African Women Development Fund honours distinguish women

Accra, Nov. 13, GNA - The African Women Development Fund (AWDF) on Saturday climax its 10th anniversary celebration with Purple Ball and Women of Substance Awards honouring African women working tirelessly to make a difference in their communities.

The AWDF's Women of Substance 2010 Awardees are: Abeka Perez - Young Women Campaign Against AIDS, Kenya; Felicia Darkwa, Nana Yaa Memorial Trust for Good Quality Reproductive Health, Ghana and Hadijah Kisembo - Disabled Women's Network and Resource Organisation (DWNRO), Uganda. Others are Kafui Adjamgbo-Johnson - Women in Law and Development, (WILDAF) Togo; Leymah Gbowee - Women Peace and Security Network Africa, (WIPSEN-Africa), Liberia; and Nyoka Agnes - Member of Parliament, Sudan. The rest are Pro fessor Bene Madunagu - Girls' Power Initiative, Nigeria; Prudence Mabele - Positive Women's Network (PWN), South Africa; and Dr Rose Mensah Kutin - Abantu for Development, Ghana, was launched through the efforts of its co-founders, Joana Foster (Ghana), Dr Hilda Tadria (Uganda) and Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi (Nigeria). AWDF is the first Africa-wide grant-making foundation and a decade after its launch is recognized as a leading feminist philanthropic institution on the continent.

Mrs Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, AWDF Executive Director, said over the past 10 years, Fund has disbursed over US$15 million in grants to 800 African women's rights organizations across the African continent and through its comprehensive capacity building programme strengthened institutions and progressive movements on the continent.

She said as part of the anniversary, the AWDF commissioned a multi-purpose resource centre purchased by AWDF for Women United Against AIDS in Ghana (WUAGG), Ayensu River Estate, Damfa. Mrs Adeleye-Fayemi said AWDF also organized a symposium on African women using the arts to promote social justice and premiered 'The Motherland Tour' a documentary by South African songstress Yvonne Chaka Chaka. Whilst Liberian President, Mrs Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf delivered the anniversary lectures attended by Vice President of Malawi, Mrs Joyce Banda; Mrs Funmilayo Olayinka, Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Nigeria and Mrs Abimbola Fashola, First Lady of Lagos State, Nigeria. Mrs Adeleye-Fayemi said AWDF over the period has been extremely successful at creating spaces and amplifying the voices of African women within the continent and beyond.

"We have done this by resourcing African women's organizations, supporting the participation of African women in international processes and re-invigorating the African women's movement. The AWDF is a grant-making foundation which supports local, national and regional organisations in Africa working towards women's empowerment. Through institutional capacity building and programme development, AWDF seeks to build a culture of learning and partnerships within the African women's movement.

She said "Our vision is for African women to live in a world in which there is social justice, equality and respect for women's human rights.to this end, our mission is to mobilise financial resources to support local, national and regional initiatives led by women, which will lead to the achievement of this vision". 13 Nov. 10