Senior Rwandan leaders coach middle managers to achieve career goals
A group of senior Rwandan men and women from the government, private and non-government sectors attended a mentors’ workshop sponsored by the Canadian Corporation for the joint RIAM /SNV Rwanda/ Rwanda Association of University Women (RAUW) Career Management and Development Training Program.
The workshop was part of a series for both men and women, designed to further participants’ understanding of mentoring, to canvas the benefits to both mentors and mentees, to share experiences of mentoring and to practice mentoring skills. According to one of the mentors, Hon Soline Nyirahabimana, Minister in the Office of the President, Rwanda has excellent policies in place for women to take on senior management positions and this mentor program will encourage middle managers to set career goals and support them to achieve them. To date mentors have included former ambassadors, parliamentarians, heads of business and government agencies, senior public servants and leaders of NGOs. Mentors will be matched with mentees who are in a similar profession who have undergone similar training and experience.
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The Turkish Association works to increase the number of women in Parliament
The Turkish Assocation of University Women (TÜKD) has been working with other NGOs to increase the number of women in the National Assembly through quota assignment by political parties.The end of recent elections showed a 50% increase, from 4.5% to 9%. Turkish women are determined to fight for their rights and to reach even higher participation rates in politics and have positive discrimination in all areas.
In related activities, TÜKD organized a forum titled " Women's Touch in Politics" in Santralistanbul in November 2007. Ms. Ruth Tuma, Member of Uganda Assembly and President of the Federation of the University Women of Africa (FUWA) was invited as the key speaker and women members of the Turkish National Assembly participated in a panel discussion. |
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The Samoa Association's Dictionary Project and Children's Hospital Library
Since the Samoa Association of Women Graduates (SAWG) became a full member they have been taking care of many projects:
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SAWG was fortunate to receive a full sponsorship for the Dictionary Project. With the help of Digicel, they were able to give out dictionaries for boys to achieve gender equity. They were also able to maintain the dictionary prize award to the "best all round year 9 female" in all the secondary schools on two islands. The dictionary carries the motto: Aim to be a Samoa women graduate as a means of motivation for the young members and future leaders of Samoa. |
SAWG also started a new project as the Samoa National Human Development report has noted that many children in Samoa are not attending schools due to illnesses. SAWG received the consent of the Minister of Health to create a space at the national hospital for a library to motivate young children to read. There is assistance needed with equipments, furniture and other items. The new project is an aim to link education and heath and they hope that these children will be motivated and return to school once they get better.
In addition SAWG held a Walkathon as obesity is becoming a problem to raise some funds and as part of the IFUW Action Plan for Sustainable Futures they talked to local women on how to sustainably utilize "mangroves". This was a success and an eye opener for women to know that other ways of utilizing mangroves for ecotourism could be developed.
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The Fiji Association is growing and attracting new Young Members
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The Fiji Association of Women Graduates (FAWG) is happy to announce that their membership is growing and attracting new Young Members. Many are coming from the Fiji Institute of Technology, where FAWG offers scholarships funding fees for young women studying in non-traditional disciplines. The new Young Members Convenor and her dynamic group of Young Members have been working on a number of initiatives including a new logo, an awareness campaign and membership drive. |
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The Australian Association: Putting Our Money Where Our Mouth Is
The project "Putting Our Money Where Our Mouth Is" is The Education Programme of the Australian Federation of University Women (AFUW) in the 2004-2007 Triennium.From Argentine Ants to glial blood cells, from high school bullying to Nanotechnology to Gender and Social Change in Vietnam – these are only a few of the university research projects supported by funds from the AFUW. AFUW has as one of its main goals the facilitating of women’s access to education in order to enable them to develop their personal intelligence and abilities and also to become active and informed participants in public life. The strategy for realizing that goal is the scholarship program of the national body and the State and Territory Associations that make up the Federation. Where does the money come from? The hard work and generosity of AFUW members! All Associations and the national body benefit from donations made by the members, either directly or through fund-raising functions.
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The
Japanese Association announces its 2007 Fellowships
The
Japanese Association of University Women takes pleasure in announcing
its 2007 Fellowships for women who are members of a national federation
or association affiliated to IFUW (except members of the Japanese
Association), and who are carrying out or would like to carry out
independent research or advanced study at the post-graduate level
in Japan. More details are available here.
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Sri
Lanka Federation launches new
Resource and Training Centre
The
Sri Lanka Federation of University Women recently celebrated the
ceremonial opening of its new building, the SLFUW Resource and Training
Centre. The building project was made possible through the generosity
of two donors: the MJF Charitable Foundation and Shinnyo-en of Japan.
The land on which the new building is located, situated in the heart
of the city of Colombo, had been donated to the SLFUW by the Government
of Sri Lanka in recognition of services rendered by the Federation
to assist undergraduates, young graduates and women in the fields
of education, women's empowerment and skill development. SLFUW will
be moving into the new building soon and hopes to use the auditorium
to conduct training/workshops.
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IFUW
Project Coordinator Visits
Bangladesh Federation Educational Project
Shirley
Randell, IFUW's Project Coordinator, recently visited the non-formal
educational program of the Bangladesh Federation. The project has
run since 2001, together with a free sewing class in the area of
Bara Maghbazar. Almost 20-25 underprivileged children are being
educated with the guidance of a teacher. The association provides
books, and supplies, and from time to time also health education.
They are provided with food and warm clothes during the winter season.
After finishing their studies the children are employed in small
jobs, such as electricians, plumbers, and mechanics in shops and
garages. Girls go to garment factories or try to finish their tailoring
studies to become tailors and seamstresses .
Another vocational training activity is for housewives and young
girls. They receive sewing lessons through a 4 month course, about
8-10 students per course. This course enables them to sew at home
and earn their living, or to provide clothing to their families.
Some are working with local tailors.
Click
here to see more photos from the project.
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Costa
Rica Association Offers Dental Care to
Four Hundred Children in Cartago
The project
of the Costa Rican Association (ACMU) in Cartago is fulfilling a
need for school children of marginal communities, where the government
does not provide dental care, and people do not have resources to
pay for professional help for their children. The project coordinator,
in conjunction with the authorities of the Dentistry School of the
ULACIT, arranges transportation for dentists, to the School of Carlos
Monge Alfaro, in Ochomogo, city of Cartago.
Eleven dentists work 5 half-days, being transported by the association
and provided coffee breaks. The project will continue, with the
hope that 400 students of the school will be treated throughout
the year.
School teachers
have noticed the improvement of the school children in educational
performance, because they are no longer suffering toothaches and
or having problems with their teeth. As the number of students is
very big, treatment for now is restricted to 6 years of elementary
school, with the hope to enlarge the scope in the future.
A similar programme was carried out successfully nearby, where the
ACMU project treated 300 children at the Bermejo rural school in
the south east part of the city of Cartago.
Click
here to see more photos from the project.
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National Activities 
