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Dear Colleagues and Friends
Welcome to the first MenEngage Africa newsletter in 2023. In this edition, we will deep dive into the milestones that characterized our commemoration of the International Womens month.The team participated in various spaces which included the 67th Commission of the Status of Women under the theme; Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.
We commemorated the international day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) under the theme Partnership with men & boys to transform social and gender norms to end FGM. The month of January saw the launch of the MenEngage Africa Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Strategic Plan 2023- 2027 that is focused on realizing the optimal rights to SRHR and wellbeing for all.
This edition also showcases our continued engagement on Meaningful Youth Inclusion and Participation and the need to build capacity for sustainable programming. We further showcase our ability to engage digitally through the pre-women’s day twitter space under the theme Digital Innovation and Technology for gender equality.
Aligned to the work on gender equality is the component on the MenCare campaign which advocates for men’s involvement in unpaid care work and promotes gender equitable and non-violent fatherhood. I would like to call to action, an affirmative support from MEA partners towards attaining the MenCare 50:50 commitment from governments and private sector in your respective countries.
Lastly, I would like to celebrate all contributors that continue to passionately promote the rights of women.
“May the roof above us never fall in, and may we, friends beneath it, never fall out.”- A toast for St Patrick’s Day
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NEWS
In March, we commemorated International Women's History Month. MenEngage Africa continues to celebrate the countless women who have fought tirelessly and courageously for equality, justice, and access to opportunities in our continent. We also reaffirm our commitment to advancing women's and girls' rights and opportunities around the world. In this newsletter will highlight women leaders from within the MenEngage Africa Alliance and their efforts and contributions to gender-just societies across the sub-Saharan region.
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News
MenEngage Africa, the Power to Youth Programme, and Sonke Gender Justice attended the 67th Commission on the Status of Women's in New York from March 6th to March 17th, 2023. The Priority theme for the 67th installment of this session was “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”.
This session drew together representatives from all regions of the globe, including member states, UN (United Nations) entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
We bring you some of the highlights and reflections from MenEngage Africa members and its partners.
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On February 6, 2023, the 'International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation' we observed. This day provides an opportunity for governments, member states, civil society organizations, development partners, activists, and other relevant stakeholders to raise awareness, renew commitments, and reiterate that female genital mutilation is an unacceptable harmful practice that violates the basic human rights of women and girls.
In honour of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, Jillo Fugicha of Kenya MenEngage Alliance tells her FGM story.
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NEWS
MenEngage Africa and Sonke Gender Justice launched the MenEngage Africa Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Strategic Plan 2023-2027 on January 24, 2023.
The MEA #SRHR Strategic Plan envisions women, girls, men, boys, and people with diverse SOGIESC realizing their rights to optimal sexual and reproductive health and well-being in Africa.
The plan, informed by regional and global literature, seeks to promote social justice and human rights by advocating for equitable, democratic, and gender-just sexual and reproductive health in Africa.
Our vision is for all people in Africa to access optimal sexual and reproductive health and well-being, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. To achieve this, we have outlined four strategies: Link, Learn, Improve, and Influence. Through building alliances and partnerships, knowledge management, capacity strengthening, and political advocacy, we will work towards dismantling patriarchal norms that hinder access to SRHR.
Guided by a commitment to a gender-transformative approach and a holistic understanding of sexual and reproductive health, we will strive to create an enabling policy environment for women, girls, and people with diverse SOGIESC.
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News
Ontlametse Raleru participated in Partnership Brokering Training from February 27th to March 3rd, 2023. The training was attended by the seven PtY country coordinators, the coordination lab, and consortium partners. It was facilitated by The Partnership Broker Association (PBA) which is an international research and training institute focused on effective management and development of collaborative partnership processes.
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WEBINAR AND TWITTER SPACE
The 112th International Women's Day took place on March 8th (IWD). It is a significant day in the women's rights movement, drawing focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, violence against women, and sexual abuse. It celebrates achievements, calls for change, and honours ordinary women's courage and resolve. The United Nations theme for International Women's Day (IWD) 2023 is "DigitALL: Innovation and technology for Gender Equality.
It is against this backdrop that the Power to Youth programme organized a pre-women’s day twitter space on the on 7th of March under the theme Digital Innovation and Technology for gender equality. This brought together technologists, innovators, entrepreneurs, and gender equality activists to highlight the role of all stakeholders in improving access to digital tools.
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News
The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) through the joint EU-AU-UN Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Program (SIARP) invited Sonke Gender Justice to the High-Level Multistakeholder Continental Summit on Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls convening on the side lines of the 36th African Union Summit (Heads of States and Governments Session) from February 15th – 17th 2023 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
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News
Sonke Gender Justice is a co-coordinator on the MenCare Global Campaign. Mphokuhle Mabhena led the MenCare Team on the quest to generate commitments from governments and private sector. MEA partners in Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Namibia have been instrumental in developing a plan of action to the MenCare 50:50 commitment. The MenCare 50:50 commitment is about committing to a fair redistribution of care work where commitments are made to accelerate men’s uptake of half of the unpaid care work. The expectation is that governments and private sector maintain or develop policy measures to support equal contribution to unpaid care work. What we have learned is that to generate these commitments, there is need to understand the country operating contexts as one-size-does not fit-all.
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