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| Last updated on February 18, 2008 |
WWA Mission
The Mission of Women Watch Afrika, Inc is to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women, and to promote the social and economic development of women and girls to create self-sufficiency and economic empowerment.
Description:
Agency/Program: Women Watch Afrika, Inc.
Date Agency/Program Started:
EXECUTIVE STATEMENT:
"The role of women in African society has been conditioned by the Ideology of patriarchy, which defined is the “belief in the natural Superiority of the male gender, and thus, the necessary sufficient Dominance of the male sex." Every other thing in African society is seen in relation to male interest, needs and concerns."
Glory A. Kilanko, 1993
The above statement is one of the underlying causes of the inequality, oppression, and all forms of discrimination against women in African society. Women Watch Afrika seeks to rectify this misconception through community education and training, human rights education, community response and accountability, advocacy, empowerment, and the social-economic development of African women living in America.
Executive Summary:
Women Watch Afrika (WWA) is a nonprofit501(c)(3), women's organization that has as its primary goal the acculturation of immigrant and refugee women arriving to the United States from African nations. An important objective of WWA is the deliverance of African women and girls from intra-family discrimination and physical abuse - a cultural tradition that has been practiced by African men for generations.
WWA was established in Atlanta in 1997 as a result of the unmet needs of under served African refugee and immigrant population.
The services that WWA provides are designed to socially liberate African women, break the cycle of abuse, and remove all forms of discrimination that, historically, have been fostered upon African women and girls in their native homelands. Underscoring the strength of U.S. laws that govern and protect the civil rights of all individuals, WWA offers programs and skills workshops that promote the social and economic development of African refugee/immigrant women and girls. We also offer community outreach and referral services to help women and their families adjust to living in a free and progressive society. While the focus of our programs is geared towards women and girls, WWA also takes great pains to include African men in our cultural re-education programs so that they, too, can begin to understand, accept and conform to new social behaviors.
Agency Name: Women Watch Afrika, Inc.
Agency Address: 4151 Memorial Drive Suite 205_A. Decatur, GA 30032
Contact: Director/CEO: Glory Kilanko
Telephone: 404-759-6419
Fax Number: 404-477-2495
Email: gloryk_99@yahoo.com, Website: www.womenwatchafrika.org
Type of Organization: Community-based agency, non-profit.
Staffing: Director/CEO, Program Coordinator, &Youth Program Officer.
Goals / Objectives / Purpose of the Program:
The primary goal of WWA is to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women, and promote the social and economic development of women and girls towards attaining self-sufficiency and economic independence.
Description of Current Programs:
WWA organizes workshops, seminars, training programs, and gender dialogues in cooperation with other organizations. Presently we are working on the following very important projects:
Economic Justice for African Immigrant/Refugee Women and Girls Project:
The vast majority of English speaking African immigrant and refugee women and girls are faced with enormous difficulty in adjusting to the cultural differences in their newfound home. Women who speak English receive less social support and fewer services because of the mistaken notion that because they know the language, they are able to better negotiate a system that is totally foreign to them. The goal of this project is to empower African immigrant and refugee women and girls to become self-reliant and economically independent. The project provides opportunities through empowerment sessions, non-traditional vocational training, community awareness education, and social support in identifying and addressing socio-cultural barriers in accessing economic and training opportunities in the United States.
Employment Services Project:
The goal of this project is to prepare African immigrant and refugee women and girls with the necessary skills and support needed to get a good job/work history in the United States. The project provides opportunities through empowerment sessions, job readiness training and job placement, and social support in identifying and addressing socio-cultural barriers in accessing economic and training opportunities in the United States.
Violence Against Women Project:
This project offers community education about domestic violence and services available to victims of domestic violence, and campaigns to eliminate all forms of violence against women. This project in addition provides culturally appropriate crisis intervention and referral services to women at risk, and networks with the Coalition for Battered Refugee and Immigrant Women (TAPESTRI). The Violence Against Women Project is open to all women of African descent.
Equal Opportunities for Refugee/Immigrant Girls Project:
In most parts of the world, a lot of importance is placed on the birth of a male child. The production of male children they say allows for continuity. As a result of this, a woman's inability to have a male child is a great disability to her. This informs how the girl child is treated from the day she is born. The goal of this partnership pilot project is to bring together 15 refugee and immigrant girls between the age of 9-14, with their American peers to explore possibilities available towards self-determination and self-actualization. This will lead to proper understanding and respect for each other's differences and culture, as members get to know each other as a group and individually.
Resources/Advocacy:
Women Watch Afrika workshops on the following:
- African Women's Initiatives and Survival Skills
- Education and Training for Women
- Effects of Globalization on Women in Developing Countries
- Parenting/parenting skills
- Positive Child Discipline
- Family Violence Prevention Education
- General Health Education: Tobacco Prevention, and HIV/AIDS
- Nutrition & Physical Activity Training, Breast Exams/Mammograms
- Community Response to Family Violence
- The Effects of Domestic Violence on Children
- The Many Faces of Violence Against Women and Girls
- Traditional and Cultural Practice Affecting Women and Girls
- Trafficking and Child Prostitution / Counseling Services to
- Victims of Severe Forms of Human Trafficking
- Refugee and Immigrant Women's Peculiar Situation
- Campaign to end Violence against Women
- Violence against Women in Custody/War Times
Human Rights Education Documents:
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- CEDAW-The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
- The Rights of the Girl Child
- Women's Rights are Human Right
Library:
Women Watch Afrika has a global mini-research and resource library on gender and women human rights' issues.
The Community We Serve:
Under the leadership of Glory Kilanko, a native of Nigeria and founder of Women Watch Afrika, the organization is uniquely adept to carry out its mission with ethnic awareness and sensitivity. Intrinsically cultural and gender specific, WWA is the foremost African-based organization in Atlanta providing outreach assistance, re-adjustment programs, and referral services to African women who have been re-located to the metropolitan area. The majority of the women we serve are from the English-speaking countries of Cameron, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, South Africa, Togo, Gambia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Collaborations/Partnerships:
Dekalb County Board of Health
Morehouse School of Medicine
Catholic Social Services
National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Southeastern/Atlantic Region
Clarkston Community Center and Clarkston Health Collaborative
Girls Incorporated of Greater Atlanta
International Women's House
Prevention Alliance on Tobacco Control and Health (PATCH)
Refugee Women's Network, Inc.
Tapestri
Training your agency/program provides:
-Training of trainers (for caseworkers, community leaders, etc.)
- Community Health Workers (Make staying physically active a lifelong habit)
-Parenting training on Positive Discipline and Being Involved in Your Child's Life
-Training of Resettlement Agencies on domestic violence orientation components
-Training of Law Enforcement Officers, Paramedics, and Faith-Based Community on how to respond to domestic violence in refugee and immigrant communities.
Women Watch Afrika conducts Youth Education on:
Peer Pressure, Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Tobacco use Prevention, Effects of Secondhand Smoke, Setting Career Goals and Choice, Teen/Date Violence, Sex Education, STDs and AIDS, Know Your Rights, Conflict Resolution, Dealing with Crisis, Eliminating Racial Prejudices, General Hygiene, Nutrition & Physical Activity, Attitude, and Time Management.
Geographical Area Served:
Clayton County, Dekalb County, and South Fulton County
Funding:
Private Foundation and Community Donations
Volunteer Opportunity:
Women Watch Afrika Inc is immediately looking for dedicated volunteers with skills in Web Design, Accounting/Finance, and Newsletter Publication. We are also looking for volunteers to be part of the Speaker’s Bureau and serve on our Community Events Committees. All Volunteer opportunities are open to male and females.
We are a grassroots organization dedicated to alleviating gender discrimination and promoting the socio-economic development of African women and girls. We provide counseling and referral services to underserved low income immigrant and refugee women of African descent and conduct training sessions for the prevention of STDs/HIV, comprehensive domestic violence crisis intervention, and women’s right to health. We work with different social, educational, political, medical, and religious organizations from the Metro Atlanta to offer the most culturally appropriate services to immigrant and refugee populations living in DeKalb County. We will be more than happy if you could let your friends know about this internship/community volunteer opportunity.
For more questions regarding this opportunity, please feel free to contact either myself or Glory Kilanko, CEO of Women Watch Afrika at 404 759 6419 or by email gloryk_99@yahoo.com.
Sincerely,
Sandrine Umutoni
Women Watch Afrika
4151 Memorial Drive, Suite 205 A
Decatur, GA 30032
Please make note of change in the contact information for Women Watch
Afrika, Inc.
TEL/FAX: 404-477-2495
History:
FACT SHEET
WWA MISSION
The Mission of Women Watch Afrika, Inc is to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women, and to promote the social and economic development of women and girls to create self-sufficiency and economic empowerment.
ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY
Women Watch Afrika (WWA) is a non-profit, non-governmental, grassroots women's organization focused on the alleviation of gender discrimination and the development of women and girls. The primary goal of WWA is to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women, and promote the social and economic development of women and girls. It was established in November 1994 in Dakar, Senegal by a group of female professionals to this end. WWA examines the continuing barriers to the application of local and international laws for the protection of the rights of women. The organization advocates laws to protect the rights of women and female children, the application of those laws, and develops and implements programs which promote economic self sufficiency and empowerment of women.
WWA was established in Atlanta in 1997. The organization networks and works collaboratively with local, national, and international organizations with similar goals and objectives to stimulate the exchange of information, promote the advancement of women, and to share training opportunities and group development. The intent of such collaboration is to bring about economic and political developments that will benefit women in both Africa and the United States and to foster good relationships with other nations. The membership of WWA is open to individuals, non-profit organizations, trade unions, action research organizations, and other organizations involved in development, education, and women's rights from Africa and the United States. WWA is the only service providing African women's organization in Metropolitan Atlanta that serves women from English speaking African countries.
Projects and Services
WWA organizes workshops, seminars, training programs, and gender dialogues in cooperation with other organizations. In 1997 WWA implemented Education on the Rights of the Girl Child and Consequences of Teen Pregnancy in three schools in Clayton County, Babb Middle, Forest Park Middle, and Forest Park High School. The project consisted of a series of workshops on building self esteem and self confidence, setting career goals, career opportunities, consequences, of teen pregnancy, and equal educational opportunities for female adolescents. The project included a peer education component, which focused on sexual behaviors, sexual risks, and safe sex. The project addressed the notion of many of the adolescent females who believed that becoming a mother at an early age was the best thing that could ever happen to them. Participant outcomes included improved sense of self esteem and self confidence, open dialogue with peers on sexual behaviors, increased number of participants who sought counseling on sexual behaviors and control of sexual behaviors. Prior to participation, the academic performance of girls was lower than their male counterparts.
Girls who participated in the project showed improved academic performance of their male peers. The rate of adolescent pregnancy decreased by 3% from the previous year.
Future project of WWA in the Atlanta area include:
- Education on the Rights of the Girl Child
- Economic Justice for Women and Girls
- Employment Services
- Youth Development Training
- Health Fairs, Breast Exams/Mammograms
- Community Education for Women and Girls
- Campaign on Violence against Women
- Community Development and Economic/Financial Literacy *
- Annual African Women Summit *
- Set Up an Information/Resource Center for Newly Arriving African Families *
- Set Up An International Women's Health & Fitness Center *
- Fully Implement the No Child Left Out Life Skills Training *
- Civic, Political and Human Rights Education for women *
Campaign Strategy, Speech Making *
Constituency/Community Coalition Building *
Parliamentary Procedures *
On-going project justification
Economic Justice for African Immigrant/Refugee Women and Girls:
The vast majority of English speaking African immigrant and refugee women and girls are faced with enormous difficulty in adjusting to the cultural differences in their newfound home. Women who speak English receive less social support and fewer services because of the mistaken notion that because they know the language, they are able to better negotiate a system that is totally foreign to them. The goal of this project is to empower African immigrant and refugee women and girls to become self-reliant and economically independent. The project provides opportunities through empowerment sessions, non-traditional vocational training, community awareness education, and social support in identifying and addressing socio-cultural barriers in accessing economic and training opportunities in the United States.
Employment Services:
The goal of this project is to prepare African immigrant and refugee women and girls with the necessary skills and support needed to get a good job/work history in the United States. The project provides opportunities through empowerment sessions, job readiness training and job placement, and social support in identifying and addressing socio-cultural barriers in accessing economic and training opportunities in the United States.
Violence Against Women Project:
This project offers community education about domestic violence and services available to victims of domestic violence, and campaigns to eliminate all forms of violence against women. This project in addition provides culturally appropriate crisis intervention and referral services to women at risk, and networks with the Coalition for Battered Refugee and Immigrant Women (TAPESTRI). The Violence Against Women Project is open to all women of African descent.
Equal Opportunities for Refugee/Immigrant Girls Project:
In most parts of the world, a lot of importance is placed on the birth of a male child. The production of male children they say allows for continuity. As a result of this, a woman's inability to have a male child is a great disability to her. This informs how the girl child is treated from the day she is born. The goal of this partnership pilot project is to bring together 15 refugee and immigrant girls between the age of 9-14, with their American peers to explore possibilities available towards self-determination and self-actualization. This will lead to proper understanding and respect for each other's differences and culture, as members get to know each other as a group and individually.
Our services are open to African women from the following countries: Cameron, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, The Gambia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Below is a brief history of the concept of the WWA Equal Opportunity for Refugee/Immigrant Girls Project, and the reason for our focus on the development of the girl child.
The role of women in society have been conditioned by the
Ideology of patriarchy, which defines the 'belief in the natural
Superiority of the male gender, and thus, the necessary sufficient
Dominance of the male sex' ...... Every other thing in society is
Seen in relation to male interest, needs and concerns.
Glory A. Kilanko, 1993
This socialization process has a long-lasting impact on girls' ability to fulfill their potential and realize their human rights. The Beijing World Conference on Women document; The Beijing Platform for Action notes: 'Girls are often treated as inferior and are socialized to put themselves last, thus undermining their self-esteem. Discrimination and neglect in childhood can initiate a lifelong downward spiral of deprivation and exclusion from the social mainstream,' Many women are harassed and chastised for giving birth to female children in some parts of Africa. Thus, women are treated as second-class citizens. The difference in the status of boys and girls in families and communities thus can be attributed to attitudinal differences, not biological differences.
The foregoing captures the historical place of women in the communal scheme of things revealing the lack of opportunities and unequal treatment faced by the girl child right from the day she is born. In many cultures, girls are taught at an early age to be silent, passive and accepting. By the age 10, girls begin to shape themselves into the 'Perfect Girl,' a collective image of the attributes they see being rewarded by parents and teachers: being ladylike, quiet, obedient, good in school if allowed to go to school, and always nice and pleasant. A lot of times parent and teachers tend to reinforce this image of the `Perfect Girl', which varies from culture to culture, but exist in some form nearly everywhere.
These differences are often further perpetuated by formal and informal education system, which favor boys over girls. As Neera Kuckreja Sohoni, an academic who has studied the burden of girlhood in many countries, observes: `the real gender differential is attitudinal and, as with racism, its damage is immeasurable. Like color, (sex) is an accident of birth, but entitlements are man-made. A different and discriminatory set of values and expectations are applied to the girls, and to her preservation and development. Boys, like men, command greater space and value: that differential is sustained through a process of covert or overt neglect of the girl.' (Kuckreja Sohoni Neera, The Burden of Childhood: A Global Inquiry into the Status of Girls, Oakland, CA: Third Party Publishers, 1995, p. 13).
In most parts of the world, a lot of importance is placed on the birth of a male child. The production of male children they say allows for continuity. As a result of this, a woman's inability to have a male child is a great disability to her. Revealing the lack of opportunities and unequal treatment faced by the girl child right from the day she is born.
The objective of the project is to provide opportunity for new Americans and American girls to come together and explore possibilities available in eliminating differences and building on the richness and strength of their diversity to foster cultural growth. While building bridges across cultures, we educate them on their rights as human beings equal to any other human being, in our know your rights and self esteem piece. We are not an after school project kind like other youth serving agencies. But we do have a homework telephone support for those with difficulty in science, math and English. We focus more on cultural diversity understanding, women's health talk, career goals, recreational field trips, cultural dance, ethnic music, youth against tobacco and drugs, etc.
INCLUSION OF BOYS
It is important to note here that we do have programs that cut across gender line.
For example:
Our Violence Free Community Project is inclusive of boys because you cannot make
the community safe without the participation of every one both old and young. Topics
like date violence, violence during games, and anger management are taught.
Same with our Youth Against Tobacco and Drugs Project.
Our Eliminating Racism Project is also open to boys. This project educate youths on
refugee situation, who they are and what leads to such situation. It also helps youth
know how to care for one another.
Finally our Human Rights Education Project helps youth know their basic human
rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of The Rights of the Child. Simple
rights like the right to food, shelter, clothing, education, good health, etc. This is a
powerful tool for youths as they grow and begin to understand the different faces of
life.
If there are ways we can collaborate please feel free to let us know. We would be glad to work with you. We can be reached at 404-292-0069.
Thank you.
Contact people:
 |
Glory Kilanko, Director & CEO, (phone), (email)
Christina Shunnarah, Volunteer Coordinator, (phone), (email)
Anne Olsen, Member, Board Of Directors, (phone), (email) |
Office fax number: (404) 477-2495
Address:
|
4151 Memorial Drive, Suite 205-A
Decatur, GA 30032
(See a map) |
Web Site: http://www.womenwatchafrika.org.
Directions:
|
From I-285 East, Exit at exit 41 (Memorial Drive)turn left go pass the Dekalb County Jail House on your left, go about half a mile and trun left into the Kensington Office Park Complex.
Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: Kensington Marta Train Station,
Walk distance (in minutes): 5 Minutes |
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