Elections increasingly becoming a forum for women's voices

Change is afoot in Western Africa this summer, where peaceful elections in Mali signaled a transition back to democratic rule, an important step on the path to the country’s recovery. Mali’s leadership has been in flux since the coup d’état in early 2012, followed by renewed fighting between Tuareg rebels and government forces, and the seizure of the country’s northern territory by several radical armed groups.

The coup d’état and rebellion had a severe impact on all Malians, but it took a particularly hard toll on women. In some cases sharia law was imposed and women were stripped of their rights and forced to cover from head to toe. There was an increase in forced marriage, many women were displaced, and reports of rape and brutality abounded. For these women, and many others in Mali, this summer’s elections signified hope and a return to stability.

Photo: Melissa Belisle

Political candidates are increasingly recognizing the importance of addressing issues pertaining to women in their campaigns, and a number of them featured the importance of equality and empowerment for women, including proposals to improve women’s positioning in governance, and the creation of specific women’s funds. 

For some, Haidara Aissata Cissé personifies the increasing representation and promising future for women in the country. As the only woman running in the 2013 presidential elections, and only the second Malian woman ever to run for the role (Sidibé Aminata Diallo ran in 2007), her participation alone suggests that women’s access to politics is building traction. Despite the fact that her support at the polls was dwarfed by Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta’s landslide presidential win on August 11, her views on women’s roles in Mali’s development are gaining momentum, and invigorating the dialogue on women’s issues in Mali.

Although Togo’s elections on July 25 lacked any female presidential candidates, an unprecedented 13 per cent of total candidates running for office were women, which constitutes a 3 per cent increase from the 2007 election participation rates. These figures underline the importance of organizations like our partner GF2D, which educates Togolese women about their legal rights and encourages them to participate in politics.

Despite the small representation of women in office in Togo, strong female voices like those of activist Fabbi Kouassi resound. In her critical and uncensored account of Togolese politics in her blog, she has embarked on a courageous crusade to make politics fair for all, regardless of gender or class. “I want to be able to look our children in the eye and say we fought for something worth fighting for,” she says.

These women’s voices that are coming through loud and clear are testament to the importance of investing in women and girls. As their numbers increase, so too will their impact, creating lasting effects for future generations.

Our volunteers make a real difference - we couldn’t do it without you!

This week four Canadian coffee roasters will make their way to Bolivia to visit COAINE, a Bolivian cooperative that supports 180 coffee growing families. It’s particularly fitting that they’re visiting during National Volunteer Week (April 21-27), because this initiative would not have been possible without the hard work of Crossroads International volunteers.

It all started in 2006 when one of our volunteers starting working with a microfinance organization called FONCRESOL. In only six months he helped them develop a fair trade certification guide and a capital needs assessment for families that wanted to grow and sell coffee. All of his hard work resulted in the development of a new loan product with FONCRESOL called the Fair Loan. The Fair Loan is offered to rural Bolivian coffee producers, more than 80 per cent of whom live in poverty. The loan gives producers the opportunity to scale up their coffee production but also directly impacts other aspects of their lives, such as being able to send their children to school, give them greater access to health services and clean water, and increases communication and transportation services in remote areas.

Building on this first volunteer’s success, Crossroads volunteers have worked on opening up Canadian coffee markets to producers. In 2011, Mario Condori, a coffee farmer and head of COAINE, came to Canada to meet with potential Canadian buyers. His visit was a success, and by fall of that year agreements had been signed with five coffee roasters across Canada to purchase Bolivian coffee at a fair rate. This has already materialized in two container shipments of coffee beans to Canada- that’s more than 30,000 kilos of coffee! This week the four roasters visiting Bolivia from various parts of Canada will be exploring the possibilities of developing or deepening their relationships with producers, with the hope that they will import beans to Canada in 2013. One of the Canadian micro-roasters is also going to be exploring the potential of developing an importing cooperative in which COAINE would be the key supplier.

This is an excellent example of how sophisticated the volunteer cooperation model has become. Crossroads International strives to make a difference by coordinating the skills of our volunteers where they will have the most benefit, and the astounding results are testament to the skill and commitment of all of our volunteers. The formula has been a success in South-South exchanges between Swaziland, Ghana and Zimbabwe, South-North exchanges between Mali and Quebec, and North-South from Canada to various countries where we have partners.

In the past year, 101 volunteers have participated in these knowledge and skills-based exchanges.  Everyone who has volunteered time to Crossroads International has made significant contributions, whether it has been overseas or right here at home. We have a strong team of committed volunteers here in Canada who devoted countless hours to supporting our programs by training volunteers, acting as host families, and raising funds.  This year volunteers raised funds to advance the rights of women and girls by hosting fundraising events and online though the International Women’s Day and club2club campaigns. Through their efforts, an additional 15 girls’ empowerment clubs will be opened in Swaziland. In addition, the Crossroads International board and committees provide invaluable guidance to our work, and our office volunteers and interns help us make it all come together on a daily basis.

I would like to thank all of our volunteers past and present, in Canada and overseas, for all of their efforts, our work would not be possible without you and we value all of your contributions. On behalf of all of us here at Crossroads, thank you!

UK deals in real change while Canada shuffles the deck

 Canada’s Federal Budget announced last week held few surprises. For weeks now there have been talks about eliminating the deficit and filling gaps in needed labour skills. But for those working in international development, the announcement that the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) would become a subsidiary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) came as a shock. Even CIDA staff revealed that they learned of the change the same way I did, from a tweet sent Thursday by CBC’s Evan Solomon.

The news, unanticipated as it was, is not all bad. NGOs in Canada and concerned citizens have long advocated that international cooperation warrants a senior ministry. With this budget we got our wish. But at what cost? The government says its decision was a reflection of increased “linkages between our foreign policy, development and trade objectives.” For years, Canadian governments, liberal and conservative alike, have stated the need for greater coherence in Canada’s foreign policy. But does DFAIT’s absorption of CIDA signal an end to the clear focus on the eradication of poverty? Will the amalgamation result in a development agenda focused more on Canada’s own trade and foreign policy interests?

Not necessarily so. Crossroads International also supports public-private partnerships by leveraging the skills of Canadian citizens and through partnerships with private sector actors. This year alone Canadian coffee roasters will support more than 180 Bolivian families growing coffee to access the Canadian market. The partnership benefits all parties, but the focus is on providing opportunities for the Bolivian producers. Engaging private sector actors can be effective and yes, there are benefits to Canadians, but for my development dollar I want the focus to be on the people who need it.

With Canada’s development assistance in decline, current estimates are at just 0.25 per cent of our gross national income (GNI), we could take a page from the U.K. They displayed great leadership this week when they announced in their budget that they would be dedicating 0.7 per cent of their GNI to reduce global poverty. This makes the U.K. the first of the G8 countries to reach a globally agreed target for wealthy nations first posited by Canadian Prime Minister Lester Pearson in the 60s. This was achieved despite the threat of a triple dip recession and in an austerity budget. The U.K. knows that global development will deliver a more balanced and resilient global economy and trigger a domino effect of improved health, education, security and good governance.

Canada has been a leader in global development; remember in 2008 when our government was lauded for its efforts to untie aid? This took leadership. It put the needs interests of the poor first. That is the kind of leadership we need. Our money has helped spur economic development so people can feed their families and send their children to school. It saved lives by increasing access to health care. It has empowered women, advanced human rights and contributed to good governance around the world. It has made a real difference in the lives of millions and it is crucial that our long-term plans for development dollars not be trumped by business and diplomatic interests. Regardless of economic interests at home, this money is allocated to put an end to extreme poverty, and we cannot lose sight of its purpose. We have to stop shuffling the deck and start dealing in real change.

Celebrating victories in Swaziland this International Women’s Day

For many Canadian women International Women’s Day doesn’t warrant a second thought. From our workplaces and comfortable homes, the injustices facing women in the rest of the world may not seem relevant to our daily lives. What can we possibly do for the women in Zimbabwe who were brutally raped during the last election — a tactic used as a political weapon in far too many places? What can be done for girls like Malala Yousafzai who have put their lives on the line just to attend school?  And even if we are outraged as we watch basic human rights for women and girls come under fresh attack, what can we do from so far away?

It’s easy to forget that it took brave and pioneering Canadian women to obtain the advantages we enjoy today. Less than 100 years ago Canadian women couldn’t vote, and only 50 years ago the distribution of information about birth control was criminalized. In a relatively short time Canadian women have made, and continue to make, crucial and, we hope, permanent gains in our fight for equality. It is clear there is much more to do at home, from breaking through the glass ceiling to putting an end to violence and abuse.  But gender equality doesn’t end in one country; it is only truly achieved when women and girls everywhere enjoy the same rights and advantages.  When we hear stories of girls being prevented from going to school and see images of women who have been systematically raped, we are all affected. In an increasingly globalized and digitized world we are interconnected — we can be outraged by what we see but we can also be inspired and take action.  

Take Swaziland as a case in point.  Crossroads International partner the Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA) has advocated for law reform for almost two decades in Swaziland, where social, economic and cultural practices enforce and perpetuate legalized gender inequalities and discrimination in all aspects of women’s lives. Before a new constitution was adopted in 2006, Swazi women had the legal status of minors, preventing them from owning property, or even from opening a bank account without permission from a male relative.

At the end of 2012 Swazi women celebrated a major success, the adoption of the Children’s Protection and Welfare Act. With powerful leadership from SWAGAA and other women’s rights organizations and advocates, the law prohibits sex with a child under age 16, and men are now legally prevented from marrying underage women. This represents a huge gain for women’s rights in the country because the forcible marriage of underage girls is common practice in Swaziland. Many girls have been forced to marry men many years their senior, putting them at an increased risk of HIV infection in the country with the highest infection rate in the world. These girls and young women are particularly susceptible because many are the second, third and fourth wives in polygamous unions with little or no access to healthcare and education. 

With momentum from this remarkable achievement, women in Swaziland are now focussing their efforts towards the enactment of the Sexual Offenses and Domestic Violence Bill. The bill would replace antiquated laws that do not address crimes such as rape with the force necessary to deter perpetrators. Although the bill was passed by the legislative assembly in October 2011, it has been stalled in Parliament and is presently before the Senate. Now they need ongoing financial support to continue this ground breaking work.

We live in a globalized world where not only money and tangible goods cross borders, but also beliefs and injustices. Canadian women know that equality for women and girls is a problem for us all. When it seems that the world has turned its back on them, we can let women on the frontlines know that we are watching and that we care.  This International Women’s Day I urge all of you to let the women of the world know that Canadians care about equality. Support a Canadian organization working to advance the rights of women here in Canada but also support Canadian organizations working with women’s groups internationally.  Real and lasting change takes time — and it takes money — but with ongoing support and a concerted effort from women worldwide, we can achieve equality.