groupes en action

Linked with our presentation of Ela Bhatt – India.

Linked also with our presentation of Reema Nanavaty – India.

The group SEWA.org started small — a few thousand members — but these days, it’s the largest primary labor union in the country, representing a quarter of a million self-employed workers, from fruit vendors to stitchers to road construction workers. Members have formed trade cooperatives for various groups — like cattle raisers and cigarette rollers — to share resources and tackle common issues. Along with negotiating power, SEWA (which means “service” in Hindi and Gujarati) offers programs for health and maternity benefits. One of the group’s biggest coups was the 1974 creation of its own bank, where women can start a savings account with just a few rupees, or take out a small loan to grow their enterprise. These microfinancing opportunities are vital resources for women who previously would have had to resort to hawking their bangles or borrowing from gouging moneylenders. It also gives women a place to stash their savings, safe from the hands of husbands, sons and in-laws — in other words, a chance to be self-reliant.

Elaben Bhatt, SEWA’s founder and former secretary general, gives her perspective on poverty. She speaks of the struggle to break the cycle of subsistence, deprivation and survival that characterizes the life of the world’s poor, in particular women. She provides some answers: access to credit and productive resources, action, organisation and leadership. (Read the whole article on BBC world).

Appropriate technology for supporting micro enterprise: SEWA’s provision, training and capacity-building with ICTs at the grassroots level has helped in bridging the existing digital divide through the use of technologies appropriate to the needs of its members. It has shown that such technologies can support women working in the informal sector, bringing greater livelihood security to economically vulnerable households living in increasingly fragile environments … Having understood the effect of poor access to information on poverty, SEWA embarked on a journey to include ICTs within its work.

Continuer la lecture de « Self Employed Women’s Association SEWA »

Linked with our presentation of Prema Gopalan – India.

June 12-16, 2006, Grassroots Academy, Women Building Communities Amid Rapid Urbanization and Decentralization, Vancouver, Canada. Contact Sandy.

June 19-23, 2006, World Urban Forum , Vancouver, BC, Canada. Contact Marnie, or Nola Kate.

For both see also this Website, or also this mail Info.

Download two pdf texts: past, present and future, and partnership.

The Huairou Commission was created:

To promote the institutional transformation needed to engender local community development and governance. To develop and implement a global plan of action to ensure accountability of governments and international agencies to the commitments made to grassroots women (national to global). To strengthen and promote ongoing dialogue, strategic alliances and power-sharing among grassroots women, local authorities, parliamentarians, private sector representatives, academics, policy makers, and their associated networks (local to global).

Also:

Continuer la lecture de « The Huairou Commission »

Linked with our presentation of Prema Gopalan – India.

SSP, Swayam Shikshan Prayog, a Self Learning Network of Women, brings women to the centre of development process, enabling grassroots women’s collectives to access and manage resources so that they can gain entry in governance, says Ms. Prema Gopalan, its Founder and Director … Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP) seeks to bring women and communities of the poor from the margin to the mainstream of the development processes. SSP is located in Mumbai, with resource teams in eight districts that partner with grassroots women’s groups and local self governments across the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Today SSP is building capacities for peer exchanges, ICT, networking, advocacy and partnerships on savings and credit, livelihood options, local governance at grassroots, participatory monitoring of basic services, community led water and sanitation and disasters linked to development …

… Prior to 1998, SSP was initiated as an informal network on women’s economic empowerment, which included small and medium grassroots groups and organisations in rural Maharashtra. The idea was to develop collectively a menu of practical learning tools that facilitated women to understand the transition in rural economies. The network assisted cross border learning from thrift and credit groups by Samakhya in A.P through a series of study tours and workshops in 1989-90. As a result, twenty-five organizations began to form savings and credit groups in Maharashtra.

Continuer la lecture de « SSP Swayam Shikshan Prayog – India »

Linked with our presentation of Ana Teresa Bernal – Colombia.

The National Network of Citizen Initiatives for Peace and Against War REDEPAZ:

Ana Teresa Bernal’s organization REDEPAZ is strengthening the peace movement in Colombia by bringing together peace organizations of youths, women, and indigenous groups to form a strong and cohesive voice. United, these organizations are setting a common agenda and creating their own solutions to Colombia’s problems instead of waiting for actors of the armed conflict to do so. For nearly four decades, Colombia has been in the throes of armed conflict, with guerilla groups, the army, paramilitary groups, and drug cartels waging war with each other. For young people, survival often means enlisting with armed groups, thereby swelling their ranks and ensuring the continuity of conflict. As frustration grows with the unceasing turmoil, growing numbers are favoring violent options, making it increasingly urgent for concentrated efforts to keep the focus on nonviolent resolutions. But citizen peace initiatives have been solitary, scattered, low-impact efforts, and civil society has been excluded from negotiations and general discussions on the conflict. REDEPAZ provides the critical missing piece in the search for peaceful solutions to Colombia’s problems: a vehicle to engage the citizen sector. It has facilitated crucial linkages allowing a mass movement demanding peace and resisting violence, and forcing politicians and armed groups to pay attention. It has held public referenda where children and adults have had a chance to officially vote for peace, compelling political parties to include the peace mandate in their agendas, stimulating negotiations between warring factions, and moving the corporate sector to take a stand against violence. REDEPAZ has enabled the citizen sector to establish its presence at the negotiation table.

Continuer la lecture de « REDEPAZ – Colombia »

Linked with our presentation of Kamala Sarup – Nepal.

Peace Journalism is an independent monthly e-magazine, registered in New Jersey. Chief Editor: Kamala Sarup. They write: Peace Media believes in a free press and is an independent e-magazine. Peace Media will be happy to accept any criticism, suggestions, help or contributions from freelancers. Peace Media advocates for Peace, Human security, and true Democracy. No one can impose on us or force us to publish any article or interview that is essentially propaganda against human security or national security.

Peace Media e-magazine is founded on the belief that educating people on conflict resolution is an important step in reducing world turmoil. We believe that the role of the media is to raise a voice against injustice and fight violence. We support peace, democracy and development in societies undergoing crisis and change. We also believe that the media play a strong role during the peace negotiation and social reconstruction processes. Peace Media strengthens journalism in all areas of conflict. Its activities include training and dialogue with members and readers and providing information to media professionals.

To implement these objectives, we perform research on peace and conflict resolution, conduct a regular media watch to analyze mainstream and alternative media, and network with allied organizations around the world. We develop and disseminate information on the prevention and peaceful resolution of conflicts through meetings, written articles and research. Peace Media publication requires your help.

Continuer la lecture de « Peace Journalism »