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September 2012
Advocating for Women and Sustainable Development in Mexico
“If I change, I can change the world,” said José Adrian Figueroa Hernández, President of Ecoparadigma and participant in CEDPA’s Advocacy, Gender and Sustainable Development Workshop in Mexico City. He was referring to the importance of developing ones’ own skills in order to create change in others.
Adrian‘s organization works to educate rural women and their families in the importance of sustainable living in San Luis Potosí.
He is one of 58 men and women who were given the opportunity to attend one of two CEDPA advocacy workshops sponsored by ExxonMobil and SEMARNAT, the Mexican Department of the Environment and Natural Resources.
The intense, three-day workshops are geared towards civil society leaders working in NGOs and governmental organizations dealing with the environment. The curriculum builds participants' advocacy skills and ensures that each participant incorporates a gender perspective into the sustainable development programs they are advocating for, whether creating new legislation or ensuring that current legislation is implemented.
During the workshop, the participants acquired a practical understanding of gender and how it impacts daily life. Maria Trinidad Gutiérrez Ramírez, President of the Programa Interdisciplinario de Investigación Acción Feminista and participant in the second workshop, gave a presentation of her work with women in Mexico, demonstrating the need to create change.
“Some of the indigenous women we work with sell brooms that they’ve made,” said Maria Trinidad. “They don’t see themselves as providers, even though it is the money that they earn that supports their family. They believe that the men are the providers.”
Read more about the workshop.
Other News
CEDPA on the Move
CEDPA has a new location as of August 29. We are pleased to announce that our headquarters are now at 1255 23rd St N.W., Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20037. We also updated our phone number to 202-617-2285, and you can send faxes to 202-862-3975. Our email addresses and Web site will remain the same. Please update your contact information for us.
ICPD Beyond 2014
Youth Forum to be held in Bali
The deadline is soon approaching for applications to attend the ICPD Beyond 2014 Global Youth Forum in Bali, Indonesia. For those advocates between the ages of 18-30, you must submit your application by September 15, 2012. The forum promises to address five critical topics: staying healthy; comprehensive education; transitions to decent employment for youth; sexuality, families and rights; and fully inclusive participation. If you are not able to attend the forum, you can also apply to be a virtual delegate after September 16. Find out more.
Profiles of Women Leaders
| Evelyn Namara — Uganda |
 Evelyn Namara, Program Coordinator at Solar Sister in Uganda and a graduate of CEDPA’s 2011 Global Women in Management Program in Nigeria, was recently nominated for the Anita Borg Change Agent Award, which celebrates accomplishments in technology. Evelyn’s work focuses on empowering women in rural Uganda economically by including them as active participants in the dissemination of solar powered technologies. She has been asked to speak at the 2012 Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in Baltimore Maryland, October 3-6, 2012, where she will be honored as one of the award winners. Evelyn spent four weeks with CEDPA and 25 other African women leaders in Abuja refining her leadership and management skills and learning new tools for negotiations, branding and fundraising.
Read more about CEDPA's alumni. |
| Sarah Kuriva Kaipu — Papua New Guinea |
 Sarah Kuriva Kaipu, CEDPA alumna, understands first-hand the difficulties associated with living in an isolated community. Transportation to and from the Papua New Guinean capital, Port Moresby, from her village is difficult on a good day, so the trip is made only when necessary. On those good days, they have mobile phone reception, but no land lines. The women of her village have an advantage other women do not have. They have Sarah, and Sarah is prepared and committed to improving their lives. Sarah is a graduate of CEDPA’s 2011 Global Women in Management workshop in Washington, D.C. Upon completing the workshop, Sarah applied for and was awarded a small $500 grant. Sarah applied that money to the Self Help Initiative Project. The project purchased three sewing machines and materials with the money and recruited women from the community to create mats, bags, baskets, fans and neck warmers for sale. The next steps for the project are further training for the group of women and the fulfillment of orders for curtains, pillow cases, bed sheets and, in the future, nurses uniforms.
Read more about CEDPA's alumni. |
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