Membership Database
1. BENIN
AFRICAN WOMEN LEADERS IN AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT -BENIN (AWLAE-Benin)
AWLAE Benin was started in 1996 and registered in November 1997. The association was started by 25 members, 18 women and 7 men. The objectives of the association include; 1) contribute to improvement of livelihoods and quality of life of the rural women farmers 2) promote sustainable community development in villages 3) promote sustainable agricultural practices with good environment management systems. AWLAE-Benin program focus has been on: Mentoring, scholarships, agricultural technology transfer, food processing and HIV AIDS. Currently the association has a 4 year strategic plan (2004-2008) and has an on going program of using cassava flour for pastry.
AWLAE - Benin Chapter Representative:
Ms. Adjadi Omonlara
Assistant of General Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture Benin
benin@awlaenet.org
2. COTE D’IVOIRE
AFRICAN WOMEN LEADERS IN AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT-COTE D’IVOIRE (AWLAE-Ci)
AWLAE Cote d’Ivoire, with a membership of 98 members, was established in 1996 by professional women and men under the African Women Leaders in Agriculture Program (AWLAE) of Winrock International.
It was established to support improvement of credentials of professional women, advocacy for increased participation of women in leadership positions and linking up with women farmers. The members represent a broad range of agricultural and environmental disciplines within agriculture and environment. They include breeders, extension officers, foresters, natural resource managers, food technologists, among others. AWLAE-Ci involved senior men professionals in the program at very early stages, many of whom currently hold senior positions in the government and international organizations and who are clearly a great asset to the association. The association has implemented a range of activities on technology transfer, economic empowerment of women through formation of cooperatives, food processing and nutrition and support for girls’ education through scholarships and mentoring.
AWLAE Cote d’Ivoire Chapter Representative:
Ms. Catherine DJEDJI
Researcher - Food technology and science (food processing and conservation)
Food hygiene and security
CNRA (National Research Center of Agronomy), Cote D’Ivoire
Telephone: (+225) 02 02 1093/ (+225) 08-10-1554
cotedivoire@awlaenet.org
3. ETHIOPIA
ETHIOPIA AFRICAN WOMEN LEADERS IN AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT (EAWLAE)
The Ethiopia Association was registered in 2001 but has been somewhat inactive due to organizational constraints. There is however interest and commitment to re-launch the organizations. They plan to do this through a series of events, including-convening meetings to map out the future of the organization, election of new leadership, development of a strategic plan and establishment of an office. Organizations in Ethiopia likely to support the association include USAID, CIDA and PACT.
EAWLAE Chapter Representative:
Ms. Yewubdar Hailu
Strategic Partnership Program Manager
IIRR-Ethiopia
Tel :(+251) 116 47-72-38/40
ethiopia@awlaenet.org
4. GHANA
AFRICAN WOMEN LEADERS IN AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT GHANA (AWLAE-GHANA)
AWLAE Ghana was formed and registered as a professional association in 1998 after scholarship alumni returned back to Ghana from their studies abroad. It has membership of approximately 50 professionals. The association’s purpose is to develop capacity of professional women in agriculture and environment who work to promote women farmers for sustainable agriculture.
The association’s program focus has been; mentoring of primary and secondary school girls, scholarships at post bachelor level, sustainable agriculture, nutrition and health. It has forged fruitful partnerships with Winrock International, Ghana Education services, FAWE, Department of Cooperatives and Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture.
AWLAE- Ghana Chapter Representative:
Ms Ruth Woode
Ministry of Food and Agriculture - Ghana
PO Box MB 199, Accra, Ghana
Tel: (+233) 21 677465
ghana@awlaenet.org
5. KENYA
THE KENYA PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT (KEPAWAE)
KEPAWAE, with a membership of 650, was registered in June 1995 as a professional association and officially launched in July 1996. Its goal is to provide a forum for women to deliberate on issues, coordinate activities pertaining to their respective professions and assist in the preparation of African Women Leaders in Agriculture and Environment, with a view to linking them with the woman farmer. Its mission is to promote professionalism in the fields of Agriculture and Environment, to link with women farmers and to support the next generation of professional women. The Association has had a number of key areas of focus, Professional development of members, Girls’ education and technology transfer, both in environment and agriculture
•a) Girl’s Education and Mentorship: KEPAWAE has invested heavily in providing gifted but needy girls with scholarships and mentorship necessary to help them progress with their careers. To-date, the association has supported 1100 girls through secondary education. Funding has come from different sources, including the Ford Foundation, the Kenya Community Development Foundation, the United States Government and the Klein Hofywick Foundation. Members in each of the Kenya provinces also support girls from their own resources and from friends.
•b) Professional development of members: Through Winrock International and its partners, the association has been able to sponsor a number of women scientists for PhDs, Masters and Bachelor degrees. Currently, its members are pursuing PhD courses at Wageningen University (Netherlands) and others in African Universities, under Ford Foundation funding.
c) Technology transfer and economic empowerment of women farmers: The association has provided technical support in zero tillage, milk processing (yoghurt), mango drying and environmental improvements to rural farmers.
d) Environmental management: The Association is building capacity of its members in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), skills needed to support organizations developing agricultural programs.
To strengthen its food security focus and rural livelihoods, KEPAWAE has emphasized in its current strategic plan the need to get more involved in gender and technological issues, improvement of food and nutrition at the rural household levels, support rural farmers to develop competitive agricultural products and markets and to research and document both indigenous and emerging crops and livestock.
KEPAWAE Chapter Representative:
Ms. Nellie Caroline Mugure Oduor
Research Scientist
Kenya Forestry Research Institute, Kenya
Tel: (+254) 20 11 629 / (+254) 722 241 036
kenya@awlaenet.org
6. MALI
i) AFRICAN WOMEN LEADERS IN AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT MALI-AWLAE-MALI
ii) COLLECTIVE D’APPUI ET D’ASSISTANCE TECHNIQUE RAPPROCHEE (CAATR)
Mali has two organizations with origins in the AWLAE program, initiated and supported by Winrock International. The two are AWLAE Mail and Collective d’Appui et d’ Assistance Technique Rapprochee (CAATR).The AWLAE Mali was established by Winrock International in 1994 while CAATR was registered in 1999 by the then National Action Committee (NAC) whose role was to oversee and advise the AWLAE Program of Winrock International. Both organizations have similar focus and activities and have in the past cooperated on a number of projects, including child labour project funded through Winrock International. The program focus has therefore been empowerment of women at both professional and rural level as well as technology transfer.
AWLAE- Mali Chapter Representative:
Mme Ouattara Maïmoun Konaré
Tel :(+223) 642 93 59
mali@awlaenet.org
7. NIGERIA
AFRICAN WOMEN LEADERS IN AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT NIGERIA (AWLAE NIGERIA)
Nigeria is a new comer into the AWLAE family and is currently in the process of registering an NGO in order to effectively participate in AWLAE-Net activities. The team behind this initiative consists of women scientists who have benefited from AWLAE/Winrock initiatives. The ten women scientists who benefited from the scholarships have had a major boost in their careers, with one of them holding a senior agricultural policy position at the Africa Union Commission. Once registered, the team will develop a strategic plan, launch the NGO and begin fundraising.
AWLAE- Nigeria Chapter Representative:
Dr Josephine Egwuonwu - Nigeria
Deputy Chief of Party
Winrock International
Abuja Nigeria
Tel: (+803) 290 6809 / (+803) 072 7240
nigeria@awlaenet.org
8. SENEGAL
SENEGALESE ASSOCIATION FOR LEADERSHIP OF WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT (ASELFAE)
ASELFAE, with a membership of 56, was established in 1998 by Senegalese professional women who had participated in activities of the African Women Leaders in Agriculture Program (AWLAE) of Winrock International. The Association has in the past implemented a range of programs including, technology transfer to rural farmers, scholarships for women scientists, girl child education and mentoring.
•a) Working with rural women farmers. ASELFAE has worked with women farmers in a variety of areas, including training in poultry keeping and making and use of compost to improve yields.
•b) Scholarships for professional women at Masters and PhD levels. Some of the women professionals who benefited from these scholarships have remained committed members of the association while applying the values and principles of gender equity in their places of work.
•c) Training of professional women in leaderships and other technical skills. Many of the members have benefited from leadership and others skills training which prepared them for leadership positions within the public and private sector. A large number of these women have moved up the ladder and today, some have held positions as Cabinet Ministers, directors in different ministries and are executives in donors agencies (USAID, PAM), among others.
•d) Girls Education through Scholarships. Through the Education for Development and Democracy Initiative (EDDI) project funded by the US Government, (administered by Winrock International), ASELFAE supported many girls in some of the best schools in Senegal.
•e) Gender advocacy. As part of its advocacy role, the association organized a major workshop in 2004 which brought together development partners and donors to review and discuss the extent to which women were benefiting from development programs. The workshop was sponsored by UNIFEM, ANCAR, AFDS, PROGEDE, CONGAD and PNIR. The meeting brought together 106 people who included senior government officials, donors, development partners and the media. This was the last major event for the association, mainly due to funding constraints. Recently, the association has been involved in selection of women professionals for Ford Foundation scholarships.
ASELFAE Chapter Representative:
Ms. Ndeye Mama Touré
Technical Advisor
Ministry of Rural Development, Senegal
Tel: (+221) 63 95 898
senegal@awlaenet.org
9. TANZANIA
THE TANZANIA ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT (TAWLAE)
TAWLAE was registered in 1995 as a professional association. It draws its membership from Agriculture, Education, Livestock, Forestry, Beekeeping, Fisheries, and Wildlife; Land use, Tourism, and Environmental conservation sectors. Currently the association has more than 600 members and among them are breeders, soil scientists, nutritionists, foresters, natural resources managers, among others. Its vision is to ensure that women are empowered politically, socially, and economically and involved in decision making at all levels, so as to ensure food security and better standards of living. Its programs cover education, child labor, agricultural technology transfer, energy and advocacy on matters of national importance, such as land. Some of these specific activities include:
•a) Food Security programs. TAWLAE has implemented a broad range of agriculture-based technology transfer activities. These have focused on processing and preservation of tomatoes, sweet potatoes and fruits. Others have included poultry and bee keeping.
•b) Environmental management programs. TAWLAE has implemented activities in domestic energy development and use to reduce women’s workloads and to create clean environment within households. In addition it has had programs in environmental conservation in the Dar-es-Salaam peri-urban.
•c) Education. The education program covers academic and professional development of TAWLAE members as well as support for gifted but needy girls. A significant number of TAWLAE members have received scholarships for higher degrees both in Africa and overseas while support for girls has been extended to over 5000 girls.
•d) Child Labor Program. Winrock International is partnering with TAWLAE to implement the Tanzania Alternative Education for Children (TEACH). The focus of the program is to reduce, through education and livelihood improvements, overall number of children engaged in the worst forms of child labor, particularly smallholder farming. It will benefit 15 pre-primary classrooms for 5-6 years; 1125 scholarships and student kits (7-8 years); establish 25 non-formal schools (9-13 years), 30 vocational agricultural model schools (14-17 years).
TAWLAE Chapter Representative:
Dr Maria S H Mashingo
Director Pastoral Systems Development
Ministry of Livestock Development, Tanzania
Box 76498 MARI Dar es Salaam
Tel :(+255) 22 2700085
tanzania@awlaenet.org
10. UGANDA
THE ASSOCIATION OF UGANDA WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT (AUPWAE)
AUPWAE, with a membership of 400, was registered in 1992 as a non-profit NGO to unite all women professionals in Agriculture and Environment and to support their professional advancement in order for them to intervene in favor of rural women farmers. The members are drawn from the fields of agriculture, veterinary medicine, forestry, fisheries, food science and technology and environmental science and management. While the majority of members are in extension and extension education, others are in breeding, plant health, livestock and human nutrition, food technology, biodiversity and natural resource management. AUPWAE has undertaken programs and activities at three levels-food security through agricultural and environmental technology transfer and business training, professional development of its members and girls and advocacy and gender mainstreaming.
a) Technology transfer, both agriculture and environment. AUPWAE has since inception undertaken successful technology transfer programs in different parts of Uganda, for example:
- Farmer to farmer sorghum multiplication project in Kumi district
- Improved cassava and bean multiplication in Mukono district
- Promotion of food security through improved seeds and training in soil management in Eastern Uganda
- Improvement of animal feed resources for small dairy farmers in Mpigi district
- Tree planting and use of energy saving stoves in Kumi and Palissa
- Business training for 720 women farmers as an economic empowerment strategy meant to help women engage in commercialized agriculture.
b) Professional development and Girls’ Education. AUPWAE has provided scholarships to its members at different levels-PhD, Masters and Bachelors Level. Currently some of its scholars are in Wageningen and African Universities pursuing these courses. Career guidance has remained a strong AUPWAE. A current program has reached 9288 girls in 49 secondary schools spread through 20 districts. The association is able to associate its work with overall improved performance and a stronger bias in sciences.
c) Advocacy. AUPWAE has undertaken advocacy work since inception. Gender awareness at very high levels in agricultural ministry and in research has been a core activity. Other relevant activities have included advocacy for increased agricultural sector resources as a way of helping women-who constitute majority of farmers-to increase production and productivity while improving household livelihoods. In 2003/2004, AUPWAE, through one of its members, helped mainstream gender at the Faculty of Agriculture in Makerere University. Currently, the Association is working with other organizations to review the extent to which gender has been integrated into the Uganda National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS). All extension services have been privatized and are provided through NAADS.
AUPWAE Chapter Representative:
Dr. Nabirye Harriet Muloki
Veterinary Officer
Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries, Uganda
Tel: (+256) 414 343703
uganda@awlaenet.org
