The trip, organised as a pre-World YWCA Council 2007 event, will take place from June 28-30. Participants will meet in Nairobi to share their experiences and prepare a work-plan on future sustainable partnerships. The objectives of this pre-council visit are:

• To provide an experience of the reality of African YWCAs in the context of HIV and AIDS

• To develop a framework of partnerships between YWCAs

• To understand how African women are changing lives and changing communities

The host countries include:

Ethiopia

Ethiopia is located in Eastern Africa. The YWCA of Ethiopia was founded in 1962. However, in 1976 the Association was forced to shut down by the communist regime. The YWCA reopened in 2000 and has since been growing and is committed to equipping young women, early in their life, with skills and confidence that will ensure a successful and productive life.

YWCA of Ethiopia held their first Summer Tutorial Program in June and July 2006. Eighty-six girls from disadvantaged families in Addis Abba learnt basic English through the program; thirty now have computer skills. The literacy rate in Ethiopia is 47%, but only 32% for women. The YWCA of Ethiopia runs a library, Goh Library and Information Centre originally funded by HorYzon. The library is now self-sustaining with an average of 50 to 60 visitors a day - a great success.

Liberia

Founded in 1941, the YWCA of Liberia is recognised as the oldest women’s organization in the country. Liberia is located in Western Africa. The Liberian civil war ended in 2003, and recently become the first African country to elect a woman as President. UNICEF estimates that over half a million school aged children in Liberia are not attending school, yet basic education is vital in post conflict communities. The YWCA of Liberia provides day care services for young mothers and runs several primary schools.

The YWCA’s ‘Skills Training Resource Project for Internally Displaced’ meets the needs of women and girls internally displaced during the civil war. Women and girls who come to the centre are recovering from trauma and coping with great loss. The centre’s counsellors offer counselling for the women and encourage them to plan for their future. The women are trained on how to successfully start and run a business.

Rwanda

Rwanda is a land locked country located in Central Africa. The YWCA of Rwanda was founded in 1995 after the 1994 genocide in the country. Economic empowerment encompasses a large part of Rwanda’s programmes. The YWCA’s ‘Integrated Fish Farming and Bee Keeping Projects’ funded through the World YWCA has successfully trained women in new farming methods. The programme has established improved health, higher income and sustainable development for the community.

The YWCA of Rwanda also runs a ‘Youth Reproductive Health and Economic Empowerment’ program that works to improve health conditions in rural areas of the country. In addition to providing young women with income generating opportunities, it provides reliable information on Sexually Transmitted Diseases. The economic empowerment section of the programme reaches out to young women living with HIV, giving them an opportunity to become self sustained.

Zambia

The YWCA of Zambia was founded in 1957 and is one of the oldest women’s organizations in the country and remains one of the country’s leading women’s organisations. Zambia is located in Southern Africa.

The YWCA of Zambia’s programmes focus on supporting women and children affected by domestic abuse and violence. The YWCA’s Shelter for Battered Women, a well protected and secure facility, has consistently received praise in the media for the valuable service it provides. Many women seeking refuge are married under traditional custom and have very few rights; litigation is therefore not an option. Counsellors, on-call 24 hours a day, equip the women to better respond to abuse in their lives. The shelter provides food, clothing and day-to-day needs. Women seeking refuge at the shelter are accommodated for a minimum of three weeks.

The host countries for Partnership Safari are:

• Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe.

For more information about the Partnership Safari contact: worldcouncil2007@worldywca.org