Center for Development and Population Activities http://www.cedpa.org/ 2012-02-04T05:33:59+00:00 FeedCreator 1.7.2-ppt (info@mypapit.net) 2012-02-02T19:30:00+00:00 2012-02-02T19:30:00+00:00 http://www.cedpa.org/content/story/detail/2563/ CEDPA

Jovita Mlay left the Global Women in Management workshop last August in Abuja with a plan of how she was going to apply the tools she learned and grow her grassroots organization, SASA Foundation. Originally formed to help vulnerable children access education opportunities, Jovita expanded the reach and mission of the organization. With lessons learned from the workshop, Jovita improved SASA’s marketing publications and hired two employees to help with their programming needs. Recently, the organization hosted the Women Tribunal on Climate Change to discuss how climate change has affected the economic and social activities of women in Africa. In the upcoming months, Jovita and the SASA foundation will be working on resource mobilization for the women they work with, strengthening their economic activities and integrating reproductive health education into their programming.

2012-02-02T19:30:00+00:00 2012-02-02T19:30:00+00:00 http://www.cedpa.org/content/story/detail/2564/ CEDPA

Anyone familiar with Papua New Guinea, or PNG, knows the challenges faced there. When a natural gas project came to her village, Veronica Payawi helped form a women’s organization, hoping to improve the situation for rural women. Frustrated by the lack of support from the PNG government, the organization's achievements were less than stellar. In the summer of 2010, Veronica, along with three other women leaders from PNG, participated in an Alumni Advocacy workshop held in Washington, D.C. Here, she and her fellow countrywomen, devised an advocacy plan. When Veronica returned to PNG, she formed a new organization, Hela Women's Upstream Limited. The organization was comprised of 200 women members from local communities addressing social and economic needs. With advocacy and fundraising efforts, they bought a semi-truck, which they contract out. The profits from the use of the truck fund projects such as the development of a chicken factory. Thanks to the communications skills Veronica developed in the workshop, she knew she had to publicize their success, so Hela Women’s Upstream Limited launched a Web site that highlights the work and mission of the organization. “It took me a year to achieve what we have achieved,” explained Veronica. “I personally feel, that is not enough.” Veronica continues working to ensure that the Hela women of PNG are not forgotten.

2012-01-25T20:15:00+00:00 2012-01-25T20:15:00+00:00 http://www.cedpa.org/content/news/detail/2558/ CEDPA

This week in snowy Switzerland, thousands gathered at the World Economic Forum to discuss new models to improve the current economic climate. On the other side of the world, Maria (Mia) Un, a CEDPA alumni, is already changing her local economy.

2012-01-17T20:15:00+00:00 2012-01-17T20:15:00+00:00 http://www.cedpa.org/content/story/detail/2557/ CEDPA

Communication strategies are one of the skills participants learn in CEDPA's Global Women in Management workshops. Basant Montaser, who attended this workshop in Washington, D.C. this summer didn't wait until she returned home to start applying this skill. Before she returned home, Basant made several contacts in Washington, D.C. that have business relations in Egypt. Using the skills she learned in the workshop, she had a message prepared about her work, her organization and the Ishraq project, a literacy program that works with vulnerable out of school girls in Upper Egypt. Through these discussions, Basant was able to share Ishraq's vision, strengthen their reputation and receive additional support to continue working with girls in Upper Egypt. The training paid off. This September, on International Literacy Day, ExxonMobil Egypt announced their support for a new project, Ishraq Plus that will continue providing adolescent girls with educational opportunities for the next three years.

2012-01-17T20:00:00+00:00 2012-01-17T20:00:00+00:00 http://www.cedpa.org/content/story/detail/2556/ CEDPA

Ensuring government accountability is no easy job, but Svetlana Moroz works daily to guarantee that her government gives people living with HIV and AIDS the resources they need. Svetlana recently represented her organization, the All-Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV, at this summer's International AIDS Society conference. Speaking on a panel with Professor Wafaa El-Sadr and Dr. Eric Goosby, Svetlana stressed the importance of recognizing what governments promised to do for people living with HIV and AIDS, and what they are actually doing. Svetlana's comments fed into a greater discussion of how important civil society is in the fight against HIV and AIDS, and what we can do to support these organizations. Svetlana participated in both CEDPA's WomenLead in the fight Against HIV and AIDS workshop in 2005, and a Planning and Design Workshop for Master Trainers in 2007.

2011-12-28T15:00:00+00:00 2011-12-28T15:00:00+00:00 http://www.cedpa.org/content/news/detail/2548/ CEDPA

Civil society is a growing sector in Saudi Arabia. In October 2011, CEDPA was presented with the unique opportunity to travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to conduct a leadership and management workshop for women working in non-profit and charitable organizations throughout the Kingdom.

2011-12-08T21:45:00+00:00 2011-12-08T21:45:00+00:00 http://www.cedpa.org/content/news/detail/2544/ CEDPA

Tomorrow's celebration of Human Rights Day is very poignant to many this year. The topple of many governments due to Arab Spring uprisings gave proof to the world that voices in unison that demand rights can evoke changes even within regimes that were among the worst violators of human rights.

2011-12-05T16:15:00+00:00 2011-12-05T16:15:00+00:00 http://www.cedpa.org/content/story/detail/2543/ CEDPA

Jane Godia is committed to telling the stories of women and children who are voiceless. As the editor of African Woman and Child Features Services, an organization focused on securing reproductive health rights for women and girls, Jane shares these stories to bring them to the forefront of her country's consciousness. When Jane attended the Packard-sponsored Strengthening the Voices of Women Champions for Family Planning and Reproductive Health workshop this September, she gained knowledge about effective advocacy and program implementation, and shared her years of experiences in journalism to help other participants craft effective advocacy messages. Recently Jane's efforts to get women and children's stories out into the world were recognized when she was honored with a Millennium Development Goal Award on Maternal Health for her publication, Strength of a Woman: The Untold Stories of Maternal Health and Deaths.

2011-12-05T15:15:00+00:00 2011-12-05T15:15:00+00:00 http://www.cedpa.org/content/story/detail/2542/ CEDPA

When Siphiwe Hlophe attended the inaugural WomenLead workshop in 2005, she hoped that she would strengthen her advocacy and management abilities. As a co-founder of Swaziland Positive Living, an organization dedicated to supporting people living with HIV and AIDS, Siphiwe wanted to increase her capabilities. The workshop not only made her a better manager and advocate, but invigorated her drive. Since she graduated, Siphiwe continues to work and advocate for positive women, providing them with support, and income generating activities. In 2007, she won the Freedom of Expression Award for using her journalist skills to advocate for the cause. Siphiwe's work and tireless spirit were highlighted in a piece by Gary Nunn on the Guardian's Web site last month. The article stressed the importance of Siphiwe's work and the need to continue funding these grassroots organizations to combat the spread of HIV in communities.

2011-11-30T15:15:00+00:00 2011-11-30T15:15:00+00:00 http://www.cedpa.org/content/news/detail/2541/ CEDPA

“There are many times doors have been closed to me in the government. I want to look for more diplomatic ways to negotiate,” explained Guadalupe, a recent participant in a CEDPA workshop. “I think I’ll be able to do this with what I’ve learned here.”

2011-11-21T17:15:00+00:00 2011-11-21T17:15:00+00:00 http://www.cedpa.org/content/news/detail/2539/ CEDPA

This past Sunday, we celebrated Universal Children's Day, promoting the welfare of children globally. Thanks to the focus of the Millennium Development Goals, the world has seen improvements, but there is still a long way to go.

2011-11-15T16:00:00+00:00 2011-11-15T16:00:00+00:00 http://www.cedpa.org/content/news/detail/2534/ CEDPA

CEDPA President Carol Peasley notes USAID's quiet 50th anniversary celebration. The anniversary gave her the opportunity to reflect back on her years at the agency and look forward to the agency's future.

2011-11-02T13:45:00+00:00 2011-11-02T13:45:00+00:00 http://www.cedpa.org/content/story/detail/2532/ CEDPA

Before attending CEDPA's Global Women in Management Workshop, Margarita Guille Tamayo was already a successful activist. She started the first women's shelter for abused women in Mexico, and then created a network of shelters that lobby the government on advocacy efforts for domestic violence laws. After attending the CEDPA workshop in 2007, Margarita continued her path fighting for women's rights in Mexico. She was recently appointed as the executive coordinator for the Inter-American Network of Women Shelters and was just honored with Soroptimist International's Ruby Award. This award honors women who work to improve the lives of other women and girls. Not only was Margarita honored with the Ruby award for Mexico, Central America and Latin America, she was honored as the international recipient as well.

2011-11-02T13:45:00+00:00 2011-11-02T13:45:00+00:00 http://www.cedpa.org/content/story/detail/2531/ CEDPA

Cut Hasniati, an alumna from 2005 Global Women in Management workshop, recently founded The Legal Aid for Children Foundation. This NGO ensures that children in Indonesia have legal aid, counseling and training to guarantee their development. When Cut came to the GWIM workshop, she had just joined the Executing Body for Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Aceh (BRR), an organization established to help rebuild Aceh after the tsunami hit Indonesia. Cut acted in several different capacities to encourage growth for survivors from the tsunami. Unwilling to stay idle for too long, Cut applied the skills she learned at the GWIM workshop and branched into the government sector, venturing into the realm of children's rights. She was recently appointed as Head of the Culture Department in the Office of Culture and Tourism in Aceh Singkil.

2011-10-21T20:45:00+00:00 2011-10-21T20:45:00+00:00 http://www.cedpa.org/content/news/detail/2529/ CEDPA

On October 31 this year, the world population is expected to reach seven billion. Since the fall of 1999, the world population has increased by one billion people. Continued growth at this rate is unsustainable.