Newsletter summer 2013

NEWS

LETTER summer 2013

GIRLS' EDUCATION

accEleratinG dEvelopment CONTENT p1 Lead photo p1 Word from the President Š IDAY-International aisbl

p2 Brief p3-4 Girls education p5 Interview p6 Project Bank Raising voices for education in Africa

p7 Your commitment

Lead Photo

Bondantchale literacy center (Tin Yal T Kua Association, a member of IDAY-Togo) - Prefecture of CinkassĂŠ - Togo - 2013

IDAY is glad that the King Baudouin Prize 2011/2012 for development in Africa was awarded to Mrs Gebre, a leading figure of the fight for women's rights.

It is encouraging for all those who, like her, try to trigger change from the bottom up with the conviction that development is an endogenous process, meaning that one develops under one's own steam. A country or a population cannot be developed from the outside.

As declared by the Belgian Ambassador to Kenya in the documentary presented in this edition, women and youth are essential pilars of development.

Around mid-century, Africa will count 1,4 billion youngsters.

Girls represent 70% of the African illiterate youth. We urgently need to see government take stock of the serious shortcomings of their policies: they continue to neglect these two categories of individuals although they are key factors to the development of the countries of the South.

IDAY-International aisbl - 19, rue des Jambes - 1420 Braine-l’Alleud - Belgium Responsible publisher: J-J. Schul - Redactor in chief/graphist: D. Devillers Contact: T. +32 (0)2 385 44 13 - F. +32 (0)2 385 44 12 - info@iday.org Bank account: IBAN - BE 93 5230 8026 6767 - SWIFT - TRIOBEBB (TRIODOS)

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Jean-Jacques Schul Founding member & Chairman of IDAY-International

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IN A SONG

An artist takes action...

Brief.

The singer Bridget signed a song in support of IDAY-Gabon's action. The message "We need your help" has already gained great audience on Youtube!

BELGIË

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GLOBAL CAMPAIGN FOR EDUCATION

On the road to Education For All! This year, over 200 Belgian schools with close to 10 000 pupils have used the booklet made available to them by the GCEBelgium (coordinated by IDAY-International). 600 children took part to the drawing contest organised for the occasion.

Their works have been presented to the government. They remind us of the importance of making education a priority for development cooperation. 27 drawings were published on IDAY-International's Facebook page. 10 000 persons as well as the media reacted.

Congratulations to Léa Parmentier and Hina Faraz, the winner of the contest! Both their drawings were featured on a stamp and they took their class on a school trip to Pairi Daisa, partner to this campaign.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

International Day of the African Child June 16 is the International Day of the African Child. The IDAY network originated from the celebration of this event and celebrated it this year again, both in African and in Europe, with various advocacy and sensitisation activities in favor of quality basic education for all in Africa.

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Can Africa develop under its own steam? This is the challenge that Kenyan youth clubs have taken up since 2010 by fighting malaria, a deadly disease that plagues Africa, with the locally-grown plant Artemisia annua. In this IDAY-International 26-min documentary directed by Hubert Van Ruymbeke, discover through the eyes of young Belgian university students an innovative development model in a welcoming country.

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More info? info@iday.org

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In rural Africa, about 70% of the girls don't complete primary education.

UNESCO

Context-sensitive solutions Testimonies of civil society organisations members of IDAY.

AWARENESS-RAISING

Location North-West Tanzania Context Nyarugusu refugee camp . Secondary: 32%.

Girls' education Primary: 51% of girls

Early school drop-out. to meet the needs Causes Housework, lack of resources tion, priority to boys' hence early marriage, sexual exploita teenage mothers, poor education, stimagisation of unwed ren's studies, etc.. monitoring by the parents of their child parents to reduce Solutions IDAY-Tanzania advocates for ge them to continue their daugthers' housework, to encoura in monitoring their their studies, and to be more involved , the coalition helps children's homework. To support this ng microprojets. the parents to initiate revenue-generati Shabiri ELONGOCI refugee camp IDAY-TANZANIA Focal pPint, Nyagurusu

INTERVIEW. Educated women have the knowledge, the skills and a greater opportunity to play a role in democratic decision-making and to influence the governance of society. Yet in Africa, many girls don't go to school or drop out prematurely. The Executive Director of the Forum of African Women Educationalists (FAWE), Oley Dibba, sheds light on this issue.

When do teenage girls most often drop out of school?

Between 10-21 years is a very critical age, at the time of transition from primary to secondary education and from lower secondary and upper seccondary, during the transition into adult life. Many young girls get married, become mothers and have to do more house chores.

Which country performs best in terms of girls' education?

It is difficult to say which is the best without taking into account the geographical dimension. Some studies show that small size countries like Rwanda or Seychelles are better able to advance this issue, although it is not systematically true.

If so, what is the key to gender equality in education?

FAWE

Forum for African Woman Educationalists

is a renowned pan-African non-governmental organisation working to empower girls and women through genderresponsive education (www.fawe.org).

Equality is often defined as an equal number of boys and girls. However, it goes beyond numbers.

The issue is more about equity, e.g. providing both girls and boys with the opportunity and the framework to make decisions that affect their life.

CAPACITY BUILDING Situation Podor Region - North Senegal Context Islamic and conservative Pulaar environment Girls' education Girls represent a majority of public

school pupils, but their drop-out rate is higher.

Causes Poverty, distances, housework, lack of teaching

material, image of women undervalued in schoolbooks, poorly stimulating and illiterate environment, lack of canteen, early marriages, early pregnancies, etc..

What is key is to make sure that people themselves, in particular women, can effectively take part in part in discussions and decision-making processes.

Like IDAY, FAWE resorts to advocacy as a means for action. Why is it?

Advocacy is essential for the purpose of sustainability and ownership. The governments are the sole custodians of social services. It is not civil society's role to build schools, for instance. We therefore work with the governments to help them take control of their responsibilities and identify the key areas that we need to focus on.

Yet, also like IDAY, you implement concrete projects…

These components are complementary for the efficacy of advocacy. They help us demonstrate education models that we feel are adequate to the governments.

We expect the governments to support these projects and replicate them. In that sense, we are true to our convictions and we don't deliver services.

˝

Solutions CDEPT, a member of IDAY-Senegal,

contributes actively to the the building of an inclusive and democratic education system in Senegal through trainings, capacity building of the teachers and sustained advocacy for quality and equitable education.

Siléye Gorbal SY IDAY-Senegal Coordinator

LIFE LONG EDUCATION Situation Savanna Region, North Togo

e 1990 Context Declared 'disaster area' sinc of 69,4% Girls' education Boys have a literacy rate against 43,1% for the girls. member of IDAYSolutions Tin Yal T Kua, an association ugh adapted Togo, promotes life long education thro government. programmes that are replicable by the rations of ope One of them, aimed at improving the butter producers. women's groups, benefits to 200 shea en who have Another programme targets young wom in sewing and never been to school, and trains them ch classes Fren hairdressing. The curriculum includes the CEFA exam (official language) so that they can take and integrate economically.

Alexandre L. KOMBATE Secretary General of IDAY-Togo

Advocacy has more impact in the long term than the provision of services.

Oley Dibba, Executive Director of FAWE Member of IDAY's Honorary Committee

More info? info@iday.org

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INTERVIEW.

Knowing that so many children in the world are deprived of education is unbearable. Knowing that girls are the most excluded is simply detestable.

Eva Joly, Chairwoman of the Development Commission of the European Parliament

Photo courtesy of JoĂŤlle Dolle

For the European Union (EU), fighting poverty necessarily involves education. Equality between men and women and the active participation of both genders in all aspects of socio-economic progress are prerequisites but also key development objectives. Eva Joly, Chairwoman of the Development Commission of the European Parliament, explains the role played by the EU in taking up this major challenge.

Why is investing in girls' education essential for the EU? To achieve the goal of poverty eradication set by the EU in the Lisbon Treaty, investing in girl's education is of the utmost importance. Better education and information enables girls to free themselves from cultural biases and traditions, take part in public affairs and rightfully claim a greater role.

What does it mean in practice?

By contributing to the "Education For All" initiative, the EU made the promotion of primary education for all and gender equity in education a priority of its development policy.

Article 96 of the European Consensus on Development stresses that particular attention will be devoted to promoting girls' education and safety at school.

In 2007 the European Parliament

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highlighted in an own-initiative report the importance of increasingly promoting access to education and vocational training for girls, and to support equitable and quality education policies, including through gender-sensitive teacher training.

The EU implements its commitment through the programme "Investing in People" fostering human and social development. This instrument funds direct actions in various countries, in particular via calls for proposals.

The financial envelop earmarked for the "Education, knowledge and skills" component of this programme increased for 2011-2013, reaching a budget of EUR 72 millions.

Nonetheless, the budget allocated by the EU to education remains insufficient in the face of the challenges and of the fundamental importance of education in the development process.

What could be done?

Developing countries must mobilise local and sustainable resources to free themselves from public aid which, although it is indispensable, is neither satisfying nor sufficient.

In a context of global crisis, it is truly urgent to mobilise tax revenues to fund basic public services, and to tackle tax evasion and fraud that cause loss of revenues for development countries.

According to the EU, what is the role of beneficiary governments?

In accordance with the Paris Declaration principles, country ownership is considered by the EU to be the key to successful development programmes.

The EU encourages participation of the governments and local authorities in the development of country strategies aligned on the national priorities.

And local civil society?

Influence the decisions through active participation in the policy dialogue and in the formulation of poverty reduction strategic papers.

What is the EU doing with regards to the difficulties facing civil society?

The EU is aware of the fact that the emergence and participation of civil society do not necessarily

Project Bank.

The IDAY Project Bank is a pool of low cost and quality initiatives from African civil society to foster education for all in Africa. It serves to demonstrate to the governments that the right to quality education for all is achievable and essential to their country's development.

The projects may be funded in phases. All donations, even small ones, are useful.

Support our projects!

Check on www.iday.org or contact us directly via info@iday.org.

go by themselves. That is why a set of support and capacity building measures have been put in place, particularly through the thematic programme "Local Authorities and Non State Actors".

What exactly is the role of the Development Commission?

The Development Commission is not competent during the programming phase, hence it can only call upon the

European Commission to lay more emphasis on the issue of education.

What is next?

A new round of discussion is opening on the development programmes for the next 7 years. The importance of education in general, and of girls' education in particular, need to be reminded and the programmes must be strengthened and funded adequately to meet the challenges.

Becoming a woman In some regions of Africa, female menstruation is an obstacle to girls' education.

In the absence of sexual education, this phenomenon is often misunderstood and stigmatised.

Many parents are too poor to afford buying sanitary pads. As a result, many girls miss school during menstruation for fear of mockeries. In addition to the health risks, this situation affects their self-esteem, academic performance and the continuation of their education.

caused by the makeshift protection material used by some girls. It also aims at fighting a belief that sexual intercourse helps against menstrual pain, which leads to numerous cases of early pregnancy.

In some Western and Northern districts of Uganda, few girls complete the last two years of primary education. They drop out for multiple reasons: early marriage, the residual effects of past conflicts... and menstruation.

Still, the education authorities seem to underestimate this issue. IDAY-Uganda is committed to convincing them to mainstream this Project approach in education policies, in terms of Country teachers training, UGANDA curriculum and provision Cost of sewing material to

The MATO association, a member of IDAY-Uganda, sensitizes the teachers to menstruation cycle management in order to reduce the stigma and avoid infections

The teachers are trained in the production of low-cost and reusable sanitary pads.

Through the schools, these knowledge and skills trickle down to the 10-13-year-old teenage girls as well as to the boys who often assist with the making of the pads.

This initiative has been instrumental in improving the learning conditions for some 20 000 girls and keeping them in school.

schools.

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10 945 â‚Ź

Number of children 30 000

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commitment Your

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Date of first transfer: _____/______/________

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