AWDF sets up gender resource centre

Daily Graphic, Pg 11. Sat Feb. 13/10

Story & Pix: Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho
A gender-based resource centre has been inaugurated in Accra to help build the capacities of individuals who are into gender studies and training.
The centre, established by the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), with support from the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), aims at compiling knowledge on gender and development in the country and beyond to be accessed by people for their development.
The centre, which was inaugurated by the Executive Secretary of the ACBF, Dr Frannie Leautier, on Wednesday, also aims at showcasing some of the contributions that African women have made towards development in Africa.
It is equipped with a range of literature particularly suited to women working in the non-governmental sector and those looking to enhance their personal or professional development.
Some of the literature are on women’s rights, women’s human rights, feminism, capacity building, political participation, health and reproductive rights, journals, peace-building, financial management, African poetry, among others.
Dr Leautier, who was impressed with the work of the AWDF on the resource centre, pledged her outfit’s continued support to the AWDF in helping to economically empower women’s groups and building the capacities of women, noting that that was about learning and sharing ideas and experiences among the women.
She said her outfit had also launched a book on gender budgeting which would be incorporated in the ACBF’s policies and programmes.
A co-founder of the AWDF and board member, Ms Joana Foster, in an address, said the centre would be accessible to all individuals whose aim was to build their capacities on gender mainstreaming.
The Executive Director of the AWDF, Ms Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, said “it’s about time African women had a resource centre where they can go to learn, read and develop themselves”.
She said the resource centre was a place where women could meet, share knowledge with one another and network.
She said it would also help to strengthen the AWDF’s documentation capacity, adding that it would be put online soon so that people across the continent and the world as a whole could access its services.
Ms Adeleye-Fayemi said the AWDF, which is a grant making foundation with the aim of supporting the work of the African women’s movement, had a vision for African women to live in a world in which there were social justice, equality and respect for human rights.
She said the AWDF’s mission was to mobilise financial resources to support local, national and international initiatives led by women which would lead to the achievement of its vision.