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| UNFPA
at work in Eritrea Programme Highlights: Building from Scratch Providing Reproductive Health and Family Planning Services to Youth Population Education and Family welfare: Nothing Succeeds like Success Box: Profiles in Change: Two Women Who Make a Difference |
Profiles in Change: Two Women Who Make a Difference Hedat She is known as Hedat. A formidable woman in her 30s, she talks about the challenges ahead. As the head of the Women’s Association of Keren, a group of both Muslims and Christians, she is deeply involved in local development. Currently, she spends much of her time talking to women’s groups to promote a fuller understanding of reproductive health and family planning. "Most women in my group already know about family planning, including pills, condoms, injectables and IUDs," says Hedat. "But they know very little about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and AIDS. The women stay at home most of the time; it is the men who bring STDs into the family." When she can raise the funds, Hedat plans to launch an information campaign, specifically tailored for men, on STDs and reproductive health. Because levels of knowledge about reproductive health and family planning vary widely in Eritrea, Hedat often has to find creative ways to present her case. "In most villages, where family planning is not yet accepted, I approach the subject by encouraging birth-spacing. I say that spacing results in healthier babies and gives women time to recover their health as well. Close to 70 per cent of the women in this country suffer from chronic anaemia from heavy workloads and from having too many births too close together." In Eritrea, 90 per cent of women are illiterate. And although Hedat thinks most of the training materials she uses are excellent, she feels they are of little value to an audience that cannot read. "Let me give you two examples: when I showed a woman’s reproductive tract poster to one group of rural women, they thought it was a tree! None of them had ever seen a diagram of the inside of a woman’s body." There are other problems, she says. Women "thought a poster depicting a large family was a positive image. We need to re-design some of these posters and other materials so that they speak more directly to uneducated, rural women," Hedat says. Hedat, a volunteer, finds her work emotionally demanding but very stimulating. "I am contributing to the development of my country and the advancement of women," she says. "I can’t think of better reasons to be involved in these issues." Askalu Menkerios Askalu Menkerios is President of the Union of Eritrean Women, headquartered in Asmara. She wants to see her sisters achieve equality with men. A former soldier, she is determined to do whatever it takes to ensure that all Eritrean women have the same rights and opportunities as men. "We fought side-by-side with men during the long civil war, coping with the same daily pressures and perils. Now in peacetime, we are certainly not going to return to our subservient ways." The Union of Eritrean Women is now fighting to ensure that women’s rights are guaranteed in the new Constitution; getting women elected to the national Parliament as well as to local councils and village development committees; and combating STDs/AIDS and improving the health and well-being of children. "Thirty per cent of all seats in Parliament are reserved for women, so we must make sure that enough women run to fill them," says Menkerios. One of the main problems is that many qualified women don’t have the time to spare. "We are canvassing our members all the time to see who can run for political office. We also help with campaign financing and organization. In Asmara, we have been very successful: women are running for 70 per cent of the Parliamentary seats in the capital." In rural areas, however, it is more difficult. "You have to remember that rural women are illiterate, and many of them spend three hours a day searching for fuelwood and fodder. They have little time or energy for anything else." But the Union is making inroads, even in remote villages. "We now have 110,000 active members all over the country. This is a solid base on which to build the future." Women’s collectives have been created that encourage micro-enterprise and skill development. The Union also created a bank, modelled after the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, which gives low-interest loans to women who want to start up businesses or use their spare time to develop a home "cottage industry", like dress-making, or growing and selling vegetables and raising livestock. Recently, the Union asked UNFPA to help develop an information department and also to underwrite the costs for training sessions involving basic hygiene, family planning and reproductive health. "The Fund has been absolutely vital in assisting us with training courses and IEC materials in the past," says Menkerios. "We want to do even more in these areas. Educating our members is one of the most important things we do." |
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