As part of our effort to influence policies and agendas at different levels to serve as an intervention to realize the elimination of HIV/AIDS within marginalized communities, the Young Feminist leaders attended the two-day Inter-Parliamentary Union Regional Training Seminar on HIV/AIDS for the parliaments of SADC and EAC where they engaged with Parliamentarians across SADC and EAC region to discuss how parliaments can improve access to HIV Treatment.

This was as a result of our commitment to develop activities to create HIV/AIDS awareness within communities to stabilize the prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS and begin reverse by 2014.
With 7000 people dying everyday, we aim to create awareness and understanding of HIV/AIDS, with a focus on the comprehensive of how it is spread, aiming at the simplest level of education, even the illiterate.

The Young Feminist Leaders build concerted, integrated and coordinated efforts with parliamentarians across the region to establish strong networks to ensure victims have access to proper health care, cheaper drugs, necessary funds, criminalization of law to prosecute offenders, easy transport to clinics, effective resource centres.

The Young feminist Leaders were further introduced to the fact sheet; Understanding pharmaceuticals patents, Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and the Doha Declaration which state categorically;

• Access to medicine is an issue that needs a balance between political will and public involvement / civil society demand.
• Many barriers to overcome; the patent barrier is surmountable.
• Civil society needs to demand / support the implementation of WTO rules that that were designed to protect peoples’ access to essential medicines.

It was much pleasing to discover the Model Law on HIV in Southern Africa (Draft) prepared by the SADC Parliamentary Forum.

We expressed our interest in joining forces with SADC Parliamentary Forum to play a role in the Model law. With that, we are more than happy to promote and advocate on behalf of many more infected women who are continuously been oppressed, discriminated and stigmatized because of their status.

To crown the event, the IPU Handbook for parliamentarians, “Taking Action against HIV” was officially launched at a Gala dinner hosted by Hon. Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde, Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa.

This comprehensive and innovative Handbook was jointly produced by IPU, UNDP and UNAIDS, this Handbook is both a call to action for parliamentary leadership and a reference book to which parliamentarians and their staff may turn for information and guidance on specific issues of importance in the response to HIV.

It provides many illustrations of good practices by legislatures and gives examples of leadership by individual parliamentarians. The Handbook is designed to help parliaments and their members to exercise fully their legislative, budgetary and oversight powers to tackle HIV in their communities and countries.

The Handbook was released in English at the First Global Parliamentary Meeting on HIV/AIDS (Manila, 28-30 November 2007).

The Handbook was welcomed by the parliamentarians and emphasized they will bring it to the attention of their fellow parliamentarians.
The Young Feminist Leaders were each given one of the Handbooks to assist them in their daily activities.

The Young Feminist Leaders look forward to a continuing fruitful cooperation with SADC Parliamentary Forum and all sundry in their joint efforts to improve the quality of life of young women in Africa who are infected with the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Special thanks to IPU, World pulse and all colleagues who have taken the time to motivate the Young Feminist In Action Leaders.

Nester and Funeka (Young Feminist Leaders on HIV/AIDS), Felicity Barreiro (Coach) were present.

Report by Isaac Aggrey.

Johannesburg, 16 October, as the UN Millennium Campaign (UNMC) launches its Stand Up initiative for 2008, Sukuma Afrika calls on young entrepreneurs to Stand Up and make a difference through the 2009 Sukuma Afrika Young Entrepreneurs’ Awards.

The Awards are a joint initiative between Sukuma Afrika and the United Nations Millennium Campaign, designed to recognise and support entrepreneurial initiatives and projects that support the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Africa.

Outlining why the UN Millennium Campaign partnered Sukum Afrika, Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem, Deputy Director, Africa said: “The aim of the award is to raise awareness amongst young people about social entrepreneurial initiatives and projects around the MDGs. However, we hope that this competition will encourage youths to come up with initiatives for delivering MDGs and even going beyond the targets set for 2015. “We are now past the mid-point to 2015. Africa has done relatively well on some goals such as education and health. Progress is being hampered by lack of political will; weak public policies; poor governance practices; poor prioritisation and ineffective budgeting. In addition, Africa has to deal with its crippling
external debt, unfair trade and unjust aid policies,” he said.

The competition recognises outstanding young entrepreneurs making a difference to their communities. Through this recognition, the Young Entrepreneurs’ Awards support the expansion of valuable business initiatives and raise awareness about the role young Africans and Africans in the Diaspora can play in attaining the Goals in Africa.

The competition is organised into five categories, designed around the MDGs:
. MDG 1 – Poverty and hunger
. MDG 2 – Education
. MDG 3 – Gender equality
. MDG 4,5,6 – Health related issues
. MDG 7 – Environment
. MDG 8 – Global Partnership

If you have started a business that is growing on improvements in any of these categories or have an idea that will impact positively any one of the MDGs, we want to hear from you.

Entry forms are available from: competition@sumakaafrika.org.

Speaking on the initiative Hubert Danso, Vice Chairman, Africa investor and Chairman of the Sukuma Afrika Judging Panel said, there is now no doubt about the important role the youth and young entrepreneurs must play as the last generation to influence the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals in Africa. We therefore call on like minded companies and organisations to join us, as we engage Africa’s future business leaders on their contribution to attaining the MDG’s and inspiring young colleagues to do the same.

The 2008 Young Entrepreneurs’ Awards ceremony took place as part the Schwab’s Foundation Africa for Social Entrepreneurs conference held during the World Economic Forum (WEF), in Cape Town, South Africa. The 2009 Awards ceremony will take place during the UN General Assembly in New York.

For more information on the competition, contact Magali Bongrand on +33 6 14 05 34 44, or Sukuma Afrika

More about Sukuma Afrika

Sukuma Afrika (Zulu for “Stand Up”) is a forum to facilitate networking, dialogue, information, mentoring and access to finance for entrepreneurs with projects in Africa that impact the MDGs – the eight UN goals to halve poverty worldwide by 2015.

Sukuma Afrika was established in support of the UN Stand Up Campaign in recognition of the critical role young entrepreneurs and the Diaspora will play in the fight against poverty as the generation that will be responsible for reaching the Millennium Development Goals in 2015.
Sukuma Afrika works with young entrepreneurs interested in Africa’s development and achieves this through partnerships with the UNMC, corporate partners and investors committed to supporting the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals in Africa.

2008 winners:

1. Lawrence Tandah from Cameroon (Cultivation of jatropha)
2. John Nanabanyin from Ghana (Vocational training centre)
3. Margaret MacNeilage from Zimbabwe (Simukai Bag manufacturing project)
4. John Aoko Odeyo from Kenya (Moringa Oleifera nutritious supplement)
5. John Njoroge Mucheru from Kenya (Central biogas generation plant)
6. Gamuchirai Chituri from Zimbabwe (Training centre)

About UN Millennium Campaign

End poverty by 2015. This is the historic promise 189 world leaders made at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000 when they signed onto the Millennium Declaration and agreed to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs are an eight-point road map with measurable targets and clear deadlines for improving the lives of the world’s poorest people. World leaders have agreed to achieve the MDGs by 2015.

It’s up to us to make sure leaders follow through on these commitments. The United Nations Millennium Campaign supports and inspires people from around the world to take action in support of the Millennium Development Goals. Join the UN Millennium Campaign and be part of the generation that puts an end to poverty.

Let me at the outset express my gratitude for the opportunity afforded us by AWID to attend this year’s conference and to share our experiences and ideas that emerge from the Forum.

The plenary and concurrent sessions proved very informative and practical.

We attended all plenary sessions and thirteen concurrent sessions: All proved very successful.
Critical assessment of its capacity and capability has led us to introduce Young Feminist In Action Programme in two major sectors of our plan (short and long term).

As part of the continuing efforts to respond to the needs of young women, Women Business Center has started conducting a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the forum discussion on our young women over the coming years.

We believe such analysis will guide WBC in its future design of our newly introduce concept; Young Feminist In Action Programme.

It is worth mentioning that large numbers of young women of WBC and the community have started responding to this initiative.

It is much pleasing to announce ART AIDS ART Organization  an NGO which shares similar vision has identified WBC as one of the integrated strategic partner in the development of this initiative not only in South Africa but Africa at large.

To that extent, we are joining forces to launch on 1st December 2008 which unquely coincide with WORLD’S AIDS DAY of which we would work together to realize this dream.

With ART AIDS ART, we are more than happy to assist many more young women in developing more initiatives to the specific needs of our broad community.

WBC looks forward to a continuing fruitful cooperation with AWID, ART AIDS ART and all sundry in our joint efforts to improve the quality of life of young women in South Africa and Africa at large.
By ISAAC.

A summary of the array of presentations and discussions at the 11th AWID Forum is almost impossible. Here, we give a very broad overview of what went on.
The 2008 AWID International Forum on Women’s Rights and Development broke AWID records. For the first time, the organisers were forced to turn away a large number of people, because there was simply not enough space for everyone who would have liked to attend.
This is an indication of just how much women’s rights advocates around the globe value this kind of platform.

The theme of this year’s Forum was “THE POWER OF MOVEMENT” The gathering was an opportunity for different organizations and movements to not only discuss their different contexts but also to toss out new ideas, for it is in such spaces that ideas are born.
By Kathambi Kinoti

 

Women Business Center has been identified by UNITED NATIONS in collaboration with the WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM as a center working towards the attainment of Millennium Development Goals Categoty 3 to end poverty by 2015.

Isaac Aggrey, the founder and senior project manager won the young South Africa Entrepreneur and came finalist in Africa.

The programme was hosted by the World Economic Forum in partnership with MILLENNIUM CAMPAIGN, AFRICA INVESTOR, SCHWAB FOUNDATION FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP, ERNST & YOUNG WORLD ENTREPRENEURS,  EMVELO AND TIZAH CONSULTING.

The Competition for Young Entrepreneurs’ recognises outstanding commercial initiatives and projects that support attain the millennium Development Goals (MDG) in Africa. Entries act as a means of inspiration for entrepreneurs in and outside the continent and as opportunities SUKUMA AFRICA’S NETWORK OF INVESTORS to support and fund the most impactful business plans.

ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

The Millennium Development represent a historic promise that 189 world leaders made at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000 when they signed onto the Millennium Declaration and agreed to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs are an eight-point road map with measurable targets and clear deadlines for improving the lives of the world’s poorest people. World leaders agreed to achieve the MDGs by 2015.

This year’s event focused on leadership and education for Africa’s future.

African countries should focus on raising the quality of leadership and education to capitalize fully on the growing opportunities available thanks to strong economic growth and the significant decrease in conflict in recent years, business and government leaders said at the closing session of the 18th World Economic Forum on Africa. “There is much better clarity in the political leadership on the continent about where we need to go,” Thabo Mbeki, the President of South Africa, observed. “There is greater clarity on how to respond to economic challenges. And there is an appreciation of the need to deal with conflict.”

Many top leaders including Sadako Ogata, Klaus Schwab, Hilde Schwab, Wendy Luhabe, Borge Brende, E. Neville Isdell, Sultan Ahmed Bin, Jay Naidoo, Linah Mohohlo, Beulah Mosupye, Trevor Manuel, Thabo Mbeki, John Agyekum Kufuor, Bingu Wa Mutharika, Pierre Nkurunziza, Raila Amolo Odinga, Jacob Zuma, Athur Mutambara, Sheila Sisulu, Aliko Dangote, Phriwa Jacob, Sam Jonah among others attended the forum on Africa.