Dear Friends and Colleagues,

The last three months have brought to pass many examples of the courage, perseverance, and optimism of women under difficult and harrowing conditions. In Uzbekistan, recent bombings led to government restrictions on NGO activities, especially those involving Muslim women and men. The work of our partner organization, Tashkent Women's Resource Center (TWRC), has been adversely affected by the curtailment of civil society activism. In Palestine, violence has made the work of our partners at the Women's Affairs Technical Committee (WATC) fraught with uncertainty and danger. The escalating violence in Iraq has interrupted the plans of our colleagues to initiate a joint institute for women's leadership and capacity building. Our hearts and thoughts are with the courageous women in these countries and elsewhere who continue to work to build more peaceful and equitable societies in the face of continuous threats to their safety and the well being of their families. Their stories of hard work and perseverance are an inspiration to all of us.

In this issue of eNews we share the news of the recent completion of a successful and inspiring five-day Institute for Women’s Leadership and Training of Trainers in Kabul. We are also pleased to announce the expansion of WLP’s programs to Latin America and the launch of our online Directory of Women Leaders from the Global South.

In Solidarity,
Mahnaz Afkhami
President
Women’s Learning Partnership
for Rights, Development, and Peace

In This Issue

WLP and Afghan Institute of Learning Convene Institute for Women’s Leadership in Kabul

WLP and our partner the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) convened the Afghan Roaming Institute for Women’s Leadership and Training of Trainers from April 9-13, 2004 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Institute was the product of joint efforts between WLP and AIL to counteract severe political and social discrimination facing women in Afghanistan by helping them gain skills to be more effective advocates for women’s rights, social justice, and equal participation in decision-making. Twenty-nine women and one man from grassroots NGOs, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, and the Ministry of Education in Afghanistan took part in the five-day training. Read article

Leadership Workshops in India and Malaysia Lead to Cooperative Efforts to Empower Women

Recent workshops conducted by WLP’s partners the Centre for Organization Research and Education (India) and the Women's Development Collective (Malaysia) resulted in the creation of networks in each country to improve women’s lives and conditions in their communities. More than 150 indigenous women and men took part in workshops in Assam and Manipur. In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, thirty women participated in a leadership workshop using the draft Malay edition of Leading to Choices: A Leadership Training Handbook for Women. Read article

WLP Launches New Global Directory of Women Leaders

WLP is pleased to announce the launch of a new online Directory of Women Leaders from the Global South. Designed to be used as a resource and networking tool, the directory features biographical and professional profiles of women activists, policy-makers, scholars, and NGO leaders from the Global South who have devoted their lives to supporting the advancement and empowerment of women. The Directory is an ongoing project to increase the visibility of women leaders and to connect individuals, organizations, and networks working on issues of women’s human rights, democracy and civil society, peace and conflict resolution, women and ICTs, and international development. Search Directory

WLP Programs Expand to Latin America

WLP is initiating a Spanish adaptation of our leadership curriculum for Latin America. Malena de Montis, a feminist activist and Founder of the Center for Democratic Participation and Development (Cenzontle) and the Women’s Development Fund (FODEM) is working with WLP to create a Spanish language edition of Leading to Choices: A Leadership Training Handbook for Women, which will be tested in workshops held in cooperation with local women’s organizations in Nicaragua.

Leadership Training Handbooks Now Available in Six Languages on WLP’s Website

In an effort to make our learning materials more widely accessible, WLP’s leadership training manual, Leading to Choices: A Leadership Training Handbook for Women, is now available for download from the WLP website in Shamy-Arabic, English, French, Persian, Russian, and Swahili. The curriculum has been used in leadership training workshops with over 3,000 women throughout Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Culture-specific editions of the handbook are available in nine languages including Assamese, Maghreby-Arabic, and Uzbek and can be purchased through WLP's online store. Download publications or visit WLP’s online store.

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