SILVER SPRING, Md. —On Human Rights Day, commemorated Thursday, December 10, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) ended a 15-day campaign to end gender-based violence in Malawi with a closing ceremony that reached more than 20 villages in the Mulanje District with activities that raised awareness of the issue, demanding the elimination of violence in all of its forms.
“Commit, act, and demand: Together we can end gender-based violence” was the theme for the campaign, which supports the larger global enditnow™ initiative, a new campaign co-sponsored by ADRA to educate communities about gender-based violence and advocate for its elimination all over the world.
More than 4,000 people took part in the campaign in their own communities, and more than 800 people attended the closing event, which was held at the Chisitu Primary School in the Mulanje District in southern Malawi.
According to ADRA’s Women Empowerment Project (WEP) Manager, Andiyesa Mhango, the campaign supports the objectives of WEP, which has been working in Mulanje since April 2007 to empower women, promoting their health and basic rights, and encouraging their utilization of self-supporting income generating activities. WEP’s second phase, which began in May 2009, is targeting 6,000 beneficiaries directly and approximately 18,000 indirectly.
“The campaign has helped to sensitize people to understand their rights, that there are laws in place to protect those rights, and the need to report any abuses of those rights to the relevant authorities,” shared Mhango.
Key stakeholders of the event included representatives from the Malawian Ministry of Gender, Child Welfare and Community Services, the National Initiative for Civic Education, and the Mulanje District Police. Attendees participated in various activities to sensitize their communities about gender-based violence through theater presentations, speeches, poems, songs, and dances, all highlighting the campaign’s theme. Activities also provided education to attendees about gender and human rights, and helped to motivate them to protect themselves from continued violence.
Participants also took part in a one-mile march that ended at the event location, by singing, carrying banners, and waving signs promoting human rights and the elimination of violence against women.
In addition, the program’s guest of honor, Mr. Gideon Mothisa, district labor officer for the Mulanje District spoke, thanked ADRA for its leadership in raising the call for the campaign, and urged stakeholders to make a stand against violence.
ADRA Programs Director Michael Usi commended attending stakeholders and community members for their efforts to curb gender-based violence, promising that ADRA would continue to work with local organizations and communities in order to reduce violence in the surrounding areas.
Enditnow™ was launched in October 2009, and is currently collecting 1 million signatures from supporters in 200 countries and territories, which will be presented to the United Nations to raise attention regarding the issue, advocate for new policies to better protect both women and girls.
To join the 1 million supporters of the enditnow™ cause, click here to sign the online petition on Facebook. Or go to Twitter to receive campaign updates.
Follow ADRA on Twitter to get the latest news and information from around the world.
ADRA is a non-governmental organization present in 125 countries providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race or ethnicity.
For more information about ADRA, visit http://www.adra.org/
Author: Nadia McGill
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
“Commit, act, and demand: Together we can end gender-based violence” was the theme for the campaign, which supports the larger global enditnow™ initiative, a new campaign co-sponsored by ADRA to educate communities about gender-based violence and advocate for its elimination all over the world.
More than 4,000 people took part in the campaign in their own communities, and more than 800 people attended the closing event, which was held at the Chisitu Primary School in the Mulanje District in southern Malawi.
According to ADRA’s Women Empowerment Project (WEP) Manager, Andiyesa Mhango, the campaign supports the objectives of WEP, which has been working in Mulanje since April 2007 to empower women, promoting their health and basic rights, and encouraging their utilization of self-supporting income generating activities. WEP’s second phase, which began in May 2009, is targeting 6,000 beneficiaries directly and approximately 18,000 indirectly.
“The campaign has helped to sensitize people to understand their rights, that there are laws in place to protect those rights, and the need to report any abuses of those rights to the relevant authorities,” shared Mhango.
Key stakeholders of the event included representatives from the Malawian Ministry of Gender, Child Welfare and Community Services, the National Initiative for Civic Education, and the Mulanje District Police. Attendees participated in various activities to sensitize their communities about gender-based violence through theater presentations, speeches, poems, songs, and dances, all highlighting the campaign’s theme. Activities also provided education to attendees about gender and human rights, and helped to motivate them to protect themselves from continued violence.
Participants also took part in a one-mile march that ended at the event location, by singing, carrying banners, and waving signs promoting human rights and the elimination of violence against women.
In addition, the program’s guest of honor, Mr. Gideon Mothisa, district labor officer for the Mulanje District spoke, thanked ADRA for its leadership in raising the call for the campaign, and urged stakeholders to make a stand against violence.
ADRA Programs Director Michael Usi commended attending stakeholders and community members for their efforts to curb gender-based violence, promising that ADRA would continue to work with local organizations and communities in order to reduce violence in the surrounding areas.
Enditnow™ was launched in October 2009, and is currently collecting 1 million signatures from supporters in 200 countries and territories, which will be presented to the United Nations to raise attention regarding the issue, advocate for new policies to better protect both women and girls.
To join the 1 million supporters of the enditnow™ cause, click here to sign the online petition on Facebook. Or go to Twitter to receive campaign updates.
Follow ADRA on Twitter to get the latest news and information from around the world.
ADRA is a non-governmental organization present in 125 countries providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race or ethnicity.
For more information about ADRA, visit http://www.adra.org/
Author: Nadia McGill
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
For more information, contact:
John Torres, Senior Public Relations Manager
301.680.6357
301.680.6357 (office)
301.680.6370 (fax)
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