femTalk 89.2FM celebrates its 7th anniversary

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

May 5^th 2011 marked the 7^th anniversary of femLINK Pacific’s Community Radio: femTalk (89.2FM).  Those present at the celebrations included chief guests: Mrs Susana Evening, President of the Catholic Women’s League and Ms Judith Ragg, Publisher of Mai Life Magazine. Also in attendance were guests from various NGO’s, the media as well as a few representatives from the Ministry of Defence.

Formalities began with brief speeches followed by the cutting of the cake.

The day  also included a café discussion where attendees, divided into two groups were asked a series of questions to help suggest ideas on how to better improve the current suitcase radio station. Ideas relating to the material and stories to be aired, extension of the frequency range, promotion of the radio station as well as the hours of broadcast were all discussed and shared over a light morning tea of beverages and snacks.

The Community Media Centre (CMC) first opened in September 2005 at its current location at Rodwell Road in Suva.

‘The CMC operates on a non-profit basis to increase women, young women and women with disabilities and other marginalized and under-served groups in urban/semi urban Suva greater access to new and appropriate information, communication technology as well as community media and information materials as a catalyst for empowerment.’ (Source: femLINKPACIFIC)

The link below gives a brief overview of femLINK’s work through the use of their suitcase radio nicknamed ‘Veronica’ from its early days in 2005 to the present day.

View femLINKPACIFIC Community Radio Promotional Video here

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Pacific Women Define Their Development Priorities

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

From Scoop News International (May 16th, 2011)

FemLINK Pacific’s 2nd Interactive Dialogue today involved 22 women leaders from the provinces of Macuata, Bua and Cakadrove who tabled seven priority issues as they spoke to a representative of the Prime Minister’s Office and the Chief Executive Officer of the Labasa Town Council., Jiten Prasad.

They welcomed the opportunity to find out how they could integrate their development priorities into local government and national development planning processes, particularly to influence annual budgets and corporate plans (because) the issues are not just women’s issues, but are issues of all their community.

And according to the President of the Vunicuicui Multiracial Forum, Julie Waqa, policy and programmes needed to extend beyond the traditional women in development approach, but an integration of women’s needs, the use of gender analysis and integration of commitments in CEDAW, the MDGS and the priorities set out in the Women’s Platform for Action:, which she said could be achieved by ensuring a 30% target for women’s participation in decision making positions: “We need more than one woman representing all of us and our programmes with FemLINKPacific and the Pacific Centre for Peacebuilding help us come together to develop our strategies and recommendations, such as what we have presented today” she said:

Representing the market vendors, Lusiana Matai, who has been a vendor 2000, also spoke on behalf of Litea who has been a market vendor for three months, Mereia for three years, Adi Sivo for one year and Asinate from Dogoru who has been selling grog for eight years:

“We are glad to hear about the development for a women’s market because there are many issues the female vendors experience:. Our produce are damaged because of the tarpaulins, as there are no proper roofs over our tables and the heat damages our produce,” she said adding there needed to improvements in the space allocation for vendors. Currently there are not enough tables which cause conflicts amongst the vendors. She also highlighted that the public conveniences need to be open beyond the current hours of 8am to 530pm:

The improvement they would like to see include the access to public convenience, toilet bathroom shower facilities for the vendors who have to come in early and leave late.

“We have some facilities in the market but they close at a certain time, but we want it to be open longer even 24 hours, and speaking from personal experience, when I come early or work late, I don’t know where to go to visit the convenience facilities”.

The improvement they would like to see include the access to public convenience, toilet bathroom shower facilities for the vendors who have to come in early and leave late.

“We have some facilities in the market but they close at a certain time, but we want it to be open longer even 24 hours, and speaking from personal experience, when I come early or work late, I don’t know where to go to visit the convenience facilities”.

Lusiana further highlighted that at the market they need a shelter for vendors because vendors have to bring their produce late at night and because there is no secure storage, they find themselves sleeping with their produce rather than at a relatives.

“Many vendors arrive from the rural interior areas and due to lack of safe storage space for their produce most of these vendors go to the old police station and sleep there on the verandah, waiting for the next day to sell. We really need a change, and would like to request for a rest house for the vendors.”

She added that a mother’s room/crèche facility is also needed in the market as many market vendors bring in their children especially toddlers and need a safe space for child care.

“We do not have any proper place for child care at the moment but we need it. We know mothers that bring in their children change their children on the table and at times it even rains, and it is really awkward for us to see.”

“We would like to be part of the planning and implementation of the women’s market project and we recommend at least 30% representation of women market vendors in any committee.” In response the Town Council CEO said that Prasad said that while the current design for the market development had been completed without involving the women vendors, he assured the women that local government would like to be inclusive of submissions and ideas from the women market vendors.

“From our side, we can call a meeting with the stakeholders such as the market vendors, before we proceed with forward with future projects.” Engendering Infrastructure Development as well as Humanitarian Assistance Programmes said Akisi Katariana from Koroivou, Tunuloa, Cakaudrove especially for rural and remote communities, which suffer serious damage during floods and cyclones: “We must ensure DISMAC programmes and humanitarian assistance, crop rehabilitation programmes involve us women. Women are home managers and at the end of the day we provide food on the table and with this we would like to be participate in food security programmes (because) women are home managers and at the end of the day we provide food on the table, and we would like to participate in food security programmes.” Many areas, she said, are still in the rehabilitation process with the crops they had planted, especially after the damaged caused by cyclone Thomas last year.

Safe Motherhood Practices and Services were highlighted by Salote Daugunu who poke on behalf of women’s group from Vatulutu Women’s Group in Kubulau, Bua, Tawake Marama Club from Tawake in Cakaudrove, Wainika and Wainigadru Women’s group in Cakaudrove, Koroivonu women’s group in Tunuloa, Cavanalulu Women’s group, Lagi Dogotuku and Dogoru’s Women club outside Labasa: “Women in rural and remote communities have many issues at we want to raise but one is about health services. We need rural health centres focusing on women’s health with improved facilities. Some concerns from women are for examples in times of emergencies our lives are at stake because of slow response from relevant department and high cost of transportation from our rural communities.” There needs to have a a simpler and more consdierate approach to the fees charged for women’s economic empowerment programmes, especially livestock and agro-based co-operatives and small businesses outside of the town boundary, as these are not simply profit making enterprises said Adi Makitalena of Naleba who is one of the women leaders involved in a women’s cooperative who are seriously worried by the number of and costs of business licenses being applied to their income generating programmes: “Please can you tells us whether there is only one license for small income generating projects especially for women’s economic security,” she stressed adding they all need to better understand “the fine print” of income generating programmes and facilities being offered.

Nirmala Sharma speaking on behalf of the multiracial women’s groups in Vunicuicui, Naleba and Waiqele called for more women to be included in planning for road, electricity, water supply projects:: “Also when it comes to agriculture planning, women are leaders and farmers too and we need more girls trained in the agriculture sector with scholarships allocations and agriculture field officers must visit us and help us with our food garden projects including seed supplies.”

Additionally without proper infrastructure support such as the case of electricity for Vunicuicui Multiracial Women’s Cooperative, the women cannot achieve their business targets and meet their business loan repayments.

Nirmala Sharma, shared that “Lack of Electricity, in Nasoni where we have our cooperative multiracial shop, we would like to ask government to look into providing the area with electricity, because in our shop, we have a refrigerator and as it is funded by the Northern Development Project, and we have loaned from the Fiji Development Bank, it is very hard for us in making the payment for our cooperative shop, so if we have electricity it will make it easier for us to pay our loans and it will be much more busy if we have electricity in that area.”

She said having electricity will be able to support any type of development project in the rural areas such as Vunicuicui.

Rural infrastructure improvements, including road improvements, they added, paved the way to enhance women’s access to health services, education facilities for their children, as well improving the opportunity for local level market development.

The interactive dialogue was the culmination of this week’s consultation supported by the UNDP Strengthening Capacities for Peace and Development project, Strengthening Women in Local Government as well as the Generation Next community radio project supported by the International Women’s Development Agency, as well as the broader work of the Regional Media and Policy Network on UNSCR1325 supported by AUSAid.

The women who took part in the interactive policy dialogue had travelled from as far as Tawake Village right at the Udu Point to the village of Kubulau, and Naleba, Vunicuicui, Waiqele, Dogoru and Siberia.

Both the local and national government officials took this opportunity to explain to the rural women leaders the existing decision making structures and highlighted entry points which the women can use to deliver their development priorities, in particular the national budget process.

According to the Labasa Town Council CEO Jiten Prasad to ensure their issues incorporated into the local government annual corporate plan, they need to submit their recommendations by July of each year for the preceding year:

“For local government if we are developing our corporate plan for the preceding year, we normally prepare the draft by October and formalise it by November so we can submit it to the Ministry of Local Government. We would appreciate if all the submissions could come in to us by July or August,” he said.

The Interactive Dialogue was produced as a community radio programme which featured during the 7th anniversary commemoration of FemTALK 89.2FM

Source: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1105/S00325/pacific-women-define-their-development-priorities.htm

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PNG opposition supports women in politics bill

Monday, May 16th, 2011

Papua New Guinea’s new opposition leader, Belden Namah says his group will support a bill to have more women elected to parliament.

The bill proposing 22 reserved seats for women is now before Parliament for debate and approval.

Mr Namah told Radio Australia’s Pacific Beat program he supports the bill.

“With respect to womens seats. I belive women should have representation in the country so the voice of women can be heard,” he said.

“I’ve already made a commitment to support the bill so we can have women representation on the floor.”

The MP for Vanimo-Green, Belden Namah was voted in unopposed at an opposition group caucus.

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5th May 2011, International Day of the Midwife

Monday, May 9th, 2011

International Day of the Midwife

More than one in three women in developing countries give birth alone – or with only relatives to oversee what is one of the most dangerous passages they will ever undergo. In some of the poorest countries, as few as 13 per cent of all deliveries are assisted by a midwife or a health worker with midwifery skills.

Every day, 1,000 women die and 5,500 newborns die in the first week of life for lack of adequate medical care.

The current global shortage of some 350,000 professional midwives means that women and their newborns die from complications that could have been easily prevented by a health worker with the right skills, the right equipment and the right support. Midwives are the unsung heroes of maternal and newborn health.

Investing in human resources for health is one of the soundest investments a county can make.

In 2011, UNFPA is highlighting the crucial role midwives play in saving lives and strengthening national health systems. Together with more than 20 partners, we will release the first ever State of the World’s Midwiferyreport in June. We will scale up our joint “Investing in Midwives Programme,” with the International Confederation for Midwives to cover 30 countries. And we will join the thousands of midwives at the Triennial Midwives Congress in Durban, South Africa, in June to discuss human resources for health and the way forward.

As the Executive Director of UNFPA, I commend the important work of midwives. Midwives deliver – and not only babies. They save lives and promote good health in societies as a whole. They are an essential workforce in an effective healthcare system.

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British Women in Politics: Progressive Decline

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

Source: The Guardian

May 1, 2011

What seemed signed and sealed 10 years ago now appears to be a chimera that fractured a progressive coalition

This week could and should have marked a transformation in the politics of the United Kingdom. The elections to English councils, to the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish assemblies, and above all the AV vote, taken together, add up to a Super Thursday. It should also have been the moment when it became clear that women belonged at the heart of devolved politics. It could have been a truly progressive moment. The souring of the promise of electoral reform, and the probable demolition of a new politics, have many different sources – but both warn of the daunting conservatism of British political culture and its institutions.

Hope is not entirely dead. If everyone who wants political change turns out to support AV on Thursday, the bookies now raking in the cash for a no vote could yet have an expensive night. There is no such prospect for gender balance in Wales and Scotland. What seemed signed and sealed 10 years ago now appears to be a chimera that, with the premature belief that it was won, fractured the progressive coalition which had fought for the cause. Last month research for the Guardian confirmed what the Hansard Society had already anticipated, that less than a third of candidates were female. Scotland, all five of the Labour women constituency MSPs who are retiring have been replaced by men, and if the very male SNP does as well as the polls suggest then the number of women in Edinburgh’s parliament will tumble to a new low. As in Scotland, so in Wales, even though in 2003 half of its assembly members were women – setting a world record. So much for the idea that with critical mass comes change that cannot be undone.

Experience in Scotland and Wales has revealed an ineluctable reassertion of the values of the old politics, where conflict and confrontation are scored above compromise and conciliation, and reporting is too often about style and not often enough about substance. And then there is the relentless day-and-night news agenda, the morale-sapping personal scrutiny and the basic level of political debate in which, at Westminster, “calm down, dear” can be hailed as a side-splitting example of Commons repartee.

Into this traditional political culture, in the words of the Edinburgh academic Fiona Mackay, the new politics was temporarily “nested” – and found to be more or less defenceless. For this is a culture so robust that not even the glorious new buildings, with their non-confrontational, hemispheric debating chambers, nor their soft architecture of family-friendly working and gender-balanced electoral systems, have been able to survive its corrosive embrace. Worse, the effort to institutionalise reform – through, for example, all-women shortlists – merely set up a headline-grabbing backlash that in 2005 cost Labour Blaenau Gwent for the parliament.

Electoral politics merely reflects the wider world. The apparent triumph of education that sees slightly more girls than boys go to university, train as doctors and qualify as lawyers is immediately undermined at work, where the culture into which they graduate can be reflected in the sentiments of Simon Murray, the Glencore chairman, who claimed last week that women just don’t try hard enough to get to the top.

But constitutional and cultural conservatism does not only hold back women. Black and minority ethnic groups are at least as disadvantaged by it. It excludes difference, whether of class or creed or colour. This is the big lesson from the reverse in electoral politics’ gender wars: advance was achieved not by women alone but by a progressive coalition, and it is undermined the moment that progressive coalition fades. Meanwhile, electoral reform has not even had a clear run at building a progressive coalition. The decline of women in the political heartlands is the miner’s canary: a symptom of an even graver failure of progressive politics.

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