Catégorie : 1000 women Peace Nobel 2005

Linked with Radio Isanganiro .

She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

Her mother said: « You are half Hutu and half Tutsi. If you identify yourselves as Hutus, then you must hate me, and if you identify yourself as Tutsi, then it is as if you killed your father a second time ».

Jeannine Nahigombeye, Director, Radio Isanganiro: Jeannine Nahigombeye has worked since 1997, when she joined Studio Ijambo in Bujumbura, Burundi. Studio Ijambo, a project of Search for Common Ground (headquartered in Washington, DC), produces radio programming designed to promote interethnic harmony and cooperative problem solving. She also worked as a stringer for the Voice of America and Canal Afrique (South Africa). During Ms. Nahigombeye’s four and half years at, Studio Ijambo, she initiated several programs, including programs on AIDS and vox-pop (popular voice), and co-produced programs on justice, truth and reconciliation, political and social programs, and human rights. In November of 2002, Ms. Nahigombeye was elected by her peers as director of Radio Isanganiro a new independent radio station created by the journalists of Studio Ijambo. (full text, scroll down).

Jeannine Nahigombeye – Burundi

She works for Radio Isanganiro.

Nahigombeye, the daughter of an accountant at the Central Bank of Burundi and a schoolteacher, grew up in a family of eight children. On still afternoons, she and her older sisters often listened to the radio, fascinated by a thriller series titled « Anthology of Mysteries. » She taped the program and replayed it time and again, play-acting along with the characters.At 20, she began studying French literature at the University of Burundi and frequently appeared in drama productions. She graduated in 1996. In explaining why she chose journalism as a career, she said: « The fact of talking to people who are listening, registering what you say and do, was an interesting connection. In Africa, you cannot live from theater, but it was a way of communicating. »

In the Great Lakes region of Africa, which includes Burundi, 85 percent of the people rely on radio for news and entertainment. In 1995, Search for Common Ground, a conflict resolution organization based in Washington, established Studio Ijambo, which means « wise words » in the Kirundi language. When the group advertised for female contributors to the independent radio studio, Nahigombeye joined. (full text).

Continuer la lecture de « Jeannine Nahigombeye – Burundi »

Linked with F-information – Genève. (Grace Aboh Dotou’s portrait en français), et avec ‘Qui dit mieux?‘.

She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

She says: « Our greatest assets are people and our natural resources, which need to be valued more if they are to become competitive ».

The experienced fingers of 20 women crochet strands of plastic into one-of-a-kind gifts in a shop in Porto-Novo, Benin’s capital: These women, led by Grace Dotou-Aboh, began their business, Qui Dit Mieux?, in 1996. They collect plastic bags littering Benin’s streets, clean them and transform them into beautiful purses, bags and dolls. The group has received international recognition for raising environmental awareness and for teaching women skills – and independence. (full text).

Grace Aboh Dotou – Benin

She works for the Association for the Development of the Women of Sédji (not mentionned in the internet).

Madame Dotou Grace Aboh (62) has a lot of expertise in the socio-cultural reintegration of inmates of detention centers which has brought her international fame. This led to her being asked, at an international level, to form and organize women in the African sub-regions of the west, specifically Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Niger and Guinea Bissau. Her expertise is also sought by Congo, Chad and Cameroon. All these countries have benefited from her know-how in the areas of the promotion of women, the improvement of the environment, the improvement of the living conditions for women and children and, finally, the improvement of the financial capacities of women from portable activities.

Continuer la lecture de « Grace Aboh Dotou – Benin »

She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price.

She says: « I started my career with a dream-that I will work for the people and bring about a change in society. I still believe that change is possible. I work hard for that change » … and: « It was a new country. It was very important to build the nation. We wanted to do something important for the country, » … and: « A group of women will be trained in fixing electric wires, making doors and windows, operating water pumps, and building sanitary latrines. This group will go door-to-door, helping the people. The local people should not wait for the government or NGOs to come and help them ».

She says also: « Every man should think that every woman in society is the equal of his daughter, sister, or mother. If he wants to save his daughter, sister, or mother from injustice or oppression, he has to do the same for other women. Awareness changes a person’s attitude ».

Sorry, I can not get any photo of Sandhya Roy, Bangladesh (see also my comment ‘Brave women without photos‘).

Sandhya Roy was only 17 when she left home to help soldiers wounded in the 1971 Bangladesh war. The end of the war found Sandhya far too immersed in her work to return home. Instead, she joined Gonoshasthya Kendra (which means people’s health center-GK), an NGO working to establish a people-centered health system.

For more than 30 years now, she has been challenging gender stereotypes, fighting fundamentalists who wish to keep her down, and working toward her dream of a holistic health system.

Sandhya Roy was born in 1954 into a zamindar (landlord) family in Dhamrai, Dhaka. In 1947, when the subcontinent was partitioned, some of her family members relocated to India. But not Sandhya’s father. But, through the Enemy Property Act, much of the family’s property was appropriated by politically-powerful Muslims.

Continuer la lecture de « Sandhya Roy – Bangladesh »

Linked with Association Femmes 2000, Burkina Faso.

She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

She says: « If we talk of economic growth in Burkina Faso, it is largely down to the fact that women have been put in charge at all levels of the development sector ».

Sorry, I can not get any photo of Chantal Marie Rachelle Ouédraogo, Burkina Faso (see also my comment ‘Brave women without photos‘).

She works for the Association Femmes 2000 AF 2000.

Chantal Marie Rachelle Ouédraogo (35) is married and the mother of two girls. She is head of the Association Femmes 2000 (Women’s Association 2000) fighting HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis and taking care of persons living with HIV. She was decorated by the Burkina Faso government for service to the nation on 11 December 2003. She was given the Knight of the Order for Merit medal.

Chantal studied up to the level of the BEPC before settling into professional life with the intention of being of service to those around her. This mother is well-known for her courage and willingness to help rural women of her country to get involved in development activities, to promote their rights. She is founder-president of an association of women. She serves as Commercial Agent in a service specializing in the mobilization of public savings to meet the social and economical needs of its members.

Continuer la lecture de « Chantal Marie Rachelle Ouédraogo – Burkina Faso »

Linked with The African Methodist Episcopal AME Church.

She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

She says: « Women spreading bridges of peace, solidarity and fraternity contributes to reaching the supreme values of justice » … and: « I called other women so that they could learn the skills of cake icing and handicraft that I used to make a living ».

Sorry, I can not get any photo of Hazel Magdalene King, Barbados (see also my comment ‘Brave women without photos‘).

She works for Hazel’s School of Arts and Crafts (no website, not named on other websites). She works also for the African Methodist Episcopal AME Church.

She raised her two children alone and took care of her mother while enduring her husband’s abuses. When she was laid off from a restaurant in Bridgetown, Barbados, she understood that her hands could work miracles. Hazel Magdalene King lifted up a flag: self-employment for self-sufficiency. She invited other women, taught them how to make cake icing and handicraft. She underwent radical breast cancer surgery, but she did not stop. She has never stopped. Hazel inspires other women in the Service for the Support for Cancer.

The life of Hazel Magdalene King can be summarized in a word: challenge. Her work in the community was accelerated in 1988 after her mother, who she took care of, died at age 87. When she said ‘enough’ to her husband’s abuse, she intended to recover her life and to maintain her two children by herself. They had already laid her off from a restaurant in Bridgetown.

Continuer la lecture de « Hazel Magdalene King – Barbados »

Linked with The California Women’s Agenda CAWA.

She is She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

It is said about her: « Roma Guy lives her life in a profound and peaceful way. Her strategic vision, strength, and wisdom help to build a world that fully embraces everyone. » Diane Sabin ».

Roma Pauline Guy – USA

She works for the San Francisco State University, for the Women’s and Girls Network, and for the California Women’s Agenda CAWA.

Roma Pauline Guy, a social justice activist and policy leader in public health, women’s rights, poverty, and homelessness, has worked all her adult life to improve conditions for women. She helped found the San Francisco Women’s Building, and developed community-based institutions including a battered women’s shelter and a family resource center.

She helped also to create the La Casa de las Madres (a battered women’s shelter), The Women’s Foundation (Northern California), and the Stay-in-School Family Resource Center (San Francisco State University).

Coauthor of « Historical Perspectives on Homelessness, The Police and the Homeless », she has helped to redefine housing as a public health issue and has developed an innovative curriculum at San Francisco State University.

Continuer la lecture de « Roma Pauline Guy – USA »

Linked with Fundatia ProHomini.

She is She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

She says: « Peace is not merely a word. It is a time for kids to grow up in harmony with society; the joy young mothers feel when they see their children growing up in peace ».

She says also: « Peace is sleeping without worry and looking forward to the joys of a new day. It is the rainbow that guards the Earth, without damage from bullets, fire or death. Peace is the desire for people to live in harmony with their compatriots and with nature. But, it seems to me that the more we wish for peace, the more it eludes us. We live in an uncertain world. Because we are confronted with an uncertain existence, people want to live in the moment. People want to live like kids at any cost. We want to ‘have our cake’, and eat it, too ».

Negoita Cornelia – Romania

She works for Pro Homini.

Negoita Cornelia works in Braila, a town located in southeast Romania. She has dedicated her life to children in orphanages and psychiatric hospitals. In 1997, she founded Pro Homini, a

charitable foundation helping orphans, large families, and senior citizens. Why did she choose this challenging path, rather than developing a profitable business after 1989 and the fall of the Ceausescu regime and the transition to a market economy.

The answer is that, for her, people are more important than money. She derives enormous satisfaction knowing her contributions have changed people’s lives.

Continuer la lecture de « Negoita Cornelia – Romania »

Linked with an EU Constitution for the 21st century.

She is She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

She says: « We need development that is driven forward with consideration for the various traditions and cultures and for human beings and nature » … and: « We want to remember former times with the store in Stocken and continue the traditions, so that life blossoms even when there are storms in autumn and winter. And we want to promote solidarity and support people all over the world ».

And she says (together with her husband): « We want an EU Constitution
for the 21st century, not for the 20th! ». (full text).

Erni and Ola Friholt – Sweden

She works for Svenska Kvinnors Vänsterförbund SKV, (the Federation of Leftist Swedish Women), also descrived on the swedish wikipedia; for Women’s International Democratic Federation; and for the Swedish Women’s Council for Development.

Swedish articles:

• Kwinor för Fred.
• Vi tänker aldrig sluta jobba för fred och rättvisa.
• BARN TÅL VÄLDIGT MYCKET, MEN …
• Kvinnomarsch ger manifest till nordiska regeringar.
• Gandhian and Indian Influence in the Nordic Countries.
• Göteborgs Sociala Forum 2005.
• Svenska trupper har inte i Afghanistan att göra.
• Kvinnor för Fred, Verksamhetsberättelse 2005.
• Stoppa avrättningarna av tre Irakiska kvinnor!

For 37 years, Erni Friholt has been an activist in peace building and peace education, women’s rights and solidarity, both locally and internationally in the Balkans, Bangladesh, India, and Ethiopia. She has been a journalist, speaker, volunteer and project manager, a demonstrator and organizer of an alternative solidarity fair trade café. For many years, she was editor-in-chief of the women’s magazine « Vi Mänskor » of the Federation of Leftist Swedish Women and chair of the organization. She has participated in many international women’s conferences, peace marches, and peace organizations.

Somewhere in every land there is an idyllic spot, a place of stillness, peace, and joy where war and violence are momentarily forgotten, suffering and pain overcome, and new energy created. And so it is in Sweden. On the footbridge of the Brygg Café in Stocken on the island of Orust north of Gothenberg, midsummer’s night has been joyously celebrated for more than twenty years with poetry, song, and dance, accompanied by feasting on herring and wine.

Continuer la lecture de « Erni Friholt – Sweden »

Linked with the Sunflower Association SMS.

She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

She says: « I do not waste time, ever. I did not waste even an hour in my whole student life for any boyfriend. I did not even get married. I believe in hard work and sacrifice ».

And she says: « Hello. I am Asha Lata. I am thrilled that you are reading this. While we are quietly working in the poor villages, we are hidden away from the people in the big cities of Bangladesh and the world. Sometimes as we battle to overcome oppression and poverty we feel that nobody cares. Your visit to our website gives us all encouragement. We realise that we are not alone in our desire to live in a better world with equality for all …  » (full text).

Asha Lata Baidya, or Ashalata Boidda – Bangladesh

She works for ‘Surjamukhi Sangstha SMS’, short for ‘Sunflower Association SMS‘.

Asha Lata Baidya, or Ashalata Boidda, is one of Bangladesh’s best-known freedom-fighters. She joined the freedom struggle of 1971 against Pakistan when she was only 15 years old and went on to lead the women’s guerrilla corps. After she completed her studies – suspended until her country won independence – she set up the Surjamukhi Sangstha SMS. SMS has been working on issues ranging from setting up cooperatives and helping with loans to women’s empowerment, education, and environmental issues. More than 200,000 families have benefited from Asha Lata’s 34 years of tireless activism.

She is the eldest of three sisters, was born in Latenga village, Kotalipara thana in Bangladesh on February 12, 1956. Her father, Haripada Boidda, was a schoolteacher, her mother, Sharalamoyee, a homemaker.

It was in school that Ashalata became involved in the political struggle in the then East Pakistan. The Pakistani genocide against Bangladesh was launched on March 25, 1971. A month later, a group of freedom-fighters visited the Boidda house and asked whether one member from the family would join the freedom struggle. « My father told them that he had no son », she recalls. « His daughter, meaning me, would join them. I was very excited and left home with the group to take part in the liberation war ». Thus, all of 15-years-old, Ashalata joined Bangladesh’s fight for independence.

Continuer la lecture de « Asha Lata Baidya, or Ashalata Boidda – Bangladesh »

Linked with Afghan Links, and with Pictures from Afghanistan.

She is She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

She says: «  »Over every mountain there is a path ».

See: the Newsletter of the World Federation of Public Health Associations WFPHA, report winter 2007.

Karla Schefter – Germany

She works for Chak-e-Wardak-Hospital, the Committee for the Promotion of Medical and Humanitarian Aid to Afghanistan.

« Over every mountain there is a path ». Is there a better way to describe Karla Schefter’s humanitarian work in Afghanistan than to quote this Afghan proverb. She faced countless mountains, and still managed to find a path over every one. With her unusual courage, enormous stamina, and seemingly inexhaustible perseverance as well as great personal sacrifice, she created her lifework, the Chak-e-Wardak-Hospital in Afghanistan. For the past 15 years, she has managed this hospital, which has provided thousands of people, especially women and children, with desperately needed medical care.

The story begins when Karla Schefter worked in Afghanistan as a surgical nurse in a team from Germany some 20 years ago. The misery she saw left her no peace. After returning to Germany, she devised a plan to open a hospital in the country’s rural area. With untiring persistence, she collected donations for the project, personally took the money to Afghanistan and began to build a medical unit in the western Wardak province.

Continuer la lecture de « Karla Schefter – Germany »