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Islam, Women and Feminism ( 27 Nov 2022, NewAgeIslam.Com)

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March for Freedom for Afghan Women and Girls to take place in London

New Age Islam News Bureau

27 November 2022

• March for Freedom for Afghan Women and Girls to take place in London

• Egypt’s Maram Saied is Global Federation's First Female Arab Referee

• Morton Family Foundation Donates $30,000 For Education Of Afghan Women And Girls

• P&G Pakistan Reaffirms Pledge To Mentor 1000 Women Under Million Women Mentors

• All About Autonomy: Single Women Farmers Form Collective, Become Entrepreneurs

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

URL:  https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/march-freedom-afghan-london/d/128499

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March For Freedom For Afghan Women And Girls To Take Place In London

 

Women protest near a mosque in Kabul, calling for their rights to be recognised / AFP via Getty Images

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ARAB NEWS

November 26, 2022

LONDON: Thousands of marchers will descend on London on Sunday to demand that the UK government create a safe asylum route for Afghan women and girls at risk, The Guardian reported on Saturday.

Organized by the campaign group Action for Afghanistan, Sunday’s March for Freedom for Afghan Women and Girls follows MPs’ demands that Foreign Secretary James Cleverly renew the government’s focus on those left at risk after Britain’s 20-year military endeavour.

“The Afghan relocations and assistance policy isn’t working, and there isn’t a dedicated route for women and girls,” Liberal Democrat MP Wendy Chamberlain told The Guardian.

“We’ve gotten to the stage where the Afghanistan situation is in the too-difficult basket and those who supported the UK and others over the last two decades have been left behind.”

The appeal follows a clampdown by the Taliban on women’s rights and freedoms, including the banning of girls from secondary school and the banning of women from parks.

Fawzia Koofi, the Afghan Parliament’s first female deputy speaker, said six women communicating with those planning the London march had been arrested in Kabul.

Chamberlain, who coordinated the appeal to Cleverly with an incoming all-party group, has urged the continuation of aid to Afghanistan, a consultation mechanism including Afghan stakeholders, and a dedicated asylum route.

Two resettlement schemes launched in 2021, which brought 7,000 eligible Afghans to the UK, came under intense scrutiny for failing to prioritize the most vulnerable, and was described by a House of Commons committee report as a “betrayal of our allies.”

Zaidi said those left behind in Afghanistan after the UK withdrawal “need to know people still care … They need to know that allies like the UK have not completely abandoned them.”

A Foreign Office spokesperson told The Guardian: “We remain committed to using all our diplomatic and development levers to support the Afghan people and protect the rights of women and girls.”

Coordinated marches are also set to take place in Washington DC and four Canadian cities, with organizers saying they are expecting to see other countries follow suit after the UN said: “In no other country have women and girls so rapidly disappeared from public life.”

Source: Arab News

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2206541/world

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Egypt’s Maram Saied is Global Federation's First Female Arab Referee

 

Maram Saied

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Cairo Scene

Nov 27,2022

Egyptian athlete, TV Presenter, and  Maram Saied has become the first Arab female referee in the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB). The IFBB is an international professional sports governing body for bodybuilding and fitness, founded in Canada in 1946, that oversees many of the sport's major international events, mainly the World and Continental Championships.

The Egyptian referee, Maram Saied, received the green arbitration card for the Fitness Challenge, the most recent game to be added to the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness's events, from Dr. Rafael Santonja, president of the organisation. She officially earned the title while participating in the IFBB world championship recently held in Spain, and earned a referee title in the IFBB ‘Fitness Challenge’.

Source: Cairo Scene

https://cairoscene.com/Buzz/Egypt-s-Maram-Saied-is-Global-Federation-s-First-Female-Arab-Referee

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Morton Family Foundation Donates $30,000 For Education Of Afghan Women And Girls

By Brendan Burke

Nov. 26, 2022

The David and Patricia Morton Family Foundation has donated $30,000 to Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan (CW4WAfghan) to support its educational programs for women and children in Afghanistan, building on past donations to the national non-profit organization.

“It is wonderful that the foundation is continuing to support CW4WAfghan,” said Daphne Ingram, chair of the Peterborough chapter.

“This year their $30,000 donation goes to support online learning through the Darakht-e Danesh Library, which can be accessed free by everyone including students in hiding or living as refugees in neighbouring countries.”

Since the Taliban took control of the country over a year ago, it has decreed that girls cannot attend high school.

Afghanistan is currently the only country on the planet to officially deny girls the human right to education on the basis of their gender, according to CW4WAfghan, which calls the policy “gender apartheid.”

“The situation in Afghanistan is terrible,” Ingram said. “We must continue to support the women and girls in every way we can.”

In a message to CW4WAfghan, Dr. Patricia Morton said girls and women of Afghanistan are oppressed under today’s “so extremely misogynistic Taliban rule.”

The online library offers free and open educational resources for teachers, students, and anyone with a curious mind who wants to learn more on a particular subject, says the group’s website.

Source: the Peterborough Examiner.

https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/news/peterborough-region/2022/11/26/morton-family-foundation-donates-30000-for-education-of-afghan-women-and-girls.html

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P&G Pakistan Reaffirms Pledge To Mentor 1000 Women Under Million Women Mentors

November 27, 2022

KARACHI-P&G Pakistan has reaffirmed its pledge to mentor 1000 women under Million Women Mentors (MWM), a premier network and an initiative of STEMconnector, dedicated to encouraging girls and women around the world to pursue, persist, and succeed in STEM careers. This renewed collaboration of P&G Pakistan with MWM programme is aimed at encouraging women across Pakistan to pursue career goals and leadership opportunities under the mentorship of senior leaders of P&G. During the pilot, P&G Pakistan exceeded its target to mentor 500 women from professional circles to benefit from better projects, access to leadership, advocacy at higher levels, and mutual support. Adil Farhat, CEO P&G Pakistan, appreciating the initiative said, “This is something close to my heart and I believe with confidence and ambition, something women are too often discouraged from when we’re young, mentors can help reignite that fire and push women to achieve more than we’ve been told they’re destined for. Being a strong advocate of equality, P&G aims to enable women to work confidently and become an equal part of the industry through MWM program. We are aligned on taking many more of such initiatives in the future that will result in an equitable society for all.”

In the recent years, P&G has bagged the title of Champion at the OICCI Women Empowerment Awards for two consecutive years. With its global initiative #WeSeeEqual, P&G aspires to build a world of equal voice and equal opportunities regardless of gender. The #WeSeeEqual program demonstrates P&G’s continued commitment to create a more equal world. As one of the world’s largest advertisers, P&G and its brands continue to leverage their influential voice in media and advertising to drive further awareness, tackle gender bias, spark conversations and motivate change. P&G has also partnered with HOPE and UN Women for women’s skill development and girls’ education in the country. Moreover, P&G as being a founder member of the US-Pakistan Women’s Council’s corporate initiative, intent to advance its gender diversity mission while supporting the US-Pakistan Women’s Council in its attempts to increase women’s participation in the workforce.

“We are very excited to see that after a successful pilot program, P&G is doubling the size of their mentoring program in Pakistan,” said Dr. Jo Webber, CEO STEMconnector and Million Women Mentors. “We know from research that mentoring programs like this have a dramatic, life-changing effect on a person’s personal and professional growth, and social and economic mobility.”

P&G is also a part of CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion and works with more than 50 global leaders through the Catalyst CEO Champions for Change to advance the conversations in the organization.

Source: Nation.Com

https://www.nation.com.pk/27-Nov-2022/p-g-pakistan-reaffirms-pledge-to-mentor-1000-women-under-mwm

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All About Autonomy: Single Women Farmers Form Collective, Become Entrepreneurs

By Press Trust Of India

27th November, 2022

Vivid orange marigolds, dense purple aubergines and luminous green cabbages... not just farm produce but the colours of freedom for the women of Rayagada in Odisha who defied a society unwilling to accept their status as single women to collectively find independence.

Out to regain control over their lives and break free of societal shackles, more than 30 widows, divorced or unmarried women formed the Ekal Naari Sangathan (single women collective) in 2019. It was the starting point for a profitable business venture that over time included more women, and the turning point in their lives.

Women working as helpers in farms alongside men is a common sight across India. But look carefully, hear closely and the difference is clear.

The women of the tribal Dengasargi village in Rayagada, who break into song in Kui language, are the main decision makers who farm, market and sell their produce to earn their livelihood.

The Sangathan began with three acres to grow marigold as well as vegetables such as bitter gourd, aubergine and cabbage. In the three years since, the land being cultivated has grown to 40 acres. The women’s families own land between 0.5 acre to 2 acres on which they grow flowers and vegetables. The collective sells it in the market. The amount earned goes directly in their bank accounts every week.

“We had a turnover of Rs 47 lakh last year and this season we have made Rs 76 lakh. Of this, each woman farmer gets between Rs 80,000-1.5 lakh profit depending upon the size of land they are carrying out the cultivation on,” said Morepingidhi.

She is a board member of Annapoorna, the collective formed with the help of the government and NGOs, to sell their produce. There are 98 women in the company right now.

For these women, most from the Kondha tribe, who didn’t or couldn’t get married, got divorced or were widowed, the financial independence has translated to not just autonomy but also respect and equal status in their families and in society. "We were abused, called names for stepping out of our homes to farm. But when the money started coming in, our status not just in society but also in our own family changed,” Morepingidhi told PTI.

The 35-year-old said she could not get married due to a leg injury and didn’t get a chance to study because of her family’s financial condition. She worked all her life in a farm where she grew rice and millet, just enough for the family to survive with nothing left to sell in the market.

Saalmeinpedenti, 40, lost her husband when she was very young and started working as a daily wager and a domestic help. She recalls mortgaging a pair of gold earrings 10 times to take a loan to help the family.

“I joined the collective because it gave me a tiny ray of hope that my financial situation may improve and that was the best decision of my life,” she said.

“I initially grew vegetables on my own but it was not profitable and I did not know how to sell it in the market. I would wake up at 4 am every morning and carry them door to door to sell but it was not yielding any profit. That is when I decided to join the collective. Now I have bought gold and I am also getting my house renovated,” Sivai said.

“There is also a proposal with the state government to open solar cold storage in nearby areas so we can store our produce and sell it when we get the right price in the market,” she said.

Savita, for instance, who said she got a new way of life. “Now every house has food on their table which was not the case earlier.” She said distress migration in their village stopped after the collective was formed.

It has been a tough journey towards self sufficiency for the women, many who never received a formal education and struggled to learn the tricks of the trade.

“We would go to market early in the morning and observe how crops are sold. We also received help from the government and civil society organisations like Pradan,” Saalmeinpedenti said.

The tribal women farmers were brought under the Agriculture Production Cluster (APC) programme led by the Odisha government, Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation, and Pradan.

Under APC, they received support from various government departments such as Horticulture, Mission Shakti, Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water, Women & Child Development, and Odisha Livelihood Mission to help build their organisation.

“We were not just taught the trade but also how we can use environmentally friendly insecticides and pesticides in our field made from cow dung, urine, tamarind and honey,” Saalmeinpedenti said.

Hemant Bag, the block development officer of Rayagada district, said the important thing is that NGOs and the government joined hands to empower the women.

“We did not work in silos and made sure that we are able to fill knowledge gaps wherever required. Most importantly, these women are doing everything on their own and we are just for their guidance,” he said.

According to Pramathesh Ambasta, chief executive officer of the BRLF, the organisation is already in discussions with the Odisha government to expand the scope of the programme.

As their lives improve in many tangible and intangible ways, the women of Annapoorna say their collective is an inspiration for other women who want to study and become entrepreneurs and take their business forward.

Source: Republic World

https://www.republicworld.com/india-news/general-news/all-about-autonomy-single-women-farmers-form-collective-become-entrepreneurs-articleshow.html

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URL:  https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/march-freedom-afghan-london/d/128499

 

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