Here is a story that from the The Associated Press.
Regards
Tesfay S.
Richmond VA
By VERONIQUE BAGARRY
DJIBOUTI (AP) - The past two decades have not been kind to women
in the Horn of Africa. Civil war and ethnic conflict have laid
waste to schools, hospitals and whatever else there was of modern
life.
As ideological and clan-based battles raged in Ethiopia,
Eritrea, Somalia, Djibouti and Sudan, women and children have often
been the hapless victims and the refugees.
But in many instances, the chaos has been liberating. Women who
had been living in the shadows have emerged to begin building a
civil society - while men still cradle their weapons and argue over
who should run the show.
About 40 women representing grassroots organizations in the
countries of the Horn met recently in Djibouti to discuss
objectives, to learn about getting grants from international donors
and to reinforce the network that brought them together.
``These women are the ones who are building civil society,
especially in the places where there is civil war,'' said Tammy
Horn, spokeswoman for the Center for the Strategic Initiatives of
Women, a Washington-based group that sponsored the conference.
She said women are crossing ethnic and political divisions to
work together. ``They're building peace centers, and they're really
building democracy on the ground,'' she said.
In the Somali port town of Merca, for example, a broad-based
women's group led by Halima Arush has set up a small boarding
school for young clan militiamen who agree to give up their guns in
return for shelter, food and their first chance at an education.
The project is financed by the European Union and an Italian
humanitarian group.
Although each country has its specific dilemmas - Somalia has
not had a national government since 1991; civil war drags on in
southern Sudan - the women at the conference learned their problems
are similar.
They also discussed how to work together using their fledgling
Strategic Initiative for the Horn of Africa. The group is rare in
the region because it works and is friendly to women.
In countries still at war or emerging from conflict - Somalia,
the breakaway republic of Somaliland and Sudan - the women agreed
that creating the conditions for peace is the priority.
Women have taken a leading role in breaking down ethnic and clan
barriers and establishing contacts outside their traditional
surroundings. They often serve as informal shuttle diplomats,
carrying messages and brokering the release of kidnap victims.
``While the men are discussing who should take power, the women
are the only ones who are dealing with the basic problems - how to
educate the children, rebuild schools and hospitals,'' said Hibaaq
O. Basbas, director of the Center for the Strategic Initiatives of
Women.
``They don't ask whether democracy is a good thing or not. They
act in favor of democracy.''
Once peace has been secured - as in Eritrea, Djibouti and
Ethiopia - the priority is to ensure that women's rights as
individuals are recognized and observed, the women said.
``Even though the constitution may provide for equal rights and
invalidates all discriminatory laws, these laws continue to be
enforced,'' said Rakeb Meles, a lawyer from Ethiopia. ``The problem
of legal rights awareness is a big issue because a minimum of women
know their legal rights.''
In most countries of the Horn - as in the rest of Africa - women
represent at least 50 percent of the electorate but have almost no
presence in politics and no voice in decision-making.
The Strategic Initiative for the Horn of Africa could help
change this. It seeks to organize women at the grassroots level to
promote women's rights, encourage alliances between women of
different areas, secure women leadership roles and eliminate
gender-based discrimination.
``We need to identify strong women making a difference in their
own communities, and we'll support them to take leadership roles,''
said Basbas.
For example, after undergoing a training course given by Basbas'
group, Sitouma Osman created the New Sudan Women's Federation in
southern Sudan.
Supported by advice from the Washington organization and
independent financing, her group is trying to help women overcome
their status as victims of civil war and to fight for women's
rights in war-torn areas.
AP-NY-09-22-97 0128EDT