Women's Earth Alliance

Global Women's Water Initiative, Women, Water and Waves: Rainwater Harvesting for Poultry and Goat Microbusinesses in Uganda

2012-01-25T14:13:00.000-08:00

Charity (center in white) and Afuwa (behind Chairty) after installing a Rainwater Harvesting system in a WCFJC community

Community decision-making can be one of the key factors of success around any water development project. All over the world in communities of need, you’ll find systems that are functioning with ease and in others, the carcass of broken pumps, unused toilets, tanks in disrepair and the list goes on and on. A major contribution to the failure of these systems has been outsiders—not actually living in the community—deciding where to build and what to build, and not offering any local training for the construction, maintenance or repair of imposed systems. The result is that when these foreign systems breakdown, local people don’t have the capacity to repair or revitalize the projects leading to project failure.

Community members making ISSB bricks for the tank

Charity Nduhura and Afuwa Ngobi from Ugandan based Women’s Center for Job Creation know the importance of community engagement. With the support of Executive Director, Dorothy Tuma, Charity and Afuwa came to Global Women's Water Initiative (GWWI) through a recommendation from our friends at Global Fund For Women. WCFJC implements projects to equip low-income women in expanding the scale of their existing income generating projects.

Community members creating a Rainwater Harvesting Tank

During the 2011 GWWI East African Women and Water Training in Kampala, Charity and Afuwa learned how to build a rainwater harvesting systems with a storage tank. They brought the technology back to the women they work with in the community of Butagaya, Jinja in Uganda. These women, who had started micro-businesses raising poultry and goats in Butagaya, knew rainwater harvesting systems were an important and much needed technology for their families and businesses. So, after their return from the training, Charity and Afuwa's first action was to work with the Butagaya community to identify the most appropriate construction sites where all community members had easy access to the water—a location that also was easy to maintain.

ISSB bricks drying in the sun

Realizing the importance of community ownership, Charity and Afuwa used part of their GWWI $1,500 seed grant to organize a leadership workshop and construction training (conducted by GWWI training partner Connect Africa) to transfer the knowledge they learned at the GWWI training to the community. Participants of this community training showed up nearly every day for 2 weeks to learn how to build 2 rainwater harvesting systems—each 10,000 liter ISSB tanks (interlocking stabilized soil bricks). A maintenance committee was formed and the community created a water access and distribution plan, appropriate to their needs. As a result of Charity, Afuwa and the Butagaya community's hard work, over 200 people in their community have now been impacted and these grassroots-training participants now have tools to not only address their local water needs, but also earn additional income by building tanks. The WCFJC members are now talking about wanting to build toilets! Incidentally, Charity and Afuwa are the first GWWI team of 2011 graduates to reach their requirement of building 2 technologies within a year! Brava!

Like us on FB and follow us on Twitter!

WEA Welcomes our Newest Team Member!

2012-01-24T16:28:00.000-08:00

The Women’s Earth Alliance team is excited to introduce one of our newest family members--Gillian Wilson! Gillian, or Gill as she prefers to be called, joins WEA as the Interim Operations Director at a point of inflection. While co-directors Melinda and Amira prepare for and nurture the new additions to their families, Gillian will be at WEA’s helm ensuring the continued impact of our global programs.

Gillian comes to WEA from our bay-area sister organization—International Development Exchange (IDEX)—where she has served since 2002. While at IDEX, Gill held a range of leadership positions transitioning from an Executive Assistant Intern in 2002 to the Operations Manager in 2004, to the Communications Director in 2005 and ending her tenure with IDEX as the Director of Finance and Administration in 2011. Gillian is proud to have been part of an era of impact and success at IDEX, that raised the organization’s profile and that of their grassroots partners.

We could not be happier we found Gill. She is a diligent, hard working, and self-motivated professional with a great mind for detail. She is the jane-of-all-trades, always keeping up to date on the latest in financial administration, website SEO, nonprofit social networking, and relational database management! WEA could not be more excited about Gill and hope you will join us in welcoming her to the WEA family!

Water, Women and Waves on Wednesdays!

2012-01-19T13:38:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! And what a great start! GWWI is so proud to continue sharing the stories of the amazing women who attended our 3rd Grassroots Women and Water Training and inaugural Advanced Training and Fellowship Program (link to GWWI page). Starting next week we’ll be starting a series called Water, Women and Waves inviting you to learn about all the incredible impact our trainings have had on the women, their families and their communities.

To date, over 3000 people have access to clean water and sanitation in households, schools, a women’s prison, churches and other community centers. Women, many who never have imagined laying bricks, mixing cement, erecting structures are building rainwater harvesting systems, toilets and Biosand filters! The transformations are priceless and the opportunities are endless!

Women bear the greatest burden when it comes to lack of access to water and sanitation. We are here to transform those burdens into opportunities! We want to hear your thoughts! Follow us on Twitter @womenwater and like us on Facebook and join the discussion!

2012-01-10T13:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, the Save the Peaks Coalition and supporters from Arizona and California gathered for a prayer vigil in San Francisco, while the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral argument in their case to protect the holy San Francisco Peaks.

The Peaks, which rise to 12,000 feet above Flagstaff, Arizona, at the Western edge of Navajo lands, are sacred to thirteen tribes – including the Navajo, for whom the Peaks represent a central locus of spiritual power. Presently, for tribes throughout the Colorado Plateau, the Peaks are threatened by a proposal to use 1.5 million gallons daily of reclaimed wastewater as artificial snow in order to increase the moutain’s ski resort’s annual skiable days.

Yesterday, a three judge panel heard oral arguments on a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) question: whether the Forest Service failed to properly review the potential environmental and public health risks associated with the use of artificial snow. The judge’s questions focused both on procedural and substantive matters, and attorney for the Coalition Howard Shanker skillfully presented arguments on the Forest Service’s failure to adequately consider the range of potential environmental and human health impacts from the project. You can listen to the hearing audio here.

Click here for a clip of Jeneda Benally, a plaintiff to the case, inspiring the gathering of supporters in front of the Ninth Circuit courthouse.

A large group of supporters gathered in the morning to pray, march, and attend the hearing. Listen to a KPFA report from the morning’s events here.

On Sunday evening, the night before the hearing, supporters gathered to share a meal and make prayers for the success of the hearing. At the dinner, Berta Benally, a plaintiff to the case and a grandmother who traveled to California for the hearing, said “it is deplorable that the United States Forest Service would allow known endocrine disruptors to come into contact with our children. At one point DDT, BPA and asbestos were all considered safe. Years later, after many people suffered, we now sadly know that they created a health hazard."

Stay tuned for more information and updates about the outcomes of the case.

Photo credits: Wikimedia Commons via Sierra Club, Caitlin Sislin

Woman Water Champion, Rose Wamalwa

2011-12-22T16:13:00.000-08:00

Meet Rose Wamalwa. Rose is one of ten women selected as one of Global Women’s Water Initiative Fellowship Program for 2011. GWWI launched this program in response to the need for more women to be actively participating at every level of the water and sanitation sector. GWWI Fellowship Program creates a network of support by linking grassroots women with African and International women working in the environmental, health, water and/or public sector. The goal of the Fellowship program is two fold: 1) to offer hands-on technology construction, project planning and field training for graduate students and/or women professionals in the water and sanitation sectors and 2) to create support teams for the grassroots women teams selected to go through our women and water training program. Learn more about our women and water training program here. By expanding the Fellows’ opportunities to deepen their skills as trainers and facilitators, GWWI’s ultimate goal is to support the Fellows to professionalize their work, so they can get paid for their expertise providing water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) related services to their communities and beyond.

In the summer of 2011, Rose and the other Fellows participated in a rigorous training program which included leadership development, WASH education, water testing, action planning and hands-on construction of toilets, rainwater harvesting system, and various water treatments. She was assigned grassroots women’s teams to provide support in planning, development and implementation of technologies and water projects in their communities. Rose is in collaboration with grassroots teams in Kenya and Tanzania supporting them to build technologies, plan holistic strategies, and design sustainable projects. Because of this experience, Rose has since opened her own organization called Women in Water and Natural Resources Conservation which will offer trainings to grassroots women in Western Kenya.

Powerful Partnerships in East Africa

2011-12-16T10:20:00.000-08:00

Rosemary and Jacqueline building a Ferro Cement Tank during the 2011 East Africa Women and Water Training in Uganda

When Rosemary and Joy met Jackie and Dorothy, it wasn’t in Kisumu where they all live and work--- It was in Uganda at the 2011 East Africa Women and Water Training coordinated by Global Women’s Water Initiave (GWWI). Joy and Rosemary were selected because of their work with Kisumu Medical and Education Trust (KMET), an organization that promotes development of under-served communities through innovative health and education programs. KMET was connected to GWWI through American Jewish World Service (AJWS). KMET did not have a WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) program as part of their health initiative, but they discovered through surveys that their communities’ identified ‘access to clean water’ as a priority need. And thus the collaboration between GWWI and KMET began.

Jackie and Dorothy are two professionals who are part of a volunteer youth group and had the vision to provide clean water technologies in their home villages. At the training Jackie was also representing the Kisumu based organization Lake Victoria South Water Services Board, and she had the goal to learn how to build and manage a rainwater harvesting system using a new tank technology so that she could feel confident bringing the technology to LVSWSB to replicate.

Both teams learned how to build the interlocking stabilized soil bricks (ISSB) tank for rain water harvesting. The bricks are made out of marram (clay), sand, a little cement and water, and they are shaped such that they can lock together which makes them much more stable.Using the ISSB supports the intention to use local resources that are also economically attainable, as ISSB technology requires considerably less cement to make. The ISSB tanks are nearly half the price to build a ferro-cement or plastic tank which are the most common technologies implemented around the region. Furthermore, the special machine used to compress the bricks is a simple technology that could be easily learned and used by anyone.

Before the Kisumu teams left the training in Uganda, they had already begun collaborating, and knew that having the interlocking machine was key to introducing and building the rain water harvesting tanks. When KMET implemented its technology, Dorothy and Jackie came by the site frequently to support, further helping them them to solidify what they had previously learned at the training. This also means that in the following week when Dorothy and Jackie implemented, they had a much easier time constructing their tank thanks to the learnings from Joyce and Rosemary. Both teams have plans to possibly purchase an interlocking machine together (about $1300US) so they can share it and use it to make and sell bricks for income-generation.

We envision many more of such collaborations and partnerships to emerge as we undertake subsequent trainings uniting women for a thriving planet. We know that these trainings are the first point of contact for such powerful networking and connections to be created, and we want to build on these opportunities to maintain connections and linkages that emerge. This, combined with the vision of engaging to build a strong movement of women championing environmental causes, makes a compelling case for staying aligned and connected. We hope that the East Africa Network for Women and the Environment that WEA’s Africa Program is debuting, will be the platform for this vision to materialize and for many more partnerships and collaborations to blossom.

Planting Seeds of Resilience

2011-12-12T15:44:00.000-08:00

Last week, we celebrated the Women's Earth Alliance India Program at our special event--Seeds of Resilience: Women Farmers Striving in the Face of Climate Change.

Be sure to check out photos from the event here and watch the new India video!

We are touched by the outpouring of support from our community, and were glad to share personal stories of how women farmers hold the key to promoting food security in India. A special thank you to our Promotional Partners, and those who tabled at the Local Solutions Salon, including AWID, Balance Edutainment/Pacha's Pajamas, Bay Localize, DIG Cooperative, Earth Island Institute, Ecology Center, Global Exchange, Global Fund for Women, Harmony Festival, IDEX, Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy, Planting Justice, Richmond Grows Seed Lending Library, The Living Seed Company and Urban Adamah. A warm thank you to Todd Boston and Aharon for offering their musical gifts and performing live at the event.

We are proud to stand in solidarity with the efforts of our incredible grassroots partner, Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group, and to support the bold visions of rural women, who are the rising new leaders in their communities and are leading others by example by farming organically, by stewarding their natural resources and building the capacities of other women farmers to do the same.

We are also grateful to be graced by the wise words of Joanna Macy. She, too, affirmed that the women farmers in the India Training, like Ram Ratti and Manju Devi, are leaders in growing food sustainably - a crucial role given how the modern world's food system is impacting our environment and climate.

Thank you for planting seeds of resilience in our hearts by supporting the India Program. We look forward to deepening our work in India in 2012 and beyond.

WEA Advocacy Training: Building Bridges for Dialogue and Collaboration

2011-12-05T14:12:00.000-08:00

This November 4th – 6th, WEA hosted our first Advocacy Training, in partnership with Indigenous Environmental Network. We’re proud to share that the Training was a success.

Our Training took place at the David Brower Center in Berkeley, CA, which is located on Ohlone territory. Muwekma Ohlone elder Ann Marie Sayers opened the Training on Friday morning with a welcome and blessing.

Over the course of these three packed days, participants formed new partnerships, shared intensive dialogue, and learned key tools and strategies for advancing environmental justice with Indigenous peoples. The Training also yielded several mandates for WEA’s integral forward motion, as we continue deepening our relationships and our legal and policy advocacy work for environmental justice in collaboration with grassroots Indigenous women leaders.

The Training engaged approximately 35 advocates as new members of the WEA Advocacy Network – a great boon to the stability and longevity of our work. Participants were almost entirely advocates who were not previously involved in the Advocacy Network. Our participants came from all over the United States, representing some of the following organizations: Center for Biological Diversity; Earthjustice; International Accountability Project; NAACP; Three Degrees Project; University of Denver Environmental Law Clinic; and many more.

I just wanted to extend some gratitude for having the opportunity to take part in such an enriching and wonderful event. I left the training forever changed. I look forward to being part of the vibrant and wonderful advocacy network and also continuing to take part in the other elements of WEA.

- Kimaada LeGendre, Vermont Law School, advocate/ participant

We were honored by participation and presentations from representatives from 18 Indigenous-led groups, and 7 non-Indigenous groups with a history of strong alliances with Indigenous peoples. Presenters and facilitators provided critical, foundational knowledge to participants on the process of building successful alliances, tools and strategies for success, and current needs for legal and policy advocacy support.

As a Native person, a practitioner, and an attorney, I found it very inspiring and helpful to strategize in a way that’s real and that’s culturally grounded – this is something very rare, and has given me a lot of hope for the work that I do.

- Kapua Sproat (Kanaka Maoli), Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law, presenter

Many of the Indigenous groups represented at the Training, as well as several others, shared requests for advocacy collaboration through our docket. Already, first-level discussions have been initiated towards 11 collaborations between grassroots Indigenous activists, with the legal and policy advocates who participated. Please stay tuned for more details about the specific advocacy initiatives that arise from the Training, and the next steps for WEA’s North America program.

Thanks to WEA's organizational partner, Indigenous Environmental Network; Steering Committee members - including Jihan Gearon (Dine') of Black Mesa Water Coalition, Debra Harry (Kooyooe Dukaddo) of Indigenous Peoples' Council on Biocolonialism, Winona LaDuke (Anishinaabe) of Honor the Earth, Toby McLeod of Sacred Land Film Project, Tia Oros Peters (Zuni) of Seventh Generation Fund, Carolyn Raffensperger of Science and Environmental Health Network; our lead facilitator Roberto Vargas, all the WEA staff and volunteers who produced the Training, all those who contributed financial resources towards the Training, and most of all, everyone who attended and gave so much of themselves towards the success of our first Advocacy Training.

Making Ripples: Zero to 2800 in Four Months

2011-12-02T16:15:00.000-08:00

Exciting news rippling out from East Africa! It has been four months since the Global Women’s Water Initiative completed Phase One of our third African Women and Water Training Program in Kampala, Uganda (Read more about the Phase 1). Fifty two women from East Africa and the United States came to Kampala to attend the GWWI Training to learn educational and technological solutions to address their communities’ water and sanitation needs. Most were strangers when they arrived, but by the time they left Kampala, partnerships were formed which has rippled out into waves of change in communities across East Africa.

Today, over 2800 people have access to clean water and sanitation! And this is just the beginning.

How did they do this? Immediately after the Kampala Training in Phase 2 of the program, GWWI Grassroots Teams were given an opportunity to apply for a $1500 seed grant to implement what they learned. 15 teams received their grants, mobilized their communities, and with support from the GWWI coordinating team (trainers, fellows, and trainers-in-training), built nine rainwater harvesting systems with storage tanks, and introduced four Biosand Filter and three Ventilated Improved Pit Latrine projects in slum and rural communities in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.

What did we learn from the past? This GWWI created a WASH Peer Support Network by incorporating East African and International Fellows as well as GWWI graduates (Trainer’s in Training or TT) to partner with the Grassroots Teams to help them reach their goals. The Support Network act as global peers offering assistance in coordinating, co-training and problem-solving during every step of the planning and implementation process. In our past GWWI trainings in Kenya (2008) and Ghana (2010), it took up to a year or more for the Grassroots Teams to implement their first technology. This cycle took less than four months. Not only have we seen greater impact, but faster implementation as well much in part because of this network.

What’s next? As we transition into Phase 3, the participants must mobilize their own resources to replicate technologies learned during the training to expand their WASH programs to meet the GWWI criteria for two technology implementations within a year. This means engaging local leaders and community members for long term support, acquiring building materials, planning all logistics of construction and outreach and designing a larger scale program to have a greater reach. Two teams have already implemented their second technology for Phase 3 and we expect two additional Teams to do so by the end of the year!

The East Africa Network for Women and the Environment! Drawing and building on the significant contributions by a strong peer support network of international and East African fellows as well as GWWI graduates/Trainers-in-Training, Women’s Earth Alliance’s Africa program is responding with the creation of an East Africa Network for Women and the Environment (EANWE). The creation of such a network to link and connect women at the helm of environmental and climate justice issues is long overdue, and the Africa program is excited to be in the initial stages of forming the East Africa Network for Women and the Environment. This Network aims to create linkages and networking opportunities for the partners of the Africa Program and will connect environmental activists, women’s right advocates, development practitioners, non-profit and community based organizations (CBO) working at the nexus of women and the environment. Through EANWE, members connect, share knowledge and build coalitions to address emerging issues facing women and the environment in East Africa. Networking remains a critical tool for women and girls to break the cycle of dependency and to engage in development at all levels and it also allows for highlighting and amplifying women’s contributions and voices in seeking solutions to the environmental and climate issues of our time.

Give a Sh*t

2011-11-23T12:40:00.000-08:00

If you didn’t know, Nov 19 was World Toilet Day. Why, you ask, would we dedicate a day recognized around the world - to a toilet? Because one out of three people on the planet do not have access to one. The lack of safe disposal and treatment of human waste is one of the major causes of biological contamination in water, which spreads diseases like cholera, dysentery, giardia etc. One of the main symptoms of water related disease is diarrhea, which can also lead to malnutrition--the highest cause of death in the world. What does that mean? There is sh*t in the water and people are getting sick from drinking and using dirty water.

But for girls, that isn’t the half of it. Having a toilet could determine a girls future. If there are no toilets in schools, then girls who have started their menstrual cycle can miss school at least one week per month and sometimes drop out entirely.

Global Women’s Water Initiative is dedicated to supporting women and girls to learn the importance of clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and how they are all intricately linked. If we have clean water and toilets, but don’t wash our hands, we can get sick. If we have a water source and people sh*t anywhere, water can get contaminated especially during rainy season. If we wash our hands, but use dirty water and no soap, we are at high risk of disease. You get the picture. Effective water, sanitation AND hygiene practices must be addressed together and in an integrated way.

GWWI provides the tools for women to address these issues deeply and holistically. Women who attend our trainings are able to test water for contamination, share effective WASH practices to improve hygiene practices, offer strategies to protect water sources, treat contaminated water and build appropriate technologies that can reduce the risk of water-related disease.

Can you imagine what kinds of opportunities can arise for women and girls by just having a toilet? GWWI does. Won’t you give a sh*t and join us?

Matilda is why WEA believes...

2011-11-18T10:26:00.000-08:00

Matilda (far right) with women from the Mukono Women's AIDS Task Force (MWATF) in Mukono, Uganda in 2011

Three years ago Matilda Nabukonde had never picked up a shovel. Today, she can build rainwater harvesting systems (RWH), biosand water filters (BSF) and ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrines. She offers hygiene education workshops to hundreds of people in remote rural areas in Uganda and slums of Kampala. A grandmother and caretaker, Matilda is a powerful force in the communities she serves.   We first met Matilda when she was selected to attend the Global Women’s Water Initiative (GWWI) 2008 Women and Water Training in Nairobi, Kenya. A representative of a local organization called Uganda Community Based Association for Children’s Welfare (UCOBAC), Matilda joined us in Kenya because she wanted to launch a clean water initiative for her community. Despite having malaria, Matilda participated in all workshops; she learned to build a ferro-cement tank, harvest water off thatched roofs and collect rainwater by building a simple “purpose built” system—an affordable catchment using four posts and a small sheet of corrugated iron sheets to create a free-standing sloping surface.

After the training Matilda, along with the other 14 participant teams, received a seed grant from GWWI to construct a water and sanitation project in her community. Realizing the high cost of constructing one ferro-cement tank, Matilda and her partner invested in several small purpose-built systems that were more cost-effective and appropriate for their community. Together, they built multiple systems and trained grandmothers and orphans how to do the same. When the money ran out, Matilda raised additional funds to train and build more systems.

Matilda’s story as a WASH implementer didn't stop at the 2008 training.

In 2010, Matilda was interested in expanding the budding Water and Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) program at her organization UCOBAC. So, she attended a Biosand Water Filter training conducted by Global Women’s Water Initiative (GWWI) partner organization, A Single Drop. At the workshop, Matilda deepened her knowledge on water treatment processes to improve water quality in areas where water is abundant but not safe to drink.

Following the training, Matilda built and installed filters at UCOBAC’s newly opened health clinic serving slum dwellers in Kampala. She is currently designing a micro-business plan to expand her safe water project. Meanwhile, she also designed a more comprehensive WASH educational outreach campaign utilizing the Portable Microbiology Lab to test water for fecal contamination. She uses the results of the tests to educate the communities on the impacts of poor sanitation to convince communities that better hygiene practices, and source protection techniques are important first steps to better health.   In 2011, we responded to the needs of graduates with great promising leadership like Matilda. Along with other past Women and Water Training graduates, Matilda was invited to participate in an Advanced Training Program designed to support women like Matilda who wanted to professionalize their water and sanitation skills to become full-service WASH Trainers. As a Trainer-in Training, Matilda mentored the new Grassroots Teams, supporting them as they designed their WASH projects. She also added an additional technology—the Ventilated Improved Pit Latrine (VIP)—to her WASH toolbox. Within weeks of the training, Matilda and her team returned to the Chamanga slum and mobilized a community to build a new latrine.   Matilda gives us hope that women leaders can transform their own communities. Matilda is now equipped with multiple solutions to improve health in her community and surrounding ones. Her services are in demand in a sector where men have been traditionally sought. She sets a strong example for other women who have the opportunity to recognize that not only do they hold the solutions, they can build them.

We are inspired by Matilda and stand in solidarity with our Ugandan sister as she restores balance to the earth.

Support our work in uplifting the leadership of women like Matilda. The ripple effect is real.

November 4: Steadying the Seasons

2011-10-27T11:18:00.000-07:00

Photo by: Phillippe Ponchaux

Women's Earth Alliance is preparing to host our first Advocacy Training, November 4th – 6th, 2011, here at the David Brower Center in Berkeley. With guidance from our Steering Committee and organizational partner, Indigenous Environmental Network, we're convening 75 advocates and activists for three days of dialogue, learning and collaborative action towards environmental justice for Indigenous peoples. The training will prepare advocates - from large law firms, national NGOs, and major universities – to use tested and emerging advocacy tools; build capacity for effective cross–cultural partnerships; and generate strategies for action on health and environmental justice.

We're thrilled that this long-anticipated event is coming to fruition! Please stay tuned for updates leading up to, and after, the Training, about the impacts of our work and the new initiatives emerging from this convening. We honor the talented and dedicated advocates who are joining us to learn and participate. As Tom Goldtooth, Executive Director of Indigenous Environmental Network, commends our participants: "thank you for standing strong in defense of the sacredness of Mother Earth and for our future generations."

How can you be a part of our work with Indigenous peoples towards the protection of health, culture and sacred land?

On Friday, November 4th, join us for Steadying the Seasons: Indigenous Peoples on the Front Lines of Climate Change in North America. This dynamic evening will include storytelling from three leading Indigenous climate justice activists, as well as a short film about the Athabascan tar sands and their impacts on Indigenous peoples and the climate.

Please see our website for more information and to buy tickets. The evening begins with a reception at 6:30 PM; please arrive by 7:15 for the program. 2150 Allston Way in Berkeley.

See you there!

WEA at Bioneers: Leadership at the Nexus

2011-10-25T17:02:00.000-07:00

Last week, the WEA Team was thrilled to co-facilitate the 2011 Bioneers Post-Conference Intensive, Leadership at the Nexus: When Women Thrive, Communities Thrive. Along with Nina Simons, Co-Founder and CEO of Bioneers, WEA’s Directors and a dynamic group of multi-generational women leaders participated in a daylong session of personal vision cultivation, collective learning, and collaboration.

Drawing upon their own experiences as well as the wisdom of WEA’s grassroots partners, the WEA Directors created a day full of effective and creative strategizing. Powerful exercises, personal story telling and intimate networking allowed this gathering of women to cultivate their own personal leadership. Participants created dynamic and unique visions, partook in SWOT (Strengths, Weakness Opportunities and Threats) analyses, and explored the boundaries – and the solutions to those boundaries – keeping them from accomplishing their goals in small groups. There is no doubt - When women leaders collaborate the world changes. This special space of exploration, self-critiquing and collaboration resulted in a 3-step action plan for the next month, as well as an assignment of accountability partners to support the women on their journey of leadership.

Many thanks to Nina Simons and to the conference’s participants – we are honored to work with you in the cultivation of your personal leadership, and look forward to hearing about all of your future successes. You are whole women and whole leaders for a whole world!

The Weight of Water

2011-10-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

Photo Credit: Kate Clayton-Jones

"I came into this world carrying water on my head, and I refuse to leave this world still carrying it." ~Mildred Mkandla from an interview with WEA Research Fellow, Beth Robertson, during the 2011 GWWI Women and Water Training in Uganda.

Mildred Mkandla, known as “Mama Maji” (Mama Water in Swahili) is the “MacGyver” of rainwater harvesting. She believes that every drop of water is precious and can be harnessed, captured and stored using almost anything. Give her some rocks and she’ll make a water catchment system. Give her a plastic tarp and she’ll capture rainwater off a thatched roof. Give her a piece of bamboo and she’ll make a gutter. Because rural grassroots communities may not have access to financial capital, appropriate roofs to hang gutters, or even the materials necessary to build tanks, Mama Maji works with African women to provide access to different water harvesting options that are financially feasible and contextually appropriate. As the Rainwater Harvesting Trainer at both the 2008 and 2011 GWWI Women and Water Trainings, Mama Maji helped to construct various rain catchment systems for our participants to learn, including an 11,000 liter Ferro-cement tank.   

Mildred first came to the Global Women’s Water Initiative in 2008 from Ethiopia where she was the External Relations Director of EarthCare Africa Policy Monitoring Institute. At the time she was a development activist with more than 35 years experience in the fields of health, education and environment focusing mainly on women and children. She shifted her focus to water, gender and health in 2000. Now a seasoned RWH trainer, Mama Maji has offered trainings all over Africa. Her biggest achievement in this respect was a project on Empowering Women through Rainwater Harvesting in Kenya. This project concentrated in Kajiado District amongst the Masaai Pastoralists where women compete with livestock for water access.   

Mildred has since moved back to her homeland of Zimbabwe where she believes that everything must start at home. She lives on her organic farm with her family and practices what she preaches. She has a 46,000 liter tank, that she built, which provides enough water for her family and the workers who live there. She is reconnecting with her community to share the knowledge she has gained from her work around the continent.   Mildred believes that teaching communities to create their own water source by capturing and storing rainwater is just one step in relieving women and girls from the burden of accessing water. The rest lies in the trainee’s commitment to enroll others in their vision.

"After building this tank in my community I have heard of others who want them too ... I see a seasonal build -- this season we build for one person, the next season we build for another person. We build and build until the whole community is covered with tanks and no one has to walk for water...."-Grace Kyoma, 2011 GWWI Training participant from Kiotjo Integrated Development Association (KIDA), Uganda after she installed her first Rainwater Harvesting Tank in her community

Even with her contributions, Mildred believes that there is much work to be done. At the 2011 Training in Uganda, she encouraged the participants to sign the Buziga Declaration, stating:

“We 56 women from Sub-Saharan Africa and the United States attending the East Africa Women and Water Training at Buziga Country Resort, Kampala, Uganda from 4th to 17th July 2011; having reaffirmed the integral role of women in water security, sanitation and hygiene-WASH, Do here by commit ourselves to working towards a world water movement that is committed to ensuring that every woman has adequate access to safe water and sanitation by 2025.
Signed this 18th day of July 2011
Kampala, Uganda”

The signatories hope that the Buziga Declaration will raise multi-level awareness to ensure access to safe water and by so doing lift the weight of water off of women and girls.  We stand in solidarity with Mildred and are inspired by her efforts to do her part. Together we are doing the best that we can, like the story of the hummingbird as told by the late Wangari Maathai. Click the following links to see Mama Maji in action at the 2008 Women and Water Training and the 2011 East African Women and Water Trainings.

When women thrive, communities thrive: Join us at the 2011 Bioneers Conference for a day-long workshop on Leadership!

2011-09-20T17:34:00.000-07:00

We are delighted to announce that the WEA Team, as part of the 2011 Bioneers Conference's Cultivating Women's Leadership program, will be leading a special one-day intensive workshop, "Leadership at the Nexus: When Women Thrive, Communities Thrive." On Monday, October 17th, WEA Directors Amira Diamond, Caitlin Sislin, Gemma Bulos, Maame Yelbert-Obeng, Melinda Kramer, and Rucha Chitnis will offer a day of inspiration as they share stories from around the globe of women leaders who are cultivating transformation in the face of climate change and environmental degradation.

We invite you to come along with us on this leadership journey for our 2 sessions during Bioneers—Friday, October 14 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm and Monday, October 17th 9:00 am - 5:30 pm. Bioneers is offering friends of Women's Earth Alliance a 20% discount on tickets to attend the event, which will feature extraordinary women leaders and innovators with breakthrough solutions for some of the gravest issues of our time. You can purchase your discounted tickets here by using the discount code Women20.

Join the Women's Earth Alliance Team as we connect to the diverse and powerful movement for uplifting women's leadership and engaged activism. Clarify your own vision as a leader by drawing upon courageous stories of women who ignite and sustain environmental and social change around the world. We'll also share some tried and true leadership tools we've used over the years.

Together, we will practice the art of collaborative leadership to discover how we can help restore the balance in the world by showing up, listening, and acting in solidarity. Join us!

When I grow up, I want to be an engineer!

2011-09-16T15:17:00.000-07:00

Photos and Text by Beth Robertson (Research Fellow)


2011 Grassroots Training Participants and Katuuso Primary School Students during the VIP Latrine Construction

At Katuuso Primary School in Uganda—the site where the 2011 GWWI East Africa Grassroots Training built and handed over two water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) technologies—the students, especially the girls, were shocked to see women constructing rainwater harvesting (RWH) tanks and ventilated improved pits (VIP) latrines to serve the campus’ 600 students. The girls at the school never thought that women could build these technologies. Why would they, when they had been socialized to believe that this was a man’s job?

Many hands make light work: Brick assembly line during the VIP construction

During the two weeks spent in Katuuso Primary School, training participants learned practical skills to construct water technologies, and in the process began to transform into role models for the female students. Working alongside our young sisters and under the guidance of two African women facilitating the technology trainings, these students learned that women could be community change-makers and still be mothers and caretakers. As we stood in lines passing bricks to each other for construction, we began to hear the students say, I want to be an engineer when I grow up!

Katuuso Primary School students present during the technology handover ceremony

Sometimes inspiration comes from the strangest of places at the most unexpected times. The broader grassroots training crew may not have been masons, carpenters, technicians or trained engineers; but they were certainly community leaders making a difference at the school, and in the process shifting the view of women’s capabilities among the student body. When four young women representing the Katuuso student body spoke at the handing-over ceremony and shared their perceptions of the women they had seen in action, they uttered—Women can do anything. We are women, we can too!

Katuuso Priamary School students celebrate during the GWWI Technology Handover Ceremony!

Out of sight is not out of mind

2011-09-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

As you know, the Africa Team just returned from Uganda, having worked alongside GWWI and our partners from Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania to address the myriad environmental challenges facing women and girls. We specifically had dialogues around the impact of climate change on women and girls and together strategized and developed skills on appropriate water, sanitation, and hygiene--WASH technologies.

We also made connections between climate change and how it severely impacts farming and food security. In addition to learning to construct solar cook kits that utilize the energy of the sun to cook and to pasteurize water, we were introduced to fireless cookers, another technology that enables women to cook without having to go collect firewood. Inevitably, issues around climate change and access to safe water link the rights of women to access and use land as farmers.

Right now in Uganda, there is concern around President Museveni's decision to "hand out part of Mabira rainforest to sugar manufacturer-SCOUL to grow sugarcane." According to this article, the impact of the President's decision will be three-fold: economic, political, and environmental. Already, "the pearl of Africa", whose potential to become an agricultural superpower depends on environmental balance, is being pounded by torrential rain that has caused severe flooding, death, and has destroyed livelihoods.

Even though the first phase of the 2011 East African Women and Water Training has ended and the Africa Team is back from Uganda, we continue to stand in solidarity with our Ugandan partners.

Meet the Summer Interns!

2011-09-01T10:06:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe it's already the end of August. What a productive summer at Women's Earth Alliance, and what a talented group of Summer Interns. They contributed so much to WEA, and we are grateful for all their hard work. Take a moment to meet them!

MARA GERSON - Summer Intern

1. Where are you from? I grew up in Berkeley, CA!

2. And what brings you back to Berkeley for the summer? I am a student at Vassar College in New York and came home this summer to work at WEA and enjoy the Bay Area.

3. What drew you to apply to be an intern at WEA? I’ve known about WEA for years through Melinda Kramer. I’ve wanted to work at WEA since high school not only because I believe in the work they do and the concrete changes they have made in only five years, but also because of their unique approach both on a large scale and in the office on a daily basis. As an International Studies major with growing interests in women’s and environmental issues, WEA seemed like the perfect place to solidify my academic interests and to get excited about the kind of work I could do once I graduate.

4. Sounds like the perfect fit! What exactly do you do at WEA? I am constantly working on various organizational and administrative projects, but one thing that I’ve been particularly excited about is brainstorming for WEA’s new School Outreach Program. Through local schools and teachers, we hope to teach Bay Area Youth about women’s and environmental issues and connect them directly to our global partners in Africa, India and North America. It has been so fun to get to work on a project in its preliminary stages, and I believe that the School Outreach Program has the potential to empower young people in creative and deep ways. I wish I could be here to see how it grows this year!

5. What do you like most about being an intern at WEA? Coming into a workplace where everyone is joyous, welcoming, honest, dedicated and reflective. WEA has not only taught me about the content of the work I want to do in the future, but also about how I want to go about doing that work on a daily basis. I love being in an office of inspiring women who support and push each other and also love to dance, sing and stretch while doing their work (all three of these things happened on the first day of my internship!).

6. Has anything surprised you about interning with WEA? I have been surprised about how their general approach to tackling big-scale, intimidating issues - like getting water to thousands of people - is so effective because they apply it on a small scale, as well. WEA is not just about female leaders in other countries working to change their communities. In my eyes, this aspect of WEA works well because the women in Berkeley and their surrounding community stay grounded in specific, positive values through which they view and change the world.

7. What do you do in the Bay Area when you aren’t busy at WEA? I love art, and this summer I also interned at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, worked at a local pottery studio called Brushstrokes, and took my first watercolor class at UC Berkeley. I also like to take hikes with my dog and family, explore San Francisco, and try to dance and do yoga as much as possible.

8. Any advice for future WEA interns? Ask lots of questions, get to know your co-workers, and come to work happy and ready to be even happier when you leave. I found that once I was receptive to the “WEA Way,” it changed how I live my life outside of WEA, as well.

9. What is one thing your WEA coworkers don’t know about you? I want to start a craft collective when I get back to school this fall!

KAHEA PACHECO - Legal Research Intern for the North America Program

1. Where are you from? I’m from Honomu, HI – a little plantation village on the rainy, Hamakua coast of the Big Island.

2. What brings you to Berkeley for the summer? I’ve actually been living in Oakland for the past 5 years. I moved to the Bay for law school in 2006, graduated with my JD in 2009, and have been living and working in the area ever since!

3. What drew you to apply to be an intern at WEA? I found WEA through a posting on the University of San Francisco School of Law career opportunities board. I remember thinking that WEA seemed like such a great organization; it would be an opportunity for me to do the type of research I loved with indigenous communities. So I contacted Caitlin Sislin (North America Program Director) to ask more about the NAP – as I had specialized in Federal Indian law and had focused a lot on environmental law in law school – and here I am now!

4. And what is your role at WEA? I am the summer legal research intern for the North America Program.

5. What do you like most about your work with WEA? I think there really is something to be said about doing what you love. And I love doing research on environmental issues and working with (and for) indigenous communities. Aside from that, however, I think what I love most about being an intern at WEA is the work environment that WEA fosters. It’s such a positive, supportive place to be, where your health and happiness are just as important as the work you do.

6. Has anything surprised you about your internship? I came from a work environment that was very different from WEA’s, so I think what pleasantly surprised me most was that supportive aspect I spoke of before. I think I’m also just learning so much more about the environmental issues facing indigenous communities, things I didn’t think of before, and that’s been surprising and rewarding.

7. What do you do in the Bay Area when you aren’t in the office? I like to have BBQ’s with friends, get out of the city into wide open spaces, take day trips to places I’ve never been before, go on hikes with my dog…

8. Any advice for future WEA interns? Really take advantage of this opportunity to work with amazing women, in an amazing office, doing really meaningful work. Try to be a sponge – just take in as much as you can at all times, because every second is a chance to learn more about the issues WEA works on, your coworkers, or the kind of career that celebrates the work/life balance.

9. What is one thing your WEA coworkers don’t know about you? I have a crazy addiction to Diet Coke that I’ve been trying to kick for months now. Some months are better than others.

SOPHIE FRIED - North America Program Intern

1. Where are you from? Washington DC.

2. How did you end up over here on the best coast? I graduated from Pitzer College in May 2010, and moved up to San Francisco shortly thereafter. I have been working at WEA since last November. I'm currently studying for the LSAT,and hope to be going to law school or continuing to work on issues of environmental justice in the next couple of years.

3. Sounds like you have it all planned out! What drew you to apply to be an intern in the first place? I heard about WEA through a former professor. My values align so closely with WEA's mission and development model that I knew I had to be involved in this work in any capacity.

4. What is your role at WEA? I am a Jane of all Trades! I did social media for a while--managing our Twitter and Facebook accounts, and now I support our North America program director, Caitlin Sislin, in her work on the upcoming Advocacy Training this November.

5. What is your favorite thing about being an intern at WEA? I feel like I am doing good work. This is the way development should be done--WEA takes a holistic approach and invests not only in projects, but in the lives of women. We are continuously building a web of powerful relationships the world over in an effort to uplift women and in turn, protect the earth. So, yea, I guess you could say I enjoy being a part of that ;)

6. Has anything surprised you about your internship? I could not have anticipated how I would grow to love the people I work with at WEA. It is not fair to call them "co-workers" They are friends, allies, mentors, and sisters. I am constantly inspired by the spirits of my sisters.

7. That is amazing. So when you aren’t in the office, what do you do with your spare time? The Bay Area has a rich and vibrant culture which I try to enjoy as much as I can. I attend lots of art walks, festivals, concerts and the like. I also love being outdoors, and I live right next to Tilden Park, so I feel very blessed!

8. Advice for future WEA interns? You should feel encouraged to bring your unique gifts to WEA's work. Share your ideas and voice your opinions, you will be heard!

9. What is one thing your WEA coworkers don’t know about you? I share so much with them! But I bet they don't know that I'm terrified of clowns. Really, really not amused by them at all.

KAITLIN SWARTS - Research and Social Media Intern

1. Where are you from? Austin, Texas.

2. How did you make it all the way to Berkeley for the summer? I graduated from Pomona College in southern California two years ago. A lot of Pomona alumni end up in the Bay Area, so it was only natural for me to migrate back to the west coast eventually.

3. How did you hear about WEA? I was living in Peru and knew I wanted to move to the Bay Area when I got back to the states. While searching for sustainable development organizations, I came across WEA. I couldn’t believe how my beliefs were completely aligned with WEA’s mission and methodology. The more I read about WEA, the more I knew I wanted to work for an organization that goes about sustainable development in the right way: by listening to communities and empowering local women leaders. Even though I was still going to be in Peru for another several months, I felt immediately compelled to write WEA a love letter.

4. And what do you do at WEA? I am the Research and Social Media Intern, but as the other interns have expressed, I feel very lucky that I get to touch projects in lots of different areas. Every day is different. It ranges from sending out weekly news briefs to our three programs, to doing preliminary research for future projects, to managing the WEA blog and working on WEA’s social media outreach.

5. What is your favorite thing about being a WEA intern? I love getting to come to work and feel good about the work I am doing—I leave the office in an even better mood than I come in with! As an intern, you tend to get handed a random assortment of tasks, but at WEA, I have never felt disconnected from our mission. Every day, I know that the work I am doing is in some way helping to empower women to unlock their own solutions to food, land, and water issues around the world. What could be better than that?

6. Has anything surprised you about your internship or WEA in general? Before WEA, I worked for a year in the corporate world, so where do I even start? Hugs on my first day of work, coworkers asking me how my weekend was and genuinely being interested in my answer, it being ok to take off my shoes in the office, 2pm stretch breaks, getting to interact with the Co-Directors on a daily basis…the list goes on.

7. When you aren’t at WEA, where can we find you? I am new to the Bay Area, so I am still busy exploring my new home. The Bay is truly a hub of dynamic people and places—I am constantly amazed by what this area has to offer. So if you are looking for me, I’m probably either trying to figure out MUNI in the city or hiking in the East Bay. I am always open to suggestions for new things to try! Oh, and I attempt to maintain my soccer skills by playing in an adult league.

8. Do you have any advice for future WEA interns? Rather than trying to formulate expectations for what your internship will be, remain open to supporting the WEA team on a wide range of projects. You will be surprised by what you will learn. Before my internship, I had never even been on Twitter. Now I spend my free time reading up on social media strategy and looking for interesting things to retweet.

9. What is one thing your WEA coworkers don’t know about you? I've sang and played piano my whole life, so I was so excited to learn on my first day that my new coworkers like to celebrate and sing at events, at work—really, any time! I am very shy at first, but hopefully one day I will be able to bust out into song with everyone!

CODY DUNITZ - General Intern

1. Where are you from? Santa Monica, California.

2. What brings you to Berkeley for the summer? I’m a third year undergraduate student at UC Berkeley, and have been working and taking classes over the summer.

3. What drew you to apply to be an intern at WEA? I heard about WEA from Ariana Katovich, one of the directors at Earth Island. I took a tour of the Brower Center with her, and when I saw WEA and heard about the awesome things the organization was doing and what it stood for, I knew right away I wanted to get involved somehow!

4. And what exactly do you do as an intern? I do social media, Salesforce (donor tracking), school outreach, and any other projects or tasks the WEA team needs help with.

5. What is your favorite thing about interning at WEA? I have learned so much over the course of the last few months working at WEA, it’s hard to narrow it down. One thing I have really enjoyed is that I have felt such an awesome sense of community and love both in the office and in every project that WEA takes on outside the office. I have also enjoyed the various projects I've done, and getting to collaborate with others on some of them.

6. Has anything surprised you about WEA? The first thing that comes to mind is how much emphasis WEA places on personal relationship and individual care--in every aspect that I've experienced while working here, whether it's with fellow WEA team members or anyone outside the office, the WEA team demonstrates diligence and care. This is not surprising given how WEA is as an organization, but rather because I've never worked with an organization that placed such importance on this aspect before.

7. What do you do in the Bay Area when you aren’t interning? Spend time with friends and family, hike and spend time outdoors, play guitar and sing, read, check out fun restaurants and cook.

8. Any advice for future WEA interns? Ask for support when you need it (because you will get it!) but don’t be afraid to take on challenges head first and make projects your own. Take time to appreciate the great, personal work environment WEA has created. One thing that was discussed in the 2011 GWWI Uganda pre-departure meeting that really stuck with me was how important it is to work from the heart; service work is only meaningful if you are doing it with honest and loving intentions, and I think what’s so special about the way WEA works.

9. What is one thing your WEA coworkers don’t know about you? I’m a total geography nerd.

SUSAN MA - Operations Intern, North America Program Intern

1. Where are you from? Los Angeles, CA.

2. What brings you up north? I live and go to school in Oakland, so Berkeley is not too far away.

3. How did you hear about WEA? I heard about WEA through Idealist.org. I looked at their intern openings, red their "about" section, and thought to myself, "who wouldn't want to work with strong, empowered women that are trying to create change in the world?"

4. Agreed. And what do you do at WEA? I mainly work with WEA's finances, but I also support the North America Program.

5. What do you like most about interning at WEA? The work and the environment.

6. Has anything surprised you about your internship or WEA in general? Every time I attend a WEA event or meet a WEA supporter, I get surprised in a good way.

7. What do you do in the Bay Area when you aren't interning? Study...or craft or play a sport, but mostly study.

8. Any advice for future WEA interns? Enjoy the ride, and make sure you really get to know the people around you! They're pretty amazing.

9. What is one thing your WEA coworkers don't know about you? I don't have an answer to that question.

*Emily Robbins, not pictured here, was our Media Production Intern. You can view some of her beautiful work here

small tools, BIG transformation.

2011-08-29T16:48:00.000-07:00

By Maame Yelbert-Obeng (Africa Program Director) with support from Kaitlin Swarts (2011 Intern)

The Africa Team is back from Uganda!

This month, we welcomed back the Africa Team from the 2011 East African Women and Water Training in Uganda. This was our third Global Women and Water Initiative (GWWI) Training, following the 2008 and 2010 Trainings in Kenya and Ghana. GWWI began in 2008 as a collaborative venture between Women's Earth Alliance, A Single Drop, and Crabgrass and is currently a program of Women's Earth Alliance in partnership with Crabgrass. In line with our values of recognizing the importance of home grown and locally-led solutions, GWWI builds partnerships with Africa-based organizations and African women trainers to undertake its training programs. In Uganda, we worked alongside a Uganda-based organization, iCon Women and Young People’s Leadership Academy, to amplify the voices and inclusion of grassroots women in the WASH sector. Furthermore, GWWI knows the power of building alliances with men, and our training programs invite men to support this vision. The GWWI Trainings create a space for women to connect, engage in dialogues around leadership and climate change, and develop specific technology skills to address issues of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).

In 2011, GWWI featured two complementary trainings—the Advanced and Grassroots Trainings—over a two-week period from July 4-18. We were thrilled to have some former graduates from 2008 participate in the 2011 East Africa Training as trainers-in-training. We also welcomed 10 Fellows—four East African women and six international women—to offer peer support and in the process, enhance their knowledge and understanding of WASH-related issues. The Advanced Training laid the foundation for the strategies that were explored in the Grassroots Training.

Thirty-two women from communities across Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya, joined the 24 women from the Advanced Training in the Grassroots Training. Over the course of the week, the women learned hands-on WASH technologies, engaged in group sessions, and upon completion of the Training, received seed grants to support the implementation of water projects in their communities. The teams of women representing their communities came to the Training having conducted a basic needs assessment to determine the appropriate technologies to address WASH needs in their communities.

Building on past trainings, participants focused on various aspects of WASH, including sanitation, water access, water quality, and alternative energy. In addition to studying the theory behind these technologies, women learned to construct a ventilated improved pit latrine (or a VIP latrine), a rainwater harvesting system, a biosand filter, and solar cook kits. They also learned games designed for community sensitization and to improve hygiene and sanitation habits. The VIP latrine helps to improve sanitation by providing alternatives to open defecation and poor disposal of human waste, while the rainwater harvesting system allows for the collection and storage of large quantities of rainwater that can be accessed year-round. Biosand filters remove harmful bacteria from water, and the solar cook kits can be used for a variety of purposes, including cooking and pasteurizing water for drinking. The African continent is blessed with incredible natural resources like the sun. Our hope is that the solar cook kits will optimize the abundance of this resource, and in the process, promote the well-being of women and girls who otherwise would be spending their time out of school and walking long distances to collect water and fuel facing the risk of violence.

Ventilated Improved Pit Latrine

Rainwater Harvesting Tank

Biosand Filter

Solar Cook Kits

Investing in women transcends beyond hands-on skills and access to resources, to creating spaces for women to re-define gender roles and build their confidence and self-esteem as whole women leaders. The steps to building the water technologies enable women to break the stereotypes of women's capabilities and allow women to identify with roles beyond that of mothers and caretakers, to non-traditional ones such as carpenters, masons, and technicians.

Our time together in Uganda also allowed for dialogue around the direct impacts of climate change on women and girls, as well as the access to and quality of water. Out of this dialogue came ways in which women can draw upon their leadership, knowledge of technology, and support networks to respond to the environmental challenges they face.

As women remain at the helm of collecting and allocating water for various uses, it becomes even more critical to listen to their voices and apply their wisdom to designing efficient and effective solutions to water-related issues.

As the participants of the 2011 East Africa Training continue on this year-long program, they will implement two WASH projects with their target communities and with support from GWWI, the Trainers, and the Fellows. The Women and Water Trainings is one of several strategies in the larger response to the varying impacts of climate change on women and girls. We cannot wait to see how our partners in East Africa will build alliances with more women, girls, and men to begin a process to transform their communities!

Take Action Today!

2011-08-22T15:29:00.000-07:00

Support the protection of a Northern Arizona holy mountain

Northern Arizona ski resort Arizona Snowbowl has begun the construction of a 14.8 mile pipeline that will trasnport up to 180 million gallons of treated sewage water from the City of Flagstaff to the ski area, for artificial snowmaking.

Not only will the proposed 10 million gallon wastewater pool harm the environment and public health (the treated sewage water has been proven to contain contaminants), but it will destroy land that is holy to more than 13 Indigenous Nations. The peaks are their place of worship, where deities reside, and where they go to collect medicine and herbs.

Klee Benally, who was arrested on Saturday August 13 for disorderly conduct and trespassing, explains: "How can I be 'trespassing' on this site that is so sacred to me? This is my church. It is the Forest Service and Snowbowl who are violating human rights and religious freedom by desecrating this holy Mountain."

With just a few minutes, you can take meaningful action to protect the Peaks. Call the USDA, which oversees the Forest Service, and let them know you support the preservation of this sacred mountain.

Take Action:

TODAY: take 5 minutes to call Tom Vilsack of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to urge the USDA to place an administrative hold on all development of the SF Peaks. Phone: (202) 720-3632
THURSDAY: show your support by participating in the Protect the San Francisco Peaks Protests in Vallejo, CA 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm. Meet at the Pacific Southwest Regional Forest Service Office: 1323 Club Drive, Vallejo, CA
Contact Flagstaff City Officials and urge them to respect the environment, Indigenous culture, and protect public health by finding a way out of their contract to sell Snowbowl wastewater. Phone: (928) 779-7699 Email: council@flagstaffaz.gov

A Trainer-in-Training shares her story from the 2011 East African Women and Water Advanced Training

2011-07-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

The following blog post was written by Advanced Training Participant Nansubuga Immaculate. Immaculate is a Trainer-In-Training at the 2011 East African Women and Water Advanced Training in Kampala, Uganda, where she is training to become a Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) practitioner. She has come to the training from Katosi, Uganda, along with two other women from her organization, Rose and Mastuula, who participated in the Grassroots Women and Water training. You can read Immaculate's inspiring story below.

Nansubuga Immaculate (in pink hat) at the 2011 GWWI Training in Uganda.

While at work, my boss sent me a link to the 2011 Global Women’s Water Initiative (GWWI) East African Women and Water Training in Kampala, Uganda and encouraged me to look it up and apply. Honestly, it took me a whole week to visit the link. But when I did, I just knew I could not miss out on this opportunity. Prior to the training, I believed that I was not a whole woman leader, even though my profession required good leadership traits. Despite this, I wanted to attend the GWWI training because I considered it a great opportunity to elevate my Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) skills and bring positive change to the Mukono community, especially among the women from Katosi Women Development Trust (KWDT). The action-planning component of the Training appealed to me. I have always wanted to know how to make an action plan and be able to implement the strategies from start to finish. Despite my keen interest, I questioned my ability to contribute to and qualify for the 2011 GWWI Training. After all, I had never attended a GLOBAL conference before.

Despite my fear, I was selected to be a participant (Trainer-in-Training) of the first annual GWWI Advanced Training Program, where I joined an amazing group of women leaders from around the world to discuss water and sanitation issues that threaten East Africa. During the training, I yearned to be a loud and strong speaker, but I realized that I am soft-voiced. Thank God for the Personal SWOT [Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats] analysis. Through this exercise, my leadership style was realized, and I gradually understood that my weaknesses are another’s strengths and that working together makes our impact stronger. I am now content with my communication skills. I am soft-voiced, but firm and eloquent, which is an added advantage while facilitating trainings, interviews, and the one-on-one conservations that I facilitated during the Grassroots Training. Using my new-found strengths, I discovered that though quiet of voice, I can still be a strong lobby for rural communities to achieve equal development.

Katosi Women Development Trust (KWDT) selected Rose and Mastuula to attend the 2011 Grassroots Training in Kampala. Mastuula and Rose saw the training as a great opportunity to learn to construct a Biosand Water Filter (BSF) to increase access to clean water in women-run households throughout the Katosi District. At the training they stood beside their East African sisters, affirming that women are the water stewards in their communities and have to stand up and act for themselves--especially widows. Women should stop self-pitying themselves because it is a strong contributing factor to under-development in rural communities. Through the training, they embraced the power of collective sharing, working in sisterhood with participants from communities throughout East Africa to change attitudes and negative behaviors of communities towards water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).

At the training, we learned that it is crucial to consider and integrate all community stakeholders and their needs when establishing any new water project. We covered sessions on climate change, leadership, WASH and appropriate technologies. The climate change sessions really resonated with me. In my community, climate change and its impacts are gradually affecting the livelihoods of the rural people. Their economies, health and environment are dwindling. The last long dry spells early this year affected agricultural productions and contributed to scarcity of water. Three KWDT women’s cows died and over ten were infected with diseases. The reduction in food productivity led to malnutrition, and scarcity of water increased poor sanitation--especially in schools and communal centers. My team identified the need for our community to be sensitized and made aware of the climate change impacts, mitigation, and adaptation techniques.

And to achieve my team’s WASH vision of “increased accessibility to clean safe drinking water in rural households,” we have to use an inclusive and participatory approach. My team wants to achieve this big vision of all rural women living healthy lives and empowered to participate in economic, social, and political development processes. We also want to be free from dependency and achieve self-supply of not only WASH facilities, but also what the world offers for a better change among rural women.

So, this training is a big step to achieving our goal. Though this is a big challenge ahead of Katosi Women, we have to put the fears aside and stand strongly to achieve this.

Thanks to Gemma, Jan, Maame, Debbie, Beth, Women’s Earth Alliance, iCON, Crabgrass, the GWWI participants, the strong communities and NGOs for enabling us to take this step.

EEEEEE….. WOMAN EEEE…!!!

Saving the San Francisco Peaks

2011-07-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

The San Francisco Peaks

Plans are underway to lay down 14 miles of pipeline up to the top of the San Francisco Peaks where a 10 million gallon wastewater reservoir will be created to generate artificial snow. Why? To increase the number of annual skiable days at Arizona Snowbowl.

The Peaks, which rise to 12,000 feet above Flagstaff, Arizona at the Western edge of Navajo lands, are regarded as a sacred place to thirteen indigenous tribes in the Northern Arizona region.

The Hopi believe that ancestral kachina spirits live atop the mountain, and cause the rain and snow to fall—and that natural snowmaking cycles may cease if the kachinas witness humans manufacturing snow. Yavapai-Apache Chairman Vincent Randall describes the San Francisco Peaks as one of the "sacred places where the Earth brushes up against the unseen world.” And the mountain’s traditional Navajo name is Doo'ko'oosliidd, which means "Shining On Top," and has traditionally been accessed by medicine men for the collection of herbs for healing ceremonies.

The ski area, which was originally built in the 1930’s and expanded significantly in 1979 despite protests and lawsuits, has been the site of years of struggle for tribes including the Hopi, Navajo, Havasupai, Hualapai, Yavapai Apache, and White Mountain Apache.

Opponents of the wastewater plan filed suit against the U.S. Forest Service under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), the National Environmental Protection Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act. The case moved through the courts until a 12-judge 9th Circuit Court ruled that the artificial snowmaking system was innocuous because Navajo tradition is merely a “subjective spiritual experience,” thus not entitled to legislative protection.

Citizens filed a second lawsuit asserting that the federal government did not properly and adequately review the potential environmental and public health risks associated with the use of artificial snow. In December 2010, U.S. Federal Judge Mary Murguia ruled that the U.S. Forest Service did, in fact,adequately consider the safety of using reclaimed water to generate artificial snow. Murguia’s December 2010 decision is now on appeal before the 9th circuit.

The San Francisco Peaks are to the Colorado Plateau tribes what the most revered sanctuaries are to people of Western monotheistic traditions: a holy place. To contaminate the Peaks with the artificial snowmaking system would be equivalent to building a 10 million gallon sewage pool on the floors of Westminster Abbey. Can this be considered a “subjective spiritual experience”?

One activist explains her reaction: “This last court decision for us told us that our cultural belief, our spiritual belief, is not a valid religion—it’s subjective spiritual feelings. For traditional people who have grown up with our identity and who carry on these ways of life since the beginning of time and want to ensure that our children have these spiritual connections as well, to be told that your ways of life, your culture, is a spiritual subjective feeling, is one of the most painful feelings that I think anybody could ever feel. That you believe, what your ancestors have fought for, what they’ve carried on, what they’ve died for, is not valid.”

Stay tuned to www.truesnow.org for updates on the efforts to protect the Peaks from contamination.

Scenes from the 2011 East African Women and Water Training

2011-07-20T12:39:00.000-07:00

The 2011 East African Women and Water Training in Uganda has concluded, and what a success it was! We invite you to take a look at photos from these inspiring two weeks:

Be sure to check back in with us---we will be posting more on the Training soon. We can't wait to share with you all of the behind-the-scenes stories!

10K and one week to go to meet our 150K match from the 2011 Gala!

2011-07-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

The train keeps on moving at Women's Earth Alliance, but we want to take a moment to remember the previous stop: our 5-Year Anniversary Gala, Unlocking the Future. The night was a resounding success; we raised our voices, we laughed and celebrated, no one's car got towed, and thanks to the generosity of our attendees and sponsors, we came within $10,000 of reaching our $150,000 match for 2011. We have a short period of time to complete this challenge. Please jump on the train with a contribution today, either online or by check to Women's Earth Alliance, 2150 Allston Way, Suite 460, Berkeley, CA 94704. Your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar!

Read more about the Gala, see photos and watch videos here.

When Women Face the Music, We All Get To Sing

2011-07-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

This week WEA is featured in HuffPost Impact's article "Changing the Channel From Fear: When Women Face the Music, We All Get To Sing." The post includes an interview with WEA Co-Director Melinda Kramer.

Leah Lamb writes, These women are facing straight into the challenges of their communities and are finding ways to live in the celebration that comes with addressing issues straight on.

Read the article to learn more about what inspires Melinda to invest in women environmental leaders around the world and what WEA is up to now.

WEA Interview on Women Rising: National Radio Project

2011-07-13T13:58:00.000-07:00

National Radio Project recently interviewed India Program Director Rucha Chitnis, Africa Program Director Maame Yelbert Obeng, and GWWI Director Gemma Bulos for its Women Rising radio program.

Click here to listen to the interview and learn more about women's rights to water, land, and farming.

"Women are realizing that they are carpenters; they are masons who are hitting these nails, building these rainwater harvesting systems. Women were mixing the concrete and putting the cement in to build Ecosand toilets. We became technology people. We became lab people. We were able to use our versatility as women."

-Maame Yelbert-Obeng on the 2010 West African Women and Water Training

Coming Soon: WEA Advocacy Training, November 4th-6th

2011-07-12T15:00:00.000-07:00

North American indigenous communities face both acute and chronic challenges resulting from environmental degradation. In response to the systemic and intentional targeting of indigenous lands and communities for environmentally-destructive industrial projects such as mines, hazardous waste facilities, oil refineries and coal-fired power plants, the indigenous environmental justice movement – a grassroots-led movement with national impact – has arisen within the past several decades to demand sustainability and equity.

WEA’s North America Program links our Advocacy Network of pro bono legal, policy and business advocates nationwide with indigenous women leading grassroots environmental campaigns in North America.

This November, WEA will host its first ever Advocacy Training, “Building Capacity for Strategic Collaboration on Indigenous Environmental Justice.” In solidarity, leaders in environmental and indigenous advocacy will come together to:

Learn :: Hear from leading activists and advocates on best practices for protecting land and health, and advancing renewable energy on Indigenous land.

Connect :: Build a community of collaboration with the rapid response WEA Advocacy Network and long-term Working Groups.

Act :: Map advocacy strategies using proven and emerging tools.

Be sure to check back with us as we get closer to November, and in the mean time, click here for more information!

Get on Board!

2011-07-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

Unlocking the Future, WEA's 5-Year Anniversary Gala on May 18th was a beautiful gathering of our friends and allies. We extend gratitude to those who attended and to all who have joined us over the past five years--it's been an incredible journey so far!

Scenes from the celebration:

The WEA team opens the night with a song:

Africa Director Maame Yelbert-Obeng's opening speech:

Co-Director Melinda Kramer's speech:

Co-Director Amira Diamond shares her words:

Kavita Ramdas, former CEO of Global Fund for Women, shares her inspiring words and song:

2010 African Women and Water Participant Catherine Mwengella talks about the impact of WEA on her community:

Environmentalist, activist, and writer Paul Hawken shared inspirational words about unlocking the future by moving from 'me' to we."

Together, we continue to unlock a thriving future...and we hope you join us! For more photos and videos from the Gala, click here.

Seeds and Their Keepers are Key to Preserving India’s Food Diversity

2011-07-07T15:01:00.000-07:00

In India, where food security is threatened by growing climate unpredictability and industrial agriculture, women farmers are leading the way to safeguard the biodiversity of indigenous crops.

Want to learn more? Check out this blog post written by India Program Director Rucha Chitnis on Earth Island Journals’ blog, EnvironmentaList!

Photo by Melinda Kramer

Fellows in Action! 2011 East African Women and Water Training in Kampala, Uganda.

2011-07-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

Photo: Beth Robertson

The 2011 East African Women and Water Training has begun! Women's Earth Alliance's Global Women's Water Initiative, in partnership with Crabgrass and iCon Women and Young People's Leadership Academy, is currently leading the third African Women and Water Training, strengthening women's voices in the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector. To learn more about GWWI and the 2011 East African Women and Water Training in Kampala, Uganda, click here.

GWWI Fellows are women graduate students and development professionals from around the globe who act as global peers for participants of the 2011 Grassroots Training in Uganda. For full bios of the 2011 GWWI fellows, click here.

The following post is written by GWWI Fellow Samantha Winter.

I have always imagined a world in which every woman could stand up in front of a room full of sisters, friends, or strangers and say without hesitation, without self-doubt, without self-criticism, “I am a powerful woman! I am a leader! I am a global water champion!”

Today was an inspiring manifestation of the strength, wisdom, compassion, and hope of every woman that lives each day with a dream that global access to reliable, adequate and safe sources of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is an achievable reality. It was the first official day of the 2011 East Africa Global Women’s Water Initiative Training in Uganda—a day in which the seed of an empowered world was planted. I have no doubt that it was also the first day of many in which that seed will continue to be nourished through the actions, love, and support of GWWI women leaders from across five nations. Although today was only the beginning of our journey as GWWI fellows, there is already a sense of kinship and camaraderie among the impassioned women, and it gives me hope that the transition for a better world is alive and well within the hearts, minds, and work of every woman around the globe.

Each woman present in the training shared a unique and fundamental connection to water; yet, despite the many differences in personal experience, background, or knowledge of water, almost everyone seemed to embrace the ideas that water is the essence of women, women are the heart of water, and water symbolizes peace. Today was an internal journey as much as an external forum for cross-cultural information sharing. It was an opportunity to rekindle the spirit of water and leadership within each of us, and to open up our minds, bodies, and hearts—our whole beings—to the power and knowledge of ourselves and our fellow water sisters and champions. Through leadership activities, program and personal introductions, and a discussion on climate change I felt the enthusiasm, the, passion, and the exuberance surrounding women’s connection with, roles in and contributions to WASH expand steadily throughout the day. In addition, I watched every participant gallantly bridge cultural and racial boundaries, form relationships, build trust, and put her faith in the power of a unified network of resilient women that will, undoubtedly, expand the reach of WASH throughout communities around the world. I truly believe that together we will exceed expectations, shatter social, political, and institutional boundaries, and show all the men, youth, children, naysayers and future leaders in our own communities and around the world that empowered women have the power and the capacity to create lasting, sustainable development, particularly in the WASH sector. After all, water is the essence of women, women are the heart of water, and water is peace. We are the peace leaders!

So let the GWWI games continue!

Voices of Hope

2011-06-13T12:46:00.001-07:00

Unseen Pictures made a beautiful video for our 5-year Anniversary Gala! "WEA Voices of Hope" celebrates the Women's Earth Alliance and our global partners and allies. Together we are truly unlocking a thriving future!

WEA Voices of Hope from WEA on Vimeo.

Special Announcement: Mama Catherine, 2010 GWWI Training participant, will be at WEA's Gala!

2011-05-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

Mama Catherine and Alice, participants of the 2010 GWWI Training in Ghana,
parade the Biosand Water Filter they constructed with their community
through the streets of Cameroon.

What could be more exciting than having one participant of the 2010 West African Women and Water Training in Ghana join WEA to celebrate its 5th Birthday!

On May 18th, Catherine Makane Mwengella from Cameroon will join our community for the 5th Annual Gala at the Julia Morgan Ball Room in San Francisco. We cannot imagine a better way for our community to directly hear the voices of our Africa-based partners with whom we have collaborated to design and implement sustainable water projects to improve the health of communities across Africa.

Catherine Makane Mwengella, who acquired the nickname “Mama Catherine” during the 2010 training, is the President of the NGO Women for Peace in Cameroon. In Ghana, she taught us several songs which have been woven into the fabric of WEA-- “We are Together” and “Progress.”

With overwhelming support from their community, Mama Catherine and her partner Alice Balemba Njanga, the Deputy Mayor of the Konye Rural Council in the Southwest region of Cameroon, came to the 2010 GWWI African Women and Water Training in Ghana on a mission to provide clean drinking water in communities across the Southwest region. Mama Catherine and Alice’s vision of ensuring safe drinking water is imperative to their communities health and safety, since most families have little access to potable drinking water (approximately 5 gallons per day).

While in Ghana these two dynamic women received training on the Biosan Water Filter (BSF). Alice and Catherine took this knowledge back to their communities and immediately started to inspire better health in their region. Not only have these two incredible women joined their community in constructing a Biosand Water Fiter, they have also taught over 188 people in four villages the principles of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) since March 2010.

We are thrilled to share our respect for Mama Catherine and our incredible pride in the efforts she and Alice are bringing to Southwestern Cameroon with our WEA Family on May 18th.

One-Click to Support WEA!

2011-05-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

WEA has recently teamed up with eco-model, Josie Maran to run a campaign benefiting our work!

Josie Maran Cosmetics has a product called argan oil, which is a skin oil organically grown in Morocco by a fair trade women's cooperative. For what it's worth, Wikipedia tells us that "All argan sold today is produced by a women's cooperative that shares the profits among the local women of the Berber tribe. The cooperative has established an ecosystem reforestation project so that the supply of argan oil will not run out and the income that is currently supporting the women will not disappear. The money is providing healthcare and education to the local women, and supporting the entire community as a whole." Cool!

On the product's page there's a Facebook "Like" button (scroll down a bit). For every person who clicks the "like" button, Josie's cosmetic company will donate a dollar to WEA - up to $25,000.

Will you support women's environmental leadership with a click?

Women in the Center of Crop Diversity & Food Security

2011-04-22T03:13:00.000-07:00

Women farmers displaying indigenous seeds that they save at a community seed bank in Karnataka.

Blog entry by Rucha Chitnis, India Program Director, who is traveling in Southern India to research women farmers’ green traditional knowledge systems for farming, seed saving and managing their natural resources.

Let’s start from the very beginning. And some might say that it all began with the seeds.

Seed, a symbol of fertility and perpetuity, of culture and sustenance in India, is also becoming a symbol of self-reliance and a key resource to preserve the biodiversity of indigenous crops on small farms across the country.

In Southern India, GREEN Foundation, a community-based organization that works with small and marginalized farmers, including tribals and Dalits, in semi-arid regions of Karnataka, has immersed itself in this challenge of promoting the conservation of indigenous seeds among farmers since 1996.

During my visit to the Foundation, I learn that women farmers are in the center of their seed conservation efforts due to their gendered roles as the primary seedkeepers in India. The Foundation began its work with five women farmers and a handful of indigenous seeds. “When we began talking to the farmers, we realized that traditional varieties of seeds had almost disappeared. Without seeds what we were attempting to do would be a non-starter,” notes Dr. Vanaja Ramprasad, founder and a seed conservationist.

The Foundation believes that women farmers also hold the key to preserving the biodiversity of the crops and their knowledge systems of seed saving and mixed and natural farming are vast, which need to be documented and promoted. Dr. Vanaja shares an example of an elderly woman farmer, who identified nearly 80 varieties of greens in her field, as well as their uses for medicinal and nutrition needs. “Her knowledge was phenomenal,” she says. “When it comes to food security, women play a key role in identifying food that is available. In lean seasons, they trek to the nearby forests, and they are able to identify roots and tubers for their food requirements and medicinal plants.”

Dr. Vanaja Ramprasad, founder of the GREEN Foundation

This intimate knowledge of women, believes Dr. Ramprasad is often undermined by the scientific community and biotechnology companies who promote agro-technologies, which might not be appropriate for rural communities, and especially for the economically disadvantaged farmers. Dr. Ramprasad shares that some of the greens on the farms, which poor farmers in India subsist on during lean periods, might be considered as weeds by some agro-companies, which are eliminated by herbicides.

The Foundation programs promote the conservation of agro-biodiversity, ecological farming practices, seed conservation and creation of community-managed seed banks. Seed conservation has been in the center of the programmatic efforts of the Foundation. Their research and analysis showed that India’s Green Revolution in the 1960s eroded the diversity of indigenous seeds with the introduction of the high yielding varieties of seeds and pervasive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. As farmers moved away from the practice of saving and exchanging seeds with their neighbors and families to buying the HYV seeds from the market, their own indigenous knowledge systems related to farming and seed saving became slowly irrelevant in the face of industrial agriculture.

Gene bank of indigenous seeds set up by the GREEN Foundation

“India is a land that had over 100,000 varieties of rice,” she says, but now only a few popular varieties are sold in urban markets. The Green Revolution also focused on intensive cultivation of rice and wheat and ignored other indigenous varieties of crops, like millets--considered to be a vital source of nutrition in rural India. The Foundation encourages women farmers to save indigenous varieties of millets, which are ideal crops to grow in arid and semi-arid areas as some varieties are drought-resistant and require little water for irrigation, compared to rice and other cash crops. As small-scale and marginalized women farmers largely depend on the rain for their irrigation needs, millets are an important source of food security in areas where recurring droughts or dwindling and unreliable rainfall cause stress among farmers.

“In many ways, we have to rekindle the pride that the farmers have in their traditional farming systems,” says K. P Suresh, Associate Director of the Foundation. He believes that the traditional role women play in seed selection, seed conservation, and seed treatment to prevent the crop from developing unhealthy, are critical and need to be documented and promoted. Seeds also symbolize the cultural heritage of communities across India, and they are an integral part of many rituals, ceremonies and festivals. And seed conservationists, like Dr. Ramprasad, affirm that the practice of seed saving has been a cornerstone of farming traditions that made agriculture, itself, a way of life.

Indigenous Community Enterprises: Building Sustainable Futures, One Home at a Time

2011-04-21T14:06:00.000-07:00

Edward and Rose in their Hogan home

Zoe Levitt, Consultant for Indigenous Community Enterprises (ICE), a Women's Earth Alliance Partner Organization

March 14th was a bright, windy day in Window Rock. I waited outside the Navajo Nation Museum to meet Hazel James from Indigenous Community Enterprises (ICE) for the start of my site visit to gather photos and conduct interviews for their new website. She had kindly offered to be my guide on a tour of several of ICE’s Elder Hogan Homes and Green Homes projects on the reservation.

As we set out on the road, Hazel began to share with me some of the important elements of the traditional Hogan - a round dwelling structure that has significance for Navajo people who practice traditional religion. “The sacredness of the Hogan is understood as the womb of mother Earth, with a fireplace at the center of the home representing the center of the four mountains, and the hole at the top of the dome conveying a connection to the universe” she explained.

It is with these sentiments in mind that ICE has developed a graceful solution to the contradicting land paradigms of the U.S. government and Navajo traditions. Yes, ICE was securing the right to build homes in line with Western concepts of land use via the homesite lease program, but they were building homes that connected generations--that stood as testaments to ability of the Nizhoni Dine culture to thrive in the face of forced assimilation.

Indeed, as the homeowners showed us, these elegant yet simple Hogan homes were strongly tied to people’s sense of dignity and self-sufficiency. An elderly couple we visited beamed recalling how the modern conveniences of their new home were critical for elderly people like themselves. Edward, 73, struggles with heart, kidney, and prostate problems and is blind in one eye. Before receiving their ICE home, Edwards and his wife, Rose, were living in their daughters’ home without electricity or running water. Due to his deteriorating health, Edward had several accidents slipping on steps while carrying wood and walking into doors because of the lack of light. Today Edward and Rose, receive many visitors stopping by to admire their home and find out who built it. “It’s warm in the wintertime and it’s nice and cool in the summertime. And I really like that the doors are wide, so if anyone has a wheelchair, you can go in and out very easily…You know, it’s just beautiful…We’re very, very blessed.”

In recent years, ICE has added another a “green” element to their building philosophy. For ICE, building “green” is about providing housing solutions that are economically practical and environmentally sustainable. Two of the alternative materials they use, Strawbale and SIPs, or Structurally Insulated Panels, are highly energy efficient, which is particularly important in the Southwest’s desert climate. ICE has also equipped some of their homes farther off the infrastructure grid with solar panels and water cisterns to enable basic utilities in lieu of power lines and water pipes.

Throughout my short but jam-packed site visit, it became strikingly clear how important ICE’s home-building is for people living in some of the most remote areas of the reservation, where access to formal infrastructure is not logistically (or politically) feasible. The work that ICE does is rooted in a strong respect for Navajo culture and the ripples of the work have effects beyond the local level. Every home that is built using energy efficient materials reduces the demand for energy from power plants that poison local communities and pollute the air. As Navajo Nation leaders struggle to strike a balance between economic expansion and cultural and environmental preservation, ICE serves as a powerful example of how indigenous economic development and self-sufficiency can go hand in hand with cultural and environmental integrity.

Indigenous Community Enterprises’ mission is to work directly with indigenous communities to identify and develop community and economic development opportunities that respect and incorporate traditional culture, foster responsible stewardship of the land, maintain and enhance the well-being and self-reliance of communities, and support and protect the dignity and responsibility of individuals. In addition to affordable home construction, ICE supports economic empowerment and cultural preservation through financial literacy workshops, Individual Development Accounts (IDAs), and a Native Foods project. For more information, contact Hazel James at hjames@icehome.org

Florence and Fulera bring Improved Access to Drinking Water to Ghanaian Schools

2011-04-19T22:36:00.000-07:00

The following article was written by Beth Robertson, Research Fellow at Women's Earth Alliance. This article was published in the Spring 2011 "A Matter of Spirit" newsletter published by Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center. To read more click here.

Fulera and Florence during the 2010 GWWI Grassroots Training in Ghana

Women in Bimbilla, Ghana—and women all over the world—are the cornerstones of their communities. They shoulder the burden of water-harvesting, spending countless hours fetching and managing water for drinking, agriculture and cooking. Women are also key to improving access to safe drinking water in their communities.

In 2010, two powerful women leaders from Ghana—Florence Iddrisu and Fulera Mumuni—participated in a training through the Global Water’s Initiative. They were introduced to four different area appropriate technologies designed to address issues of water and sanitation. Following the training, these women leaders developed an action plan to construct a rainwater harvesting system that would serve the women’s dormitory at their local high school. Florence and Fulera chose Bimbilla High School for their project because, like many schools across Africa, it was not equipped with ample water facilities. Students and teachers would often have to bring water to school or fetch water during class time, limiting time devoted to studies.

Florence and Fulera’s pilot project brought tremendous change to Bimbilla, decreasing the hours that female students have to walk in search of water. The female dormitory at Bimbilla High School now has a complete rainwater harvesting system that serves 210 female students, providing them improved access to potable drinking water at the school. Today, Florence and Fulera continue to spread knowledge of low cost, effective solutions to inadequate sources of water in other areas in their community.

Safe drinking water is a human right and the participation of women in conceiving technologies to address issues of water and sanitation is essential. The Global Women’s Water Initiative (GWWI), a program of Women’s Earth Alliance in partnership with Crabgrass, embraces the idea that local women leaders who understand the needs of their communities merely need the resources, confidence and training to inspire change and improve the health of their communities. GWWI holds capacity-building trainings throughout Africa to equip local women leaders with technology training, networking support, and seed funding to launch sustainable water projects in their communities. “Access to fresh water and sanitation does not only improve the health of a family, but it also provides an opportunity for girls to go to school, and for women to use their time more productively.”1 Women are the stewards of their natural resources in their communities and therefore hold the key to improving access to safe drinking water in their communities.

Florence and Fulera’s model succeeded because of its bottom-up, grassroots nature. Top-down, dependency driven development solutions have failed communities too many times. Co-designing solutions to development challenges based on local vision rather than outside wants are the foundation for sustainable development—investing in existing leadership and knowledge of women who know what their communities need most. This approach avoids the pitfalls of top-down practices and outsider-generated attempts at assistance that can fall short or even reinforce damaging dynamics. For sustainable development to take root, we must rely on the local, environmental stewards and community caretakers to identify and co-design solutions that address issues of water and sanitation. Local women understand the needs of their community; all they need are the resources and confidence to design solutions and engineer change.

Ndudi and Elizabeth Improve Sanitation and Community Health in Western Nigeria

2011-04-10T23:24:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth at the 2010 GWWI Women and Water Training in Ghana

The Global Women’s Water Initiative continues to make ripples of change! 2010 GWWI team Ndudi and Elizabeth of Western Nigeria recently met with members of the Idoye community to collaborate on solving issues of water and sanitation in their area. During the meeting Ndudi and Elizabeth introduced the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) program and, with the help of the community, constructed a much needed Eco-san composting toilet. To the members of the Idoye community, the Eco-san toilet will decrease the amount of open defecation and bring real change, improving the health of the community and ensuring the well-being of future generations.

Ndudi at the GWWI 2010 Women and Water Training in Accra, Ghana

The 198 participants included school children, the community chief, community health officers and women leaders. Through WASH education activities, these groups learned about water collection, safe storage, the importance of clean water and the benefits of sanitation. In order to promote sustainability, the toilet was constructed with local materials, keeping the costs low while supporting the local economy. Ndudi and Elizabeth also gave an orientation and posted instructions about the proper care and use of the toilets. By mobilizing a maintenance committee and sharing the knowledge of the technology with a diverse group of community members, Ndudi and Elizabeth have ensured that the facility is kept clean and continues to be useful for the Idoye community.

The project was an extraordinary experience for the GWWI team, Ndudi and Elizabeth and the community at large. As the team reported, “It was a very great opportunity to improve the health condition of our women and children who are most vulnerable to poor environmental conditions.”

With dedication, compassion and joy Ndudi and Elizabeth, along with the members of the GWWI Team and the Idonye community, have brought real change to the region. Their inspiring story adds a drop in the rapidly spreading ripple of the Global Women's Water Initiative. To learn more about GWWI, visit http://africanwomenandwater.org/

We are Together: Sharing observations from the 55th Session on the Commission on the Status of Women!

2011-03-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

UN Women's Commission on the Status of Women

By Maame Yelbert-Obeng, WEA's Africa Program Director

During the first week of March, I had the opportunity to attend part of the 55th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) organized by the United Nations at its headquarters in New York. This year’s CSW session, focusing strategically on “Gender, Education, Science and Technology, and Employment,” was special as it coincided with the historic launch of The UN Women—created from the amalgamation of the various gender units of the United Nations. The UN Women has a strong foundation from which to build, drawing from the lessons learned by the various gender units that have now combined to create the new collective approach for addressing women’s rights and empowerment. Thankfully, the organization’s focus on connecting with grassroots women already is a positive sign for engaging and amplifying the voices of women and girls who for long have been invisible and marginalized in the mainstream women’s movement. It is exciting to know that UN Women will draw from multiple talents from diverse backgrounds to accomplish its mandate.

The Commission’s strong focus on youth is a key, as youth leadership is crucial to designing innovative solutions to the world’s challenges. Young women and men who are part of networks such as the Moremi Initiative, an organization with the vision to engage, inspire and equip the next generation of women leaders and Young Women’s Knowledge and Leadership Institute (YOWLI) showcased the leadership potential and on-going creative solutions being generated by youth for social change, at the CSW event. Sitting in the various spaces where these dialogues and sessions occurred, I felt not only a glimpse of hope, but also gratitude for the abundance of resources not in the traditional sense of money, but in the potential for what strategic engagement and investment in youth could contribute to addressing the world’s challenges in a holistic and equitable manner.

Being part of an organization that is filling in the gaps and making linkages between women and the environment via innovative solutions to food, land, water and climate justice, it was invigorating to see the urgency the CSW created around addressing the impact of climate change, particularly as it affects women. Several panels and sessions focused on creating integrated solutions and resilience to this issue, and in the African context, it was groundbreaking to see grassroots women leaders and groups as well as youth from Uganda, the Gambia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Madagascar, Namibia and Kenya, sharing their stories of how they are mitigating the impact of climate change. At the same time as the CSW program, Groots International/Huairou Commission organized an extended session on leadership training for grassroots women globally, who are working directly at the intersection of gender and the environment.

I made some personal and important connections at CSW that will allow for a deeper engagement with networks and organizations on the ground in Africa to ensure economic and environmental security for women. These connections along with Women’s Earth Alliance’s core programs in capacity building, communication and advocacy will strengthen our work in Africa and contribute to making meaningful and sustainable changes in the lives of women and girls on the continent and in the diaspora. They will also inform our partnership model based on mutual respect for local knowledge and expertise, peer learning, and the ability to prioritize the most marginalized groups, as we equip them with various skills and resources and facilitate the space for them to set the agenda and design innovative women led solutions to environmental challenges. I believe that on this journey to ensure women’s livelihoods and environmental justice, we work, sing, dance and fight together and never alone.

Indigenous Women and the Way Forward from Fukushima

2011-03-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

“In a [Navajo] creation story, the people were given a choice of two yellow powders. They chose the yellow dust of corn pollen, and were instructed to leave the other yellow powder—uranium—in the soil and never to dig it up. If it were taken from the ground, they were told, a great evil would come.”

- Winona LaDuke, Director, Honor the Earth

While Japan reels from tsunami and an escalating nuclear catastrophe, the Obama administration last week affirmed its commitment to nuclear power’s role in our national “clean energy” portfolio. Our leaders can’t account for the safety of our 104 domestic nuclear power plants in a major earthquake, the national security risks of nuclear proliferation for energy, or the nuclearwaste disposal conundrum. Nonetheless, uranium mining and the development of new nuclear power facilities continues apace.

Women are raising their voices to demand safe energy. Renowned activists like Helen Caldicott and Joanna Macy, along with scores of concerned women at the grassroots, denounce nuclear energy as a dangerous and foolhardy enterprise from its cradle – the environmental and public health damage wrought by uranium mining, to its grave – the unsolvable problem of radioactive waste disposal.

These leaders call attention to the unique and often disproportionate health impacts borne by women, children and fetuses from nuclear radiation. They describe the outrageous risks of nuclear energy as an intentional or accidental weapon of war. And they share a vision for a nuclear-free U.S. energy portfolio.

Indigenous women, particularly, stand at the front-lines of the nuclear energy debates, with their lives and the lives of their families and communities threatened by uranium mining. Southwestern tribal peoples such as Navajo, Havasupai and Western Shoshone suffer the egregious impacts of uranium extraction on water, land, and health – especially because of the relative lack of federal protection for tribal natural resources and public health in the face of the uranium boom.

In some Navajo communities, for example, one person on average from each family – thousands of people, overall – has died from health issues related to uranium exposure in the mines. The largest nuclear spill in U.S. history took place on the Navajo Nation, at Rio Puerco in 1979 – and yet the federal government recently authorized the reinitiation of mining activities at that very site. Lands surrounding the Grand Canyon are uranium-rich and targeted for mining – threatening the water sources and lives of Havasupai peoples who live downstream from many of the proposed mines.

But women like Carletta Tilousi (Havasupai), Anna Rondon (Navajo), and Winona LaDuke (Anishinaabe) speak out about the dangers of nuclear energy to their peoples’ bodies and sacred lands. These courageous women are part of a larger movement of Indigenous leaders articulating a powerful vision for a carbon-free, nuclear-free future. Tribal lands, currently exploited for coal, oil, gas and uranium, are replete with renewable energy resources – it is said that the entirety of the Southwestern U.S.’ solar energy potential could power the entire U.S. electricity grid.

WEA’s Advocacy Network stands in solidarity with Indigenous women environmental leaders, providing critical technical expertise to support the realization of their visions for a sustainable, balanced, just energy portfolio. Tribal lands, presently exploited as “energy colonies,” can lead by example towards a renewable energy-powered future. The crisis in Japan calls us to move towards a stable, life-protecting energy portfolio – fortunately, Indigenous women leaders are offering us all a map to this powerful, necessary path.

Photo: Havasupai prayer items at uranium mine near Red Butte in Northern Arizona.

Report from the Field: Africa Program

2011-03-17T16:40:00.000-07:00

The Africa Program and the Global Women's Water Initiative are fired up and diligently preparing for our upcoming Women and Water trainings in Uganda. We will be hosting two trainings in July: a Grassroots Women's Training and an Advanced Trainer's Training. The Advanced Trainer's Training will include GWWI Trainers and graduates from our past trainings along with Global Fellows who are preparing for a future in international development. The participants of the Advanced Trainer's Training will have the opportunity to support the incoming Grassroots Teams and help them design and implement their projects in their communities.

Celebrating the 100-year Anniversary of International Women's Day

2011-03-10T10:57:00.000-08:00

Rucha Chitnis, India Program Director, with women farmers in Uttar Pradesh

Today marks the 100-year anniversary of International Women’s Day. With ripples of change created by powerful movements world wide, our global community has come far since 1911. And, there is still a long way to go. The UN recently recognized that “longstanding inequalities in the distribution of resources have placed women at a disadvantage in participating in and benefitting from development processes.” This is despite significant research that places women’s empowerment as a necessary condition for healthy, politically stable, economically sound, and environmentally safe societies.

This is why we created the Women’s Earth Alliance (WEA) – an organization that creates innovative solutions to issues of water, food, land and climate through collaborative initiatives that train, connect, and empower emerging women leaders.

Here's the kind of change our programs create on a regular basis in the regions where we work: Lucy Mulenkei was a 2008 Global Women’s Water Initiative Training participant. Lucy's home is in Northern Kenya, a drought-prone region experiencing the acute effects of climate change. Lucy took her rainwater harvesting, WASH education, water testing, and solar pasteurization skills straight to her community, where she organized women's groups to launch tree planting projects, built rainwater harvesting systems, and created safe water supply for her community of 25,000 people. Every skill Lucy learned was multiplied by the dozens of other people she trained. In December, Lucy was even featured in Newsweek Magazine for her environmental leadership, alongside WEA allies Dr. Wangari Maathai and Vandana Shiva. This is the ripple effect in action.

Over the last 5 years, WEA’s Africa Program has forged partnerships with 30 community-based organizations across 11 African nations providing water technology training, economic development, and seed capital to many African communities through the Global Women’s Water Initiative. Our North America Program mobilizes support for the environmental justice campaigns of our 12 Native American partner organizations through WEA's Advocacy Network of legal, policy and business experts. Our newest India Program will provide funding and training on rights education, ecological farming and appropriate technology to grassroots Indian women leaders to improve food and economic security of local communities, preserve the environment and traditional knowledge systems, and build political will.

Why the need?

• Women are water harvesters; but are not consulted about water projects. Women and children in Africa alone spend approximately 40 billion hours every year fetching and carrying water –Yet they are rarely consulted during the implementation of ‘improved water projects’ in their communities, resulting in outside technologies that are not designed to meet their needs.

• Women are significant food producers, yet they struggle to access land. Women are the stewards of natural resources, and major participants in global agriculture production, yet only 1% of the world’s women own land and less than 5% of women receive farming extension training.

Addressing these issues is a matter of survival, yet for decades traditional development programs have invested billions of dollars trying to “fix” these problems often without consulting women, the core stakeholders in communities. This has led to years of failed projects. Although women are cited as “target beneficiaries” women’s critical contributions to food security, water access, and community health, is overlooked. 

WEA’s collaborative work addresses these issues through partnership and listening, and is innovating new models for community development that are based on an investment in women. When trained, connected and empowered, women become positioned to guide the development of their communities away from degradation and dependency on outside international aid institutions towards self-reliance.

On this day, we are honored to be another ripple in the legacy of women and courageous men who have been making waves and turning the tide toward a world we are proud to leave for future generations. Stay tuned in the coming months for stories of hope from inspiring women attending WEA training programs in Africa, India and North America.

World Rivers Review: The story of Comfort and Georgina's provision of improved water and sanitation in Ghana

2011-03-09T15:53:00.000-08:00

"Water is life. When everyone has access to sources of water that are treated, protected and managed effectively, there will be improvement in the livelihood of the community members - especially women and children who have to move miles away in search of water for daily household activities." Nadiatu Ali and Victoria Yaro (2010 GWWI Grassroots Graduates)

For full story, click here

More people die from unsafe water than all forms of violence, including war. Africa faces some of the most acute and devastating water problems in the world. African women must endure the worst of these challenges, yet they are often left out of development schemes and policies. The FAO recognizes that the "exclusion of women from the planning of water supply and sanitation schemes is a major cause of their high rate of failure." Click here to read the story of Comfort and Georgina who are changing rural water and sanitation in their Ghanaian community.

Mattia and Akofa provide improved access to water in Togo

2011-03-07T13:46:00.000-08:00

The Global Women’s Water Initiative 2010 training in Ghana proudly reports the ongoing impact of its graduates. Mrs. Akofa Akakpo and Ms. Sénadé Mattia GUIDIHOUN of Togo, West Africa, have successfully implemented and constructed a clean and readily available water source in the village of Kpogardzi at Kpalime! Taking the skills and lessons learned from the Ghana training, Mattia and Akofa assisted GWWI trainer Monica Ayomah to coordinate and conduct a refresher training in Ghana with their fellow training participants Comfort and Georgina, where they constructed a rainwater harvesting system at a school, further boosting their confidence to build a system on their own. When they returned home, the two women visited their site for initial preparation of the project and with the the help of local NGO, JVE Kpalime, Akofa and Mattia surveyed local people and gained the support and involvement of local officials in Kpalime. During this site visit, it became apparent that water, hygiene, and sanitation were not, at the time, integrated into the routines and customs of the people. Water tests, conducted with the help of local women, showed a prevalence of E. coli and a general poor state of the village’’s water supply. With this knowledge and the support of the village, subsequent plans were made to build a rainwater harvesting site at the local school, which did not have a water source.

Akofa and Mattia returned to the village in early December 2010, and after three days of construction and implementation of the water source, the official handover ceremony took place. On 10 December 2010, the rainwater collection system was presented to the village. The presence of the Development Chief, Mayor and other local officials, school staff and students, and local people from the neighborhood, proves the wide impact of such a project. The ongoing support of JVE Kpalime in monitoring the site, and the committed support of all levels of stakeholders, gives great hope for the sustainability of this much-needed water source. The hard work and dedication of Akofa and Mattia will be felt in this village for years to come!

EarthDance Film Festival Benefits WEA!

2011-03-01T12:04:00.000-08:00

WEA is honored to be the beneficiary of the 8th Annual Short-Attention-Span Environmental Film Festival March 17th at 7 and 9 pm in the David Brower Center for an evening of entertainment benefiting our work and showcasing nine inspiring, environmentally-themed short films. A Q&A session will follow both screenings. Please click here for ticketing and more information. We look forward to seeing you there! Hosted by EarthDance Films.

Nadiatu and Victoria improve access to water in Ghana

2011-02-23T13:30:00.000-08:00

Nadiatu and Victoria are proof that Global Women's Water Initiative’s (GWWI) lessons and impact reach far beyond the realm of water technology. These women left the structured environment of the GWWI training not only with technical knowledge, but also with the confidence and enthusiasm necessary to successfully implement water technologies in their own community. The two women were able to educate their village about the harmful bacteria in their current water supply and, although they did not utilize the exact water collection systems learned at the GWWI training, they were able to extend the knowledge to formulate a water system that was best suited to their village specifically. Nadiatu and Victoria turned their pipe project into a grassroots undertaking that incorporated the entire village, further demonstrating the positive impact that educating women can have on a community as a whole. Through the use of FlipCams, the women were able to capture the construction process as well as the community celebration that followed. Nadiatu and Victoria are compelling examples of the life-changing impact of the GWWI as well as the force educated women leaders present in developing communities.

Stories of Hope II: Women Changemakers in the Field

2011-02-16T14:32:00.000-08:00

Narmada Devi, Master Trainer
with Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group

Photo credit: Arshinder Kaur

This inspiring story of an Indian woman farmer is a testament to the change women bring to their families and communities when given access to training and resources. This interview was taken by Arshinder Kaur, WEA’s India Coordinator, during her visit to Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group in Uttar Pradesh.

Narmada Devi is a small farmer in the Northern state of Uttar Pradesh in India. Prior to being a part of a women’s self help group, Narmada Devi suffered her husband’s alcoholism. Her husband was also forced to migrate to distant cities to supplement their meager income, so the couple spent most of the year apart. Narmada Devi tended to their small farm, but had little control over the family’s financial resources, limiting her ability to save money for farming or as a reserve during drought. This left her living hand to mouth, with overwhelming dependency on her husband for money to sustain their family farm. This all changed in 2006, when Narmada Devi attended her first training from Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group (GEAG), a local nonprofit that builds the capacities of small and marginalized women farmers through training, mentoring and organizing them to advocate for their rights and entitlements.

At her training, Narmada learned about sustainable agriculture practices, such as multi-layered and intercropping farming techniques, as well as adaptive technologies that support farmers to cope with climate change. Narmada was able to turn this knowledge into practice in her own life, and she now produces 25-26 crops, including potatoes, onions, garlic, mustard and radishes during three seasons of the year. Narmada earns a secondary income by breeding mushrooms in a small area, and cultivates bamboo to supplement her income, which she uses for hut construction, fencing and poultry protection. She has also diversified her income through the sale of indigenous eggs from her 8 free-range hens and 3 free-range roosters. Now, with a deeper understanding of sustainable farming practices and an increased access to natural resources, Narmada Devi and her husband no longer rely on urban labor migration to earn their livelihood and are less susceptible to commodity price shocks. Rather, they work together to develop their land and preserve their natural resources. Narmada now saves seeds, and opts for green farming techniques and composting to preserve her soil. Today, Narmada Devi is the leading member of her self-help group (SHG) and has trained 30 members of her own group, as well as their families, in sustainable farming practices. As a result of the GEAG training, Narmada has become a master trainer in her village, owns one acre of land, controls her own income, and saves over $1,300 per year.

Stories of Hope I: Women Changemakers in the Field

2011-01-31T16:45:00.000-08:00

Ram Ratti, Master Trainer with the
Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group (GEAG)

Photo Credit: Arshinder Kaur

Ram Ratti is a knowledgeable woman farmer, a landowner and a powerful leader who has challenged social norms in her community. She has practiced sustainable farming methods in her farm for the past 10 years thanks to the training she received from GEAG.

Drawing upon her GEAG training in sustainable agriculture, Ram Ratti generated enough savings from the sale of her produce to purchase one acre of fertile land in her community. Now a proud land owner, she uses inter-cropping and crop rotation practices learned from GEAG to increase the productivity of her farm naturally and improve soil fertility. She grows bananas , shatalu vines, kidney beans, rice, peas and radishes. She works hard to maximize her agricultural output during dry season harvests, cultivating over 32 crop varieties each season. Monsoons are often devastating in Ram Ratti’s village, halting farming for two months and flooding her land with over two feet of water. To mitigate the devastating effect of monsoon floods, Ram Ratti cultivates flood resistant shatalu vines—a technique learned from GEAG—to provide food during the monsoon months.

As a result of her GEAG training, Ram Ratti has taught 200 women in her village sustainable agriculture practices; ninety of these women are now smallholder organic farmers with a diverse group of crops cultivated from local seed varieties. Ram Ratti is also challenging stigmas surrounding female attendance at GEAG extension services in her village. Prior to Ram Ratti’s farming success, many women in Ram Ratti’s village would not attend these trainings because of the stigmas attached to a woman attending trainings alone. As a result, others often mocked her because she continued to attend GEAG’s trainings. The social ridicule she faced, however, dissipated when Ram Ratti saved enough to buy her own piece of land. Inspired by her example, women in her village began attending evening extension classes and developed a voice in farm management practices. Recently, Ram Ratti bought a bore well for her village to reduce everyday burden of women to fetch water. This has improved the productivity of women in her village. As a result of the GEAG training, Ram Ratti is creating adaptive solutions to climate change in her community, and is empowering other women in her community to become environmental stewards and self-sufficient organic farmers.

Ecocentric Blog Publishes an Exclusive Interview with Melinda Kramer

2011-01-14T12:18:00.000-08:00

Melinda Kramer, Founder and Co-Director of Women's Earth Alliance

"I believe in the power of everyday people to transform our world. I am committed to this work because I believe there needs to be a shift of power into the hands of grassroots communities that now, more than at any point in history, have the opportunity to learn from each other, to link up their efforts and to co-design a way forward." - Melinda Kramer

On January 13, 2011, the Ecocentric Blog published an exclusive interview with Women's Earth Alliance founder and co-director Melinda Kramer. During her exciting interview Melinda offered a raw look into the creation of Women's Earth Alliance, her strategic vision for future growth and her belief in the power of every individual to create change. Click here to read more.

2010 India Progam Kick-Off Event

2011-01-14T11:54:00.000-08:00

The WEA team plants the seeds of the India Women and Food Initiative

On the evening of December 15, 2010, the Women’s Earth Alliance (WEA) proudly planted the seeds of our 2011 India Women and Food Initiative with members of the community. The launch of this exciting new initiative embodied the spirit of India through live classical Indian music performed by Aharon Wheels Bolsta and delicious cuisine and chai. During the program, Joanna Macy shared inspiring words honoring India’s traditional seed keepers, women farmers, and their role in conserving the diversity of crops. Drew Dellinger offered two moving poems that spoke to the urgency of environmental action. The night culminated with the official launch of the India Women and Food Initiative by Rucha Chitnis, WEA’s India director.

During her talk, Rucha described her recent partnership-building visit to India, where she identified WEA’s grassroots partner in India, the Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group, who is our key ally to co-design the 2011 capacity building training in India. The India Women and Food Initiative will build the capacities of rural women leaders who are implementing climate change solutions in their communities and are advancing the rights and dignity of small and marginalized women farmers. Through this initiative, we will provide ecological farming training, appropriate technology, rights education, and seed funding to grassroots Indian women leaders to improve food and economic security, preserve the environment and traditional knowledge, and build political will.

In India, Rucha met with many landless and marginalized women farmers, who are fighting for their rights and are protecting their natural resources. Their rallying chants remind us of the power of women to inspire change throughout the world--“We are the women of India. We are not delicate flowers. We are the fire! We are the spark!”

We invite you to join our initiative and view more pictures of the evening!

Join WEA's Ripple of Giving Campaign!

2010-12-14T15:43:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,  

Seasons Greetings!  

In celebrating this holiday season, we invite you all to make a ripple that contributes to clean water campaigns in Africa, training for women farmers in India and advocacy support to Native American leaders in North America.   

Our incredible WEA artist and community organizer, Nikila Badua has designed a stunning animated e-card for the holidays. With a $10 donation to WEA, you can send a personalized message and beautiful artistic piece to your friends.   

To begin, we are reaching out to our friends to start the Ripple with us. Here is how it works:  

1. For each $10 that you donate to Women’s Earth Alliance, we send a beautiful, personalized holiday e-card to a loved one of your choice 

2. You hand-pick 5 friends and ask them to get a card and to pass on the Ripple 

3. You will have been a central part of completing WEA’s financial goals for 2011, while sending ripples of good thoughts to people you love!

Join us this holiday season and spread the ripple of giving!

With joy, 

The Women's Earth Alliance Team

Collaborations for the Sacred Earth

2010-11-16T11:22:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday, over 200 people packed the theater and an overflow room at the Brower Center for WEA’s final Weaving the Worlds event of 2010! We are so grateful that so many of our community gathered to support our work in North America. Check out our Facebook page for beautiful photographs of the event.

Our Collaborations for the Sacred Earth event began with a Solutions Salon, with indigenous environmental organizations from Northern California sharing their stories and work with our event attendees. Joining us were the International Indian Treaty Council, Black Mesa Indigenous Support, the Winnemem Wintu tribe, 1,000 Hummingbirds, Seventh Native American Generations Youth Magazine, Intertribal Friendship House, Rooted In Community, American Indian Contemporary Arts, Land is Life, Sacred Land Film Project, Native Bay Circle KPFA Radio, Shellmound Walk, and Cultural Conservancy.

Musicians Cy Wagoner, Natural Man, George Galvis, and T-Hawk blessed the evening with powerful flute, drumming and song.

WEA artistic lead Nikila Badua opened the evening with a grounding song, with WEA Co-Director Amira Diamond on violin. Co-Directors Melinda Kramer and Amira Diamond told stories from our work in Africa and India. After sharing our moving video from the May 2010 Advocacy Delegation, Defending Sacred Places in the Southwest, North America Director Caitlin Sislin provided an in-depth look at the work of our Advocacy Network in promoting energy justice, sacred places protection, and environmental health in collaboration with indigenous women environmental leaders.

In her keynote address, Winona LaDuke of Honor the Earth invited us to cultivate a shared sense of moral outrage and of hope - and named the crucial role of friends and allies in the movement for environmental justice and sustainability. We are honored to stand in alliance with Honor the Earth and our other project partners throughout North America.

Come join us once again on Sunday, November 21st, 2010 at 8:30 P.M. for a celebration of the harvest at Gather Restaurant. Enjoy music, delicious organic seasonal fare, and one another. 100% of your purchases will be donated to WEA! Email events@womensearthalliance.org for more information.

Thank you for joining us. Each time we gather, the world changes.

Guest Blogger: Julia Butterfly Hill

2010-10-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

The photo above features Seane Corn (Off the Mat and Into the World), Melinda Kramer (WEA), Amira Diamond (WEA), Julia Butterfly Hill, and Suzanne Sterling (Off the Mat).

Transforming Women’s Lives, Transforming the World

On October 20th, the international non-profit organization Women’s Earth Alliance convened a gathering in Culver City, CA – bringing together incredible artists, activists, and business leaders at the sustainably designed and run Akasha Restaurant, to share their inspiring model of organizing and partnership. I was honored to speak about why I am so involved in this organization and its way of being and working in the world.

***

We all know we live in a world full of problems. But one of the biggest problems is that not enough of us know that we also live in a world full of solutions. And on top of that, too many people on the front lines of the problems do not have access to the myriad solutions that are available and manifesting every day.

Many years ago, I sat on a living room floor and had a visioning conversation about an emerging model of organizing around women and the environment. Looking at the old paradigm of top-down models and support mechanisms that often perpetuate the legacies of colonialism, imperialism, and inequity, we heard the call for a model of partnership based in the belief that those who have “less” are in no way “less than.” And that seemingly unlikely allies often hold critical keys to solving the problems our Planetary Family faces.

There has been a lot of investment around the intersection of the environment and… well, just about everything at this point. With countless groups and individuals directing massive amounts of well-intentioned capital towards communities that are marginalized, oppressed and plundered, why is our world not further along the track of health, justice, peace, and thrivability?

It is apparent that even with the best of intentions, lasting change does not happen on the surface level, nor does it happen with the best and biggest of visions brought into communities from the outside and labeled as the “right” vision. Real and lasting change happens from the ground up and the inside out. The real strength of a pyramid is at its base, its foundation. It is one thing to have a grand vision, and it is another thing altogether to manifest that vision into reality in our very complex world.

And although I don’t claim to hold all the answers, I do know that working from the ground up and the inside out is vital, and it takes time. Time equates to resources, and funders often do not know how to make relationships and trust-building fit into graphs and pie-charts. What results is that the crucial task of relationship building in support of a just, sustainable world often falls through the cracks of the fundraising methodology and process.

However, a new wisdom is re-emerging, one that is actually ancient. To solve the global crisis, which we ourselves have created through our disconnection from the Earth and one another, we must restore our relationships, build trust amongst one another, and create spaces for everyone’s gifts to come forth.

Early on in my days of living in an over 1,000 year old redwood tree to keep it from being cut down, I began to learn the importance of building relationships because my life literally depended on it. I was yet another well-intentioned “outsider” who had come starry-eyed to the California Redwoods ready to save the trees and the world – and I quickly learned that I needed relationships to survive. I had to figure out how to build relationships, a support network, and an effective team. I had to discover that “preaching “ to the loggers only made them hate me more, so I needed to build trust and understanding with them as well. Finally, I had to engage alliances and partnerships in the surrounding communities, with Native people, and with the labor movement (which happened with the United Steel Workers of America.)

After living in that incredible tree for over two years, I was able to come down with a successfully-negotiated agreement to protect the tree and the grove around it. If it had just been me in that tree, I would never have survived, let alone succeeded in the goals. It was the building of relationships that co-created that success.

***

Women stand on the front lines of the biggest environmental crises facing our species today – including the lack of access to clean, safe drinking water; the industrialization and poisoning of agriculture; and the exploitation of land for cheap, dirty energy. When we build a bridge between solutions and resources to the women who are managing resources and stewarding future generations in our world’s most imperiled regions, we change the course not only of a community, but of the world. When a woman has access to the resources she needs for self-determination, health, and thrivability, what we see time and again is that everyone and everything around her benefits.

Flashing back to that living-room floor. Our conversation was the launching pad for what is now Women’s Earth Alliance, an international organization co-creating innovative solutions to issues of water, food and energy through collaborative initiatives that train, connect, and empower emerging women leaders. I am honored to be a founding and ongoing advisor and donor to and with this organization, the women who staff it, and the women who are served, uplifted, and empowered through this model. Through these women, entire communities are transforming – and when a community is transformed, so too is our world transformed. This way of doing the “work” is not only essential and vital, but also, brings an aliveness to the conversation, thoughts, process, and experience as well.

Knowing where this organization started and how far it has come since its inception, I am so proud and grateful to be a supporter and a partner in this work. It is such a gift—to the women of WEA, to the world, to future generations, and to me. I invite you to check out their website www.womensearthalliance.org to find out more information, to be inspired, and to see if there is a way you might weave yourself into this work.

Power Lines

2010-10-13T23:14:00.000-07:00

Caitlin Sislin, Women's Earth Alliance, North America Director

Where do you get your power? Does it emerge from the ground beneath your feet? Do you look to the sky or to the waters for it? Does it coalesce within your community? As power flows towards you, does it render others’ lives bleak while it brightens yours? Will your great grandchildren’s great grandchildren be fortunate enough to derive their power from the same places as you do?

These are the questions that our team of delegates -- women leaders from across the environmental and green energy advocacy spectrum -- investigated during our Fall 2010 Advocacy Delegation, Promoting Energy Justice on the Navajo Nation. During our five-day journey from Flagstaff, Arizona to Shiprock, New Mexico, our team met front-line leaders of the Dine’ movement for a just transition from fossil fuels to sustainability. These courageous women and men generously shared their stories, struggles and strategies with us, together describing a shared vision for an end to the U.S.’ reliance on dirty power derived from indigenous lands, and a turning towards the abundant solar, wind and non-polluting energy potential of tribal lands.

Our Dine’ colleagues and hosts spoke to us of the potential for healing and transformation inherent in this power shift. They modeled the efficacy of coordinated grassroots action to bring that vision to life. And they named the importance of broad-based coalitions to support the vision for ecological and economic justice for indigenous peoples.

How do we unplug from these injustices and desecrations, when so many of us unwittingly or unavoidably rely on fossil fuels to power our modern lifestyles? Bound, as so many of us currently are, to cheap electricity and an economic system that ceaselessly plunders and contaminates the most sacred places of the original peoples of this land, how do we engender the transformation so critically needed at this time in history? As allies to indigenous leaders working for environmental justice, it is incumbent upon us to ask hard questions of ourselves and of our communities: who and what suffers so that we can turn on the lights, and what will it take to find another way?

Discovering the destruction is remarkably easy: anyone can follow the path of the gargantuan transmission lines crossing the Southwestern desert back to the coal mines, the power plants, the contaminated water tables, the birth defects and cancer clusters. But finding a new way is a more complex task that will require everyone’s participation. For some of us, it means employing our expertise at the federal level, demanding increasingly stringent air- and water-quality regulations, the overhaul of corrupt agencies, and the overturning of ill-advised permits to power plants and mineral extraction operations.

For others, it means organizing around state and local ballot propositions, working to build legislative bridges between economic development and environmental sustainability. For yet others, it means jumping into the trenches of business development, supporting the strategic planning, capitalization and implementation of far-seeing projects like utility-scale solar installations on reclaimed mine land on tribal reservations.

And for all of us, it means becoming ever more aware of the effect of each of our actions – even the most minute, like flipping a light-switch – has on the web of life.

Our dedicated Advocacy Delegation team learned that we have all the power we need – the power to say no to destruction, the power to say yes to an equitable, healthy future for all of us, and the power to act in alliance with the deeply-rooted vision for sustainability held by indigenous women and men throughout North America.

Promoting Energy Justice on the Navajo Nation: Merging the Ancient with the Modern

2010-10-13T21:26:00.001-07:00

Nikila Badua,
Women's Earth Alliance,
Art/Design Direction

Across these long empty roads, amidst red mesa plateaus and small desert towns, I hold my camera in hand as my mind's fingers trace the edges of horizons lined with rock formations that seem to have been intentionally carved out by Nature's hands. Every now and then I spot rural properties with traditional tepees and hogans (sacred, traditional Navajo homes) built alongside old, run-down houses, reminding me of the spiritual preservation that still exists despite modernization's detrimental influences.

From behind the lens of a camera, I was blessed to experience the Navajo Nation. Through the eyes of my creative spirit, always seeking to capture the beauty within each moment, I was able to witness the perfection within in every person and place. The landscape of the Navajo Reservation is epically beautiful, and the Dine' people are such a reflection of that same raw, red, simple, yet potently powerful beauty that shines through with resilience… A particular type of resilience that can only shine forth when a people have risen up within the face of opposition.

For the past 60 years the Navajo lands have been subjected to large coal and uranium mining enterprises upon the Reservation without the people’s consent, negatively impacting sacred land, aquifers, and communities. These corporations are able to do so

because, unfortunately, the judicial system of the United States of America still does not recognize indigenous tribes of North American Reservations as being legally competent to make their own decisions regarding their properties, denying their sovereignty and human rights. Though millions throughout the Western United States receive their energy via these mines and the corporations reap billions of dollars in revenue, the Dine' have not received meaningful compensation for the use of their land, nor for the rising number of terminal illness due to the toxic impact upon their resources, and a large percentage of the population still do not have electricity - exporting 1200% more energy than they use.

The Navajo Nation continues to work toward removing these dirty energy corporations from their land, but are faced with a number of challenges that have required a well, thought-out strategy. With a complex tribal judicial system, and an unemployment rate that is over 40% higher than the U.S. national unemployment rate during the Great Depression, the fact that a large percentage of mining employees are Dine' has played a part within the establishment of the "Just Transition Campaign" - "an innovative, proactive plan to transition tribal economy, employment, and energy off fossil fuel extraction and onto a sustainable renewable energy path."

From solar and wind installation, manufacturing, and maintenance, to clean water and land policies, to renewable energy training to help transition Dine' coal miners and upcoming youth into the new green economy, it is the incorporation of indigenous philosophies and traditions that round out a powerful, infrastructural foundation that is bound to uplift indigenous peoples to the forefront of the "green" movement. And who better to take the torch and help lead the way, than those with a deep, inherent understanding of the earth and nature's life cycles. Because within the ambitiousness of such an inevitable transition happening worldwide, I am left to ponder our evolutionary ability to take the leap with graciousness and true integrity to the term "sustainability".

We, as a human race, have fallen into a deep dependency, not only upon fossil fuels, but upon a consumerist mentality in general that is deeply disconnected to the wholeness of life's cycles. What will it really take to fulfill this transition integrally, without fallinginto the same pattern of feeding our luxuries at the expense of sacred resources or the wellbeing of other cultures?

Wahleah Johns of Black Mesa Water Coalition addressed this concern well, mentioning a conversation she had with author and environmentalist, Paul Hawken, regarding the study of the life cycle of a leaf in association to creating an innovative design of solar panel that maintains an integrity and sensitivity to nature. It is very typical, to install a wind farm or solar project without regard to the impacts along the way, i.e.: toxically made solar panels that require the continuance of mining for metals to manufacture them, while exposing the manufacturers to cancer causing agents, requiring large amounts of water from endangered, pristine aquifers to keep them clean.

This is a perfect example of how easy it can be to jump on the bandwagon to the "next new thing" yet once again, without realizing the impact that good intentions may cause. There is a deep-seated pattern that resides within both the dirty energy enterprises and rising "green" businesses.

Wahleah spoke of this understanding, and how this is part of the reason why the Dine' are looking into green economy business ventures toward becoming manufacturers themselves, so that they can integrate this traditional knowledge that follows the cycles and well-being of everyone and everything involved along the way. Through the use of recycled metals/materials, sustainable technologies of water harvesting, and the implementation of protective policies surrounding water, land, food, and communities, these are just some of the crucial elements that can bring us closer to an innovative way to forward with our technological evolution, while staying rooted within an ancient wisdom that has been the foundation of our indigenous brothers and sisters for thousands of years.

It is inevitable that modern thought and technology are bound to advance, but it is not an advancement if we do not truly consider the impact that our actions may have upon the land, our fellow communities, the youth and the next 7 generations yet to come. I am choosing to listen to and support these Navajo organizations that are leading the way toward a deeper green movement -- one that doesn't merely replace all of our goods with new ones, but a movement that is geared toward shifting our mental capacity to be more aware of the web of life, with a deeper understanding of sustainability. Within the topics of innovative solutions and renewable energy technologies, may this understanding be at the forefront of every discussion, for it is through the persistence of educating and reminding each other of this piece, that we are bound to a make the mental shift, and integrate this way of thinking into everything we do. Aho.

Shiprock

2010-10-08T11:49:00.000-07:00

Osprey Orielle Lake
WEA Advocacy Delegate

Director, Women’s Earth and Climate Caucus

In this magnificent southwest desert, a person cannot help but notice rocks and boulders. Peculiar stone outcroppings and plateaus highlight the striking landscape. There is also a mysterious sense that stories are written in the layered strata of the ancient mountains. As we drive from Shiprock, New Mexico back to Flagstaff, Arizona, I find myself trying to decipher the unknown language marked in the rocky massifs. We are four days in on our southwest journey with WEA’s Advocacy Delegation: Promoting Energy Justice on the Navajo Nation. Our delegation has come to learn about the cultural history and environmental justice movements of this region from its vibrant and resilient people, the Diné (Navajo).

As we meet with Diné leaders, we discuss at length and try to comprehend the complex and contrasting layers of politics, cultural wisdom, history, land disputes, sustainable practices, spiritual traditions, and unresolved societal wounds that are all part and particle of these communities. They are as deep and old as the colorful strata.

The Diné have names for the special stones that mark the landscape, which indicate the significant role these sacred sites have in Navajo mythology and tradition. The town of Shiprock in northwest New Mexico is named after a large stone formation that rises up from the high desert plains. We learn that the Diné word for this outcropping is actually, Tsé Bit’aʼí, “rock with wings.” Upon hearing this, it occurs to me that there is a powerful and startling vision rising up from Indian country right now that is ready to fly on these ancient, strong wings.

At this time of terrific environmental peril, it seems the very point of origin for the promise and possibility of envisioning a clean and just energy economy, and a healthy land ethic for Americans, may well reside on the Navajo Nation—here where some of the greatest environmental injustices in the country have been perpetrated. And in stark contrast, within the same communities where the spiritual and cultural traditions of the people are profoundly connected to the Earth in respectful, harmonious and sophisticated ways. When you listen to the stories of the people on these indigenous lands—stories of immense hardship and heartbreak, yet so much beauty and determination—you know that this is where energy justice in the U.S. must begin.

The historical targeting of indigenous lands and communities for destructive industrial projects like coal-fired power plants, mines, and hazardous waste facilities is an ongoing and dirty secret of life in America. This detrimental practice was furthered during the oil crisis in the 1970’s when corporations were searching for more fuel sources. Most Native American lands were designated as “National Sacrifice Areas” by the federal government, which tragically opened the door to big energy companies.

On Saturday of our Delegation, we met with Wahleah Johns, co-founder of the Black Mesa Water Coalition. Wahleah is a legend out here as a successful ten-year plus veteran of the struggles on the Navajo Nation. She is also very active in climate and environmental justice networks. Wahleah is from the community of Forest Lake on the Navajo Nation, which is located near the Peabody Western Coal Company’s Black Mesa mining operations. Wahleah knows first hand about the devastating effects of coal mining, relocation, groundwater depletion and land exploitation. She is also a woman of great vision.

Wahleah deftly and lovingly attends to her beautiful young daughter and baby girl while managing to cook dinner for them and talk to our delegation about her recent project.

“Our goal is to care for our communities and for the land. We are here to protect our Mother Earth and our people, we don’t have to sacrifice one for the other. What we are working on now is to install solar panels on abandoned mine lands. There is a lot of reclamation land on Black Mesa and we asked, what can we do with this destroyed land and how can we give back to the community. We are excited because we presented the solar panel proposal to the local community members from Black Mesa and they were interested in it. At first, I was nervous because these are coal-mining people who have their incomes at stake. But the community is interested. It’s really exciting.”

Wahleah and her group are now deeply involved in a research and planning phase, which includes creating an LLC so that the community can take ownership of the project. She tells us, this is a “poetic” project, taking what has been made toxic and turning it into something of value.

Imagine transforming a carved-up mountainside, draped in toxic waste, into a solar farm that cares first for the local community and then feeds customers with clean, renewable energy. Of course, the process of transitioning from a fossil fuel based economy to a clean energy economy is complicated here on the Navajo Nation, but so it is across the country. Yet, with Diné women leaders in the forefront, grassroots groups in the southwest are gaining ground day-by-day toward a sustainable economic future. While surely a mountain of work and obstacles lie ahead, maybe this is the very moment we will see energy production and water management given back to the rightful keepers of these lands and resources.

Maybe this could be the very action that awakens the country to the need for energy justice, and also gives people the courage to face the looming energy, water and climate crises. It could very well be that the Diné will lead the way through their model of restoring abandoned mine lands, transition to clean energy, care for local communities, and a deep understanding that is time for everyone to respect the beauty, mystery, and natural laws of our Mother Planet. My sense is that something quite extraordinary is happening here on the Navajo Nation—one of the most precious, yet often forgotten, communities in America.

Before nightfall, I take one last look at the reddish-gold rock formations that surround us. Faces of the ancestors seem to emerge from the weathered stone, ancient faces that look to us to take responsibility at this time of great peril and possibility.

Be That Voice

2010-10-07T16:18:00.001-07:00

Joanna Levitt,
Wea Advocacy Delegate
Director, International Accountability
Project (IAP)

There are obvious, striking similarities between the issues being faced on the Navajo Nation and the community struggles IAP supports in Asia and Latin America for development justice. IAP aims to increasingly facilitate exchange between our Global South colleagues and grassroots counterparts in other regions who are doing groundbreaking work to develop "just transitions" to clean energy and green-economy-building.

October 1st, 2010

The sunset today found the seven of us perched on some low, weather-worn bleachers, watching the first dance at the Navajo Fair of Shiprock, New Mexico.

Our neighbors were a group of young men, sitting in a circle of chairs beside us, several wearing backwards baseball hats, most with t-shirts of punk bands or sports teams, and a few with various piercings.

As the dance concluded, our group wanted to stay for more, but we knew a long ride back to our hotel in Kayenta was ahead of us. We started to gather up our things. The announcer’s voice over the megaphones declared that there would be a break in the dancing, because the entry-road to the fair parking lot was all backed up, and several dancers had called him to say they were stuck in traffic, and to please wait.

The announcer added that, in the interim, singers were welcome to starting warming up.

As I stepped down off the bleachers, in the same instant that my foot touched the dusty earth, the circle of young men who had been sitting beside us suddenly burst into startling cries of soul-stirring, profoundly beautiful traditional song.

I felt frozen in place. I closed my eyes. Their unified voices rose and fell, their drumbeats thundering. Waves of goosebumps washed over my skin.

What was so powerful about that burst of song in that moment was not only its fierce beauty: As I opened my eyes to take in the singers, the power was also in the fusion of these ancient-sounding song-cries, emitting from these young men whose style was totally hip, artful and cutting-edge.

That seems to be an emerging lesson of this trip: There is a unique and disarming power when people bring together an ability to navigate new ways forward in our complex modern world, with a courageous expression of time-honored beliefs and ways of being.

* * *

Our day began with a 9am meeting at the Diné College, to learn about the visionary work of the Diné Environmental Institute, led by Marnie Carroll. Pushing her long white hair behind her ear, looking at each of us with her bright, quick eyes, Marnie emphatically conveyed to us the aims of Diné College—and of their Institute in particular:

“Our aim is to foster the development of Native American scientists. That doesn’t mean just another scientist like a regular college produces. That means a teaching process that reinforces our traditional beliefs—all the sacred ways and teachings, the language, the sacred elements—and seeing how these are consistent with principles of ecology and science, how they add to them.”

As Marnie shared with us about their programs, she effortlessly jumped from topics as diverse as the latest climate change modeling and projections for rainfall and temperature in the Southwest, to the behavioral ecology of ants, to the hydraulics of groundwater flow in the uranium-contaminated water tables of the Navajo Nation, to new technologies for using native vegetation as remediation and filtration systems for polluted water.

And throughout it all, she wove in mention of the spiritual and cultural significance of these phenomena. “The elders have always told the Navajo people that certain kinds of weather are not supposed to happen in the land between our four sacred mountains—that we are protected from these kinds of weather. The fact that we have started to have phenomena like tornados is unprecedented, and very alarming for people. We know this is not supposed to happen, that things are out of balance. We have started to work with a circle of medicine people who are trying to do ceremonies to protect against these weather phenomena. This close cooperation is so important, because medicine people are the first to notice things.”

Until that point, Rita White, a young woman who serves as assistant coordinator to the Institute, had been quiet. Marnie asked her to say a few words about the work and research she was involved in.

Rita spoke softly as she reported on her research with plant-based remediation projects, her role in single-handedly founding and securing official status and funding for the first Environmental Club of Diné College (via a competitive federal grant process). Under RITA’s leadership, the Club immediately set up recycling at the college via placing bins and signs in all the buildings (the contents of which Rita drives herself to the off-reservation recycling center in Farmington, New Mexico).

She shared about her participation in a conference on traditional ecology in New York, attended by leading environmental scientists as well as native elders and activists from the U.S., Canada and Latin America. She said how moving it had been for her to see “how much all these people with PhDs” were learning from Mayan and Mohawk and Navajo participants—how surprised they were at the complexity of their indigenous knowledge systems, analysis and management techniques.

“You know, being there, it really showed you how, if you’re one with the earth, if you love the earth, then you’re very observant. You see the little changes. I like to sit with the elders, like my grandma, and she points out all these little changes—like the sun is setting differently than it used to, the melons don’t grow as big as they did before, the corn is different. And tornados—that is not supposed to happen within the four sacred mountains. Our people see it; we know the world is changing.

“Our response to it is, you know, ceremonies. We have to respect the earth. We have to respect the air and wind. The water, we have to respect that. The sacred fire. All these things, it’s affecting everyone—all living things on earth. In my work, I want to speak for those living beings. I want to, you know, be that voice.”

The room was silent for a moment after Rita concluded.

I was so humbled by Rita’s presence and words. And I was inspired by her bravery. Because I do believe it takes bravery to speak of the spiritual and the sacred and one’s own grandmother and the need to give voice to the many living beings sharing our earth. It takes bravery for anyone to do that. I recognize it takes a unique resolve when one’s spirituality and culture has, over the course of history, been in turn brutally attacked by colonial and U.S. government forces, targeted for erasing and assimilation during most of the 20th century, and then, most recently, fetishized and offensively over-simplified—particularly in the realm of Native American views about the environment.

And yet Rita—and so many of the extraordinary people with whom we have been honored to speak on this trip—has boldly done just that.

Before we left Diné College, Rita and Marnie’s colleague, Cliff Johns, told us about the in-progress plan for the growing campus to consist entirely of green, LEEDS-certified buildings, to plant native-vegetation and demonstration gardens, to power much of the campus by solar and wind installations, and to use locally-sourced building materials. He also pointed out to us how the bird’s-eye-view layout of the campus is structured “like a traditional home of a woman—of a grandma.” Like the traditional hogon homes, he explained, each side of the campus—north, east, south, west—was intentionally placed in that direction, with its purpose matching the attributes and spirit of that direction.

He told us how, for the founding of the College, a circle of elders and medicine people had prepared a basket of sacred items, which was to remind and guide the College’s leaders of the institution’s sacred purpose for the Navajo people. Cliff mentioned how, when they pull that basket out at meetings with bureaucrats from the Navajo Nation tribal government, it makes the government folks uncomfortable, and some of them scoff at the College for being so focused on the old ways. “But we do it anyway. We make it clear that’s who we are. And at the same time we have our top experts that the Navajo Nation—and the federal government—depend on for policy decisions, so they have to respect us.”

We saw the same bravery in Tony Skrelunas of Grand Canyon Trust, who explained to us the inner workings of a green energy initiative that constitutes one of the most technologically and economically innovative transformations of a brown-field site in the country—which he helped design. And in the same breath he shared with us about how his upbringing by his grandparents, and learning the songs that must be sung to the corn as it’s planted—has everything to do with what it means to build a green economy on Navajo Nation.

We saw the same bravery this afternoon, at a community meeting on uranium-related health impacts and compensation owed by the federal government. In front of a federal congressman—Representative Lujan from New Mexico, who arrived unexpectedly at the Shiprock Chapter House—multiple people stood up to speak about the endless circles of paperwork and bureaucracy and disqualifying restrictions that one most overcome simply to get compensation. Several people added on to the end of their comments the simple statement that a continuation of uranium mining would be a desecration to Mother Earth.

Today, and every day on this Advocacy Delegation, I have seen that when a person seamlessly blends technical prowess and expertise, with bold reverence to the sacred and to ancient, intuitive teachings about what it means to live with honor and integrity on the earth—it can be like the unexpected song-cry in the evening air that stopped me in my tracks tonight. That singing coming from those young men blew apart my assumptions and limited understanding about who they were, what they were doing and what they were capable of.

We must do the same for what people believe is possible for our planet. This is our fundamental task as advocates at this time on earth: to tell our stories in a way that blends contemporary technology and rock-solid solutions with long-held wisdom, into a combination that blows open the doors of what people are able to acknowledge and imagine as possible.

As advocates from many different backgrounds, what does this mean in practice?

This does not mean spouting new-age-y rhetoric or appropriating a cultural heritage that is not our own, to the detriment of our movements’ aims and the people in them. It can mean—as Rita said—taking note of what we observe as individuals who are motivated to be at that negotiating table by our love for this earth, and speaking frankly about what we observe—whether that is literally the land around where we grew up, or a community of people we are working with, or in the atmosphere that we are monitoring.

It means ensuring that our proposals are fact-checked, water-tight, and far more innovative and effective than the status quo—and that we ground them in a call to action coming directly from who we are as a person/people, and from the deepest knowing we have in us of what we are doing to the earth. Like Cliff, it is our job—in our own way—to put that basket in the center of the negotiating table.

Next week, I will be in Washington D.C. for the annual meetings of the World Bank, to join in lobbying efforts to strengthen the social and environmental safeguard policies that the Bank must apply in its lending. The sterile cement-and-marble halls of the Bank are going to feel a long way away from the sagebrush flats and red rock of this corner of the Navajo Nation. But I will keep close to me the model I have been privileged to witness this week, exemplified by so many leading change-makers here on the Navajo Nation: When the moment is right, when the words you must say are clear, and with great humility, let yourself be that voice.

The International Accountability Project (IAP) partners with community groups in the Global South to challenge destructive projects receiving international financing—from open-pit coal mines in Bangladesh, to agro-fuel plantations in Brazil. We enable front-line communities to be a leading force in shifting global capital flows toward social and environmental accountability. By following the money on these projects, IAP and our community partners pressure international investors to stop bankrolling destruction, and change the rules of finance to respect local voices, human rights, and our planet's health.

The Wisdom of Our Grandmothers

2010-10-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

Stacy Ho, WEA Avocacy Delegate
Policy Associate, Green For All

Sometimes I find myself talking about sustainable economic development as the "new thing," the idea that will distinguish the future from the past. But sustainable economic development is not new to indigenous communities. As I participate in the Women’s Earth Alliance Sacred Earth Advocacy Delegation to the Navajo Nation in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, I am struck by how much we can learn from the Navajo, or Diné, people as they look to the culture and traditions of their grandmothers as a source of renewal and reinvention.

As Tony Skrelunas, Native America Program Director at the Grand Canyon Trust, explained to our delegation, the Navajo used to be a migratory people who moved their homes as they herded sheep and grew corn on rotating areas of land. Their culture was rich with traditions, ceremonies, rituals, and practices that taught and preserved an ethic of conservation, honor, integrity, and living in harmony with the earth and each other. This communal green economy, based on barter and valuing knowledge, brought Navajo society to its pinnacle in the 1940s.

Today, grassroots indigenous organizations — including the Black Mesa Water Coalition, Navajo Green Economy Coalition, Multicultural Alliance for a Safe Environment, and Dineh Bidzill Coalition — are calling on the Navajo people to return to those core values. These groups want the Navajo to assert their sovereign rights over and determine the best uses of their rich stores of natural resources, including their water and land; to generate energy from renewable sources; and to protect their people and sacred places from the harm caused by extractive industries, including coal and uranium mining and coal-fired and nuclear power plants. Coal-fired generating stations, for example, are depleting precious aquifers and producing mercury, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide pollution while producing electricity for Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Tucson.

If native communities can access and use sufficient land and water, organizations such as Indigenous Community Enterprises (ICE) are poised to drive green economic development initiatives that sustain and provide business ownership for indigenous families and communities based on traditional agriculture, such as corn and sheep. Indigenous organizations — including ICE, the Just Transition Coalition (which includes Black Mesa Water Coalition, Grand Canyon Trust, Indigenous Environmental Network, and Sierra Club), and the Shonto Community Development Corporation — are also already leading the development of cutting-edge technologies. These include green building construction that incorporates solar and wind energy generation and water-harvesting systems in elders’ homes on the Navajo Reservation and a community-owned, large-scale solar energy system that has the potential to create jobs for a network of Navajo installers and be supplied by a local assembly and manufacturing plant.

These groups share a vision of driving the growth of an environmentally sustainable economy that is equitable and grounded in Navajo culture. I am inspired by how this vision honors the wisdom of these indigenous leaders’ grandmothers and is showing a way forward that holds so much hope for a more just, healthy, and self-sustaining future for indigenous communities.

Green For All is a national organization working to build an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty. We are dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through a clean energy economy. We work in collaboration with the business, government, labor, and grassroots communities to create and implement programs that increase quality jobs and opportunities in green industry – all while holding the most vulnerable people at the center of our agenda.

Promoting Energy Justice on Navajo Nation

2010-10-01T00:55:00.000-07:00

Taylor Pattinson,
WEA Advocacy Delegate

The refrigerator in my hotel room hums and two lamps illuminate my fully charged MacBook as I type these words on the first evening of WEA’s Fall 2010 Advocacy Delegation, Promoting Energy Justice on the Navajo Nation. A weighty glass jar of clean, blessedly drinkable water sits close at hand… water I filled up in the bathroom sink… sacred water, as all water is. Surrounded by these elements of nature – electricity and water – I am brought face to face with a reality that cannot be ignored: we in the United States are extremely privileged to have the convenience of relatively “cheap” access to these life supporting resources. Today’s discussions amongst our WEA delegates and the directors of Grand Canyon Trust here in Flagstaff, Arizona, dug into the decade old history of how both the Hopi and Navajo (Dine) tribes are involved in long standing, passionate, and dedicated efforts to protect the very elements of life we in modern cities take for such granted. And to transform their economy into one that will not compromise present and future generations’ rights to a clean environment and a just society.

My phone just sounded a digital tune and shut itself off, needing to be plugged in for the night, charged up by that handy electrical outlet I could easily dismiss as just a natural service of existence. The dull constriction I feel in my chest at the thought that the electricity in this room is most likely coming from one of the coal fired power plants on the nearby Navajo reservation is a visceral reflection of the pain felt by thousands of native people in this area who have been disenfranchised for too long over the treatment of their homelands.

How would I, or any of us feel differently if we knew that our energy came from the flow of the four winds spinning a turbine? Or from the collection of unlimited, celestially sent sunshine? Can you imagine the relief you would feel in your bones to know that your best intentions of living well in this world, of enjoying and communicating with your family and friends, of learning and working, of simply relaxing in your own home were all supported by forms of clean energy generation that respect the earth and honor the beautiful mystery of creation?

This is what the people of the Hopi and Navajo nations are striving to bring to their communities. Fundamentally, a green economy goes along with the teachings of their ancestors and how their entire cultures have lived for centuries. In all actuality, through their ancient ceremonial practices, they have a profoundly intimate relationship with the sun and the wind. It is only appropriate that their economy would be based on them.

The process of transferring political will, resources, and community focus from a fossil fuel based economy on tribal lands to a green economy is as complex as it sounds. And it’s happening. In 2005, several grassroots as well as national organizations came together as the Just Transition Coalition to steward the transition. Step by step, meeting-by-meeting, grassroots groups are following the path to a sustainable economic future that does not rely on extractive, toxic, and short-sited mining activities. There is still a long way to go and tremendous work to be done to build capacity and alliances. Yet to be honest, I feel a lot of palpable hope.

After having first learned about the massively unethical operations of Peabody Coal Mine on the Black Mesa ten years ago when I was a wide eyed college student with a bleeding heart, it feels immensely fortifying to my heart to return to this sacred region of the country and find that in my absence, members of the tribes, many of them bright and motivated youth, have stood up, spoken out, joined forces, and been victorious with many of the issues facing the total health of their communities. As self-determined groups, they have organized and pursued initiatives to both stop destructive activities on their lands as well as work towards alternative mechanisms to meet their basic and economic needs. Native-owned and co-owned businesses, including utility providers, are a key leverage points in reclaiming power and autonomy.

When the chief components of maintaining their lives, such as energy production, agriculture, manufacturing, governance, education, and water management, are back in native hands, much greater balance can be kept in all respects. It will be healing for the whole country and the whole world for there to be environmental justice in these communities. In this way, the cultural knowledge and traditions will continue to flourish and be preserved. Deeply rooted ethics of land management, of honoring earth’s cycles, and of engaging the whole community dynamically is what nature intended and what these indigenous tribes naturally tend towards.

Our delegation is here to listen and prepare to offer the tools we carry in solidarity with an effort that is truly critical to the well being of all our relations. Please stay tuned for updates from our Advocacy Delegation!

WEA Advocates Strategize for Solar Energy on Navajo Mine Land

2010-08-31T14:08:00.000-07:00

This week, WEA is hosting a two-day strategy meeting in collaboration with our Sacred Earth Advocacy Initiative project partners from the Navajo Green Economy Coalition, and advocates from Dominican University’s Green MBA and the Environmental Finance Center. Our aim is to support the Navajo team in developing the business plan for a visionary initiative: a solar energy project on reclaimed mine land at Black Mesa.

This team, composed of members of Black Mesa Water Coalition and their allies, have worked for years to protect the Navajo Nation's water and mineral resources from exploitation by Peabody Coal Company. Peabody’s operation on the sacred Black Mesa mountain, viewed as a feminine mountain in the Navajo tradition, mined tons of coal each year for 40 years and drained billions of gallons of clean, drinkable groundwater from the Navajo Aquifer beneath the mine in order to "slurry" (move) coal to affiliated power plants. Peabody's operation contaminated the land, brought illness to the surrounding communities, and prolonged the region’s dependence on coal.

In the face of decades of environmental and cultural desecration, the women leading the Black Mesa Water Coalition in Flagstaff, AZ and their colleagues take a multi-faceted approach to protecting the land. While building coalitions and engaging decision-makers at every level in order to oppose the mine, these leaders also envision and implement solutions to the long-term problems of poverty and lack of economic development resources on the Navajo Nation. They are building a new consensus among Navajo leadership that green energy makes good economic sense, evidenced by the summer 2009 historic establishment of a Green Economic Fund and Commission by the Navajo Nation Council.

Now this team is working to bring an unprecedented 20-200 MW solar project to the reclaimed mine land – bringing clean energy and economic benefits to the communities surrounding the mine, restoring the reclaimed mine land and ensuring its productivity in a non-harmful way, and modeling grassroots-driven renewable energy development for communities across the United States. WEA’s Sacred Earth Advocacy Initiative works to link the Black Mesa team with experts in business and organizational development, federal law, and policy advocacy, to support this groundbreaking work in coming to fruition.

In addition to saying “no” to harmful development projects that negatively impact their lands and communities, indigenous environmental justice leaders are saying “yes” to alternative systems of energy production and economic development. Women lead the way in the grassroots-based emergence of local and regional solutions to the problems that are typically the sole province of state and federal officials, such as green energy and economic development. WEA is honored to support this work through our strategic partnerships within our Sacred Earth Advocacy Initiative, so that the vision of a just transition from coal to renewables can be fully realized.

Raising Our Voices: Women farmers share their accounts

2010-08-09T13:55:00.000-07:00

A heart to heart conversation with women farmers in the desert state of Rajasthan, who share their first-hand experiences with climate change and water issues and the solutions that women need to creatively solve their problems using local knowledge and appropriate technologies. This meeting was facilitated by CECOEDICON, a grassroots organization that works to advance the rights, livelihoods and dignity of rural communities.

Interviewed by: Rucha Chitnis

Women Farmers, Drought & Resilience

2010-08-09T08:21:00.001-07:00

Blog entry by Arshinder Kaur, WEA India Coordinator, and a founding mother.

A few days ago, I had the rare honor of witnessing the work of an innovative community-based organization called CECOEDECON that works on holistic rural development initiatives in the desert state of Rajasthan in India. I was on a site visit with Rucha, WEA's India Program Director, to learn how this group is advancing the rights of marginalized women farmers, many of whom are on the frontlines battling climate change issues. CECOEDECON's inspiring women leaders, Manju Joshi and Alka Avasthi, co-Deputy Directors who provide strategic programmatic and organizational direction, shared with us how their group works on issues related to natural resource management, livelihoods and gender. Kavita Mishra, a dynamic project coordinator, highlighted issues related to Panchayati Raj, a system of self-governance in India at the village, block and district levels. She manages stakeholder partnerships, youth and gender issues and participatory mechanisms for enhancing the value of girl child and eliminating sexual exploitation.

Rucha and I visited block Chaksu in Jaipur district the same afternoon and met some of the most inspiring women farmers who are served by CECOEDECON. These farmers were representatives of a strong women's Self Help Groups (SHG) created to provide micro loans among the group and generate small savings that are held in a common bank account. The SHG also receives a collateral security from CECOEDECON to receive larger loans from financial institutions, such as SIDBI and NABARD. This SHG has emerged from mahila mandals (women’s groups) that over the years resulted in the formation of women's cooperatives. The women have received extensive training in financial management, including book keeping, and other procedures on running cooperatives effectively. The women now have a complete sense of ownership, leadership and control in managing their affairs. These qualities were evident in the women who had gathered at the CECOEDECON’s offices to meet us.

The women, most of whom are farmers, showed immense interest in learning about water management techniques (paani ka mudda) and saving indigenous varieties of seeds (beej bhaat/ desi beej). Women in this arid region are severely affected by droughts and dwindling rains. In some areas, we learned that it had rained after four years of drought. The women articulated a need for capacity building support for implementing relevant innovative coping strategies in the face of climate change. They also expressed interest in learning about appropriate technologies, like building soak pits, maintaining their village hand pumps, rain water harvesting systems and other sustainable water management systems to counter the debilitating impact of fluoride pollution in their wells. They expressed concern about health, education and sanitation issues that affected their children and observed that when their young ones fell ill, the women, as mothers and care givers, suffered as well. The women clearly had made the connections between the health and well-being of their families and livelihoods to their natural environment and that climate change coping mechanisms needed to be implemented soon at the community level.

Many women farmers were passionate advocates of sustainable agriculture and natural resource management practices that would sustain their livelihoods in this drought-prone arid landscape. Some elders had strong reservations on corporations and foreign companies who were selling expensive hybrid seeds and chemical fertilizers that left the marginal and small farmers in a debt trap given the high costs involved in purchasing such packages. Issues related to land rights were also a priority for women, although many said that they had fought for joint ownership of land, which was heartwarming to hear.

We also had a chance to visit Niwai block in the district of Tonk with Manju Joshi, who shared a wonderful rapport with the community. We met a mixed group of men and women, members of the Kisan Sewa Samiti (Farmer's Club). Manju Ji noted that no success can be made in gender development efforts if men were excluded from the overall objectives and were not sensitized about women's unique issues and perspectives, as well as their tremendous potential to advance the health and well being of their families and communities. There are 103 villages in the blocks, where CECOEDECON is working and issues affecting women, children and youth, as well as livelihoods, such as agriculture and dairy, and education are raised. There is a children’s committee, known as bal panchayat, that addresses problems affecting the younger demographic. Critical issues affecting the villages and blocks are escalated at a state level people’s self-governing committee called the Maha Sangh.

At our meeting with the farmer's club, men and women both expressed concern on the changing weather and monsoon cycles, which was affecting their farm harvest. They shared their struggles with recurring droughts that had adversely affected their crops and livelihoods and had led to widespread migration from surrounding villages. A glimmer of hope came through a personal story of a woman farmer who said that even during difficult times she sowed indigenous seeds and used organic compost, which made her more self sufficient as she did not rely on the market to buy additional inputs. Other farmers noted that poor health prevalent among the younger generation was because of the change in their dietary habits, where people moved away from nutritious healthy grains like millets. The members shared that a major issue affecting many villages is the presence of fluoride in their water sources. Nearly 15 villages are affected with alarming levels of fluoride, and with diminishing rainfall, water is being extracted from deeper stone plates that has higher levels of fluoride.

An inspiring elder woman farmer called Kamla Devi shared that she farmed organically using goat manure, and grew a small vegetable garden using vermicompost in a small terraced landscape. She told us that once she tried growing a hybrid variety of pearl millet purchased from the market, but was shocked when the seeds did not germinate. This reinstated her faith in farming with indigenous seeds. She is now a strong proponent of seed sovereignty and in the self-reliance of farmers in using natural inputs from their own farms and through farmer-to-farmer seed exchanges. Kamla leads by example for other women and men farmers who wish to make strides in self-sufficiency and sustainable agriculture practices. Today, she is a respected elder in her community and beyond and has traveled to Italy, Nepal and Bangladesh advocating for ecologically sound agricultural practices. She’s a true visionary, and her fellow members of the Kisan Sewa Samiti were beaming with pride on her accomplishments.