Women and Youth

Kenya: working to protect children from internet abuse

Thursday, 04 March 2010 14:54

A children's organization, the Kenyan government and Microsoft East Africa Ltd. have launched a program to warn parents about Internet hazards.

(1 Vote)

Tags: ICT - Microsoft - internet - children - youth - Kenya

Serena to build more schools in Africa

Thursday, 25 February 2010 12:10

US tennis star Serena Williams said on Wednesday she planned to help to build one new school every year in parts of Africa where education is beyond the reach of most children.

(4 Votes)

Tags: Serena Williams - tennis - US - school - education - development - Kenya - Africa

UN teaches DR Congo women to tackle rape

Monday, 15 February 2010 12:23

Five goats and some money used to be the price to forget an act of rape in the southeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo, but UN staff are telling women they can now go to court.

(2 Votes)

Tags: UN - MONUC - rape - Ashraf Sebbabi - Mwitwobe - Joe-Varell Katumwa

Uganda bans female genital mutilation

Friday, 11 December 2009 12:33

Ugandan MPs have voted to outlaw female genital mutilation - also known as female circumcision. Anyone convicted of the practice, which involves cutting off a girl's clitoris, will face 10 years in jail, or a life sentence if a victim dies.

(2 Votes)

Tags: Female genital mutilation - female circumcision - Joshua Mmali - Alice Alaso - BBC Focus on Africa - Uganda

Zimbabwe woman, receiving rights award, speak out

Tuesday, 24 November 2009 10:59

President Barack Obama praised representatives of a women's organization whose members have been beaten by President Robert Mugabe's police force and face court trials for challenging the Zimbabwean government. He said their grass-roots efforts could improve the African country.

(2 Votes)

Tags: Barack Obama - Robert Mugabe - Jenni Williams - Magondonga Mahlangu - US - Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award - award - woman - activist - Zimbabwe

S.Africa, Lesotho among top 10 in gender equality

Wednesday, 28 October 2009 12:58

Two southern African states, South Africa and Lesotho, have leapt into top 10 ranking of countries where women face the least discrimination, according to the World Economic Forum. South Africa sprang from 22 to 6, Lesotho climbed from 16 to 10.

(2 Votes)

Tags: Global Gender Gap Index - WEF - woman - gender - South Africa - Lesotho

Big changes to Namibia's child law

Friday, 21 August 2009 11:17

A mammoth draft bill on child care and protection is nearing completion in Namibia. The bill has been compiled with the aid of of experts and a nationwide consultation process through flyers, Facebook and sms.

(1 Vote)

Tags: draft bill - child care - Gender Research and Advocacy desk of the Legal Assistance Centre - South Africa - Namibia

Rwanda provides credit for women's development

Friday, 31 July 2009 10:32

In early July, Rwandan officials announced a new programme that aims to strengthen women's economic capacity by providing more access to credit and enabling them to start income generating projects.

(1 Vote)

Tags: woman - development - growth - finance - Jean d'Arc Mujawamariya - Rwanda

Tanzania launches bank for women

Thursday, 30 July 2009 10:59

Tanzania has launched a bank aimed specifically at women in what officials say will be an empowering move. Women need only an ID card or passport to open an account, unlike other banks which require title deeds or other proofs of wealth.

(2 Votes)

Tags: bank - woman - empowerment - growth - gender equality - Tanzania

Ghana sentences human traffickers

Tuesday, 28 July 2009 13:02

A court in Accra recently made history by sentencing three Chinese traffickers to 41 years in prison. The traffickers recruited women from China - sometimes from their own communities - by offering them work in a restaurant in Ghana.

(2 Votes)

Tags: human trafficking - woman - China - forced - labour - Ghana Anti-Trafficking Unit - Criminal Investigations Department - UNODC - Ghana

Demobilisation of Darfur child soldiers commences

Tuesday, 28 July 2009 10:22

Thirty-six child soldiers who once served with an armed rebel movement in Sudan's Darfur region have been voluntarily demobilised and given assistance so they can return to school and their communities, the United Nations reported today.

(1 Vote)

Tags: child soldiers - demobilisation - voluntary - UN - Darfur - Sudan

Support for female circumcision declining in Egypt

Friday, 10 July 2009 13:09

New research finds the practice of female circumcision is losing support in Egypt. Historical evidence indicates that female cutting has been done since the time of the pharaohs, but religious leaders and woman are now speaking out.

(4 Votes)

Tags: decline support - female circumcision - Islam - leaders - banned - Egypt

AU delegates see progress on rights of African women

Monday, 22 June 2009 12:09

Delegates at an African Union pre-summit meeting on women's issues say they are encouraged by signs of progress on gender equality. Agriculture and food security is the theme of the A.U. summit beginning July 1 in Libya.

(1 Vote)

Tags: African Union - women's issues - progress - gender equality - Africa

"This is my wife!"

Tuesday, 02 June 2009 10:29

Auma Okot fled Uganda's most notorious rebel group five years ago and, after getting married, joined the local soccer team.

Tags: Uganda

Ghana: women's microfinance institution wins award

Thursday, 28 May 2009 13:28

Women’s World Banking, arguably Ghana's most innovative microfinance institution has won an award at the recent Women's World Banking Global Network and Capital Markets meeting held in New York from April 27 to May 5.

(1 Vote)

Tags: microfinance - Ghana

Kenyan women's sex boycott ends, with some success

Thursday, 07 May 2009 13:16

A week-long effort by Kenyan women to withhold sex in the hope of spurring political leaders to resolve their disputes and undertake reforms has come to an end.

Tags: ODM - sexual relations - Kenya

Women's football in Senegal gets a boost

Wednesday, 06 May 2009 15:12

A championship tournament for female soccer players in Senegal has brought together disparate elements in support of the women's game, and is giving girls more than just a chance to play soccer.

(1 Vote)

Tags: Women - football - soccer - Senegal

Lesotho initiates grant to help Aids orphans

Tuesday, 05 May 2009 14:20

The Government of Lesotho is commencing a groundbreaking initiative to provide child- headed households and poor households caring for orphans and other vulnerable children with a quarterly payment aimed at alleviating poverty.

Tags: child grant - poverty - HIV/Aids - European Commission - UNICEF - Lesotho

Southern Sudan enacts child-protection law

Tuesday, 14 April 2009 11:47

Southern Sudan has implemented legislation recognising the rights of children in line with the United Nation's convention on the Rights of the Child.

(2 Votes)

Warriors, and warriors in waiting

Thursday, 19 February 2009 17:38

africanwoman The role of women in African society cannot be ignored. Arguably more so than on any other continent, women are the guardians of their children's, and thereby the continent's, well-being. Women in Africa deserve to be celebrated. With an amazing fighting spirit, it is the women of Africa who succeed and achieve against all odds. For the continent to prosper it is important that issues of gender equality are addressed. While Africa as a whole does not have the world's best track record in terms of gender equality, there are African countries that are leading the way globally in this regard and providing inspirational examples for others to follow.

Tags: Rwanda - Nigeria - Mozambique - Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka - Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf - Liberia - Ghana - Cape Verde - Lesotho

Taking a stand for sustainable development: Kenya's Wangari Maathai

Thursday, 19 February 2009 17:35

In 2004 Kenyan human rights and environmental activist, Wangari Maathai (68), became the first African women to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Maathai was honoured for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.