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.

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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: christinec@cciorg.ca Montreal office: 3000, rue Omer-Lavallée, Suite 126, Montréal, QC H1V 3R8; Tel: 514. 528.5363; e-mail: quebec@cciorg.ca

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