Khanyisile Nkosi
Khanyisile Nkosi
Activist and women and children rights advocate Graca Machel wants Africans to stop accepting donations and become donors.
Machel was talking at the launch of the endowment campaign of the African Women's Development Fund (AWDF) at Gallagher Estate in Midrand on Friday.
AWDF was established in 2001 to strengthen and support the African women's movement through mobilising resources for initiatives that promote and protect women's rights.
It provides grants for women's organisations across the continent that work with women empowerment, HIV-Aids, peacemaking, women's human rights, health and reproductive rights, and political participation.
More than 400 organisations in 41 countries in Africa have been given more than R35million.
Organisations that benefited include Women's Hope Education and Training Trust, Masisukumeni Women's Crisis Centre and Positive Women's Network in South Africa, Refugee Women's Organisation in Liberia, New Skills for Women in Ghana and Women's Centre for Peace and Development in Nigeria.
Machel, who co-chairs the AWDF campaign with Liberia's President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, said Africa has the resources and wealth to begin transformation.
"Many organisations, if not all, are almost totally dependent on resources from elsewhere. We have become accustomed to being recipients. The AWDF says that we Africans have to transform ourselves into donors to deal with and solve our problems. Why should other people do it for us all the time?" Machel asked.
She said African institutions has done little to build sustainable initiatives which generate resources for future generations.
"We want to prove that Africa has resources and we are prepared to share it with one another. Funding will come from all over the world, but our goal is to raise at least half from Africa. We can do it."
Help by donating to AWDF's:
l Restricted Endowment;
lSeizing the Moment Fund;
l Support 13 Campaign;
l Real estate, stocks, shares;
l Host or sponsor a fundraising event;
l Donate to a wife, daughter, mother, friend, godmother, sister, or in their memory;
l Start a donor circle or be a volunteer;
See www.awdf.org for more.
Africans are adept
Khanyisile Nkosi
Khanyisile Nkosi
Activist and women and children rights advocate Graca Machel wants Africans to stop accepting donations and become donors.
Machel was talking at the launch of the endowment campaign of the African Women's Development Fund (AWDF) at Gallagher Estate in Midrand on Friday.
AWDF was established in 2001 to strengthen and support the African women's movement through mobilising resources for initiatives that promote and protect women's rights.
It provides grants for women's organisations across the continent that work with women empowerment, HIV-Aids, peacemaking, women's human rights, health and reproductive rights, and political participation.
More than 400 organisations in 41 countries in Africa have been given more than R35million.
Organisations that benefited include Women's Hope Education and Training Trust, Masisukumeni Women's Crisis Centre and Positive Women's Network in South Africa, Refugee Women's Organisation in Liberia, New Skills for Women in Ghana and Women's Centre for Peace and Development in Nigeria.
Machel, who co-chairs the AWDF campaign with Liberia's President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, said Africa has the resources and wealth to begin transformation.
"Many organisations, if not all, are almost totally dependent on resources from elsewhere. We have become accustomed to being recipients. The AWDF says that we Africans have to transform ourselves into donors to deal with and solve our problems. Why should other people do it for us all the time?" Machel asked.
She said African institutions has done little to build sustainable initiatives which generate resources for future generations.
"We want to prove that Africa has resources and we are prepared to share it with one another. Funding will come from all over the world, but our goal is to raise at least half from Africa. We can do it."
Help by donating to AWDF's:
l Restricted Endowment;
lSeizing the Moment Fund;
l Support 13 Campaign;
l Real estate, stocks, shares;
l Host or sponsor a fundraising event;
l Donate to a wife, daughter, mother, friend, godmother, sister, or in their memory;
l Start a donor circle or be a volunteer;
See www.awdf.org for more.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos