This week, 14 first ladies from across Africa convened in Los Angeles for the African First Ladies Health Summit to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing the continent - women's health, education for girls and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Coordinated by U.S. Doctors for Africa (USDFA) and African Synergy against AIDS and Suffering (created in 2002 by 22 first ladies from Africa), first ladies from Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, the Central African Republic, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Tanzania, and Zambia met with experts, educators, leaders in business, analysts and doctors to identify new ways of moving forward to help empower Africa's women and girls.
On the first day of the summit, the newly appointed U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues, the Honorable Melanne Verveer addressed the attendees, calling for a greater commitment to the health and wellbeing of women and girls in Africa.
• Her Excellency Hadjia Laraba Tandja of Niger arrives at the summit.
• "Health is not a small problem and the persistent gender inequality contributes to women and girls suffering the most,” she said. “Investing in women has to be at the core of any strategy to attack health disparities and the lack of opportunities.”
The first ladies attended closed panel sessions on topics like Maternal Health, Tackling HIV/AIDS and Malaria, Girls Education, and Corporate Citizenship (facilitated by representatives from Chevron, GE, Chevron, Pfizer and Proctor and Gamble). Though some of the first ladies are better known for their shopping habits than their humanitarian efforts, many see the summit as an opportunity to help create change on the continent through education, awareness and dialog.
• Back row from left: Ida Odinga of Kenya; Hadjia Laraba Tandja of Niger; Penehupifo Pohamba of Namibia; Thandiwe Banda of Zambia; Maria da Luz Dai Guebuza of Mozambique; Mathato Sarah Mosisili of Lesotho and Sia Nyama Koroma of Sierra Leone. Seated front row from left: Adelcia Barreto Pires of Cape Verde; Chantal Biya of Cameroon; Ana Paula Dos Santos of Angola; Queen Inkhosikati LaMbikiza of Swaziland and Dr. Turai Umaru Yar'Adua of Nigeria.
•“I’m hoping that the project and progress that certain countries have made can influence others," she said. "Any time you can continue the dialog for empowering women, particularly young girls, and make them leaders in their communities, more problems get solved.”
Many of the issues covered at the summit have been tackled by our contributors in Africa: Pilirani Semu-Banda has explored the devastating effects of obstetric fistula in Malawi; Halimah Abdallah Kisule has described the plight of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in Uganda; Delphine Zulu explored the tragic myth that having sex with a virgin will cure AIDS in Zambia; Remi Adeoye revealed how women and girls are disproportionately affected by violence in the Niger Delta; Philo Ikonya decried the lack of women’s voices in the rebuilding of Kenya after last year’s post-election violence; and Constance Manika celebrated child rights activist Betty Makoni’s efforts to empower abused girls in Zimbabwe.
• Activist and actress Maria Bello (left) organized the attendance of Hollywood celebrities like Diane Lane who are concerned with women's health in Africa.
•Manheim acknowledges the truth that we’ve discovered on the pages of The WIP time and time again: “When women are in positions of power, everyone benefits,” she says. “We have to provide outlets for them to have economic, educational and political strength.”
To see more images from the summit,
visit The WIP’s Flickr set.
- All photographs by Sarah McGowan for The WIP.
Great article, Ali! This reminds me so much of Pray the Devil Back to Hell and the true shift that is possible when women are a part of the solution.
Posted by Sarah Mac | October 26, 2010 9:11 AM
Great article! As usual, Michelle Chen manages to weave an indelible picture, helping us understand the many complexities of volunteerism in Haiti and the conflict between helping and empowerment.
Posted by Sarah Mac | August 20, 2010 9:17 AM
Thank goodness for the artists who help us take a closer look and critically reexamine the world as we've known it. Though the film shows a time now gone, unspeakable acts of horror are still being committed today all over the world. I wonder when all this compartmentalization will give way to a global outcry - not only to end genocide, but all crimes against humanity, especially gender-based violence.
Posted by Sarah Mac | August 11, 2010 12:21 PM
The issue of class and privilege is always an important one to consider in any movement - there are always those with more money, resilience and resources than ourselves, just as there are always those with less. What I liked about this book is that it shows people creating more sustainable lives for themselves by any means necessary and available - and also on a scale determined achievable and realistic by each person or family. One woman in a very low income, inner-city area didn't have any property to farm, but after making community connections, partnered with another who had the land, but not enough hands to work it. Yet another woman traded for her room and board by offering child and elder care as well as helping on a farm.
But this movement might very well hold the most promise for those who are of means or upwardly mobile - because it's that section of the population that usually has disposable income and consume many of the things that aren't really necessary to survival or a high quality of life.
No matter who you are or where you live or how much money you make, there are always ways for living a more sustainable life, especially if you explore your community for options. Volunteering doesn't necessarily mean leaving your community. Farming doesn't necessarily mean owning your own land. And a safety net doesn't necessarily have to be in monetary form - sometimes knowing that you have a community of friends to lean on for support can get you through tough times.
The issue of health insurance was a tough one for me, especially after breaking my leg badly in a freak accident that could have resulted in a permanent disability had I not had good coverage. But every month I think about the exorbitant rates I now pay just for catastrophic coverage and how much I could do with my monthly premium if I gave it up. I'm still hoping for universal health care, or at the very least, something more affordable - but like some of the Radical Homemakers profiled in this book, I am not willing at this point to go without it. I think the important thing to glean from this and many of the questions that the book raised for me is to question assumptions and social messages, to look for ways to creatively meet my needs when money isn't plentiful, and as Elisa points out in her great list of options, buy locally what you need and not what you want.
As Shannon told me on the phone, though she hopes people buy her book, she's more concerned with spreading the word and giving people the opportunity to consider the ways in which they too can build a more healthy and happy life, for themselves and for the planet. So Lisa, I hope that you did what Shannon suggested I do - order the book for your public library and start looking for opportunities to connect in your community.
Posted by Sarah Mac | April 19, 2010 10:23 PM
I love the sentiment that this article ends on - love is so powerful and underutilized in our consumer culture, where the pursuit of personal gain so often is achieved at the expense of another. What would the world look like if we all realized that by building stronger communities, we will be happier, healthier and cared for? There's enough for everyone.
Posted by Sarah Mac | April 2, 2010 1:43 PM
If Turkey's coal mining sector is any indicator of what privatization could mean for future TEKEL workers, I hope that the government gets its act together.
Posted by Sarah Mac | March 4, 2010 9:00 AM
To read more about the Mapuche, be sure to read our article by WIP Contributor Natalie Hart.
Posted by Sarah Mac | November 19, 2009 3:00 PM
The Bell Bajao campaign really hits on the themes that we've been seeing in Linda Tarr Whelan's book and Maria Shriver's new report.
Domestic violence isn't just a women's issue and it shouldn't be. It's a societal epidemic - for countries all around the world. Rather than marginalizing such a massive problem, when we frame these problems as societal, we can create solutions that include everyone.
Thank you, Shreyasi, for sharing this article with us.
Posted by Sarah Mac | October 26, 2009 4:24 PM
I love the first image in this series - I interpret a sense of isolation and loneliness - something that we can all relate to at one time or another. Thank you for sharing this photo essay with us, Tammy. Pictures bring the rest of the world so much closer.
Posted by Sarah Mac | October 25, 2009 10:12 PM
On October 13th, the Council of Europe and the United Nations released a joint study that calls for an international convention to combat organ trafficking. Hopefully such a convention will be adopted to protect those most vulnerable.
Posted by Sarah Mac | October 16, 2009 12:52 PM