A busy spring can be a good thing

Here in Canada, spring is supposed to mark the beginning of the slow season, a time to ease off work and celebrate the return of the sun, flowers and outdoor recreational fun.

At Crossroads, we could be forgiven for failing to notice the end of winter. We've been intensely busy. Two days after the official start of spring, a group of soldiers overthrew the government of Mali while rebels seized territory in the country's north. For a moment, it looked like the country might spiral out of control. While things have cooled down in the capital, the coup and ongoing instability in the north have sowed fear in the hearts and minds of the people of Mali. Our partners have been working double-time to ensure their projects are able to continue and thrive, and we've been doing the same to ensure they are supported.

The spring has been busy for another reason: Our work to promote the rights of women and girls has picked up steam like never before. And we are proud of that. As the controversial deletion of the phrase “access to reproductive health services” from the final document produced at the recent RIO+20 summit suggests, the rights of women are still up for negotiation in most parts of the world. We must remain vigilant to protect and improve access to rights and sustainable livelihoods for women and girls. Here are some highlights from this spring's struggle:

• In Toronto, Crossroads volunteers, Pam Hillen and Sarah Giddens hosted a wonderfully successful cocktail fundraiser for Global Girl Power, raising more than $12,000 for programs to support women's rights in developing countries. I had the honour of speaking alongside Ntombi Nyoni, legal officer for Crossroads partner Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse, and two of Canada’s best-loved journalists, award-winning BBC reporter and Crossroads honorary patron Lyse Doucet and the CBC’s Anna Maria Tremonti. It was a truly wonderful evening and a joy to hear Lyse and Anna Maria talk about their experiences working together and how important it is to support girls and young women in the developing world so that they enjoy a brighter, more secure future.

• In Istanbul, women from across the world came together to learn, organize and speak out at the Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) 12th International Forum. It was an incredibly inspiring event. Representatives from 12 of our partner organizations from West and Southern Africa were in attendance, along with Canadian members of our program team, providing a rare opportunity to put out heads together, forge new relationships and share ideas for elevating the status of women in our communities.

•  In Manitoba, we delivered a presentation to provincial cabinet ministers, including Premier Greg Selinger, explaining the power of grassroots solutions to transform the work of women and rural producers in Bolivia and Niger. The message was warmly received by members of the government and the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation, who expressed their intent to uphold their support for women and girls in Africa and Latin America.

• In Halifax, long-time (and outgoing) staff member Joan Campbell succeeded in attracting record support from a new friend of Crossroads. Marjorie Lindsay made an additional gift of $50,000 to support Crossroads work with women and girls. At a very young 86, Marjorie is an inspiring and passionate supporter, who strongly believes that Canadians should be supporting women and girls both at home and internationally. Thank you Marjorie! 

While the spring officially ended on June 19, the fight to break down barriers for women and girls continues. Following on the spring's successes, we will be hosting a fundraising event on September 20 in Vancouver, with Crossroads partner, Dr. Rose Mensah-Kutin, Executive Director of Abantu for Development in Ghana, who will talk about the impact of climate change on women and what women can do to influence  climate change policy. If you expect to be in Vancouver at that time, please give us a call at 1.877.967.1611 to purchase a ticket to the event, it is not one you want to miss.

Take one radical step

Like everyone else I was captivated by images of Egyptians from all walks of life demonstrating in Tahrir Square. From Egypt to Yemen and now Libya young and old have marched in the streets, courageously demanding increased freedom and democracy. And you may not know that Nigeriens too celebrated a democratic milestone, having held what most observers say was a free and fair election just three weeks ago. The army has said that they will step down by April and return the country to civilian rule. Speaking at a forum on food security in Montreal March 30, Crossroads partner Boureima Garba, director of ONPHDB said while democracy was not yet feeding the Nigerien people, people can now make their voice heard and influence government’s investment in sustainable agriculture and other development programs. To create food security in their country, free and fair elections are a first step.

So here we are in Canada and not quite through the first week of the federal election and I’m doing my best to fight off my increasing cynicism about the state of democracy in this country. In our last federal election voter turnout was the lowest in history with just 59 per cent of eligible voters casting a ballot. Given the current state of political discourse which seems to sway between political posturing and partisan mudslinging, it is hard to believe that anything will change. But, I refuse to believe that things can only get worse. Citizens around the world have put their lives on the line to fight for the right to free and fair elections. From Zimbabwe to Niger and across North Africa and the Middle East. We can’t afford to take our democracy for granted.

Some would say that this election is in fact about democracy: about respect for democratic institutions, and about what it means to hold our governments to a higher standard. Others say it is about the economy. There are in fact many issues on the table: unemployment, healthcare, an aging population and Canada’s role in the world. Regardless of where we stand on these issues if only 59 per cent of Canadians take the time to vote what message does that send to our politicians? So I’m thinking that if we really want to shake things up we should take a cue from our brethren in North Africa and the Middle East and take one radical step. Stand up and be counted. Vote. And insist that friends, colleagues and family vote too. Unlike citizens in Africa and Middle East we won’t be risking our lives to do so, but we risk everything if we do not.