Africa - MATCH International Programs
Ghana
The Centre for Sustainable Development Initiatives (CENSUDI)
Project Title: "The Community Driven Gender Advocacy Project: Youth empowerment and Advocacy"
The Upper East Region (UER) remains the poorest region of Ghana's ten administrative regions according to the statistics of the Government of Ghana. Recent natural calamities of successive drought and flooding worsen the condition. Youth are often unemployed and manage barely to survive.
Consequently, CENSUDI partners with MATCH to contribute to a sustainable and visible enhancement of the socio-economic growth of youth in poor rural households in the Upper East Region of Ghana through the formation of strong youth groups with young women as target and active participants; through their empowerment in having their voice heard and in participating in decision making on issues of their concern (marriage, dowry…etc) and through their engagement into income generating activities by facilitating their access to a saving and loan scheme.
Rescue Foundation Ghana
Project Title: "Consolidation and Expansion of Gyaahadze Project and Micro-Credit Scheme for Women in Awutu/Efutu District"
The project has been designed to address the social and economic problem women face in seven (7) village communities (Gyaahadze, Esuekyir, Atekyedo and Gyangyanadze, Warabeba, Ateitu, /Osubonpanyin and Sankor), located in the Awutu/Efutu District, Central Region of Ghana. The proposed project will offer training and retraining in gender/leadership/ entrepreneurship to women and men in the seven communities; offer skills training in tomatoes/pepper, groundnut, fish and Cassava processing; help acquire equipments and machines for producing tomatoes/ jam, puree and drinks and will also expand the micro-credit only to women in these communities by making the revolving micro-credit programme a success, beneficial and sustainable.
Mali
Association Recherche Action Femme et Développement (ARAFD)
Project Title: "Promoting Gender and integrated water resources management (IWRM)"
Water is a basic human undeniable right. However, women and girls in Africa have hardly the enjoyment of this right. Women and girls are the most affected by water scarcity and supply. In most cases, it is a woman's responsibility, helped by the daughter of the house, to fetch every litre of water needed for cooking, bathing, dishes, linens, cleaning, the family maintenance of health and hygiene, and also for raising small livestock, cultivate food or for the construction of the family home and / or public buildings. Despite these facts, women are seldom consulted in matter pertaining to water. ARAFD, with the support of MATCH International Centre, implements a project that aims to improve the system of collective management of water infrastructure by strengthening the skills and management capacity of stakeholders in particular by the responsible involvement of women in the village communities; within the framework of IWRM, the project is implemented in the two communes of Koro and Koporana in 20 villages of which 10 have greatest need. The focus of the project will be to empower women through their involvement in the management process of water supply. The activities will use IEC (information, Education, Communication)/Awareness/sensitization methods; will help the set up of hygiene and sanitation committees; will conduct workshop on Gender and IWRM, and will promote hygiene and sanitation.
Pan-African–Cameroon and Malawi
Society for Women and Aids in Africa (SWAA)
Project Title: "Reducing Gender based barriers that render women and girls vulnerable to HIV in Cameroon" in SWAA-Cameroon
Project Title: "Reducing Women and Girls' Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS Pandemic" in SWAA-Malawi
SWAA International, a MATCH partner, works in 40 African countries with grassroots women to provide services in HIV/AIDS prevention, education, voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) and other related services. MATCH supports SWAA activities in Cameroon and Malawi.
In Cameroon, SWAA-Cameroon seeks to develop the capacity of girls and women and some other stakeholders on the issues concerning women's rights and health in particular related to HIV/AIDS: by enhancing the capacity of women group leaders (participants / partners) to address the problem of sexual health and rights from a gender perspective; by facilitating access for more girls to acquire both improved life skills and general education in coming years; by reinforcing economic power of target women; by creating a forum where women can exchange ideas on establishing effective mechanisms for negotiation and improve their self esteem; and by developing actions of defence and advocacy of women's rights and dignity.
In Malawi, SWAA-Malawi implements the project to raise the awareness among targeted populations in the Nkhota-kota district, along the shore of Lake Malawi, and among the surrounding communities on the impact of harmful traditional practices and risky behaviors that promotes the spread of HIV. This project will help also build capacity of women and girls in knowledge over their rights, sexuality and socio-economic barriers due to their gender. It will empower them to be advocate and defender of their own heath.
Senegal
Centre Africain pour le leadership féminin (CALDU)
Project Title: "Contributing to the Emergence of Critical Mass of Women Leaders for an effective equal representation of women and men at all level of decision making"
CALDU, with MATCH support, works with women in Senegal where critical economic concerns threaten to undermine a gender equality approach to community development. The project, implemented, responds to the practical needs and to defend the strategic interests of women and girls in the areas of target.
The project aims to bring a socio-economic and political change by promoting the emergence of a pool of women leaders from all walks of life. These women leaders will be trained to have an increased knowledge in the field of law, gender, citizenship, democratic process in local government; they will have developed skills in advocacy, leadership, negotiation and citizen action in public affairs; They will be expected to run an energetic advocacy in particular for the equal representation of women in decision making and on issues of concern to women and girls.
Togo
Conseil Consultatif des Femmes du Togo (CCoFT)
Project Title: "Awareness raising on the concept of decentralization for women leaders of Aneho and surrounding communities"
CCoFT, a MATCH partner, is a coalition of women's and human rights' groups established as an Advisory Council of Women of Togo to make sure that women play an active role in implementing the Togolese Government "Policy on Decentralization".
In readiness for when the administration necessarily will be decentralized in Togo, CCoFT would like to lead the way in the matter and to inform women at the grass root (often left out in the process of all debates on matters of national interest) to be aware and to be prepared to easily integrate into the new decentralized structure and to be able to benefit from it. The project aims to strengthen the capacity of women leaders in their communities on the principles, challenges and advantages of decentralized local government; on equality and gender equity; good governance and the taxation/resources of local governments. Through a series of training activities, awareness sessions and promotion campaigns, CCoFT encourages women to be part of the process and to take advantage of the new policy to participate in the decentralised structures.
Tanzania
Tanzania Women and Children Welfare Centre (TWCWC)
Project Title: "Women legal Aid Program"
TWCWC partners with MATCH to improve women's legal rights in Tanzania where progressive statutory law and patriarchal traditional laws are applied side by side. Because they lack knowledge, women often lose the protection of statutory law and live under traditional laws that violate their equality rights. TWCWC delivers education and awareness to women and girls about their legal rights and sensitizes the general public to the harm done to all when women's rights are violated. Also, practical assistance is provided to women when affordable, through legal aid, legal support, Will writing, case support, welfare and counselling. TWCWC also assists widows, who have been disowned by their in-laws at the death of their husbands, to achieve a life of economic independence by organizing them in groups of savings and credit revolving funds. This allows widows to raise their children and educate them.