POSITION PAPER ON THE HEALTH SECTOR MINISTERIAL POLICY STATEMENTS FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 2021/2022
Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMWA) and the Coalition on Financing for Health Research and Development (COFHRED) have come together to present and discuss a Position Paper on the Health Sector Ministerial Policy Statement and Budget Proposals for FY 2021/22 Budget aimed at enhancing the financing for the Health Sector in General and Sexual Reproductive Health […]
Uganda Civil Society Leaders Demand an Immediate End to Abductions, Torture, Illegal Detention and Extra Judicial Killings of Ugandan Citizens
We, Ugandan civil society leaders, are alarmed by the escalating violations of human rights in the country, the undermining of our road to democracy and the colossal failure of our state institutions to stop the tide and ensure that sanity reigns in the country. It is apparent that since the events of 2017 when our […]
THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR UGANDA TO HAVE A HEALTH BUDGET CUT!
“It is unfathomable that the government of Uganda has proposed cuts to the health budget at such a time when the country is grappling with the devastating economic and health effects of the pandemic. This exemplifies how uncaring the government continues to act towards her citizens, especially women and other vulnerable groups who are disproportionately […]
A Feminist Approach to Sex Work
As one of the implementing partners under the Joint Advocacy for Sexual Reproductive, Health and Rights (JAS) Programme, AMwA seeks to ensure that an intersectional feminist analysis is infused in the design and implementation of the program including the development of critical feminist analysis pieces on thematic areas of the program. We developed this technical […]
Deepening Feminist Analysis in East Africa
On December 10th, 2020, Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA), currently steering the Uganda Feminist Forum (UFF) working group, hosted a Feminist Movement Conversation themed ‘Decolonization and Reimagining Feminist Futures’; centered on how to apply decoloniality and afro-feminism as a framework to advance women’s rights in Africa. Guided by Prof. Sylvia Tamale’s new book, ‘Decolonization and […]
Accelerating the Ratification of C190: Violence and Harassment Convention in Africa
History was made on 21st, June 2019, as the International Labour Organization (ILO) adopted a new labour standard to combat violence and harassment in the workplace. The Violence and Harassment Convention 2019 (C190), and the Violence and Harassment Recommendation 2019(R206), were adopted by delegates representing governments and employers’ and workers’ organizations. These have been lauded […]
MEET ME
All over the world, Streets dazzled with Christmas lights Humanity danced! Party after party; Anticipating a future so bright. I laughed while I watched, Their desperation, coupled with excitement to say goodbye to their old lover; 2019. If only they knew I was coming along with 2020, They wouldn’t have been in a rush to […]
The situation of women workers in the horticultural sector during the pandemic
Flowers are a luxury unlike food and shelter, but to the workers around the world, who pick and prune and spray every day so that our weddings, homes, and offices have a natural pop of color; they are a necessity. The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting worldwide lockdowns affected all industries but few were hit […]
Dear Akpara
Dear Akpara, I haven’t written to you because I feared my truth, Still watering the fruits, ignoring the root, The gongs got my head mute, Even the talking drum has gone mute, Sorry my prayers were no input, But our memories were cute, So cute I’m still holding strong, I found the light you […]
KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF MY THIGHS, SSEBO
Keep Your Hands Off My Thighs, Ssebo is a compilation of fictionalized accounts of women who have experienced abuse at the workplace, intended to provide a basic and simplified understanding and context of sexual harassment at places of work from a feminist perspective. These stories of fear, shame, blame, and silence depict how the impunity […]
30 young women graduate from the 7-week virtual Feminist and Transformational Leadership Fellowship 2020
Abiding by our mission to develop a cadre of feminist leaders through our flagship program the African Women’s Leadership Institute (AWLI), with support from UN Women Uganda, we successfully concluded a 7-week virtual Feminist and Transformational Leadership Fellowship from the 28th of July to the 15th of September, 2020. The ceremony held on 3rd November […]
Mentors of the Feminist and Transformational Leadership Fellowship
Akina Mama Wa Afrika’s flagship program the ‘African Women’s Leadership Institute (AWLI)’ provides a powerful and holistic feminist grounding for African women to enable them define, analyze and articulate their experiences of inequalities and devise solutions for sustained change. We called for mentors to support our goal of shaping a feminist future through our Feminist […]
Advancing to New Horizons after the African Women’s Leadership Institute
The opportunity to attend the African Women’s Leadership Institute (AWLI) marked a fresh journey for me. It was definitely different from all the other trainings I have been a part of before. The first session we held on body and mind centered nourishment drew me closer to the beauty of nature which seemed usual but […]
Continuity starts with an individual: Our learnings from the 25 years of the Beijing Platform
On October 9, 2020, Uganda celebrated 58 years of Independence from her colonial masters, the British. The celebration was held under the theme, “Celebrating Uganda’s steady progress towards economic take-off and self-sustaining economic growth”. Uganda since her independence in 1962, has made great strides in achieving development but has also stumbled and failed in the same. The […]
Building a Solid Foundation for the JAS Programme Technical Working Group on Women and Gender
Akina Mama wa Afrika on 6th August, 2020, convened the first Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting on Gender under the Joint Advocacy for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Uganda (JAS) Programme. The purpose of the TWG meeting was to create a safe space for stakeholders to share information, strategize, coordinate efforts and develop […]
Activating a bold, progressive, cross-border feminist movement on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
25 years after the unanimous adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA) by 189 countries, there have been enormous improvements in the lives of women and girls but also many unfulfilled promises especially in the area of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). Despite the wins, women are still faced with […]
Illicit Financial Flows: Plugging the outflow of resources for gender justice
In a groundbreaking report released in 2015, the Mbeki High Level Panel revealed that Africa loses about US$50 billion annually in Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs), an amount less than the Official Development Assistance Africa collectively receives as a continent. The 2018 United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) study on the global governance architecture for […]
In the shadow of the pandemic: The dark underbelly of private debt
People borrow money for a myriad of reasons; to get an education, manage medical or financial emergencies, travel, pay existing loans, start a business or expand it. Debt is one of the ways people cope but more so now, during the Covid-19 pandemic which has ushered in a major ongoing global economic crisis and caused […]
The Informal Economy in the grip of the pandemic: Sharing experiences and strategies for a resilient recovery
Over 50% of Uganda’s GDP is attributed to the informal sector and more than 80% of the labor force work is in the informal sector according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS,2014). A report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) stated that women-owned businesses by 2014 had outpaced male-owned businesses by 1.5 times (236% […]
Tusikize! Listen to Us!
When the #MeToo movement dominated global discourse on sexual assault and harassment, it resonated with women worldwide because it opened up a space for them to say, “Me too. I have also suffered sexual violence”. Sexual harassment is pervasive and has infested all workplaces without exception. Many people were silent about their experiences, but as […]