Update on AYA’s Five Keys in Five Villages Project

Rockflower partner, African Youth Alliance, based in Cameroon, has been working to support seven groups of women in five different villages, utilizing Rockflower’s Five Key Framework. The project includes thoughtful elements that serve to improve the women’s quality of life through training focused on peace and security, maternal and reproductive health, access to food and water, education, and economic empowerment. This two year project has faced a great deal of challenges as a result of the pandemic, however, since resuming activities in March of 2021, the project has had a great impact on the lives of women, and has pivoted to include COVID-19 prevention education into their curriculum. AYA has provided an update on the program and its impact on the community.

Peace and Security:

AYA held a number of group discussions on peace and security to help women to better manage crises and conflict in their own homes and communities. The rate of physical and/or sexual violence toward women from intimate partners in Cameroon is 51%. More than half of the women attending these sessions had themselves been victims of domestic and/or sexual violence. The trainings not only taught them how to react and de-escalate conflict and violence, but how to protect themselves and understand their rights and power in these situations. 

At the end of each training session, the women were encouraged to stay in contact with one another and continue to have conversations on these topics. The group labeled themselves as ‘Community Peace Ambassadors’ and as such committed to sharing knowledge regularly, providing training to others, informing their community that they can be contacted in times of crisis, as well as working together to identify problems and seek solutions for women’s safety.

Group participant, Petra Mbom, a 25 year old, single and a mother told AYA, “I have benefitted as well as my group because we have been taught that women also have rights and that they can stand firm to defend themselves. Also from the lectures given we are able to settle disputes in our families and in our community and we hope to change certain aspects in our community. That is, allowing women to have rights to landed property is our target.”

Maternal and Reproductive Health:

AYA knew that focusing on women’s reproductive and sexual health was one of the most important aspects of this project. Since the women in these groups have received little, if any education on their sexual health, the potential for impact was immense. 

The primary focus areas for these sessions were education on HIV/AIDS, family planning, and menstruation. AYA enlisted the help of community nurses to stress the importance of learning their HIV/AIDS status, help them to understand the damage caused by stigamitizing and discriminating against other women based on their status, and to educate women who are HIV positive on how to stop the spread. 

In terms of family planning, the group focused on practices that would promote the health of both the mother and child, such as spacing out births. This topic was particularly impactful, as some of the women came to the session with the belief that they were going to be discouraged from having children, which was not the case. 

One participant explained, “Family planning has been taught in our group and we now understand that family planning does not mean women should stop giving birth or should not give birth, but it helps women to space their births and maintain a healthy family. Also, we now know the importance of reusable sanitary pads, how to use and take proper care of the pads.” Overall, the participants learned a great deal about caring for themselves as they navigate childbirth, sexually transmitted illnesses, and menstruation.

Access to Food and Water:

This portion of the project focused primarily on agriculture and land stewardship. Many of the women who participated in this training were already farmers by trade, while others were interested in gardening to supplement their family’s food supply. Some of the skills taught included preparing land for farming or gardening, propagating and nursing fruit trees, and understanding root systems.

The women also gained knowledge on land stewardship and conservation. They began a project in which they mapped out sites that would be considered unsafe or risky for farming, which led to a much higher success rate of crops in the area. This was the first time that the community conducted a study of land types, and it will have great long-term benefits. Through this mapping the women learned about the impacts of deforestation, land erosion and overfarming. They also learned about and implemented compost piles, harvested cabbage from community gardens and began an initiative titled “Operation One Man One Tree” in which each participant will plant a tree and encourage friends and family to do the same.

One participant, Ngwainmbi Mercy, who is 26 years old, married and a mother of two children said she has benefitted from the agricultural techniques that she learned through AYA’s training. Her and her group have been able to cultivate carrots, cabbages, and beans and this has helped them to provide food for their families and communities.

Education:

Due to the immense success and positive feedback from the maternal and reproductive health education, AYA decided to focus their education training on female empowerment. Several group meetings were held in which the groups discussed the negative impacts of early marriage and teenage pregnancy. They also gained valuable insight about the role of sexuality for women, which is generally considered taboo to discuss. Much of the conversation focused on the importance of fighting for their rights, maintaining good self esteem, and discrediting many cultural norms and traditions that serve to keep women out of positions of power. 

After this training, the women felt that they had a better understanding of how to live their lives with dignity, without shame and how to encourage the next generation of women to lead fulfilling lives. 

Juscentha Fukuin, a 40 year old mother of four children told AYA that she will no longer encourage her children to marry at a young age. 

Another participant, fourteen year old Belva Ndum said “I have benefitted from the lectures on general hygiene, and I can now take good care of myself. I have hope in the future despite the crisis and the closure of schools. I also know I have to work hard if I want to be a good leader in future.”

The sessions typically ended with goal setting, where the women were able to discuss what they hoped to achieve, and how they could support one another to achieve those goals. 

Economic Empowerment:

The final pillar of AYA’s training focused on ensuring that the participants had an understanding of how to manage a small business. In these training sessions, they learned basic accounting principles, book keeping, how to evaluate business growth, identifying financial setbacks, and strategies to overcome setbacks.

AYA also created a revolving loan scheme, in which each of the women would contribute a certain amount of their income to provide loans to others. As their businesses grow, so would the fund, and more businesses could emerge. This year, the women were able to fund half of their goal for the revolving loan scheme. As their businesses gradually grew throughout the year, the group was able to achieve a 44.6% profit from the sales of items like manure, salt, soap, and body lotions. This also served as a hands on lesson in deducting expenses in order to calculate profit.

One business owner, Carine Bih, benefited greatly from this education. She learned that a business and the business owner are separate entities, and that it’s possible for the business owner to owe money to the business. She had been operating a doughnut stand for years, and had seen almost no profit. She told AYA that she would often give donuts away to her friends and family, but she wasn’t clear on the fact that when she did that, she would have to owe the cost of those ingredients to the business. Through the group training, she came to understand that she was the reason that her business was not profitable, and she learned how to keep record of any product that she gives away so that she can pay it back to the business. 

Many of the women involved in the program had been running businesses for years with no education on how to maintain and account for their business. This education has been invaluable to them as they now are able to recognize their profits and plan for their futures.

Overall, the training and resources provided by AYA has had an immense impact on improving the participants’ knowledge of their rights, especially sexual and reproductive rights, food security, income and agricultural skills. For these rural women in Cameroon, many of whom are young and/or single mothers, this education will serve to allow them to improve their quality of life and that of their families as they plan for the future. AYA noted that due to the challenges faced by these women, including extreme poverty, domestic violence, and child marriages, the program has been met with more than enthusiasm. The women are delighted and eager to better their lives and work together to improve their communities.

Update on the Reducing Poverty through Honey Production and Distribution Project

In May of 2018, Footsteps Africa wanted to find a way to help increase the productivity of rural poor women on the outskirts of Blantrye. Women like Mary were travelling over 145kms to sell the bottles of honey to honey processors and formal retailers in the Blantyre city region. However, the honey failed to even pass the minimum quality needed by the companies. 

There were many reasons for this: 

• Lack of modern honey production and processing skills existed among rural poor women to produce quality honey demanded by formal honey buyers and exporters 

• Lack of modern bee hives to produce high yields quality honey 

• Lack of proper honey extraction machines and soft knowledge on extracting honey for high-end markets 

• Knowledge and skills gaps in proper storage, packaging and branding 

• Knowledge gaps in business management and recording, financial literacy, access to saving and credit 

• Lack of improved personal hygiene and lack of access to affordable clean water solutions needed in honey processing.

The story of Mary’s efforts reflects the economic struggles that women’s traditional bee keepers face in Malawi due to low-quality honey that prevent them from accessing viable markets that could generate good income for their productive efforts. Additionally, apart from honey, women beekeepers in Malawi rarely develop trade in other by-products of bee farming such as bee-wax that could double their earning potentials. 

Twisi and his team at Footsteps Africa were determined to find a way to connect all of these missing gaps in the chain. 

In the beginning the plan was to integrate this project into our water, food and income project activities in Chikhwawa district. However, after further assessment they realized  that the agroecological factors in Chikhwawa were not supportive of a successful and sustainable bee farming project.  

They reluctantly moved the project to within Blantyre rural district as a stand alone project. This went against their overall programming approach which integrates different projects to maximize impact and project management. Unfortunately an enormous forest fire gutted the hives into unrecognizable ashes. 

Fortunately, Footsteps Africa had taken out hive insurance from the supplier and they were eligible to receive compensation and replaceable Hives within three months. However, due to COVID-19, the supplier of the HIVEs was unable to import and it took them almost a year to have a consignment successfully imported into Malawi from Kenya. 

By the time they had the delivery of the second HIVEs, they were unsure of next steps. They wanted to get it right the second time. They waited patiently to find a suitable site to implement a sustainable Bee farming project that would also benefit marginal women farmers who would like to do bee farming as a business. After surveying several places, they initially settled for Nkhata-bay district in Northern Malawi. But they later changed to Mzimba district along Lunjika hills in northern Malawi because they have a plan to implement irrigation farming and renewable energy projects in the same area. 

In this way, the bee farming will be integrated into the holistic structure of all Footsteps Africa projects and allow them to successfully provide support to all our projects with the limited staff and resources they have available. 

This is a real testament to the tenacity and determination of Twisi and his team and that he followed through on the project precisely because they were given the opportunity and flexibility to reach their goals. 

SIRP Local Leader Empowerment Project Update

Rockflower partner, Society for the Improvement of Rural People, based in Nigeria, has just completed a project in which they were able to provide project management training to 30 women and youth-led organizations in Enugu State. 

Since 2011, SIRP has been involved in developing school governance frameworks, with support from the Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN). Although SIRP originally focused it’s projects on schools, they realized that education is very much needed outside of the classroom as well. SIRP Director, Dr. Christopher Ugwu saw an opportunity to help small, local, organizations run by women and youth in Enugu State, by educating them on how to manage projects, draft proposals, manage budgets and effectively leverage social media to promote their work. 

Women and youth make up more than 50% of the population in Enugu State, and are highly vulnerable to poverty, domestic violence, issues of sexual and reproductive health, and lack agency. Young business owners are seen as inexperienced and lack access to financial resources and women are often seen as inferior, and also struggle to secure resources for their organizations. 

The project was highly successful overall. Through a number of training sessions, the organizational leaders learned to write impactful proposals, lead their organizations confidently, manage projects, draft budgets and leverage social media to promote their organizations. The youth in these groups now feel confident to begin fundraising on their own. An unintended benefit was the strong networking connections that were built throughout the program. Many of the business owners, who knew of very few other women-led organizations, found comfort in shared experiences and formed bonds that will benefit them both personally and in their work. 

Dr. Christopher Ugwu told us, “We define youth and women empowerment as the process; by which youth and women gain the ability to make decisions not just for themselves, but also that of others. This could be formal or informal education. This is so essential and forms the basis of all our successes.”

Upon the completion of the program, participants were surveyed on their experience. Over 86% of participants said that this program was highly impactful to their lives, with the other 14% indicating that the program was somewhat impactful to their lives. Overall, the skills built in this program will allow this underrepresented group of aspirational women and youth to succeed in their endeavors, provide for themselves and their families, and ensure that they are able to maintain independence and safety into the future. Rockflower is greatly inspired by the work of SIRP and their ability to respond to the needs of their community.

Marking the start of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, in celebrating Wai Wai Nu, Founder of Women's Peace Network, Receiving the DVF Award

Thursday 25th November marks the start of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. Started in 1991 by activists at the inaugural Women’s Global Leadership Institute, it continues to be coordinated each year by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership and is used as an organizing strategy by individuals and organizations around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.

Whilst the violence against the Rohingya in Myanmar has been going on for decades, the levels of state sanctioned violence against girls and women has increased dramatically since the coup on February 1st, 2020. Rockflower partner, Women’s Peace Network has made it a priority to keep track of every incident possible.

The decades long impunity continues to embolden the military as it uses sexual and gender based violence, including rape, gang rape, sexual mutilation and sexual slavery as a tool against the ethnic minority. Women’s Peace Network is calling upon the international community “to take swift action to provide protection and support to the women of Myanmar, and hold the Myanmar military accountable for its brutality.”

521 Myanmar civil society organizations are calling upon the UN Security Council to convene an urgent meeting on this crisis and impose a global arms embargo on the country as the military continues to increase its use of rape as a weapon of war.

"It is our responsibility to ensure that justice is served for all refugees," Nu shared during a speech at the Sedona Forum in April. "We must hold perpetrators accountable for their crimes, including sexual violence and genocide. If we fail to end all impunity, the cycle of violence and refugee exodus will continue."

Women’s Peace Network (Myanmar) was founded in 2013 by human rights activist Wai Wai Nu. The organization is composed of lawyers, community leaders, and peace activists from Myanmar and around the globe who share a common goal: to peacefully promote and protect human rights. It’s mission is to protect the rights, enhance the status, and increase the inclusion of marginalized women, youth, and communities in the Rakhine state and across Myanmar, so that they can live peacefully and prosperously.

Alyse Nelson and Wai Wai Nu attend the 2021 DVF Awards at Opera Garnier on November 17, 2021 in Paris, France.

Last week in Paris, a spotlight was shining on Wai Wai Nu’s tireless work as she presented with the prestigious DVF International Award. This award, supported by the The Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation, honors women who have displayed leadership, strength, and courage in their commitment to their causes. Every year, each Honoree receives a $50,000 grant from the Foundation to further their work as well as exposure and resources necessary to extend their efforts on behalf of women all over the world. 

Nu’s feature in People Magazine explains, “[Nu] spent seven years as a political prisoner in Burma, and since her release from prison in 2012, she's dedicated her life to championing for democracy on behalf of marginalized women and members of her ethnic group, the Rohingya.”

"It is our responsibility to ensure that justice is served for all refugees," Nu shared during a speech at the Sedona Forum in April. "We must hold perpetrators accountable for their crimes, including sexual violence and genocide. If we fail to end all impunity, the cycle of violence and refugee exodus will continue."

Rockflower is extremely humbled by the groundbreaking work of our partners, in particular Wai Wai and the team at Women’s Peace Network. We extend our sincere congratulations to Wai Wai and our deep gratitude to the DVF Foundation for continuing to recognize those around the globe who are fighting for women’s rights and safety.

Rockflower Joins Peace and Security Funders Group

Rockflower is delighted to announce we have joined the Peace and Security Funders Group. It is a privilege for Rockflower to become a member of this network of public, private and family foundations, and individual philanthropists who make grants or expenditures that contribute to peace and global security. The Peace and Security Funders Group aims to enhance the effectiveness of peace and security philanthropy.  This is in direct alignment with Rockflower’s guiding principles of ensuring every dollar spent is amplified by a commitment to expanding networks and a deeper understanding of the issues of conflict and peace building.  

Currently less than 1% of philanthropic funding supports peace and security . A recent study by Candid seeks to shed light on what prevents funders from engaging in this often catalytic and transformative funding. 

Lauren Bradford, senior director of global partnerships at Candid, said, “This study starts to answer foundational questions for the sector. What we've learned from those doing peacebuilding work is that effective approaches are grounded in the intersection of social justice, human rights, and peace, and carefully considers dynamics that stand in the way of achieving a more peaceful society.” 

“This field of peace and security philanthropy is vast, encompassing diverse issues and stakeholder groups. However, all PSFG members are united in working towards a more peaceful, secure world. In addition, peace and security funders exert impact in ways that exceed the scope of their financial investments; they have outsized impact. With their $357 million in annual giving, peace and security funders contribute to monumental changes across the globe – from the historic Iran nuclear agreement to atrocity prevention in Africa”  Peace and Security Funders Group  

"Peace and Security is part of the holistic Five Key Framework through which we work to ensure access to funding for women and girls on the global margins. Indeed in many ways it is the lynchpin connecting all of the keys of maternal and reproductive health, education, access to food and water and economic empowerment. We are delighted to have been recommended by Rockflower board member Sahana Dharmapuri to join the Peace and Security Funders Group and look forward to listening, learning and sharing in this mighty but powerful community of funders who appreciate the deep intrinsic value of a world built on systems of justice and peace"  - Tine Ward, Founder and CEO, Rockflower Partners

Rockflower Partners with Dare Now Uganda to Empower Female Entrepreneurs

Rockflower is pleased to announce our partnership with Dare Now Uganda, a non-governmental organization based in Kampala City, Uganda that works closely with marginalized groups of women, girls, youth and their families in the urban-slums of Kampala city and Wakiso district. 

Dare Now Uganda is dedicated to economically and psycho-socially empowering marginalized groups of women, girls, youths and their families by providing them economic opportunities, career development skills, small business enterprises development support, access to formal education, as well as access to maternal, reproductive and oral health.

The organization recently partnered with Rockflower to provide micro-capital to disadvantaged women-owned small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Family Economic Empowerment Support (FEES) for Women in Uganda will allow these women to get back on their feet and avoid the very real threat of homelessness that many of them face.

Robertson Hagggai, founder of Dare Now Uganda told us, “Before we met and mobilized the women, one constant issue for most of them was precarious day to day type of survival and when speaking of the future, it was difficult for these women to see past the immediate future or to see past a life in the slums. Much of their energy was focused on day to day survival.”

Nabwire Mary, a 30-year-old single mother of two living in the urban slums of Kampala is one of those women, who did not envision a bright future for herself before participating in Dare Now Uganda’s program. After the passing of her father, Mary moved to Kampala City at the age of twenty with a neighbor who promised to find her work as a housemaid, although there were no jobs waiting for her when she arrived. After facing unemployment, years of domestic violence, and raising two young children on her own, a group of women who were enrolled in Dare Now Uganda’s community program approached Mary and encouraged her to enroll as well. Since then, Mary has learned a number of skills and started her own small business.

“When I joined the women’s group and committed to working and participating in the training program, I felt very afraid and wondered whether I would be able to cope with the program. Now I have also been empowered by the skilling program and my fellow women and started my own business supported with the capital I received from Dare Now Uganda to boost and expand my small business. Right now I have diversified my small business through selling a variety of things which increases my daily profit. I want to tremendously thank Rockflower for the continuous support given to Dare Now Uganda who have given us hope of living.”

Dare Now Uganda aims to not only economically impact women on a small scale, but to provide emotional support, training and education that will allow them to envision and create  a better future for themselves and their families.

Rockflower welcomes Pablo Freund to the Board of Directors

Rockflower is delighted to welcome Pablo Freund to the Board of Directors. Pablo brings to Rockflower a deep understanding of the current global financial systems and practices and how they have contributed to gender inequality and inequity. He understands the fundamental core paradigm shifts that need to occur in order for change to happen at the local level. 

Pablo Freund is a Senior Advisor with the Criterion Institute, a non profit think tank that works with social change makers to demystify finance and broaden their perspective on how to engage with and shift financial systems. He is an experienced financial services professional focusing on women’s financial inclusion and the development of gender lens financial services. He is the founder of Bare Maximum, a boutique advisory firm helping international financial institutions, nonprofits, and start-ups advance the emergence of an equitable, ethical, and sustainable global economy. He is also the co-founder of Be Girl, a social enterprise focused on making high-performance menstrual hygiene products radically accessible for women and girls globally. 

Pablo is the Gender Financial Inclusion technical expert for Inter-American Development Bank’s technical assistance program supporting Public National Development Banks’ effort to collect and report sex-disaggregated data and the UN Foundation’s Data2x Women’s Financial Inclusion Partnership, leading their sex-disaggregated data harmonization efforts. He also serves as the Financial Alliance for Women’s data science lead, managing the largest global private sector gender lens supply-side sex-disaggregated financial services survey for the publication of the annual “Economics of Banking on Women” report.

In addition to Pablo’s work in the financial inclusion space, he has extensive experience at the intersection of gender and energy access. Over the past several years, he has worked with organizations on the development of gender mainstreaming policies to increase women’s participation in the energy sector as well as access to electricity programs across Sub-Saharan Africa. 

He started his career in financial services with UBS in New York, prior to which he received Bachelor of Arts degrees in Economics and History of Art and Architecture from Brown University, and a Master of Science in Sustainability Management from Columbia University’s Earth Institute.

“ I could not be more excited to welcome Pablo to the Rockflower Board of Directors. He brings a unique perspective and insight into the work of getting more money into the hands of women and girls on the global margins. His knowledge and expertise will deepen our capacity to get to the root of the problems Rockflower is seeking to address, primarily, how to ensure that those with the best ideas have the capacity and capability to see those ideas come to fruition. Thank you so much Pablo for really understanding the work we do at Rockflower and being willing to throw your hat in the ring to help us do so much more.” Tine Ward, Founder and CEO, Rockflower Partners Inc. 

“Given the interrelated nature of everything happening in our world, a whole systems perspective is more important now than ever before if we are going to resolve humanity’s most pressing challenges. Rockflower’s “Seed to Canopy” vision demonstrates a unique commitment and integrity of purpose to the future of our world that I believe is the antidote to despair and essential to manifesting the equitable and just world we hope for.  It is my honor to support Rockflower’s work towards this end.” -Pablo Freund

Help Save Society Foundation to defy the odds and provide much needed relief during Extreme Flooding in South Sudan

Over the past few weeks, heavy rain has led to catastrophic flooding that has affected more than 700,000 people across South Sudan. Several states are experiencing the worst floods recorded since 1962. Homes, farmlands, and businesses are being swept away and thousands are fleeing to either the capital city or to neighboring communities on higher ground. Climate change is likely to blame for this unrelenting flood period in South Sudan, where four out five people are living in “absolute poverty.” 

Rockflower partner, Save Society Foundation is located in Juba, the capital city of South Sudan. SSF works with marginalized communities, including internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, women, youth, and people with disabilities, to provide a better standard of living through economic transformation, improved health, quality education and  promotion of peace, conflict mitigation and democracy. Michael Ariamba, Executive Director of SSF has been updating us on the nationwide devastation caused by the recent floods. 

“Most of the victims are women and children...some 200 women with their children are taking refuge in their relatives’ houses/homes and they need basic needs such as shelter, blankets, cooking utensils, soaps, mosquito nets and plastic sheets. 

These women and girls, some of them need to be trained in entrepreneurship skills...to support what they are trying to do on their own in market places in Juba to help their children and also pay for their children’s school fees. This will sustain them while awaiting relief foods that can be seen as a quick solution to rescue them and their families from their dire situations.”

Food insecurity in South Sudan has been furthered by an increase in conflict within the nation. The movement of people to higher ground has caused conflict between communities, fighting for their own preservation. This has increased the scarcity of food and complicated the ability of intervention by humanitarian aid organizations. Some communities have chosen to relocate to the capital city, with some making a seven day trek to safety. “Women, children, and elderly people arrived exhausted and hungry,” said Mr. Jamal, who is the interim UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the country.

Climate change is undoubtedly affecting the entire world, but East Africa is facing particularly disastrous weather conditions, and impoverished nations like South Sudan are struggling to keep their citizens alive. South Sudan is facing an alternating cycle of both flood and drought that could leave them without agriculture. In eight of the nation’s ten states, the flooding has caused livestock to  drown, and vital crops such as sorghum and millet to be destroyed. Since August of this year the cost of food has risen by 15%, leaving more than 60% of its population suffering from severe hunger.”

Right now, South Sudan is in a dire situation. Rockflower is working to channel more funding to SSF as they work to aid their community and provide basic necessities. At the same time they continue to teach entrepreneurial skills to women in order to economically empower them through this difficult time. Our partners are seen as beacons of hope in their communities, and when disaster strikes, people look to them for support. We plan on providing additional funding to SSF, but need your help to raise this immediate assistance. We would greatly appreciate any donation to Rockflower at this time so that we may support our partners on the frontlines of these natural disasters.

WomenChoice Industries: Lucy Odiwa's Journey

How personal experience, a little impactful financing and a deep commitment to improving the lives of women and girls have contributed towards ending period poverty in Tanzania.

WomenChoice Industries, a Rockflower partner since April 2019, is a social enterprise that manufactures and distributes affordable reusable sanitary towels to women and girls  from low income communities in Tanzania. The early investment from Rockflower provided an opportunity to scale up  the production and distribution of the products, whilst at the same time providing important menstrual  hygiene management information and empowering  socially  disadvantaged  women  on the  MHM business model with financial and management skills. 

WomenChoice  Industries  co-Founder, Ms. Lucy Odiwa had a deeply personal experience at the start of her menstrual experience at Asumbi  Girls  secondary  school  in Western Kenya, which began her journey into this work.  At age 16 Lucy struggled with the challenge of access to menstrual care products, information and services with little open conversation around menstruation. Access to  information is restricted by social and cultural taboos, myths and misconceptions, such that it prohibits women and girls the ability to discuss the experience openly with their siblings, parents and or relatives.  Lucy recalls a particularly tough moment in a Maths class when she was called to calculate an algebraic equation in Mathematics, she realized as she was standing at the blackboard that she was also leaking blood onto her clothes. 

Confused and embarrassed Lucy ran to the dormitory, and on the way she  picked up a fellow   student’s white sock hanging from a clothesline and used it to manage her menses. Lucy would subsequently go on to miss school for five consecutive  days, missing out on important lessons and reducing her ability to perform as a nomal A+ student in Mathematics.  She would later discover in her research that many girls feigned sickness to be able to skip class during their periods so that they wouldn’t be put in the position to be ashamed if they were unable to manage their menstrual cycles in public at school. 

Young women and girls from low  resource  settings  in Tanzania, face  a myriad of  menstrual  hygiene management health challenges as they go about their daily routines. They lack  proper menstrual management absorbents, forcing them to  trade “Sex for pads’’  with men  twice or even three times their age.  This in turn exposes them to early and unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions , sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDs. Just as importantly girls might miss school for up to 4-7 days a month, a total of 48-84 days  annually  due  to menstruation.

Lucy’s personal experience and the stories she heard from other girls, convinced her that something had to be done and she co-founded WomenChoice Industries as a solution to this   menstrual hygiene management challenge. Ms Odiwa innovated the low cost reusable sanitary towels “salama, safe pads’’.  The reusable sanitary towel is affordable, low priced,  chemical free, odourless, and can withstand up to 100 washings. It can save on menstrual hygiene expenses by between 75-90%  annually  and is kept hygienic by simple  hand washing with water and a bar of soap. The cost per pack of 5 pieces  of  pads cost  US$ 2.3 compared  to US$ 72 annually for disposable  sanitary  towels.

Rockflower’s initial investment of $7,500 allowed Lucy the breathing room she needed to expand her inventory and develop her business model. Now just over two years later she has taken the small social enterprise to a mid level business reaching a great many girls with low cost and affordable reusable sanitary towels. 

Achievements: 

• Manufactured and distributed a total of  34,234  packets  of  low  priced , affordable   reusable sanitary  towels  by the end of  June  2021.

• Established a schools based menstrual hygiene management information system, opening up the menstrual hygiene management conversation in 25 primary and secondary   schools  reaching 12,657  school  students  by the end of June  2021

• Empowered a total of 300 socially disadvantaged women and girls, sex workers, teenage mothers,  single mothers,  widows  and people   with  HIV/A  on  menstrual hygiene  management  models,  business and financial literacy skills engaging them as vendors  and sales  agents 

• Distributed a total of 16,756 girls in schools with  with low cost, affordable  reusable  sanitary towels  by  June  2021

WomenChoice Industries  has received several international recognitions and has become the top 50  and top 20 African business Heroes for its role in implementing the Sustainable  Development Goals  and supporting  women  led initiatives  

Challenges

The enterprise faced several developmental  challenges.

• Menstrual hygiene management  information, is shrouded with several social and cultural taboos, myths and misconceptions,  such that it is not openly discussed, this  has a huge impact on the potential sales of the reusable sanitary towels.

• The tax management system for the products imported from outside the country -  the government offers tax exemption for the imported disposable menstrual care products, but does not offer the same  exemptions for raw materials  associated   with the production of menstrual care products. This keeps the cost of importing these materials very high.

• The increasing operational  costs,  including transport  and logistics to expand access to  reusable  sanitary  towels into the remotest part of the country still presents critical  challenges impacting the product  accessibility and the ability to access the target  population promptly  and in a timely manner. 

• Period poverty: the inability of the local women and girls to purchase reusable sanitary  towels, the majority  of  women  still remain  unable  to  buy pads as the majority  earn  less than  US$ 1.9 a day.

• Lack of mobile phones for many of the sales agents and vendors.  WomenChoice Industries uses the WhatsApp application in the promotion and marketing strategies , but many of the socially disadvantaged women lack a smartphone gadget,  to promptly  access communication. 

Reflections on JWAS' COVID-19 Education Project

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly shifted the needs of our partner organizations and the communities they serve. Organizations, like Janaki Women Awareness Society (JWAS), whose main focus is to intervene and educate women and children in Nepal who are victims of child marriage, domestice violence and the caste system, have found themselves pivoting their work to protect and educate women and their families about the threats posed by COVID-19. In September of 2020, JWAS received funding to launch their project titled “Enhancing the knowledge of girls, women and their family's on COVID-19 and its secondary impact,” and has since completed their project and provided an update.

In the wake of the pandemic, this recent project was created to strengthen the ability of Nepalese women and their families to cope with the threat of COVID-19, continue education on sexual and reproductive health, gender based violence, and provide information about accessing health services during the pandemic. In total, 182 women and girls were able to benefit from community education sessions, while the approximately 625 family members of these women indirectly benefited from their increased knowledge around COVID-19 and preventative measures.

The team at JWAS was able to mobilize quickly and publish an informational, illustration-focused book on the effects of COVID-19 and preventative measures to increase public health. They also developed a six part radio program that was aired on their local radio station in their dialect of Maithili. The main component of this project was to reach marginalized women and girls in the community, and JWAS was able to accomplish this through community education sessions. The team created ten groups of twenty women and girls, and held ten sessions for each group. Throughout the duration of this project, an astounding 100 group sessions were held to educate women on COVID-19, sexual and reproductive health, and gender based violence. The group also listened to the girls and heard their concerns around these issues as well as the caste system, which still segregates and causes vast disadvantages for families in Nepal.

The results of the project were truly transformative, and the community sessions wrapped up right before the onset of the second wave of COVID-19, which JWAS believes left community members much more prepared to protect themselves and their families’ health. The women involved in the group sessions noted that the meetings helped them to understand the importance of wearing masks, using sanitizers and maintaining physical distance in order to stop the spread of the virus. Additionally, in learning about the devastating effects that childhood marriage has on young women’s physical and mental health, the group decided to continue educating women around them to save other women and girls in their community from this fate. In learning more about gender-based violence, the group members requested that JWAS provide training on the subject for their brothers and fathers so that the entire community can work together to put a stop to domestic violence and lack of rights for women. Overall, this project was hugely effective in both educating on COVID-19 prevention, and issues of sexual health and gender-based violence. The women involved now have greater knowledge to protect themselves, and are motivated to continue sharing this knowledge to create a healthier and more equitable community.

Updates on SOFDI's COVID-19 Mini-Project

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic many of Rockflower’s partners have been forced to suspend their projects for a period of time. Some organizations completely pivoted their planned projects and others created new projects to address the challenges faced by their communities as they battled the pandemic, more specifically, lack of resources and lack of education around COVID-19. 

The DRC is currently designated by the CDC as a Level 4 COVID-19 Zone, meaning that they have a very high level of transmission currently. To date, the nation has reported more than 50,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The pandemic has thrown fuel on an already blazing fire of devastation in a country in the midst of battling rampant terrorism, violence and further displacement of its citizens. 

The humanitarian situation in the DRC is catastrophic. Terrorist groups including the ADF, which the United States has deemed a terrorist group, are considered the deadliest of scores of armed militias that roam the country. Since 2013, the ADF has killed over 6,000 civilians. Terrorism and attempts at ethnic cleansing have lead to the current situation in which 4.5 million people are internally displaced, and more than 890,000 people from Congo are registered as refugees and asylum seekers. Recently, U.S. special forces were authorized to intervene to help the Congolese army fight the Allied Democratic Forces, an armed rebel group.

Rockflower partner, Solidarité des Femmes pour le Développement Intégral (SOFDI), a community-based, not-for-profit organization based in the Fizi Territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), launched a project in February to empower and educate women in the face of the pandemic. Rockflower funded this six-month micro-project that aimed to address these needs. This project has since been completed, and SOFDI has shared an update on the overall impact.

The COVID-19 Response Micro Project was mutli-faceted and addressed issues affecting women and children in the Fizi Territory. The team at SOFDI installed a number of hand-washing stations in public spaces and schools, educated teachers and community members about the virus, on how to prevent it and in addition distributed much needed food. 

One of SOFEDI’s public hand-washing stations.

They also provided 60 women with professional training in order to gain economic independence. The team was able to additionally include education on gender-based violence during the group gatherings. SOFDI raised awareness by creating a public campaign promoting COVID-19 preventative measures and the newly installed hand washing stations through radio broadcasts, megaphone announcements, pamphlets and banners throughout the community. The goal of the project was to directly work with 60 women to improve their education of public health, women’s health, and economic opportunities. In addition this indirectly affected thousands of people by providing hygiene materials and education around COVID-19.

Throughout the duration of the project, SOFDI conducted a number of interviews and field studies to better understand how effective the program was, and how they could continue to educate and empower the community moving forward. They found that there was a significant increase in the understanding of COVID-19 and its effects. Before the program, 37% of those interviewed were aware of the effects COVID-19, as compared to 86% at the end of this project, a nearly 50% increase. They also saw a 15% increase in community members who were practicing at least two preventative barrier measures. These include social distancing, mask wearing, restraining from physical contact, washing hands often and limiting indoor gatherings.

Additionally, 60 disadvantaged women were chosen to participate in the program, where they were divided into four groups, or cooperatives, and met weekly to discuss issues relating to the pandemic and to learn valuable job skills. Five women in each group were selected to pursue vocational training, in entrepreneurship and agricultural business. They focused on tailoring, soap making and information technology. The group leaders were then able to share what they had learned with the rest of their cooperatives. These women received valuable employment skills, as well as important information about COVID-19 that they could then share with other community members.

Addressing the community’s knowledge around COVID-19 was the primary goal of this project, however the organization was able to take advantage of these educational gatherings to address issues related to the promotion and defense of women’s rights each week. In these sessions, the women discussed issues of gender-based violence, human rights and sexual and reproductive health. The organization found significant improvement in the group’s knowledge of female empowerment and safety.

Looking forward, SOFDI aims to continue educating the community about COVID-19 and work toward stopping the spread of the virus. They are also hoping to set up a number of vocational centers for women and girls, where they can learn valuable job skills, as well as gain knowledge on women’s rights. The COVID-19 Mini-Project has had a significant positive impact on this community, for which the pandemic has added yet another layer of struggle to an already dire humanitarian situation affecting the DRC. Rockflower looks forward to continuing to support SOFDI as they consistently work to improve the lives of disadvantaged women and girls.

Uganda: Spotlight on Stories of Hope and Resilience

Rockflower is a global venture philanthropy fund maintaining partnerships across the world, in particular across the African continent. As the pandemic continues to have a disproportionate impact on those countries without access to vaccines and medications, we have chosen to spotlight the situation in Uganda where we currently have nine partnerships -  Farm Life, Foundation for Women’s Dignity, Hope for the Future Organization, Hope for Rural Women (HORUWO), Kinyamaseke Youth in Development (KYID),  Rwenzori United Group for Life Improvement (RUGLI), Women Advocacy and Development Services (UWADS) Youth and Women Initiative for Sustainable Development (YWISD) and Dare Now Uganda (DNU). 

In recent months, our partners in Uganda have faced immense challenges caused by the spread of the recent Delta variant of COVID-19, which has brought a halt to all planned activities during the most recent 42 days of lockdown. Many Ugandans are now without income or community support and are struggling to fulfill basic needs such as access to food. Our partner organizations work hard to support their communities and create stability, and throughout this time have found themselves overwhelmed with requests for food, and other basic necessities. 

Through the generosity of our supporters, Rockflower has been able to ensure that funds have been made available to support our Ugandan partners throughout this time. Funds that would normally be allocated to community based projects for women and girls, are now being used for the purchase of food to keep them alive. 

The situation in Uganda has worsened in recent months despite evidence that in the early stages of the pandemic, the country was extremely successful at protecting its citizens. In 2016, Uganda founded a global health security program at the Infectious Disease Institute at Makerere University in Kampala in order to combat and plan for pandemics. Early in 2020, the government quickly developed border screenings, laboratory testing capacity, community surveillance and infection control in health clinics and hospitals. As a result of this expeditious rollout of safety measures, Uganda was reporting fewer cases and deaths than other countries of similar population size.

It wasn’t until the Delta variant began spreading rapidly that the condition worsened. This variant of COVID-19 transmits more easily and has led to a higher percentage of severe illness, including those requiring oxygen support. Uganda has a population of 44 million and so far has recorded a total of 91,355 cases of COVID-19 and 2,483 deaths, according to the latest data from the health ministry. The virus has spread to 108 districts, out of which 20, including Kampala and Wakiso, have been significantly affected. 

On June 19th, Uganda re-imposed a 42 day complete lockdown, which only allowed citizens to leave their homes for essential purchases and included a ban on the use of any private vehicles other than those operated by essential workers. The response from the broader population was not welcoming of the lockdown. Many believed that it would do more harm than good, and those who may be in dire need of resources and support are afraid to approach local law enforcement, and would prefer to stay silent.

Unfortunately, the only measure that can truly stop the spread of COVID-19 and pull Uganda out of this desperate situation is the ready availability of vaccinations. COVID-19 is now considered a preventable disease thanks to the numerous vaccines that have been proven effective, but without access to these vaccines, the pandemic will continue to spread in unvaccinated populations. 

In March of 2021, Uganda received their first donation of vaccines, and felt confident that they would soon be able to vaccinate 50% of their population. In March they received 864,000 vaccines donated through CoVax and another 100,000 donated from India. Although still beneficial, this number is a drop in the bucket against Uganda’s population of 44 million. First responders and high risk patients were prioritized, but once these vaccines were used, vaccination efforts were shut down until late June when France donated another 175,000 doses. Since then, Uganda has not received any additional doses.

The Ugandan government has so far failed to purchase any vaccines, with officials saying the country had been priced out of the market by richer nations in the West, and therefore has been relying on surplus donations from other countries. Like many nations, Uganda was hoping to purchase vaccines produced in India, however due to India's recent devastating outbreak, they are no longer exporting doses. 

The phrase ‘vaccine diplomacy’ has long been the topic of conversation regarding how vaccines will be distributed across the world. The issue is that this phrase represents a political rather than science-based effort to vaccinate populations. It has become a matter of politics and money. Developing countries that have the capacity to produce vaccines are unable to negotiate for the licenses from drug companies and countries without strong bilateral relationships may get passed over. This vaccination distribution method does not eliminate hotspots of the virus, which will lead to even more dangerous variants emerging. The world is quickly losing time, and will require a global resolve to end the pandemic equitably.

Rockflower has received updates from a number of Ugandan partners informing us of their current situation, and in many cases asking for help. Our partner organizations are pillars of support for their communities, and have therefore been inundated with requests for help throughout the lockdown. Nankindu Angella, Chairperson & Co-founder of Youth and Women Initiative for Sustainable Development (YWISD) explained the challenges faced by her community throughout the current lockdown.

“It's a hard and challenging time for us community leaders, we were working on improving the market then boom the lock down came in and everything is now so hard. Now we have put the training on hold to observe and follow Standard Operating Procedures for COVID-19. Since we supported our beneficiaries during the previous lockdown even now they keep coming to us for help and we have done what we can, we are supporting very many women in the community who cannot feed their children. I myself am a single mother, I clearly understand what many of these women pass through now since many work for day-to-day food.”

Our partner organizations have been forced to suspend activities, which in many cases has caused the loss of the sole source of income for women and girls who support themselves and their families. Rockflower partner, Biira Mary, the Executive Director of Rwenzori United Group for Life Improvement (RUGLI), sent us an update explaining the economic impact and long-term devastation caused by the pandemic.

“COVID-19 has created a lot of devastating social, economic, and political crises that are going to leave deep scars for years to come. The impact caused may  reverse   the progress made in tackling global challenges  for many years  putting at risk the lives and livelihoods of people living in underdeveloped countries  but pressing many vulnerable people, the youth and persons with disabilities. The dreadful virus has caused a lot of gaps in the development process increasing the vulnerability of youths due to lack of essential resources such as clean water, food, medical supplies and even basic information. The disease has proved to be a tragic longer-term impact, with the potential for mass unemployment, and the risk of increasing inequality, marginalization, and poverty.”

Upon receiving these and many other messages from our partners in Uganda, Rockflower was able to put together a small but impactful emergency relief fund to help with food and other basic necessities for these communities. We are looking at all opportunities to raise additional funds including an additional surge of cryptocurrency donations to sustain this fund and provide life-saving necessities to women and girls who have been greatly affected by the pandemic. Sarah Namunyagwa, a single mother who has participated in YWISD projects in the past, is one beneficiary of the emergency relief fund. Her gratitude for such a small gift of food, is extremely humbling.

"I don't know how much I can thank you for this food, may God continue blessing you abundantly. I had nothing, totally nothing, to feed my 4 children in this COVID lockdown. I am a single mother and having gone through weaving training and you gave me hope to change my life but COVID is making it very difficult for me. Last month I was learning online marketing and I hoped to increase my sales and better the livelihood of my family but COVID lockdown came and all is at pause now yet basic needs are needed…you have not given up on me again you have provided food to help us survive, just extend my gratitude to your partners.”

As of July 30th, the full lockdown in Uganda has been lifted and the country is now looking toward rebuilding all that was lost during this time, providing basic necessities to those who are still without and continuing to fight COVID-19. The challenges faced by these communities are far from over, especially because the country is still severely lacking vaccines for its citizens. 

As our partners begin to resume their activities, the opportunity to gain income via e-commerce is one that could greatly improve their situations. Currently the gender gap that exists on online platforms is excluding billions of dollars from the wallets of female entrepreneurs and the opportunity for economic improvement via their training and participation is immense. The Council for Foreign Relationships noted, “Watershed moments to transform women’s economic status globally are few and far between, but COVID-19 and the post-pandemic recovery offer one of these rare and critical junctures. We cannot afford to miss this opportunity for development and an equitable future for all.”

A few of the outstanding goods being made by some of our partners are shown here by one of our partners, Hope for the Future. We continue to believe in the possibility of new and emerging lines of commerce to benefit their beautiful and innovative work and look forward to exploring these and other opportunities for growth.

Rockflower remains committed to providing support for all of our Ugandan partners so that they may resume activities to support the women and girls of their communities.  Please consider donating to Rockflower’s Emergency Fund, either through traditional channels such as our website’s donation page, or through cryptocurrency via our partnership with The Giving Block. Please be assured that even a small donation can be extremely helpful for women and girls struggling to fulfill their basic needs and those of their families. 

Update on Association Burkinabé des Femmes Battantes’ Weaving and Dyeing Project

Rockflower Partner, Association Burkinabé des Femmes Battantes (ABFB), based in Burkina Faso, has just completed the training phase of their Weaving and Dyeing project. The year-long project aims to train and employ 20 women facing extreme poverty and joblessness through the installation of a weaving and dyeing loom in Godin village. 

Burkina Faso is a small West African country that has long suffered from droughts, flooding, and increasing desertification, overgrazing, soil degradation and deforestation. Over the past decade, the country, which was once one of West Africa’s most stable, has been under constant attack by terrorists and local rebels, leaving many areas decimated, and many citizens displaced. In 2013, the French military intervened to counter terrorist violence. However, in June of 2021, France announced their intention to end this military operation, and the effects of this decision have the potential to devastate the nation. 

“Things have become much worse in Tin-Akof recently,” Boubacar Dialo, a displaced citizen, told Al Jazeera. “Terrorists have a chokehold on the area. There are no more markets, so the vehicles no longer come and there is no work. Before, [fighters] just came to loot our animals, kidnap the people they were looking for and leave. Now it’s come to the point where they just burn down whole villages.”

The country also has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world, at 36% and only 1% of girls graduate from high school. This lack of education has led to a staggering 52% of girls married before the age of 18. The nation has the worst rating in the world for the health of mothers with less than 50% of Burkinabé having access to clean water. For women and girls seeking to support themselves and their families, there are very few options.

Given the desperation of the country’s current situation as well as the nation’s high unemployment rate of 77%, ABFB’s project is able to offer a light of hope to women, many of whom are victims of child marriages and domestic abuse, in the village of Godin. The 20 women who are currently participating in the program have completed a 30-day training in using the weaving and dyeing loom and will soon be able to generate income through the sale of yarn and cloth. In addition these 20  women will train additional women in the skills they’ve learned as the project progresses, ensuring a continuum of sustainability. 

Aline W. Bontogho, ABFB president, told us, “This project is the very first activity that the women of the village of Godin will benefit from. Apart from this project, the women have no activities to do and are left on their own without any activity that will allow them to get out of poverty, but thanks to your support, they will carry out an Income Generating Activity (IGA) which will greatly contribute to their development and the development of Godin.” 

As the organization moves into the next phase of this project, they are excited to begin generating income, and helping the residents of Godin Village gain financial stability during such an extremely challenging time for the nation. The women involved in the program will soon have the ability to financially support themselves and their families, which will allow them agency over their lives. 

CHICOSUDO Begins Women Empowerment Through Vocational Skills Project

Chitani Community Sustainable Development Organization (CHICOSUDO), a Rockflower partner based in Malawi has begun a new project in which they aim to empower disadvantaged and unemployed women through providing training in vocational skills. Rockflower has previously funded CHICOSUDO’s project, End Child Marriage Now!!! Promote Her Rights, which advocated for policies against child marriage and raised awareness around sexual and reproductive health issues in order to address the knowledge gap within communities.

The goal of the organization’s newest initiative is to empower the survivors of child marriages and single mothers by equipping them with skills, tools and support to become self-reliant. This project will help to break the cycle that pressures girls to leave school early in order to marry young or work in the home. This cycle leaves those women who have not completed school without any access to vocational training or forms of higher education, which often leads to complete dependence on their husbands. 

CHICOSUDO is aiming to break this cycle with their new project which is specifically aimed toward helping 20 women who are both survivors of child marriages and single mothers to teens and young adults. They have also determined that this project will also indirectly benefit 105 additional people including children and relatives of the women. The organization will train these women in stitching, tailoring and embroidery. Additionally  the women will receive business training and help from local businesses and agencies to support them and connect them to potential markets as they prepare to begin their own businesses.

Upon completion of the program, CHICOSUDO will introduce a Savings and Internal Lending Community (SILC) program to help the women start their businesses. At the end of the six month training period, the participants will take the Technical Education, Vocation and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA) exam and receive official certificates. The group will also organize a number of market fairs to sell their products. 

This project will lead to increased access to capital, reduced poverty, reduced unemployment, and an overall enhanced quality of life for survivors of child marriages. Not only will it improve the lives of the women involved, but it will help break the cycle of women being subjected to child marriages in the future.

SIRP Begins Vocational Training for Unemployed Youth in Nigeria

Society for the Improvement of Rural People, a Rockflower partner based in Nigeria, will be launching a new project, Vocational Training for Unemployed Youth in Nigeria, in which they will train unemployed youth and young adults in the Idaw-River community in a number of highly employable vocational skills. SIRP has previously partnered with Rockflower to reduce the female genital mutilation (FGM) prevalence rate in the Akwuke community of Enugu State from 85% to 45% while directly effecting the number of girls that were able to remain in school.

The organization has conducted interview-based research of young adults ages 18-30 in the Idaw-River community, and determined that of their sample, 50% are currently unemployed and lack useful job skills. SIRP also found that the majority of interviewees have attended school, but the quality of their education has left them lacking the skills necessary to gain employment. Due to the prevalence of unemployment, many young adults are turning to theft and other illegal activities in order to support themselves and their families, which has had a negative impact on the overall safety of the community.

In response to this research, SIRP plans to train 30 young adults in a number of vocational skills which will allow them to develop their job skills, gain financial independence, and have the ability to teach these skills to other community members. The vocational skills will include: graphic design, soap making, cosmetology and baking. These specific vocations have been chosen based on a number of factors including time needed to learn the skills, demand and profitability. 

Through this pilot project alone, the program aims to reduce the unemployment rate in the Idaw-River community from 33% to 31% by the end of 2021. SIRP will also provide participants with training in business management and financial literacy so that they feel empowered to begin their own small businesses. They will then hold a certification ceremony at the end of the program to recognize the participants and name them champions of the community, which will empower them to help train the next round of participants and ensure the long-term sustainability of the program. This project aims to improve the quality of life for unemployed young adults in the Idaw-River community, as well as for the community as a whole.

Mategemeo Women Association Partners with Rockflower for Revolving Loan Scheme Project

Mategemeo Women Association, a non-governmental organization based in Tanzania, will be partnering with Rockflower once again for the creation of a Revolving Loan Scheme in order to help local women break the cycle of poverty and maintain financial security in the event of an emergency. The organization has previously partnered with Rockflower to remediate their community’s acute water problem by creating a number of shallow wells that provided clean drinking water to over 300 households. 

The Revolving Loan Scheme Project will work with twenty women who wish to start or boost their micro-projects in order to generate consistent  income and break the cycle of poverty. Once the borrowers receive their funds, they will pay back their loans with 2% interest over the course of six months, which will allow the organization to cycle the money to other women looking to start small businesses. 

Mategemeo Women Association will also provide free training in small business management, bookkeeping, calculating revenue, marketing and leadership which will allow them to successfully manage their businesses and finances. Some of the existing businesses in the program include the management of a poultry farm, and the sale of products like groceries, second hand clothing, shoes, stationery, and cosmetics.

Additionally, the organization will ask each of the women to contribute 15% of their net monthly income to an emergency welfare fund, which will be used to help members in the event of an emergency. This mutual aid fund will provide peace of mind to the beneficiaries, as they begin their businesses and face the uncertainties of maintaining financial stability and independence. 

This project will allow women who have previously had little access to capital, to start or scale micro-projects through a sustainable fund that will grow over time and reach more and more community members. The business training and emergency fund created by Mategemeo Women Association will support the beneficiaries as they navigate owning a business and will allow for greater financial security and stability while contributing to breaking the cycle of poverty in Tanzania. 

Rockflower welcomes Sahana Dharmapuri to the Board of Directors

Rockflower is delighted to welcome Sahana Dharmapuri to the Board of Directors. 

Sahana Dharmapuri brings a wealth of experience to Rockflower having been a prominent voice in the Women, Peace and Security arena for many years.  Sahana is Director of Our Secure Future, a program of One Earth Future Foundation. From 2006-2016 she was an independent gender advisor on gender, peace and security issues to USAID, NATO, The Swedish Armed Forces, the United States Institute for Peace, International Peace Institute, and other international development organizations. She has published widely on Women, Peace and Security issues including with CNN, Christian Science Monitor, The Fletcher Security Review, Hedaya and The Center for Global Counter-Terrorism, Women’s E-News, Human Rights Quarterly. 

Sahana understands precisely the nature of Rockflower’s work and appreciates the practical application of translating policy recommendations into tangible assistance in the form of fundamental and critical investment in the real lives of women.

"Today, it's clear that we cannot create security for ourselves at the expense of so many others' daily insecurity. Unfortunately, there is no place on Earth where women and girls enjoy equal status, or equal security with men. That's why Rockflower's work is so important. Lifting up women and girls around the world is our path to a more peaceful and secure world for everyone."  Sahana Dharmapuri, Director, Our Secure Future

“I am thrilled to welcome Sahana to Rockflower’s Board of Directors. It will be a gift to listen to her wisdom and perspectives on the fundamental principles of securing a more peaceful and just world for everyone, and to align these insights with our holistic approach to investing in women and girls”  Tine Ward, Founder and CEO, Rockflower Partners 

Bridging The Digital Divide: From Colombia to Pakistan

Rockflower Partners with Fundación El Origen, Colombia; welcomes Tania Rosas to the Rockflower Partner Advisory Council; and begins first initiative on a joint pilot project with long time partner Community Services Program, Pakistan 

Rockflower is delighted to announce a new partnership with Fundación El Origen, Colombia,  an organization working to break the cycle of poverty by making virtual learning an option for all students and by focusing on other educational challenges faced by indigenous and rural youth. 

The organization was founded by Tania Rosas, a young social entrepreneur from La Guajira – Colombia, who founded both Fundación El Origen and Origin Learning fund, and launched O-lab, an offline app for inclusive and personalised learning designed for at-risk indigenous and refugee children and youths worldwide. The O-lab app is preloaded with educational content, in both the language taught in schools as well as a native language, and does not require students or teachers to have access to an internet connection, a game changer for those in remote locations. 

In addition we are extremely fortunate that Tania has agreed to join Rockflower’s Partner Advisory Council.  Tania brings deep lived experience and understanding of the needs of rural communities and the struggle to access education. As a political scientist and educational researcher her commitment to making education more inclusive for communities often left out of the technological landscape will be invaluable to Rockflower’s determination to expand opportunities in education and economic advancement to many more women and girls . 

Tania and the team at Fundación El Origen expressed a deep desire to focus on Rockflower’s existing partners who work at the edges of some of the poorest and hardest to reach communities, for whom access to digital literacy and technology would be a first. Community Services Program, Pakistan, one of Rockflower’s longest standing partners, has been chosen as the first in a pilot project that will bring digital literacy to 1000 students within the most marginalized and rural populations of Punjab Province, Pakistan.  Over the course of a 12 month period, El Origen will train teachers at the Tine Model Girls School to implement the O-Lab app and integrate a learning curriculum designed exclusively for this community enabling them to access and understand the tools needed for 21st century engagement and advancement. 

Progress on RUGLI’s Tailoring their Futures Project

Rwenzori United Life Group (RUGLI) has been a Rockflower partner since 2018. The success of the Bio Briquette project has inspired other innovative income generating ideas, including training and teaching women valuable skills in clothing alteration and sewing. This has also provided the necessary knowledge and capital to own and operate their own small tailoring businesses through the Tailoring their Futures project. This project allows women and girls who previously lacked or struggled with obtaining a source of income to have a means of providing for themselves and their families.

RUGLI sees this initiative as an opportunity to even the playing field for women, in what historically has been a male dominated industry in this region of Uganda. By providing women with the knowledge and skills to enter this space, RUGLI is working to break down barriers in the tailoring profession and provide a sustainable source of income for those in need of economic empowerment.

Recently, RUGLI Executive Director, Biira Mary, updated us on the progress of the project, and the great impact that it is having on the lives of women through a number of inspiring stories and testimonials.

Read on to hear the stories of the women who are hard at work, tailoring their futures and taking success into their own hands with the help of RUGLI:

Barbara’s Story:

Barbara is a RUGLI trainee who has greatly benefited from the Tailoring their Futures project. She is a widow, and in 2006 lost her job and found herself with no means of supporting herself and her daughter, Katrina. She heard about Rwenzori United Group for Life Improvement (RUGLI) from a friend, and applied for the tailoring/design course. Over the past few months, Barbara has gradually grown her business and she now shares a workshop with another woman and rents a stall in the market in Kasese a couple of days a week to sell her garments.

Barbara started out making one dress at a time because that was all she could afford. She gradually earned enough money to buy more materials and increase her stock. Barbara is now able to pay for her daughter’s school fees from the money that she earns through her tailoring business. Katrina is doing really well at school and she hopes one day to become a doctor.

Doreen’s Story:

Doreen, a now dedicated and ambitious tailor and entrepreneur, has seen significant improvement in her business and has recently begun selling additional materials in her store.  Doreen started her tailoring business with the capital she received from Rwenzori United Group for Life Improvement (RUGLI) and with the profit she’s earned, she started grain selling from Kiburara to Bwera, and Kikorongo downtown where she has made much more money.  

When she started, she profited from tailoring and began grain selling, but now it is the other way around — she gets profit from grain selling to support her tailoring business and now she earns double the profit.  Doreen still continues to trade grains to the 3 downtowns in Kasese District.   As a woman, she faces many challenges including theft and other security  issues, but her growth cannot be challenged. Even though she is in an industry mainly occupied by men, she has managed to compete strongly and equally.

Mbambu Jolly’s Story:

Jolly, a recipient of training and assistance from RUGLI and Rockflower, has gradually developed both her skills and business while her capital and stock have increased. The more active she is in her business, the more skills she gains. Jolly’s success comes from her ability to create fashionable items that her customers are excited to purchase. Sometimes, her customers bring her designs and she is able to copy them and make her bestselling clothes. Because of her business she can now afford to smile and has the ability to support herself— she has purchasing power and independence.

Musoki Martha’s Story:

Martha operates her business near the Mawa market. She has managed to gain valuable customers because of her innate customer service skills. Martha also adds value to her business by buying second hand clothes that she upcycles and sells at a higher price. Martha has turned her shop into a workshop where she also teaches those that want to learn how to create a tailoring business or how to use a sewing machine. She earns income through instructing others, which adds to her profits.

Martha’s work is not without its challenges though. One issue that she faces in her work is that some customers are unwilling to pay after their tailoring is completed. Additionally, poverty in the area makes it difficult for people to purchase new or upcycled clothes, and many opt for cheaper, secondhand items, which detracts from Martha’s business. These challenges, despite her innovative business ideas and hard work, make it difficult for Martha to afford her rent. However, Martha plans to continue pushing and innovating until her business truly succeeds.

Biira Agatha’s Story:

Agatha has been an extremely successful trainee of RUGLI’s tailoring project. As a result of the skills she gained from working with RUGLI, Agatha is currently employing four girls in her shop who help her with the daily running of the business.

Agatha is proud of the growth and success of her business, even after facing the challenge of a broken sewing machine that nearly forced her to halt operations. Agatha has since fixed her sewing machine, and is proud to report that some of her goods are exported to South Sudan where there is already a booming market for her items. Her business is extremely prosperous, and she is seeing a lot of changes in her life. Agatha is able to pay school fees and rent, and she now trains other women from different areas in her trade.

These stories are testimony not only to the strength and hard work of these inspiring women, but to the reach and impact of the work done by RUGLI. This project, which continues to gain momentum and success, still requires further funding. RUGLI hopes to expand this program, and continue empowering women, but requires more sewing machines, materials and space to do so. Please consider donating to Rockflower, so that we can continue to support this project, and ensure that RUGLI can help even more women break the cycle of poverty, and gain financial independence through tailoring.

Clean Girls Soap and the call for collective action on the prevention of Child Marriage in Zimbabwe

We have featured the work of Women Advocacy Project, Zimbabwe, several times over the five years that they have been a Rockflower partner. However, after a recent zoom call with the Catalyzer Collective, it felt important to mark the many milestones that have been achieved by WAP and to recognise the single-minded focus, grit and determination it takes to prevent early child marriage in the communities where they work.

Constance Mugari, Founder and Executive Director and Mr. Akenga Dickson Mnyaci, Deputy Director of WAP, spent over an hour sharing the daily challenges they face in this endeavor but more importantly describing for us the enormous strides they have made in addressing the myriad of barriers to preventing child marriage.

WAP was created by a group of women from the surrounding communities of Harare in response to the lack of attention on issues affecting women and girls, especially the pressure to marry at a young age. By committing to promoting and protecting the rights of vulnerable and marginalized women and girls in communities through advocacy campaigns, providing safe spaces through local club meetings and more recently, through the creation of their soap making brand Clean Girls Soap, WAP ensures that the girls are front and center in the effort to improve their lives and those of their families. The creation of Clean Girls Soap has provided a source of income as am alternative to child marriage being the only solution out of acute poverty. Through the education and training of the girls on how to make and distribute Clean Girls Soap, they have developed new professional skills providing a pathway to future prosperity that would otherwise be blocked.

Rockflower’s Catalyzer Collective, a group of individuals committed to supporting and promoting the work of all Rockflower partners meets once a month to speak directly with partners and hear of their progress. In the last meeting in April, the Collective members were able to learn about WAP’s work, the challenges being met, the progress being made, and more importantly the hopes and plans for the future.

One of WAP’s greatest skills is their ability to reach out to funders and organizations who will understand and appreciate the long term benefits of the work they do. Rockflower’s partnership with WAP began in 2016 and we continue to support them in whatever way is needed. WAP has since gone on to attract significant support from The Advocacy Project, who really deserve the credit for ensuring that Constance and Dickson were given the technical support for their ambitious goals. Action for World Solidarity and most recently Together Women Rise (formerly Dining for Women) and several others share in this collaborative investment into the dreams of Constance and the Girl Ambassadors which will translate into a shared vision of future possibilities.

To date, WAP has completed the first phase of the “Clean Girl Soap Making Project” and has now moved into phase two. In phase one, the organization worked with 40 girls selected from two of WAP’s girls clubs. The girls learned to formulate, produce, package and sell 6,330 bottles of premium dish soap to over 15 local shops. The organization has received an official business certificate for “Clean Girls” and are in the process of receiving their product certification from The Standard Association of Zimbabwe. They have also invested in a solar energy system that will generate enough energy to power their soap processing facility. As a result of phase one, each girl involved in the soap making process was able to earn $21 USD of income.

Many of the girls involved in the program were unable to afford school fees and had to abandon their education. They were struggling to help provide for their families in an area with an unemployment rate higher than 90%. Before the intervention of WAP, many were in a situation that pressured them to marry very young in order to relieve the financial burden on their families. Perhaps the most significant result of WAP’s work is that 80% of girls involved with WAP have re-enrolled in school.

The parents of the girls involved in WAP’s Soap making project have also been extremely grateful and amazed by the results of the program.

One mother shared the following with WAP, “I want to thank WAP, particularly our Chitungwiza ambassador Evelyn. I met her when she was visiting her girls and I told her that I wanted my daughter to also join her club. Ever since my child joined her team, she has improved a lot, especially during the lockdown. They were not going to school but they were always occupied with something to do. Also, the income generating project they are doing has empowered her so much. I no longer worry much about her pocket money. She is now able to buy things for herself, like clothes, sanitary wear and things she desires to have as a girl. Many thanks to WAP for their great work. My daughter has completely changed even in character and she is now different from many other girls in the neighbourhood.”

The organization reported on the immense challenges they faced as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, writing, “The girls could not meet as everyone was required to stay at home. The WAP team could not move easily from one community to another as the Police had mounted checkpoints almost on every route leading to Harare's central business district, stopping cars and turning away pedestrians who had no authorisation to be in the area. Hundreds of people who failed to comply with the restrictions were detained. Women and girls were restricted from going to fetch water at the nearby water sources in their communities. Many poor families suffered from shortage of food supply and lack of disinfectants.”

Although the organization continues to overcome challenges related to the pandemic, they have been able to continue the weekly meetings of their local clubs, and continue production and sales of Clean Girls Soap. Currently they are also struggling with providing a means of transportation for the women and girls, but are working to secure a new vehicle for this.

The future for WAP continues to look bright, considering the sheer scale of determination that exists both at the leadership of the organization and within the girls themselves. Their major goal moving forward is to secure a factory, (either through renting or purchasing) to enable them to grow Clean Girls Soap into a nationwide, and perhaps even an internationally recognized brand. In the shorter term, their goal is to produce 38,000 bottles of soap in the next year and create a greater revenue stream to both provide sufficient salaries to the women and to reinvest into the organization to create a self-sustaining model.

Overall, WAP has made great strides in not only addressing and preventing child marriages, but in providing underserved women and girls with education, a supportive community, employment, income, and a chance at experiencing higher self-esteem. Perhaps the most notable of metrics, is that of all the girls involved in the program, none have married under-age, and a great number have returned to their education. The passion and determination of the organization’s leaders has made this all possible, and the Rockflower Catalyzer Collective feels proud and blessed to have had this opportunity to connect with Constance and Dickson and looks forward to encouraging and supporting their continued growth and success. Perhaps this is best summed up by long-time Collective member, Taylor Washburn.

“I look forward to the day when I am buying Clean Girl Soap from Zimbabwe in my local supermarket!”