Social Scientists Without Borders

The 8th of March 2012 will mark the 101st anniversary of International Women’s Day! Here at SSWB we thought there was no better occasion than this to launch our exciting new project, ‘Voicing Women’!

The aim of our ‘Voicing Women’ project is to use ICT and the internet to bridge the distance between us all, and to bring women together to better understand how we can make a positive impact in our own lives, our families lives, society, and the world as a whole.

For our project launch, we have two very special guest speakers, Lindy Wafula from Project Africa in Kenya and Josephine Uzoya from the Centre for Rights and Development in Nigeria who will share their inspiring stories with us and will invite women participants to share with us all a little insight into their life as a woman.

Join Us for our first Voicing Women session!!! 

See the Voicing Women Project Page for all the information on how to register to join our project launch on 8 March 2012, 17:00 – 18:30 UTC.

Click here to download the Voicing Women invitation

Social Scientists Without Borders’ Voicing Ideas Project wishes to invite you to join our first global discussion session for 2012 to be held on Tuesday 3 January at 19:00 (CET).

The topic for the session is ’2012 – What needs to change?’

Questions for discussion:

i. 2011: What lessons did we learn?

ii. What are your new year resolutions for yourself and your community?

iii. How can ICT (Information Communication Technology) be used to empower people?

Please join us to share your thoughts on what we want from the new year, and what we see for the future in the 12 months ahead.

Please log in via the below URL:
http://www.anymeeting.com/VoicingIdeas1

If people would like to call in, please dial
(218) 339-2409

and dial guest access code: 381 0665

Please note that this is not a free call and any call costs will be charged to your phone. Participation via internet is free.

Tips for effective participation:
- Test your microphone and web-came before the session;
- Set yourself up in a quiet environment;
- Review the storyboard before the session begins.

A couple of our SSWB members have recently returned from a trip in Ghana where they met and worked with Martin from World Partners for Development (WPD) in Pokuase, north of Accra. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to meet face-to-face with our international partners and to see first-hand the work being done by international organisations in West Africa. The NGO climate in Ghana is very rich, with many international volunteers and workers staying in the country for extended periods in order to complete assignments and project placements. One of our members worked with schools around Accra developing and running video conference projects – creating opportunities for Ghanaian students to share their thoughts, opinions and worldviews with others around the globe. The conference exchanges proved to be as insightful for us as it did for the students and it was refreshing to see the enthusiasm which students in Ghana showed towards the programs and to exchanging worldviews and life perspectives.

During the time in Ghana we were also extended very warm hospitality from the group at O’ia-da International Organisation in Cape Coast. It was fantastic to meet with the expat American’s working to provide homes and educations to underprivileged children in the region as well as a fantastic cultural centre for all to enjoy. 

We also had the privilege to learn more about the Virtuous Women Group, an organisation run by women for women in the town of Pokuase. What started as a group of friends providing small scale financial support to each other has now grown into a community micro-finance and skill-sharing program. We will be sure to share with you more details about the group as they continue to grow.

A special thanks to Martin and Philip of WPD for helping arrange our trip, hosting us during our stay and for sharing their wonderful country with us. We look forward to continuing the collaboration with WPD in the future.

Today a few members of Social Scientists Without Borders had an opportunity to catch up with friend, and inspiration, Lindy Wafula. Lindy heads Project Africa, a fantastic organisation in Kenya which aims to empower women and give them the skills and means to make a livelihood for themselves, their family, to educate their children and to beat the gender divide.

Through projects such as Women Mechanics, Rafiki Pen-Friend Club and Enterprise Developments, Lindy has helped hundreds of women and girls in Kenya to lead lives that they never would have dreamed possible.

Come to hear Lindy speak next Friday, 15 April, at the SSWB Film Screening Event!

Lindy will be one of our guest speakers at the Social Scientists Without Borders Free Film Screening Event that will take place on Friday 15 April from 6:30pm at Garaget. See our Events page for more details.

We hope that you can join us and be as inspired as we are by the wonderful woman behind Project Africa. Who ever said that one woman couldn’t change the world? Lindy certainly has changed the world for so many people!

Lindy Wafula speaks about the work of Project Africa