QAYN 2011 Annual Report

2011 ANNUAL REPORT QUEER AFRICAN YOUTH NETWORKING CENTER (QAYN)

Greetings from the Founder and Director Dear community members, colleagues, partners, friends and family, I am thrilled to share with you the Queer African Youth Networking Center (QAYN) 2011 annual report, which highlights our amazing and busy first year.

Throughout the following pages, you will read how we have been setting the ground for the organization’s structure, while at the same time engaging with and bringing together various LGBT youth communities in several West African countries.

QAYN’s first goal was to place itself as an online hub and information center for LGBTQ youth across the West African region —to provide youth with relevant and accurate information, enable online networking, connection and support. A major achievement in this area has been the creation of a quarterly online magazine for and by LGBTQ Africans, Q-Zine. Although the online platform remains a safe and and supportive space for our constituencies to network and access information, we also realized the online platform leaves out youth who do not own a computer, cannot access the Internet and those who cannot read and/or write. Our online presence has enabled us to create an international community of supporters.

Throughout 2011, QAYN then engaged in community-building by traveling to several West African countries to organize forums and focus group discussions; conducting documentation through data collection on the scope and situation of LGBTQ populations in four countries; building solidarity and visibility through participating in events at national, regional and international levels and; developing a groundbreaking curriculum for peer counseling. All of these activities were in a concentered effort to build on our unique position as the first lesbian-led LGBTQ network in the region.

At the same time, QAYN struggles to access adequate resources, both financial and otherwise, to provide basic services to youth. QAYN developed the curriculum for the Helping Ourselves Together (HOT) program, a much-needed peercounseling program, but its implementation, along with the opening of a drop-in center in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, have been put on hold due to lack of funding. Nevertheless, we creatively succeeded in breaking significant grounds.

Behind QAYN’s successful first year is a group of energetic and always resourceful and dedicated volunteers. From the beginning, QAYN was guided by a strong and dedicated Advisory Board, a Pan-African group of women and men, both straight and queer, who ensured that the organization started on a solid foundation. The resourceful and creative volunteer team hit the ground running, always finding ways to move our work forward, in spite of limited resources.

On behalf of QAYN’s Advisory Board and the entire volunteer staff, I would like to acwhoknowledge ensured that organization started on a solid foundation.

The (Washington resourceful and creative thethe support of several partners.

Advocates For Youth D.C.) pro- volunteer vided team hit the ground running, always finding ways to move our work forward, in spite of limited us with reading material and Health Initiatives For Youth (San Francisco collaboresources. rated with us to develop the HOT curriculum. Our gratitude goes to Dr. Jen for monthly On behalf of QAYN’s Board and the volunteer I would like to acknowledge blogging on healthAdvisory issue on our website andentire for her donationstaff, of condoms, lubricants and the support of several partners. Advocates For Youth (Washington D.C.) ) provided us with reading otherand safer sex kits, which were distributed to LGBTQcollaborated youth in Nigeria, Faso, material Health Initiatives For Youth (San Francisco with usBurkina to develop the HOT Ghana and Cameroon. curriculum. Our gratitude goes to Dr. Jen for monthly blogging on health issue on our website and for her donation of condoms, anda other sex kits,ledwhich were distributed to LGBTQ QAYN remains committedlubricants to building strongsafer movement by lesbian, bisexual and youth in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Cameroon. transgender women across West Africa and we look forward to continued engagement with QAYN remainscommunity committedoftosupporters. building a strong movement led by lesbian, bisexual and transgender a growing women across West Africa and we look forward to continued engagement with a growing community of supporters.

Warmly, Warmly, Mariam Armisen Mariam Armisen Founder and Program Director Founder and Program Director

About QAYN The Queer African Youth Networking Center (QAYN) is the first lesbian-led LGBTQ regional organization in West Africa, with the aim to become the hub for LGBTQ youth activists and youth-led movement building. As a loose network with four organizational members to date, we continue to grow our network, with the primarily goal of building a powerful community and coalition that invest in collective engagement while supporting members to build their skills, self-confidence and capacities.

What Drives US: Our Mission The Queer African Youth Networking Center works to establish a wide network of support to promote the safety and wellbeing of lesbians, gays, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) West African youth.

What Guides Us: Our Values Equality: We value societies that respect, promote and celebrate diversities, including the rights of

sexual and gender minorities within their communities. We understand equality as the absence of discrimination and the promotion of fairness.

Security: We value social and economic securities that enable all citizens to access the tools required to meet our basic economic autonomy and fulfill our aspirations and responsibilities.

Perseverance: We realize the daunting tasks ahead of addressing homophobia and transphobia in

African cultures, and we embrace the slow and long processes to overturn the misconceptions and traditional practices that harm our communities.

Innovative Thinking: We encourage critical thinking of social issues and foster innovative approaches to promote social change.

What We Hope to Achieve: Our Objectives • To foster communities’ understanding of the broader issues of sexuality and sexual rights in ways that recognize and respect diverse sexual orientations and gender identities; •To establish a strong network of support by identifying parallels and interconnections between our needs and those of other progressive social movements, and working in collaboration to support agendas that advance human rights for all; • To build a strong community based on mutual empowerment—through developing comprehensive training programs that build self-confidence, leadership skills and capacities of our members—with the aim that they will become engaged leaders committed to bringing social change in their respective communities.

2011 Achievements Since its establishment, QAYN’s primary strategy has been to build its community first and foremost. We believe in the undeniable power of numbers and a strong sense of community with shared experiences and needs as the basic elements to instigate social change. Consequently, we engage in multiple and interconnected initiatives to achieve our objectives— these include organizing forums and focus discussions, creating safe spaces, participatory documentation and dissemination, sensitization, media production and development of a curriculum.

QAYN recognizes that community building and organizing can only happen when our members are provided with a safe space to bring together their diverse experiences as individuals, community organizers, and allies—to boost self confidence, to learn, network, to assess our needs and most importantly freely discuss sensitive topics in a safe a supportive environment.

We achieved this objective through organizing several forums and focus group discussions.

talked about the isolation of lesbians in Lagos and the need for support groups to create a sense of community for young lesbians; all participants stressed that the lack of available resources addressing sexuality and gender identity have a negative impact on their emotional, psychological and social well-being as they lack basic understanding of sexual and reproductive health rights.

Our Peer Counselor Training Program (described below) was developed based on the information gathered during this forum.

The impact of this first mobilization made QAYN realize that if it was important and relatively safe to provide an online space where youth could access 2.1 Come Out, Let’s Build! accurate and relevant information--- it was even Our first forum took place in Lagos, Nigeria in December 2010, under the theme, Come Out, Let’s more important to create an actual physical safe Build! The forum was attended by 58 self-identified space, in the form of a drop-in center where members of the community could meet, connect, find LGBT youth, ages 18 to 29 and its goal was 1) to introduce QAYN to community members as a new information and retreat to as an oasis of freedom, organization, discussing opportunities and challenges away from their everyday hostile environment. It ahead and 2) to discuss the lived realities of LGBTQ was with this realization that QAYN decided to youth in Nigeria in general and Lagos in particular. identify and partner with local, youth-led grassroots organizations so that together, we could start orgaAmong topics discussed were the increasing numnizing around the issues of this marginalized and bers of LGBTQ youth turning to substance abuse overlooked community within the LGBT moveto cope with living in a stressful environment; the ment. young lesbians and bisexual women participants

2.2 Uncovering Queer Women’s Voices in West Africa: Challenges and Opportunities

After the success of organizing a forum with LGBTQ youth, QAYN decided to continue this process by providing a discussion space for some of the most invisible members of the LGBTQ community in West African—lesbians, bisexual and transgender young women. Under the theme of Uncovering Queer Women’s Voices in West Africa: Challenges and Opportunities, we organized focus group discussions in both a Francophone and Anglophone country, Burkina Faso and Ghana—while our partner in Nigeria, Women’s Health and Equal Rights (WHER) undertook the same process in Abuja. The aim of these meetings was to bring together leaders from different women’s communities to discuss the realities of life as lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer women, challenges faced and strategies used to overcome them. The overall objective was to begin a collective discussion on overcoming invisibility to build a strong community and strategize on building a movement that is sensitive to our contexts. These meetings provided the participants with space to critically discuss the absence of queer women leadership in the West African LGBT movement, the challenges they face in society in general and in the queer movement. There were several questions that guided our planning and implementation of the discussions: How can women turn their invisibility into an asset to form a strong regional network of dedicated, empowered, confident, skilled leaders? What form and shape should the queer women’s movement in the region take to advance sexual rights? These were few questions addressed during these discussions.

2.3 kNOW yoUR Rights! Assessing LGBTQ

Leaders Understanding of National, Regional and International Laws on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity In June 2011, with the support of a law student intern from San Francisco, California, Milo Bullet, we organized additional focus meetings, this time to explore LGBT leaders’ knowledge and understanding of national, regional and international laws on sexual orientation and gender identity. The meetings took place in Accra, Ghana and Abuja, Nigeria, and brought together lesbian and bisexual women. Similar meetings were organized with few leaders from the broader LGBT community and allies in Nigeria.

In addition to working in a very hostile environment, LGBTQ youth activists working at the grassroots level are isolated most of the time—their knowledge and access to support and legal tools are minimum, if and when existent. The overall goal was to take the highlighted needs from these exchanges to begin collecting learning material for an interactive online learning center where young activists will find relevant information to support their leadership skills and understanding of the legal framework in which they work.

We are currently finalizing the report of this needs assessment to be publish in late 2012.

3. Documentation Empowering the LGBTQ youth communities to tell their own stories, and gathering data on the scope and situation of the LGBTQ population in West Africa are critical components of our work.

3.1 Survey of sexual Minority Groups in Central and West Africa As part of our documentation initiatives, QAYN conducted 45 days of data collection on sexual minority groups in various parts of Cameroon and Nigeria. The goal of this groundbreaking census project was to document the existence of sexual minority groups in these countries and to understand the demographics of the community. We received our first funding to support us conducting similar data collection in Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso, the two biggest cities of Burkina Faso. We reached over 1,100 people and we are currently writing the final report of our findings. The estimate time for the bilingual (English and French) publication is January 2012.

3.2 LoOK agaIN! A Photo-Voice Project of WSW in West Africa Launched in May 2011, the aim of this project is to encourage Women who have Sex with Women (WSW) in Lagos, Abuja, and Ouagadougou to document how they negotiate their sexuality within a hostile social environment, using photography. Participants were given disposable cameras to look at four different areas in their lives where they felt comfortable and safe to express their identities and sexual orientation. The four areas are: family, relationship, school/workplace and self-representation.

Our goal is to produce an online exhibition, telling the complexities of the lives of women who have sex with women in these countries. This is an ongoing project. We aim to showcase the first online exhibition around the end of 2012.

4. Sensitization and Outreach One of our objectives is to foster open discussion and dialogue on culturally sensitive issues including sexuality, gender roles and expression and sexual education with key actors in our communities to promote understanding and develop tolerance and support for LGBTQ rights in the region. To that end, QAYN facilitated sensitization workshops on SOGI issues in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

4.1 Community Sensitization • Workshop for police and gendarmes (paramilitary force) on sexual minority issues with a focus on HIV / AIDS prevention - Ouagadougou, June 2011: The first of its kind, this workshop was organized by Association Santé et Développement (ASD), as part of its initiative to mainstream HIV/AIDS prevention in LGBTI communities in Burkina Faso, especially amongst men who have sex with men (MSM). As the only exclusively LGBTQ-focused organization in the country, QAYN was invited to facilitate the second day of the workshops and sensitize the participants on sexual minorities’ issues and rights in the country. Twenty policemen/women and gendarmes took part in the training.

• Workshop and exchange between organizations working on the issue of sexual minorities in Burkina Faso, - Ouagadougou, May 2011: Organized by Association African Solidarity (AAS), this workshop focused on how to actively include MSM and commercial sex workers in local HIV/AIDS prevention initiatives. QAYN was invited to address the specific challenges that these initiatives face, including the exclusion of women who have sex with women (WSW) in their discourse.

• Forum of Civil Society working on Gender, Sexual and Reproductive Rights and HIV/AIDS Prevention — Ouagadougou, 2011: Organized by Association Santé et Développement, this two-day workshop aimed at strengthening the technical and organizational capacities of civil society representatives to carry out inclusive HIV/AIDS prevention activities. QAYN used this platform to advocate for a better understanding of the sexual and reproductive rights of women who have sex with women (WSW) and to identify ways to bring this marginalized group into the HIV/AIDS discourse in the country.

4.2 Safer Sex Kit Distributions Within the LGBTQ youth community itself, our main outreach focused on health, with a particular focus on sexually transmitted infections and access to safer sex supplies. The kits distributed by QAYN included latex gloves, dental dams, condoms and lubricants.

In Nigeria, Queer Alliance Nigeria (Lagos) WHER (Abuja) provided these services to their respective communities with reading material and the safe sex kits, both provided by QAYN. Queer Alliance uses house parties to bring together gay and bisexual men to its outreach activities, whereas WHER organizes informal meetings with lesbian and bisexual women to sensitize the community on sexually transmitted infections.

The distribution of the safer sex kits and sensitization activities in Accra, Ghana and Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso were done during the focus discussion groups and visits to various local women’s groups.

5. Resources Development In collaboration with Health Initiatives for Youth (HIFY), a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California, QAYN developed a curriculum for our Helping Ourselves Together (HOT) program. HIFY’s Youth Engagement Specialist, Ray Klauber worked closely with QAYN to develop the modules. The peer counselor curriculum is based on a number of different philosophies, including Popular Education, Harm Reduction, Positive Sexuality, Youth Development, and Anti-Oppression. This curriculum aims to be the primary resource in our health program, which goal is to strengthen the skills of lesbians, gays, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth to effectively disseminate information on gender identity, sexual education, harm reduction and to provide basic socio-psychological support to peers. We are currently seeking fund to conduct workshop in several countries and are exploring ways to provide an online learning center.

6. Media Production Notorious private and state-sponsored media outlets across Africa have been successful in portraying lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender Africans as deviants, predators, corrupted and isolated people, which in turn has supported the popular belief or concept that homosexuality is “un-African”.

In order to shift this current representation of our existence and identities, LGBT people need to increase their engagement in creating positive narratives to tell the many ways we celebrate our creativities and identities, and to highlight how we constructed our communities amidst oppression. It is undeniable that media greatly affects modern society’s worldview, especially with the widespread use of the Internet. As media outlets move online, the Internet becomes more accessible to more Africans—and as more LGBTQ people use this new technology, we at QAYN have decided not to limit ourselves to being consumers of media, but to produce our own media.

It is to that aim that we conceptualized the first pan-African, bilingual (English/French), quarterly LGBTI online magazine, Q-zine.

Q-zine is a bilingual online magazine by, for and about LGBTQ Africans, living both on the African continent and the Diaspora. The overall goal of the magazine is to provide an inspiring and creative outlet for LGBTQ Africans and allies to celebrate, debate and explore the creativity and cultural richness of African queer life in and outside of Africa. Our ambition is to encourage LGBTQ Africans and allies to decide for themselves how they should be represented in the media and popular culture by being their own storytellers.

We published two issues in 2011: The theme for issue 1 was Q-zine, A Forum for African Diversity and Creativity and the theme for issue 2 was Diversity.

The magazine is available at: http://issuu.com/q-zine

6.1 2011 Editorial Team A pan-African and virtual team across the continent and in the Diaspora work to produce the electronic magazine. In 2011, the team was composed of the following members: Lead Editor: John McAllister (Botswana) •Francophone Co-Editors Thierry (Burundi) Menphil (Cameroon) Bakah (Niger) •Anglophones Co-Editors Akudo O. (Nigeria) Kate (Kenya • Graphic Designer Ms. Block (USA)

7. Network Members

7.1 Women’s Health and Equal Rights (WHER) WHER initiative is a non-profit organization, with the aim to promote deeper conceptual knowledge of sexuality, sexual orientation, and provide access to health and other support services to lesbians and bisexuals through research, education, training, advocacy, empowerment and other direct services. In addition, we aim to create a platform where we can reach out to families, community based organizations, youth groups to promote the rights of lesbians and bisexual women in Nigeria.

OBJECTIVES • To Promote the health, well-being, empowerment and human rights of lesbians, bisexuals and trans diverse women; • To advocate for access to comprehensive health care services for LBT women in Nigeria; • To develop and implement support mechanisms for lesbian, bisexual, trans diverse women victims of gender-based violence and other human rights violations, LBT living with HIV/AIDS and to provide a safe space to these women; • To develop, produce and distribute sexual and reproductive health information specific to LBT women; To build the leadership and capacity of LBT women on health and human rights issues and strengthen their advocacy skills.

7.2 Aids Acodev Aids Acodev Cameroon is a nonprofit association that provides support to the most vulnerable and under-served population, particularly men, women and transgender commercial sex workers.

Recognized since 2009 by the Prefecture of Wouri, Aids Acodev is governed under the Law No. 90/053.

OBJECTIVES •To decrease, by prevention activities, the spread of HIV / AIDS and STIs in the community, particularly among women sex workers, bisexual and transgender; • To work with and for sex workers and transgender; • To end human trafficking for sexual exploitation; • To creates a core group of volunteers regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, to search for sustainable solutions to promote the rights of the most the vulnerable and discriminated against; • To mobilize and empower women, commercial sex workers because they are a powerful tool to fight in the prevention of HIV/AIDS for themselves, their families and community members; • To gather and publish information and materials on issues pertinent to these marginalized and under-served population.

7.3 Queer Alliance Nigeria QA’s mission is to create an enabling environment for the liberation (respect and recognition) of the fundamental human rights of LGBTIQ Nigeria through advocacy, education, research and publications.

QUEER ALLIANCE TOP 5 PRIORITIES 1. Human rights advocacy and activism for the LGBTI community in Nigeria.

2. Advocacy for the health needs of LGBTI persons in Nigeria and provide services where possible and appropriately.

3. Publications: Developing resources and creating strategic knowledge in issues of sexuality, health and human rights as it affects sexual minorities in Nigeria. This would include magazines, tracts, leaflets, booklets, books, etc.

4. Empowerment/Safe Spaces: Empowering the less educationally qualified LGBTI persons in building income and resources to sustain their livelihood and leadership skills for educationally qualified LGBTI persons. We would also create safe spaces in which sexual minorities can be themselves and express their sexuality without fear.

5. Research for better advocacy for the fundamental human rights of LGBTI persons in Nigeria.

7.4 Humanity First Cameroon HFC declares its mission to be prevention of HIV/AIDS and STIs among MSM and to assist HIV positive MSM by giving them psychological, nutritional, clinical and financial supports.

OBJECTIVES • Create a secure environment for the well-being of sexual minorities.

• Advocate for the rights of sexual minorities, including access to appropriate health care to their specific needs and equal legal protection.

• To raise public awareness both at the national and international level, of the lived realities of sexual minorities in Cameroon.

8. The People 8.1 Advisory Board - 2011 Tata Traoré-Rogers, USA Bakah Aicha, Niger Judy Appel, San Francisco, USA Cesnabmihilo Dorothy Aken’Ova, Nigeria Pouline Koumani, Kenya Rev. Jide Rowland, Nigeria/UK Charles Gueboguo, Cameroon/USA 8.2 Staff and Volunteers – 2011 8.2.1 Unpaid Staff Mariam Armisen: Programs Director Malee Kouassiaman: Strategic Planner Advisor Williams Rashidi: Regional Coordinator 8.2.2 Volunteers Akudo O, Nigeria Thaddeus Ugoh, Nigeria John Adeniyi, Nigeria Annick Akadié, Burkina Faso Félicité Badoit, Burkina Faso Mohammed Barry, Burkina Faso Philippe Menkoue, Cameroon Jules Eloundou, Cameroon Victor Moncar, Ghana Nii Osu, Ghana Charles Gueboguo, USA and Cameroon Adonis Tchoudja , Cameroon Ray Klauber, USA Milo Bullet, USA Flynn May, USA Fabrice Armisen, USA

9. Finance QAYN acknowledges the generous contribution of our friends, supports and families who believe in our mission to promote a tolerant and safe environment for LGBTQ youth.

July 2010-June 2011 Income 4000 · Individual Contributions 4300 · Foundation sub-grants 8,410.00

8,200.00 210.00

1,180.47 517.12 367.27

Total Expense

6100 · Stipends 6300 · Supplies 6340 · Telephone & telecommunications 6350 · Postage & delivery 6360 · Printing & copying 6400. Local transportations 6500 · Travel & visa expenses 6600 · Events & Activities 6900 · Other Expenses 8,286.55

Net Income

123.45

Total Income Expense

70.92 723.95 786.55 2,131.50 2,012.63 496.14

10. Supporters and Partners 10.1 Foundation SOS Santé et développement, Burkina Faso 10.2 Individual Donors Fabrice Armisen, France/USA Connie Tyler, USA, Margaret Westerman, USA Laura Shapiro, USA, Alison Bernstein, USA, Elizabeth Murphy, USA Rebecca Booth-Fox, USA Madeleine, USA B. Cole, USA Jaclyn Friedman, USA Robbie Samuels, USA 10.3 Fiscal Sponsor Lavender Youth Recreation Information Center (LYRIC), USA 10.4 Partner Organizations Health Initiative For Youth (HIFY), USA Advocates For Youth, USA

CONTACT QAYN For more information about the Queer African Youth Networking Center: For general inquiry: contact@qayn-center.org Websites: www.qayn-center.org

www.q-zine.org

Mailing Address: QAYN

04 BP 511 Ouagadougou 04

Burkina Faso

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Q-zine

Twitter: @qayncenter