Taking advocacy to new world heights


Reilly Anne Dempsey, SI Programme Director, reports


Lois Beilin, SI UN Representative at The Audacia Forum


This edition of TIS is full of exciting new developments in SI’s advocacy work. As part of SI’s new strategic plan, we are expanding our reach and influence beyond our established UN and Commonwealth activities. SI has had representatives at two such forums recently – the Audacia Forum for Girls’ Education in New York and the World Bank/IMF Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.


Audacia Forum for Girls’ Education, New York The Audacia Forum was an invitation only, two day networking and learning event. Our UN Representative Lois Beilin attended on behalf of SI.


and educational policy were presented by leaders in education, technology, media and government.


Lois reports back some of the most important messages from this event:


• Schools for girls must first and foremost be safe places, free of violence, assault and prejudice. • Schools must be places that provide sanitation facilities for girls. • Schools must be accessible with safety and/or transportation provided for girls. • School fees, uniforms and other necessary sanitation items (sanitary pads) should be available or provided for girls. • Schools for girls should extend beyond primary education with secondary and other occupational skills offered to girls as well as boys.


the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, was described by Ms Anne van Zyl of Pretoria, South Africa, as a transformational environment specifically operated to educated and empower women leaders to South Africa. A different model, the AGE Africa programme, provides a curriculum model for girl’s empowerment in schools of Malawi.


TIS December 2011 Page 4 A unique model of a boarding school, Successful programmes, best practices


This programme strives to support girls already in schools and works with teachers to ensure empowerment of the girls attending. Perhaps the most controversial issue cited was the current high profile given to the education for women and girls. This presentation challenged many assumptions about the projects, whether directed by NGOs, corporations or governments. The question raised, about social justice and gender fairness, is: Why has the education of girls become so faddish, so popular, and hyped as the “end of poverty” as we know it? There are no easy answers to this question, but we will leave it with you to think about!


Development has closed some gender


gaps in educational enrollment, life expectancy and labour force participation, however, there is still much to be done.


World Bank/IMF Annual Meeting, Washington DC Soroptimist Heather Brotsos from SI


Washington DC attended the Annual World Bank/IMF Meeting, which was more open to civil society than ever before. SI jumped on the chance to be represented! While Heather attended many different talks, panels, and discussions, perhaps the most important was the Open Forum on Gender. A number of activists and experts from around the world took turns moderating this discussion. Hala Gorani, of CNN International hosted the event. The first segment kicked off with World Bank President Robert Zoellick, Maria Eitel, President and CEO of the Nike Foundation and Kakenya Ntaiya, Founder of the Academy for Girls in Kenya. Gorani led the conversation with these


panelists, who discussed why gender equality is not only important for women’s empowerment, but also economically smart.


A number of reports were generated by the World Bank and others to build this case. Development has closed some gender gaps in educational enrollment, life expectancy and labour force participation, however there is still much to be done. Heather reports that the priorities of the World Bank include:


• Addressing excess deaths of girls and women and eliminating gender disadvantage in education where these remain entrenched. • Closing differences in access to economic opportunities and the ensuing earnings and productivity gaps between women and men. • Shrinking gender differences in voice within households and societies. • Limiting the reproduction of gender inequality across generations.


with the World Bank, we are very excited to see this involvement develop and grow!


Heather Brotsos, SIA member, at the World Bank event


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You can follow all of SI’s advocacy work As this was SI’s first learning experience


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