WIPSEN-Africa and AWDF mark INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY!!!

Inter-Generational Dialogue in Celebration of International Women's Day
Theme: "Why We Fight" 
Venue: La Palm Royal Hotel, Accra – Ghana.
Date: 8th March, 2011 
Organized by:The Women Peace and Security Network Africa (WIPSEN-Africa)  

Background  
The International Women's Day, March 8, is a day when women and their achievements are celebrated worldwide. March 8, 2011 will be particularly important as it marks a centenary since the day was observed for the first time. Many positive changes have been brought to women's lives since the campaign for women's equality started in 1911 with demands for the right to work, vote and hold public offices. However, discrimination against women persists and 100 years down the line; women are still fighting for their basic rights to be free from violence, have a say in policies and decisions that affect their lives and to have equal access to education, health and employment.     
Rationale
 As much as March 8 is a day of celebration it is a day to take stock of how far we
have to travel to acheive gender equality. One particular concern in Ghana in this regard is the minimal presence of young women in the feminist movement to take up activism work from the older generation. Women Peace and Security Network Africa (WIPSEN-Africa) strongly believes that it is important to address this gap by introducing young girls to the women's movement and stirring them to be a force in the fight for women's equality in Africa. WIPSEN-Africa is organizing a one-day inter-generational dialogue with women from different professional backgrounds including the parliamentarians, women from law enforcement agencies, UN entities, civil society organisations, government ministries and the media sector to share their great experiences of activism against gender based discrimination with young girls in Accra.
The dialogue will bring together 60 participants; 50 girls from the private and public senior and junior high schools in Accra and 10 women's rights activists. The theme – 'why we fight' will be a great platform to foster an understanding of gender based discrimination and violence among school girls. It will also provide the opportunity to learn across generations on identifying gender based discrimination, its causes and the consequences and the need to address it. This event will provide feminists the space to reflect on their challenges and successes and to inspire young African girls to build themselves a better future. 

 Specific Objectives 
·         To bridge the gap between the older generation of feminists and young girls.
·         To empower young girls to defend their rights and be agents for change.
·         To promote a supportive environment for young girls to join the women's rights movement.
Main Activities
·         Opening remarks by the Canadian High Commissioner.
·         Presentations by feminists from different organizations on 'Why did you become a feminist and how did you get involved in the feminist movement? Why do you think that the feminist movement in Ghana has failed to attract the younger generation to its cause?
·         Q & A
·         Breakout sessions for young girls to share their experiences and that of their communities on what constitutes gender based discrimination and why it is important for the younger generation to get onboard this movement. How do they (young girls) see women's rights activism? Each group will have 10 girls and 2 feminists who will be contributing to and guiding the discussion.
·         Groups report back.   

Outcomes
·         Increased awareness among young girls on gender based discrimination and the need to tackle it.
·         Increased interest among young girls to challenge gender inequality in their schools and communities.
·         Commitment from feminists to mentor young girls who have expressed interest to join the feminist movement.   

08/03/2011