Download - Sankofa Fall/Winter 2010
Sankofa Canadian Crossroads international
w w w. c c i o r g . c a • Vo l . 1 0 N O . 2 • F a l l / W i n t e r 2 0 1 0
49 Bathurst St., Suite 201Toronto, ON M5V 2P2 Canada
Tako Sylla was scraping by doing
odd jobs in Sirakoro Méguétana,
Mali. She brought in so little that she
was unable to provide her children with the
most basic necessities like food, clean
water, medical care and education.
About 20 kilometers away in the capi-
tal city of Bamako, Fatoumata Diallo was
earning a pittance. She was forced to aban-
don her trade as a Batik dyer when she
could no longer afford materials or find
markets for her products.
That is how the story began.
Today, both of these women, with the
support of Crossroads’ partner Association
jeunesse action Mali (AJA), are successful
entrepreneurs. The association’s pro-
gramme helped Sylla and Diallo master the
basics of running a small business with
projects like researching local markets, writ-
ing a business plan, acquiring financing and
equipment, and learning a specialized trade.
The results are impressive.
Sylla established Tako Sylla Sarl, a
food processing operation that produces
organic dried mangos, a precooked millet
cereal called fonio, dried tomatoes and
powdered ginger, among other fare. With
continued assistance from the association,
the business ensures decent wages for the business ensures decent wages for
2 3 4Standing for election: Women on the ballot in Ghana
Senegal’s next generation of women’s rights advocates
What is Lawrence Hill buying this holiday season?
continued on page 2 >
Entrepreneur Tako Sylla used
seed money to open a food processing plant in Mali.
Co
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ultivating Leadership
Women and girls participate in public life
Entrepreneurial Spirit: Malian women build business and community By Idrissa Kone: Bamako, Mali
Canadian Crossroads International’s Board and staff were saddened to learn of the death of John T. MacFarlane on August 14th. John taught physics for almost 30 years at Mount Allison University and was a well-loved teacher and a respected researcher and scholar. He taught overseas in Ethiopia, Ghana and Rwanda and was recognized for his significant contributions to the development of education in Africa. But for more than 30 years, John was also a committed Crossroads volunteer. Through the 1970s to 1990s, John served multiple terms on the Board of Directors,
also serving as chair and taking on numerous local committee roles. We are stronger for his leadership and wisdom. John’s family has continued his legacy of support by requesting that donations in his memory be made to Crossroads. On behalf of the whole Crossroads family we wish to express our condolences to John’s family and friends and our sincere thanks to those who have made gifts honouring John’s unwavering commitment to a more just and equitable world. 2
In Remembrance of long-time CCI Volunteer John MacFarlane
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“[MacFarlane] taught overseas in Ethiopia,
Ghana and Rwanda and was recognized
for his significant contributions to the
development of education in Africa.”
continued from page 1 >
And she delivered. This fall, five women from her community are running in Ghana’s
District Assembly elections, she reported with a wide smile.
“It changed my life in so many ways,” she said of We Know Politics, a leadership
programme organized by Women in Law and Development in Africa-Ghana
(WiLDAF) — one of Crossroads’ partner organizations in the country — and
three other local groups.
When I met Asamoah she was speaking at the launch of We Know
Politics II, the second round of WiLDAF’s campaign to increase the
number of women running for office. Participating in these workshops,
with community leaders like Asamoah, was one of the highlights of my
five-month work placement with WiLDAF. While I was primarily respon-
sible for creating online resources to help increase women’s access to
legal services and combat violence against women, my experience was
enriched by the opportunity to participate in this community-
based campaign.
The week-long We Know Politics II training that I
attended, in the town of Axim, drew a vibrant range of
participants. From 20 to 70 years old, attendees includ-
ed sitting members of the District Assembly, a Queen
Mother, student union representatives, and members
of the physically challenged community. Sessions like
this are taking place in 24 districts across the coun-
try, in an effort to ramp-up the number of women
candidates campaigning in local and Parliamentary
elections.
The need is clear: Ghanaian women rep-
resent only 8.3 per cent of Parliamentarians and 9.4 per cent of local
District Assemblypersons. We Know Politics seeks to improve these
woeful statistics by convincing community leaders that women can,
and should, take up public decision-making roles. It also equips
them to spread this message in their communities.
While these workshops alone cannot usher in change at the polls, the programme
has already yielded unexpected benefits. For example, in 2008 the newly-elected govern-
ment appointed Joyce Bamford-Addo as the country’s first woman Speaker of Parliament.
When news of the controversial appointment hit the press, the government, impressed
We Know Politics, a leadership
programme organized by Women in Law and Development in Africa-Ghana
(WiLDAF) — one of Crossroads’ partner organizations in the country — and
We Know
, the second round of WiLDAF’s campaign to increase the
number of women running for office. Participating in these workshops,
my
-
increase women’s access to
combat violence against women, my experience was
with WiLDAF’s prominence in supporting
female candidates during campaign
season, enlisted its support to
champion the nomination, WiLDAF
Programme Officer Frank Bodza
recounts. Bodza adds that he is opti-
mistic, but cautiously so, about the
upcoming local elections on December
28, 2010. It’s still unclear just how many women will
have “found the courage” to run, he says.
For my part, one of the most striking moments of the workshops in Axim was when
we asked participants to identify prevailing sex and gender roles by reciting local
proverbs about women and men. A few of the more memorable sayings included,
“The stupid man is wiser than the wisest woman;” “If a woman buys a gun it’s
kept in the room of the man;” and “If you teach a man, you teach an individual;
but if you teach a woman, you teach a nation.”
The last proverb echoes a core value of We Know Politics. Namely, that
the best way to teach the nation about the crucial need to increase women’s
voices in the halls of power is not through NGOs or politicians in the
capital. Rather, it is by conveying the message to community leaders, who
share this lesson with their neighbours and friends.
One of the things I most admire about Crossroads, and one of
the reasons I chose to work overseas as a Crossroader, is that
they share this philosophy. This is evidenced, for instance,
by their commitment to a largely bottom-up approach to
development, and the simple, yet empowering view that
Crossroads’ international partners know best how to serve their
own communities.
I couldn’t help but be slightly troubled by that last proverb,
however. After all, the purpose was not just to train women;
WiLDAF set out to train all participants, male and female alike.
So while that proverb, like all proverbs I suppose, has an
important kernel of truth to it, it also oversimplifies the matter.
WiLDAF is striving to empower more Ghanaians, both
women and men, to do what Rebecca Asamoah did – to
convince women to run for office. And I truly believe that our work in the town of Axim
may have helped to create other Rebecca Asamoahs, or perhaps Richard Asamoahs.
And that is a deeply gratifying thought.
The partnership between Crossroads and WiLDAF focuses on increasing access to justice for
women and girls by promoting and monitoring the implementation of Ghana’s recently passed
Domestic Violence Act. Increasing the number of women involved in political decision making
is critical to addressing both violence and systemic discrimination as issues of equality – as
issues of women’s and girls’ rights.
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workers by getting a fair price for their products in market.
“Now, I am more involved in the activities and decisions in my neighbourhood,”
says Sylla. “I would like to take on the challenge of encouraging more women to
become entrepreneurs with the support of AJA.”
Diallo, along with a number of her classmates in the entrepreneurship programme,
founded Ben Kunda, the first women-run laundry and dry-cleaning service in Mali. She
continues to act as head manager.
“Co-operatives allow women to get more involved in the management of their
communities,” says Diallo. “Women feel more responsible when they are part of a
co-operative, so they participate in decision-making.”
Through AJA, Crossroads is helping men and women get fledgling businesses
off the ground. In supporting women like Sylla and Diallo, Crossroads is helping
empower individuals and communities to develop robust local economies. This kind
of programme means that Sylla and Diallo are able to provide for their families, to
meet their basic needs with dignity – a decent job for a decent wage.
Idrissa is the Communications and Information Manager for Association jeunesse action Mali.
“This fall, five women from her
community are running in
Ghana’s District Assembly
elections, [Asamoah] reported
with a wide smile. ‘It changed
my life in so many ways.’”
Rebecca Asamoah, community leader and workshop participant with Women in
Law and Development Africa-Ghana
STandIng For eleCTIon:Women on the ballot in Ghana By Matthew Watson: Accra, Ghana
with WiLDAF’s prominence in supporting
female candidates during campaign
season, enlisted its support to
champion the nomination, WiLDAF
upcoming local elections on December
28, 2010. It’s still unclear just how many women will
have “found the courage” to run, he says.
on:
Leadership workshop participants in Ghana, fall 2010.
“Now, I am more involved in the activities and decisions in
my neighbourhood. I would like to take on the challenge of
encouraging more women to become entrepreneurs.”
Tako Sylla, entrepreneur, Association jeunesse action Mali
Two years ago, rebecca asamoah made a critical decision that changed many lives in her village. after attending a workshop about
the importance of involving more ghanaian women in politics, she brought the message home. asamoah took up the challenge of encour-aging local women to stand for office.
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based campaign.
The week-long
attended, in the town of Axim, drew a vibrant range of
participants. From 20 to 70 years old, attendees includ
ed sitting members of the District Assembly, a Queen
Mother, student union representatives, and members
of the physically challenged community. Sessions like
this are taking place in 24 districts across the coun
try, in an effort to ramp-up the number of women
candidates campaigning in local and Parliamentary
elections.
resent only 8.3 per cent of Parliamentarians and 9.4 per cent of local
District Assemblypersons.
them to spread this message in their communities.
While these workshops alone cannot usher in change at the polls
has already yielded unexpected benefits. For example, in 2008 the newly-elected govern
ment appointed Joyce Bamford-Addo as the country’s first woman Speaker of Parliament.
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“I have worked in the Canadian charitable sector for more than 20 years and have watched Canadian Crossroads International transform and evolve over that time. It is a vibrant, adaptive organization that provides people with the resources and skills to make meaningful, positive change in their lives.
I love that Crossroads involves Canadians as
global citizens in a way that educates all of us and helps us find better solutions to complex problems abroad as well as here in Canada. I joined the Board as a volunteer director because I was so inspired by Crossroads’ work. And did I ever learn a lot during my time on the Board!
I really believe in Crossroads’ model for change. It is all about creating synergies across cultures and communities through the exchange of people, ideas, resources and solutions. It is a dynamic response that propels people to work collaboratively to uncover new and creative ways of strengthening communities.
Whether it is reducing violence against women or strengthening people’s economic independence, I have seen first hand, that Crossroads really makes a very positive difference. I know that my monthly donation goes a long way to creating lasting change and that feels great!”
MonThly donorS: loyal supporters making a vital commitment
Suzanne gIbSon (Monthly Donor since 2004)
!
Message from the executive directorKaren Takacs
MONTHLY GIVING Making every dollar count
WE cannot overstate the importance of our loyal
Monthly Donors! Knowing we can rely
on this income enables us to plan more effectively,
increasing the impact of our work. Monthly giving is the
most cost effective and environmentally responsible
way to donate, and you can cancel or change the
amount you give any time. A gift of $20 a month, less
than $1 per day, could help a woman gain financial
independence. Over time it adds up to a significant and
vital contribution.
Cultivating leadershipCrossroaders show the way to a more just and equitable world
When Crossroads honorary patron Lawrence
Hill delivered the convocation speech
at the University of Toronto this year he said,
“Some of the richest experiences in my own life
have involved modest acts of volunteerism –
travelling three times with Canadian Crossroads
International to Niger, Cameroon and Mali, and
more recently, meeting with prison inmates to talk
about books and literature and the joys of reading
and writing.”
Hill is not alone. Forty-six per cent of
Canadians over the age of 15 volunteer, offering
2.1 billion hours of time annually, according to the
2007 Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering
and Participating. At Crossroads, we know the
value of volunteerism. Every day we witness the
skill and passion that Canadians bring to their
placements in West Africa, Southern Africa and
Bolivia. Our volunteers relay the tremendous
lessons they learn from our overseas partners;
their perspectives and values changed by working
so intimately with people who have fewer resourc-
es and face greater obstacles.
In offering their time and experience, they
build capacity and empathy. Their small invest-
ments yield long-term results. Crossroads volun-
teers — from Canada, Africa and Bolivia — are
making our vision of an equitable and sustainable
world a reality.
In this issue, we celebrate how Crossroads’
programme is cultivating leadership among volun-
teers, partners and the people they serve. From
Ghanaian women courageously running for
election, to youth entrepreneurs in Mali, to a
Canadian writer bringing home stories of hope,
Crossroads is investing in tomorrow’s leaders.
With International Volunteer Day just around
the corner, on December 5, we dedicate this
issue of Sankofa to our volunteers and partners,
whose leadership has been the foundation of our
work for more than 50 years.
a happy International Volunteer day to you all!
g reat projects often come from great encounters. For the girls of the Association des femmes de la Médina (AFEME), Senegal, it was in the
summer of 2010 when a team of Québec sans frontières Crossroaders arrived to support the association’s efforts to establish a leadership programme for girls.
Founded in 1993, the Association was created by women who decided that they were entitled to their rights. They demanded an active part in the decision-making and the development of their neighbourhood. After years of working for the economic and social promotion of the women of Médina, AFEME realized the vital role young women and girls could play in the feminist movement.
“We thought, ‘Why not include our daughters, our nieces? Why not bring them in?’” recalls Maymouna Diop, head of AFEME’s girls programme since its creation in 2007. “We didn’t want to remain an association of mothers and leave our girls by the wayside.”
It would take three years and the arrival of a team of Crossroaders before the programme for girls was set in motion. Since then the scope and number of projects has grown dramatically — awareness-raising in schools, informal chat groups, meetings with influential women in political and social circles, training cours-es in public speaking and leadership, etc.
The girls at AFEME see the arrival of Crossroaders as a catalyst. “We went from 17 to about 100 girls. Young women were coming in to sign up every day,” added Rokhaya Ndoye, a 21-year-old student and the president of the AFEME girls’ chapter.
Young girls in Médina are often vic-tims of poverty and violence but must face their problems alone. Social pressures, cul-tural mores and tradition prevent them from speaking out. “No one ever asked
them about their opinion. They are not used to talking about their problems,” explained Shirley Richard, the Crossroaders’ team leader. “The different activities allow them to make their voices heard and to act for the community.”
“Girls have rights and it is important that we instruct them, because there is much ignorance,” said Diop. “We want them to have more self-confidence, to be able to make their own decisions … and to take their rightful place.”
Ndoye and her AFEME colleagues understand better than anyone the importance of leadership for girls of that age, not only for themselves, but also for the community as a whole. “We want better development for our neighbourhood and to help
children in difficulty,” she notes. “Girls encounter many problems. We must help them to learn their rights and their duties.”
Diop and Ndoye travelled to Canada this fall to meet with Crossroads and Canadian partner la Table des groupes de femmes de Montréal (TGFM) to learn more about its leadership programmes. The two AFEME
representatives also met with many community-based organizations to draw inspiration from the activities
they offer to young leaders and took part in the World March for Women.
For the young president of the girls’ chapter, Ndoye, the future is already filled with promise and ambition: “I want to become a successful businesswoman. I want to be someone important (…) to help street kids and to bring new life to the old quarters of Dakar.”
Crossroaders and aFeMe inspire a new generation of women’s rights advocates
want to remain an association of mothers and leave our girls by
It would take three years and the arrival of a team of Crossroaders before the programme for girls was set in motion. Since then the scope and number of projects has grown dramatically — awareness-raising in schools, informal chat groups, meetings with influential women in political and social circles, training cours
The girls at AFEME see the arrival of
only for themselves, but also for the community as a whole. “We want better development for our neighbourhood and to help
children in difficulty,” she notes. “Girls encounter many problems. We must help them to learn their rights and their duties.”
Diop and Ndoye travelled to Canada this fall to meet with Crossroads and Canadian partner la Table des groupes de femmes de Montréal (TGFM) to learn more about its leadership programmes. The two AFEME
representatives also met with many community-based organizations to draw inspiration from the activities
It would take three years and the arrival of a team of Crossroaders before the programme for girls was set in motion. Since then the scope and number of projects has grown dramatically — awareness-raising in schools, informal chat groups, meetings with influential women in political and social circles, training cours-
children in difficulty,” she notes. “Girls encounter many problems. We must help them to learn their rights and their duties.”
meet with Crossroads and Canadian partner la Table des groupes de femmes de Montréal (TGFM) to learn more about its leadership programmes. The two AFEME
“We want [girls] to have more
self-confidence, to be able to
make their own decisions…
and to take their rightful place.”
Maymouna Diop, head of the AFEME programme for girls
“Whether you take two years to go work as a volunteer in another country, two days to help out in your city, or two hours to do something for a neighbour on your own street, there are countless ways to give to other people, and to enrich oneself at the same time. Paradoxically, you end up receiving as much as you give, when you step into a world of volunteerism.”
-Lawrence Hill, writerNiger 1979; Cameroon 1981; Mali 1989
By Nicolas Gersdorff
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CCI is supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Ministère des Relations internationales of the Government of Quebec, other government and non-government funders, as well as many individuals around the world. Sankofa is published twice yearly for Canadian Crossroads International alumni and friends. Please send us your comments, letters and ideas. • executive director: Karen Takacs • director, external relations: Christine Campbell • Coordination and writing: Candice O’Grady • linguistic services and writing: Nicolas Gersdorff
• Contributors: Matt Watson, Idrissa Kone • Photos: courtesy of ABANTU for Development (cover), courtesy of Association jeunesse action Mali (cover inset, 2), courtesy of WiLDAF (2), courtesy of Elisabeth Nicol (2), Nicolas Gersdorff (3), courtesy of Suzanne Gibson • art direction: Wioletta Wesolowski, Visual Concepts • Canadian Crossroads International, Toronto office: 49 Bathurst St., Suite 201, Toronto, ON, M5V 2P2; Tel: 416.967.1611; Toll-free: 877.967.1611; Fax: 416.967.9078; email: [email protected] Montreal office: 3000, rue Omer-Lavallée, Suite 126, Montréal, QC H1V 3R8; Tel: 514. 528.5363; e-mail: [email protected]
is supported by the Canadian International Development
“I am a tough cookie when it comes to planning
events,” Patsy George says with a laugh referring to Banking on Women,
a Crossroads fundraiser she and a committee of dedicated volunteers
organized in Vancouver. “That comes from years of managing budgets in
government departments.”
The cookie part maybe, but tough? The word seems incongruous
when you meet her. At only 5 feet with her long hair, now graying in a
trademark bun, Patsy greets you so warmly you’d think you were the
most important person in the room. You soon realize that’s how she
makes everyone feel. Make no mistake, Patsy is a force to be reckoned
with… a determined force for good.
Banking on Women, which featured award-winning writer Lawrence
Hill, sold out two weeks in advance and the October event raised over $12,000 for
Crossroads’ work with women in West Africa. Patsy, the event chair board member,
hopes the success of this event will inspire other Crossroads supporters to organize
events in their communities.
This brings our conversation around to leadership, a topic Patsy knows a bit about.
Since coming to Canada from India 50 years ago, she has had a distinguished career
as a social worker and a civil servant, including serving as Director of Multiculturalism
for British Columbia. She has devoted her life to empowering communities. “I get so
much joy out of it,” she says. “Citizenship means you have to be involved, to be active...
Being an active part of a community brings meaning to life.”
As a volunteer, she has worked alongside immigrant women, visible minorities and
First Nations people to advance their rights. It is a passion deeply held. “For me there
is a sacred duty to care,” Patsy explains. “It is the challenge by which I live… I go back to
our Crossroads motto, One World…. We are inextricably bound up with one another.”
At 70 years of age, she tells me, she has limited time. She has to focus her efforts.
A lifetime of volunteer work, locally and nationally, has garnered her The Order of Canada
Larry’s Shopping
List
Mother
• Girls’ clubs in Swaziland
Sister • Women in b
usiness
in West Africa
Brother
• Legal training in
Zimbabwe
Niece • Women’s po
litical
participation
in Ghana
It’s never too early to start shopping… Check out CCI’s exciting new Ethical Holiday Gift Guide
among other honours. Now her focus is building the global community.
“Conditions are so dire, how can I sit back and enjoy my retirement?” she asks.
“We are interrelated and interconnected… we have a joint responsibility to each other.”
In addition to serving on Canadian Crossroads International’s Board of Directors,
she is also a founding director of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, a proud member of
the foundation’s Grandmother’s for Africa, and President of the United Nations
Association in Canada, Vancouver Branch.
“As a board member, part of my responsibility is to raise funds,” she adds. “I can
do this in a number of ways, I can make a gift myself, I can open doors to my com-
munity and I can host an event – raise a few dollars, but also raise interest in the issues
and the organization.”
For Patsy leadership means having the courage to act and to involve others.
“Find an issue that you care about. Involve one or two others – relatives or col-
leagues and see what you can do together.” The result, as Patsy has shown with her
own leadership, is a community of interested, engaged citizens who are comfortable
challenging the status quo.
By Christine Campbell
This season, what is Lawrence Hill buying?
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g ive a “gift that keeps on giving” to loved ones and friends this holiday season. From microcredit loans for women in Bolivia, to girls’ empowerment clubs in Swaziland and
Zimbabwe, to training for legal literacy volunteers in Ghana — your gifts will support innovative programming that empowers women and girls!
So … if you are not sure what to get that “certain someone”, or want to give an ethical gift this year, please consider supporting Crossroads, our partners and the many women and girls who will benefit from your generosity.
Whether you give a gift in your own name or on behalf of someone else, you will receive a tax receipt for income tax purposes. When you purchase a gift on behalf of others, they will receive a personalized gift card describing the special gift you have made in their honour.
By making a special gift this holiday season you, and your friends or family members, will be helping to create a more equitable and sustainable world.
Check out our unique gift options for women and girls online at www.cciorg.ca or contact Shobi Sivaraj at 1-877-967-1611 ext. 288.
“There is no better feeling than seizing on the chance to give
and making that gift really count. This year, I am offering my
family and friends a CCI ‘GIFT OF GIVING’. I can’t think of a
better way to give meaning to a holiday tradition. Please join
me. Help spread the feeling by bringing hope and opportunity
to women and girls living in poor countries across the world!”
Crossroads Honorary Patron Lawrence Hill, best selling author of The Book of Negroes Niger, 1979; Cameroon, 1981; Mali, 1989
lIVIng leaderShIP
A profile of Crossroads volunteer
Patsy George
Program/project/activity undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Agence �canadienne de �développement �international
Canadian �International �Development �Agency