Verveer, former Ambassador-at-Large for global women’s issues and current Executive Director of the Georgetown University Institute for Women, Peace and Security, delivered the keynote address. She explained that businesswomen can innovate solutions to seemingly intractable problems. Through their entrepreneurial zeal women can advance sustainable development by creating businesses that meet demand but also simultaneously provide gainful employment for countless others.

Verveer referenced several important initiatives outlined below:

• Invest for the Future – a U.S. Department of State funded program providing a support network for female entrepreneurs throughout Southern and Eastern Europe and Eurasia
• 5by20 – Coca Cola’s initiative to empower five million women entrepreneurs by 2020
• A new entrepreneurship center that is to be launched next month out of the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul to support women entrepreneurs in conflict-ridden Afghanistan

Verveer ended with the following quote from Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey:

“Humankind is made up of two sexes, women and men. Is it possible for humankind to grow by the improvement of only one part while the other part is ignored? Is it possible that if half of a mass is tied to earth with chains that the other half can soar into skies?” 

The first panel featured the following four speakers. I’ve highlighted their key contributions to the conference:

• Esin Argat,  Board member of the Turkish Industry & Business Association
• Evelyn Thorton,   CEO of Institute for Inclusive Security
• Demet Cetindogan , President of the High Advisory Board of TIKAD
• Robert Berg, Trustee of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences

Argat acknowledged the impressive gains women in Turkey have made in the private sector. Yet, she urged for more involvement of women in information and communications technology (ICT) in Turkey because the gender gap in the sector is still very large, with women only making up 30 percent of the sector. Argat also pressed the audience about the need to create more opportunities for mentoring and support for aspiring women entrepreneurs in Turkey and elsewhere. She pointed to the promising example of the U.S. State Department’s TechWomen initiative, launched in 2011, which includes a component that connects women in Silicon Valley with women interested in ICT in the MENA region. (more…)

It’s not too late to enroll in “Gender, War, and Peace” with Kerry Crawford! This upper division undergraduate course explores the ways in which war impacts men and women, as well as how international relations scholarship and practice might benefit from consideration of gender dynamics. “Gender, War, and Peace” will meet on Monday and Wednesday evenings during Summer Session II at GW. The first class will meet on July 8th. Registration is still open and students are encouraged to enroll as soon as possible. Click here for a course description and more information.

By Staff contributor Pierre Pratley

On Monday April 29th, the Women’s Foreign Policy Group hosted the first session in the US book tour by Molly Melching to promote her new book, However Long the Night. A host of government, non-government and independent international development professionals listened as Melching talked about the successes of her organization, Tostan. The organization promotes equality in West-Africa through a holistic, peer-informed education program including a human rights module. Melching’s story is remarkable: since arriving in Senegal as a grad student, Melching has worked towards the development of non-formal education programs for rural Senegalese women, men and children. Fast forward to a small village in Senegal in 1997, when women of a small community that had been in a Tostan program made a commitment to stop “cutting their daughters”, de facto ending female genital cutting in that community. The ensuing official declaration to the national and international press snowballed into a regional movement. Since then, thousands of communities all over West-Africa, empowered by the peer-facilitated classes have abolished this harmful, but deeply routed traditional practice.

Photo courtesy of HarperOne.

A few things particularly stood out in Melching’s discussion. Firstly, the way in which Melching herself, as well as her organization is thoroughly embedded in local context. Cultural change did not occur by polarizing or judgment, but by including men, women and children. “We ran into problems when discussing women’s rights, as the men would feel left out… and when we discussed children’s rights, the parents felt left out.” This led Melching to realize the main point to mobilize social change was not a particular group’s right, but rather the concept of equality.

Molly has emphasized that the inclusion of a human rights curriculum into the Tostan classes, based on the idea that all are equal was essential to the organization’s success (also described in this academic publication (gated)) . She contends that as long as women do not know their rights, they will remain suffering in silence.

Lastly, during the Q&A session, some questions were asked as to how Tostan was able to overcome religious beliefs and work with traditional elders and religious leaders. Melching did not seem phased by the question and again re-emphasized the collective nature of social change, pointing out that religious leaders were the first to be contacted once women had discussed harmful practices like female genital cutting. Tostan is successful in mobilizing elders and religious leaders by emphasizing shared values and invoking their unique position as leaders to lead this change.

Melching’s unique journey and the story of her organization are now available for all to read. However Long the Night is available in bookstores now and is a highly recommended read for people interested in the intersection of culture, gender and social change in development.

*Update: For more about Molly Melching’s work, see this and this interview that were aired Thursday, May 9th, on Melching’s work with Tostan.

Guest post by Julia Collins

On Tuesday, April 9th, The Philadelphia Global Water Initiative hosted the conference, Gender and Water: Leading Beyond the Burden at the University of Pennsylvania. I was privileged to attend this dynamic conference which brought together international leaders, academics, NGOs, and private firms. Ariana Rabindranath, Associate Director of GW’s Global Gender Program and Co-Principal Investigator of the Women and Water in South and Central Asia project, moderated a panel entitled “Women and Water in the Face of Global Change: Best Practices and Leadership”. The conference highlighted that women are not simply helpless victims, doomed to lug water for hours each day. Women can be active change-makers at the solutions table when invited and involved.

The conference proceedings recognized the progress made in the inclusion of gender perspectives in water management, but also served as an inspiring call to action to continue innovative work in this field. Below I have compiled some key conclusions from the conference presentations and conversations, and best practices for mitigating the women, water and sanitation crisis.

Scope of the problem

It is estimated that, in Africa alone, 40 billion hours are spent collecting water each year. The domestic use of water is viewed primarily as a women’s concern in the developing world - 90% of the physically demanding tasks of collecting household water falls to women and girls. The many hours spent supplying household water leaves little time remaining in the day for performing other domestic tasks, attending school, or generating income through micro-enterprises.

In communities where there is inadequate access to safe, clean water, women’s health is adversely affected by the physical strain of water carrying, exposure to waterborne diseases and poor sanitation and hygiene conditions. Further complicating this issue, the usable water supply is projected to decrease due to climate change, likely causing conflicts over water resources. Despite women’s responsibilities for managing household water supply, health and sanitation, women often do not hold property rights nor do they have decision-making power for overseeing water allotment. This results in a decision-making gap where those most involved – women – are not consulted and their concerns not considered in allocating the resource. (more…)

By staff contributor Milad Pournik

Image courtesy of WILPF

In 2012 the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) launched the ‘MENA Agenda 1325′ – Ending Discrimination and Reinforcing Women’s Peace and Security in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Region –  in 8 countries (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, and Yemen). The project embarked on a regionally comparative, yet nationally independent, review of the women, peace, and security (WPS) agenda and its linkages to human rights work in the MENA region.

After holding national consultations in all eight countries, WILPF organized a conference to bring together civil society members from the region to share their findings. At the conference, participants identified several emerging themes across the national consultations. The highlights of which are:

1)      Concern with exclusion from decision-making

2)      Delivery of gender justice, including transitional justice

3)      Arab uprisings creating an opportunity

• Solidarity with men forged during street-level protests

• The need to build on the personal and cultural changes set in motion, reflecting the “transformational” potential of the WPS agenda

4)      Civil society’s role in monitoring progress on 1325 implementation, even in countries not currently in conflict

5)      Interest in developing National Action Plans to ensure effective implementation of SCR 1325

• MENA is the only region in the world without a NAP, although Jordan has drafted one but is still waiting on the parliament to adopt it!

6)      Interest in developing a regional approach to women’s movements

(more…)

By student contributor Asthaa Chaturvedi

GW Professor Christina Fink/ Photo by Asthaa Chaturvedi

Continuing our series on women and development in this 21st century moment, last week I had a conversation with Christina Fink, GWU professor and founder of Foreign Affairs Training Program (FAT) to discuss the importance of enabling young women, as well as young men, from Burma to engage in political work. In 2000, Fink started FAT, a 10 month course designed to build the capacity of civil society leaders working for democracy and respect for ethnic minority rights in Burma. The training took place in Thailand, and most of the participants have come from Burmese organizations based in Burma’s ethnic states or in Thailand and India. FAT has trained leaders in politics, human rights, advocacy, public speaking, and grant writing. She particularly encouraged young women to join the program.

Since 2011, Burma, also called Myanmar, has been undergoing a political transition. But the reform process is still fragile and armed conflict continues in some ethnic states, so members of some of Burma’s exile women’s organizations still operate from neighboring countries. However, FAT has now moved to Burma and is focused on strengthening civil society inside the country.

Because of military domination and commonly held beliefs that women should not be engaged in public affairs, few women in Burma have engaged in politics. Issues that particularly affect women have been neglected, and as Fink said, “Without women’s participation, gender inequalities that have characterized Burma will continue.”

Burmese women who attended FAT and other women’s political empowerment courses learned about gender quotas in parliament and have pushed for the number of women in government in Burma to be increased. Fink supports this. “The government should be a mirror of society,” she said.

She has seen a change since FAT started. In 2000, many men who were members of Burmese exile organizations argued that women had no role in the political arena. However, the international community’s desire to engage with Burmese women activists helped create space for women’s involvement in the exile movement. Young women who were educated outside the country during the period of military rule were able to develop the confidence to assert themselves.

In her journey of helping young Burmese leaders build the foundations for equal participation for all, Fink placed an emphasis on developing solidarity between women’s organizations which represented different ethnic groups from Burma. In addition, connecting women from Burma to women’s organizations around the globe has had a significant impact on the spirit and confidence of Burmese women activists. Check out the clip below to hear some of our conversation.

Please note that this post has been updated to reflect changes made with the guidance of Professor Fink.

By staff contributor Cait O’Donnell

photo courtesy of the Women in the World Summit 2013

The Women in the World Summit 2013, hosted by Tina Brown, editor of Newsweek and The Daily Beast, took place on April 4-5 at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater. The summit featured a multitude of speakers and performers including Dr. Hawa Abdi, Melanne Verveer, Meryl Streep, and Hillary Clinton. In her address, Clinton asserted that the rights of women represent “the unfinished business of the 21st century” in the United States and globally. Panel topics ranged from eyewitness accounts of violence in Syria to success stories of Latinas in America to building women leaders.

One major thread was a call for girls’ education including for more schools for girls; for better educational programs, especially in STEM fields; and for engaging with men to change negative perspectives about the need for girls’ education.

A session of the summit called “The Next Generation of Malalas” featured Khalida Brohi, Humairi Bachal, and Sharmeen OBaid Chinoy.  Khalida Brohi, 24-year-old founder and director of the Sughar Women Program, works to end tribal violence against women in Pakistan. Humaira Bachal, founder and president of the Dream Foundation Trust, fights for the rights for girls’ education through the Dream Model Street School, which educates over 700 students. Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy is an Academy Award and Emmy Award winning documentary filmmaker whose work focuses on human rights and women’s issues.  Her recent films include: Saving Face, Transgenders: Pakistan’s Open Secret, and Pakistan’s Taliban Generation. Brohi, Bachal, and Obaid Chinoy spoke of their work to bring basic educational rights to girls in communities which believe that outside influences will make their daughters sexually promiscuous and morally corrupt. (more…)

GW BA alumna and member of the Global Women’s Task Force at GW, Sally Nuamah, now a doctoral candidate in political science at Northwestern University, will give a TEDx talk, live streamed, on April 12th between 4 and 8pm. Nuamah has done work related to women and education in Ghana and race relations. The film, “HerStory: Educate a Woman, Educate a Nation” to be released this summer, is based on her research.