Funding the Rural Future

An interactive panel and workshop - at the Baha'i International Community Offices

First speaker - Importance of microgrant - Tanzania - multiple programs experience, 

Second speaker - nutritional counseling for maternal health in Nepal,

Third speaker - 16 year old - use photography to show lives of girls

Fourth speaker - working with UN 

Zimbabwe - speaker

Columbia - interactive discussion

Mother of 8, an accountant - helping women in east African corridor. Spoke about project, helping most vulnerable - Understanding between communities in Africa .and America. Get to talk to women. Rural women know what they want. Teaches them how to manage funds, talk about health, impact of culture. People in rural area - once they are ready - Men feel threatened by women's empowerment, even though supported by government. Rural areas very traditional, and conservative. Involving the men - see the project will support them. Defined project as anything that generates income. Example of a vegetable garden - have 198 women working on it. Impact of culture - must be considered when working with rural women. 

Nutritional Counseling for maternal health care, for those affected with HIV/AIDs. Research - nutritional counselling - eat more, protein, Specifically for women with HIV? Not know. Lack of training. Economic barriers major reason for not following advice. Made 4 recommendations - need for protocol, need for training, strengthening role of female community health volunteers - usually women come just before having birth. Identify HIV, Following a food security assessment, direct food support. 

Discussion - cultural considerations; Application research, financial resources. District decision making capacity - How does action get done in rural areas? 

Issues for Rural girls - girl's education best investment that can be made. Main reason not attending is cost. CSI - schools - providing basic resources for families. Ensuring basics are provided. Sexual health education a key necessity. Youth services in UK cut. Youth centres provided sexual health education - now cut. Rural girls ignorant, and unable to protect themselves. Education more accessible for rural girls. Forced marriages - Stopping abuse is essential.

Presentation - issues removing obstacles for rural women - importance of giving economic power to women. Studies show this - allowing women the power over their economic projects. Decrease of domestic violence. Need for separate wash rooms, and sanitary pads. No matter what country, rural women and girls are not as well off as other women. Public transportation isolates girls - high drop out rate for girls, free lunch programs, Many countries do not do gender budgeting, and lack gender sensitivity. 

Girls in rural Zimbabwe - boys are sent to school, because considered more intelligent. Girls face problem of sanitation - no sanitary pads. Shared story of widow with 3 children. Older child dies, as she goes for water. Mother devastated, no longer can attend her other children.

Columbia - girls difficulty in obtaining education, health. But the biggest problem is armed conflict. Sexxual exploitation. Last year 400 girls were killed. Why girls killed, Young women treated as a product rather than human being, many forces - 3 different forces. These men have taken a position - the women are their possession. Body of the girls, 12 year old getting political pressure. A way of security. Government not investing funds to end this conflict.