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AKINA DADA WA AFRICA SISTERS FROM AFRICA. AkiDwA. Background to AkiDwA. Founded in August 2001 by seven African women with support from the Catherine McAuley Centre
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AKINA DADA WA AFRICA SISTERS FROM AFRICA AkiDwA
Background to AkiDwA • Founded in August 2001 by seven African women with support from the Catherine McAuley Centre • Mission - To be a culturally appropriate service provision & social network that will respond to existing & changing needs of African women resident in Ireland and a representative body for African women regardless of ethnic or national origins, Religious traditions or legal and socio economic status. • AkiDwA serves as a networking, information, advocacy and training forum for African women living in Ireland • Why AkiDwA? - While there is some commonality in the migrant experiences of men & women, there are also differences and issues specific to women only. Mainstream male dominated representative bodies cannot deal effectively with these
AkiDwA work focus on • Development education / community development • Racial and intercultural understanding • Human rights • Influencing policy • Ethos • The value that underpins the work of AkiDwA and guide our visions are • Providing a critical and responsive approach towards the portrayal of African women in Ireland. • Being a focal point for African women in Ireland • Women’s Right • Cultural respect • Development education/ community development • Solidarity/Gender analysis
AkiDwA Aims and objectives are: • To identify and establish a network with existing groups of African women in Ireland • To set up a resource centre for African women • To provide training on culture and diversity awareness and educate against racism to community, community workers and others service providers dealing with the needs of African women • To undertake research which will identify the particular needs of African women residents in Ireland • To empower African women with self development and life skills training • To organise for seminars, conferences and public meetings with themes that reflects to the needs of African women • To work with national bodies and other organisation in Ireland in order to influence national policy • To promote the integration in Ireland by organising and hosting social cultural events and workshops.
AkiDwA is a national organisation. Up to date we have worked with African women in Galway, Longford,Wexford, Waterford,Letterkenny,Tallaght,Inner city,Brancherstown, hostels-Arlingtonhotel-Galway,and various in Dublin The Demand to work with other groups such as in cork, limerick, Tralee and many others remain as a big challenge due to lack of sufficient funding. • Through AkiDwA work some of the most pressing needs has been identified some of these needs that questions the Law and Policy regarding this women situation are- • Within Direct provision- Families and pregnant mothers experiences huge problems during their live in hostels, space, privacy,social exclusion-which is a denial for basic human rights
Racism- All the women worked with has experienced racism . Institutional and individual racism remain as a huge threat for women and their children.The hatred act of 1990 has not been put in to enforcement • Immigration policy and Law- Gender specific obstacles such as rape, FGM, violence and forced marriages not considered as ground for asylum- 4yr ago woman commit suicide case reject • Health needs- Not met Victims of FGM, War not supported. Maternity hospitals, reproductive control • Education- Lack of proper integration for children in schools, lack of diversity/ integration of the curriculum women not supported to go back to education. • Employment- Exploitation for women from ethnic background, refusal to work, unskilled job when you are educated, qualification not recognised. Lack of proper law and policy for women experiencing exploitation/ discrimination at work
Citizenship/ status- Lack of information, women call to be treated as individuals while applying and not dependant of their husbands respect women’s right as human rights- Supreme court ruling how it will affect children and women • Cultural respect- Respect for way of life recognise gender specific oppression rape, violence sensitivity of these provide women interviewers/ interpolators • Mutual respect in cases of death, birth marriages worship rules and norms that people's carries with them leaving children with 10 yr. old, slapping a child • Poverty issues among African families and in Particular African women e,g woman died a year ago due to lack of proper heating could not afford to pay. • Childcare,Language barrier, • Isolation- Proper measure not yet in place to intergrate migrant women in to the Irish society the law is contrary excluding.
Current interventions - AkiDwA is in receipt of funding to run the following - -Integrated Development education on the subjects of race, gender and cultural diversity (funded by NCDE) -The “Herstory” project which will document and publish experiences of African women (funded by the Ireland Funds) -Training African women to represent (NCDE) building the capacity of African women to be able to speak for themselves