WEA Interview on Women Rising: National Radio Project

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                                                             

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

"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.

In the blogosphere: Simple Tools, Big Impact

The facilitator for the 2010 West African Women and Water Training, Maame Yelbert-Obeng, has written a beautiful piece about that training for the Global Fund for Women.
Read her story here.
Learn more about what happened in February in Ghana – and prepare to dance – by clicking here.

One of many extraordinary women

The women involved in Women Earth Alliance are extraordinary women. Olanike Olugboji, a participant in the Global Women's Water Initiative's 2008 African Women and Water Training, has launched a new venture and has written about it on World Pulse.

She writes, “when people’s daily needs are met, they are better able to think about the future including how to care for the environment.” We couldn’t agree more!
Click here to read her full post.

Solutions for Community Resilience

2009 was a banner year for Women’s Earth Alliance, there’s no doubt about it. But we knew that the wave of momentum wasn’t going to stop. In fact, here on our blog we predicted that “2010 is going to rock.”

So far it has, thanks to you. Last week we held the first Women’s Earth Alliance event of 2010 and a lively crowd of 200 people were there to listen, share, and experience.

The evening kicked off with a Local Water Solutions Salon that featured the work of Bay Localize, Greywater Action, DIG Co-op, Eco House, Planting Justice, River of Words, Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, Kids for the Bay, One Earth Bottles/Nubius Organics, The Watershed Project and SWALE.

Then, along with our Global Women’s Water Initiative (GWWI) collaborators Jan Hartsough of Crabgrass and Gemma Bulos of A Single Drop, we shared stories, photographs and a rockin’ video of our shared work in West Africa last month. We invite you to check out GWWI 2010 video by Unseen Pictures and share it with others!

Finally, one of the world’s experts on women’s involvement in environmental and social justice, Kavita Ramdas of the Global Fund for Women, spoke about what women are doing around the world to lift themselves, their families and their communities. Kavita and the Global Fund have been long supporters of GWWI and we are especially grateful for their support of our work, their compassion for women around the world, and their vision for a socially and environmentally just world.

Thanks to all that attended, sponsored, tabled, and sang!

Calling African Women for Unique Opportunity

Along with our partner organizations we are seeking applicants for the Global Women’s Water Initiative (GWWI) 2010 West Africa Program.  This is a unique opportunity for African women who are working for water security and environmental sustainability in their communities.

The GWWI is a joint venture of international organizations A Single Drop, Crabgrass, and Women’s Earth Alliance. The 2010 West Africa Program is in partnership with WaterAid Ghana.  
Here are the details:

WHAT: The GWWI equips two-person teams of local African women leaders with technology training, introductory business skills, networking support, and seed funding to launch water service projects in their communities that have the potential to become income-generating.
Attendees will create and commit to specific action plans for the year following the training. The GWWI team will provide seed funding and follow-up support for each team to implement a water project.

WHO: We welcome environmental advocates, organizers and entrepreneurs to apply. 

WHEN: One week, 24 February – 3 March 2010

WHERE:  Near Accra, Ghana at the Kokrobitey Institute

Want to learn more?  Email us at womenandwater @ gmail.com.
Help us spread the word.  Copy this into:
Twitter: @womensearthally is seeking applications for Water Training in Africa.  http://bit.ly/WEABlog
Facebook: Women’s Earth Alliance is seeking applications for its 2010 Water Initiative in Africa.  Take a look and spread the word!  http://bit.ly/WEABlog