June 08
Gender based violence – making the invisible visible
Since independence, Botswana has made
significant progress in alleviating poverty
and improving the standard of living.
However, the problem of gender-based
violence (GBV) still represents a significant
challenge and threat to further progress.
A UNIFEM study in 2002 indicates that 60% of women
in Botswana have been victims of domestic violence
(including incest, assault, rape and refusal to use
condoms). In many cases, women and girls return to
these abusive situations for several reasons, that
include patriarchal attitudes, women’s economic
dependence on men, lack of viable options for women,
and the fear of public humiliation. GBV can lock
women and girls into poverty. To break this cycle
women need support to gain access to new
opportunities and education to facilitate their financial
independence.
Since December 2007 Skillshare International has been
working with partner organisations – Emang Basadi,
Women Against Rape and Bana ba Letsatsi, on a three-
year project 75% funded by the European Commission,
Challenging Abuse Against Women and Children.
These partners have the common aim of addressing
GBV and related challenges and have the capacity to
address the problem of GBV from a holistic approach
through their experience in counselling, rehabilitation,
campaigning and networking.
Khwezi Mbonini, Country Director in Botswana, is
managing the project, which she hails as “a life saver,
the long awaited liberator for long suffering abused
women and children”.
Empowering women teachers in Kerala
Peter with trainees and staff at KMS
Kairali Mahali Samajam (KMS) literally means women’s group.
KMS was set up in 1980 by Ms Crystal Steven in a village called
Chemmannuvila in the state of Kerala to help predominantly
tribal women improve the quality of their lives through mutual
and self help.
KMS has set up more than 40 self-help groups for women, who benefit from
loans and run small businesses such as stone-crushing, tailoring and dairies.
KMS offers training and technical support to the groups. It also runs two
nursery schools and a primary school.
The Kairali Primary School (KPS) borders the forest areas, enrols children of
all religious faiths and actively encourages girls to stay in full-time education
for as long as possible. About 120 students are now enrolled at KPS and the
school employs six primary and two nursery teachers, who are all local women,
funded solely from self-generated income.
Skillshare International development worker Peter Warner has been working with
KMS for over a year. His work there involves training the teachers in new techniques
and training methods centred more towards the student, such as Child Centred
Learning and Peace Teacher - Peace Methods.
34
In this issue:
Work has already started on counselling for women
Julie’s work on trafficking
©Skillshare/Claire Lewis-Armes
and children, assertiveness and gender sensitisation
training for prospective women candidates to Women vote for women
prepare them for the 2009 national general
elections, community dialogues, legal support and
strengthening of Students Against Rape clubs in Prince Harry makes visit
schools within Maun.
Two counsellors have been employed at Bana ba Women teachers in Kerala
Letsatsi as part of this project and started this
March. They have both had previous experience of
NGOs and have worked extensively with children.
“Previously we only had one counsellor for over 240
Development Workers
children. With more counsellors we are able to
work more routinely with the children and also to
NEW PLACEMENTS
hold group sessions weekly. We are also able to
spend more time in the field getting to know the Ekomenzoge Metuge
Regional Coordinator,
children’s family members and also involving them
Project Hope, Namibia
in the project,” explained a spokesperson at Bana Khwezi Mbonini, Skillshare International Country
Barbara Dockalova
ba Letsatsi. Director in Botswana, is managing this GBV project
Capacity Builder, ANGOZA
(Association of NGOs in Zanzibar),
You can give a gift to Skillshare International to help fund work like this.
Tanzania
Simply visit www.skillshare.org and click on the donate now button.
James Urwick
Director of Academic Planning, Lesotho
JARGON BUSTER - Gender Mainstreaming College of Education, Lesotho
Monique Janssens
Mainstreaming a gender perspective is the process of assessing the implications for women and Research and Communications Officer,
men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in all areas and at all COPA, Kenya
levels. It is a strategy for making women’s as well as men’s concerns and experiences an integral Liberty Shelton
dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes Training Adviser,
in all political, economic and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally and Permaculture Trust, Botswana
inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal is to achieve gender equality. (UN Economic and Abel Mubvekere
Social Council formally defined concept). Appropriate Technology Adviser,
KOMEHO Namibian Development Agency,
Source: Wikipedia Namibia
Rebecca Young
Development Adviser,
Tanzania House of Talents, Tanzania
Katrine Musgrave
Business Adviser, Botshello, Botswana
Katrine Musgrave
NGO Liaison & Letsema Development
Manager, Sentebale Charity, Lesotho
Peter explains: “getting the teachers to consider these new ideas, which are
Wilfred Oirere Orenge
quite alien to them, can be difficult at times, but I have written a course
Social Reintegration Officer, AMIMO
which the staff appreciate and the debates that take place can be fun for Mozambique Miners Association,
all concerned. For such a long time students have not been treated as the Mozambique
most important person in the classroom, which of course they are.”
Anna Burnett
Some of the topics Peter is raising as part of his placement include, equality Development Manager,
of opportunity, preparing the children for a lesson, raising achievements Manzini Youth Centre, Swaziland
and the physical environment. Another part of Peter’s role at KMS is to John Burnett
organise surveys about primary education in the forest areas and work with Project Manager (Honey Business),
tribal communities to find out how primary education can be most effective. Manzini Youth Centre, Swaziland
Peter is also trying to get funding to build a new school because the Beullah Muchira
structure of the school he is working in now is in need of major Clinic Project Coordinator,
Swaziland Breast Cancer Network,
refurbishment. Peter stated: “one of the problems facing this project is that
Swaziland
funding agencies do not consider KPS a priority because Kerala as a whole
Boniface Olubayo
has a good educational standard, however the forest and rural areas often
©Skillshare/Julie George Business Adviser, Gantsi Brigade
do not benefit from this. There is still plenty of work to do but I am Development Trust, Botswana
optimistic that more can and will be achieved.”
Ian Kaayo
Fundraising & Communications Officer,
MAAP, Kenya
©Skillshare/Julie George
Daniel Carter
Lecturer in General Medicine, UCM Beira
Medical School, Mozambique
COMPLETED PLACEMENTS
Dr Dinesh Baliga
Programme Officer, HIV and AIDS
Mainstreaming, Skillshare International,
India
Verdiana Malanguka
Resources Mobilisation Officer, Various
Partners, Botswana
Katrine Musgrave
Marketing & Mobilisation Adviser, Lesotho
Planned Parenthood Association (LPPA),
Lesotho
Rebecca Sanchez
Peter with the trainee teachers
Business Adviser, Botshello, Botswana
Email Skillshare news editor at: editor@skillshare.org March 08

Virtual becomes
News in brief...
Skillshare International

face to face for Rebecca

The Masaai pastoralists of Ngorongoro
SSM are among Tanzania’s most marginalised
people and they have little influence or
©Skillshare/Rebecca Young

control over policies which directly affect

student them. Skillshare International's partner
organisation the Irkiramat Foundation

wins prize (RAMAT) has an ultimate goal; to improve

Alex Hillman, a student at
Leicester Medical School, has won
a prize for writing the best essay
in the Skillshare International
Health and Development Special
Study Module (SSM). The module
provides opportunities for
©Adrian Hastings
students to learn about important
issues in global health and how
uneven development results in a high disease burden on the poor.
Alex’s essay discussed the degree to which political freedom results
in more favourable health outcomes in countries with similar levels
of economic development. His conclusion was that a commitment
to providing equitable access to health care was more important than
whether a country was led by a democratically elected government.
The essay prize was sponsored by the Just Fair Trade organisation
in Leicester. Alex received a Just Fair Trade hamper and gift vouchers.
Julie’s work on trafficking
In May, Skillshare International’s Regional Director for Asia, Julie
George, held a talk on Human Trafficking: inhibiting the achievement
of the Millennium Development Goals. The talk was at the University
of Leicester Medical School and primarily to students taking the
Health and Development Special Study Module (SSM).
Julie explained that human trafficking is an issue that several
organisations in Asia are working hard to create awareness about,
especially in India and Nepal. There was an overview of the issues,
initiatives and the non-funded programmes that are tackling this
problem. Students also watched a short video documentary on
trafficking. Julie also advised the students that the University of
Leicester Medical School will be offering electives with Skillshare
International’s partners in India.
Prince Harry visits St.
quality of life for the Masaai and alleviate
their extreme poverty.
Skillshare International development worker
Rebecca Young had been working with RAMAT
for six months in an innovative online placement
where she used technology to share skills
remotely from the UK. Rebecca subsequently
started another placement with another
Skillshare partner organisation, the Tanzania
House of Talents. This placement was based in
Tanzania and so she was able to visit the Masaai
people she had been working with through
Masaai woman at the jewellery workshop
RAMAT on International Women’s Day.
The women of the ward had established a village banking system and had saved 19 million Tanzanian shillings
(over £8,000). They gathered under an acacia tree and were eager to begin income generating projects with their
community money box. Rebecca’s role was to assist and expand their jewellery project so that they could ultimately
build a better life for their community.
Rebecca showed the women her tool-kit of ideas. The Masaai women tried on the different accessories; belts,
necklaces, earrings and bags and looked through fashion magazines Rebecca had brought with her from the UK.
Rebecca said, “I was humbled and privileged to be given the opportunity to work alongside one of Africa’s most
famous yet vulnerable communities.”
Rebecca explained that when she was speaking with the Masaai women, “they displayed acute awareness of the
poverty that they were living in and the fact that sharing the education and knowledge that others already possessed
could help change their situation.”
Editor’s Note ....
Welcome to our June edition of Skillshare
News. The focus this time is gender,
including articles about our new gender
based violence project in Botswana and
our gender advocacy work in Swaziland.
Please feel free to address your comments
about this edition and suggestions for future
articles to me at the UK office in Leicester,
©Skillshare/Amanda Mukwashi
or by email to editor@skillshare.org.
Best wishes

Angela Cheshire Home Women vote for women

This April, HRH Prince Harry visited St. Angela Cheshire Home for
disabled children as a beneficiary of the Sentebale charity. Sentebale
at Swaziland elections
(Forget Me Not) is a new charity founded by Prince Harry and This year Swaziland will have TV programmes have also been Claire Lewis-Armes
Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso to help vulnerable children and young the eighth elections since their aired as part of this project, they Editor
people in Lesotho, particularly those orphaned by AIDS. Skillshare independence in 1968 and women are run as panel debates and address
International is working in partnership with St. Angela Cheshire are waiting in great anticipation the various gaps in terms of
Home through the Lesotho disability project and has also placed a to vote. women’s rights that exist within the
development worker with Sentebale. constitution. Staff from Skillshare’s
Civil society is advocating for women
to vote for women for parliamentary partner organisations SWANNEPHA
and SWAGAA have both been
©Skillshare/Justice Kalebe

representation because gaps within

the constitution do not accord Swazi
women equal rights to men in terms
of citizenship, acquiring land,
marriage and inheritance. Full
representation of women will enable
parliament to query such issues and
lobby for legal reforms to address
the gaps that currently exist.
Currently the Skillshare International
country office in Swaziland is
running a USAID funded programme
that addresses women’s rights within
the Constitution of the Kingdom of
Swaziland and CEDAW (Convention
on the Elimination of all forms of
Discrimination against Women).
Awareness raising training has been
held in eight constituencies around
Prince Harry with children from St. Angela Cheshire Home
the country where women are
for disabled children
encouraged to vote women into
parliament.
panellists on these programmes.
Already the Constitution in
Swaziland has had their first female
Deputy Prime Minister, Senate
President and an increased
representation of female cabinet
ministers, senators and members
of parliament. They have also had
their first female judge in high court.
Swaziland is looking to build on
these successes to bridge the
inequalities between genders. With
the forthcoming elections it would
be empowering to all women of the
world to see Swaziland have equal
representation. Who better to
represent and advocate for women’s
rights than women who have
been affected, directly or indirectly,
by inequality in women’s rights
as citizens.
Skillshare International
126 New Walk,
Leicester. LE1 7JA UK
Tel: +44 (0)116 254 1862
Fax: +44 (0)116 254 2614
Email: info@skillshare.org
www.skillshare.org
This publication has been produced with the
assistance of the European Union. The content
of this publication is the sole
responsibility of Skillshare
International and can in no
way be taken to reflect the
views of the European Union.

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