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African Women in the Diaspora II: 2006 Conference
Synopsis of presentations
Law – Education – Health – Domestic Violence – Parenting – HIV/AIDS – Immigration Issues – Youth – Women’s Empowerment – Gender, Culture and the Diaspora – Community Development – Women and Policy – Refugee Issues – Well-being
(There are 3 breakout sessions with 12 workshops. Each session has 4 workshops running concurrently; each workshop lasts 90 minutes and has two related topics by 2 presenters and/or panel. Space is limited so register early. We will have to stop accepting registrations when we fill up. Thank you.)
Law
- The Law – A tool for the Empowerment of the African Woman?
Keynote address, Judge Beatrice Ntuba, Cameroon – from Sisters In Law
- Judicial Activism – Keynote address, Justice Vera Ngassa, Cameroon – from Sisters In Law
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Education
- Educating the African Girl Child Case Study: Girl Child Education in Ngyen-Mbo and Ku-Bome Villages of the North West Province of Cameroon – Joy Siri Anyam, M.A., Jiangxi College of Foreign Studies, China
The presentation looks at the substantial economic and social returns on investment in women’s education. It examines the cost-effectiveness of special measures designed to improve girls’ attendance with the case study of Ku-Bome and Ngyen-Mbo villages of North West providence of Cameroon. It also will address the policy makers’ concern in both gains accrued from girls’ education and the constraints that keep them from enrolling.
- African youth in Minnesota at home and in School: Gender based issues – MAWA & CSCM youth staff
Panel discussion by youth leadership staff from the Minnesota African Women’s Association and the Confederation of Somali Community in Minnesota.
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Health
- “Life here is stressful” - Social capital and its relevance to psychosocial well-being and mental health - Sharon D. Morrison, Ph.D., University of North Carolina Greenboro
The presentation will introduce the concept of social capital, its value as an “empowerment tool”, and its relevance to mental health among African immigrant women living in the southeastern region of the United States. They will highlight cases examples, aspects of social life which represent specific dimensions of social capital, social networks, sources of support and social relationships. Social life with respect to pre an post migration experiences, and identify similarities and differences in the structure and function of social capital.
- African Women's Reproductive Health:Obstetric Fistula – Brikti Hiwet, reproductive health consultant – Panel
An obstetric fistula is a hole between the birth passage and the bladder (or rectum) that is caused by prolonged, obstructed, labor which results in chronic incontinence. This heartbreaking childbirth injury affects over two million women, the majority of whom live in Africa.
You are invited to come and learn more about this devastating reproductive health issue, about the many organizations which are working to end the suffering of women who are affected by it, and about what you can do to help
- The Desire to have Children: The perspectives of Ethiopian Immigrant Parents - Bizunesh Wubie, Ph. D., Univ. of Marshall, WV
The question in this paper has to do whether or not parents with refugee background have a stronger desire to have children as compared to parents with no refugee backgrounds. Based on qualitative research method, the paper examines the perspectives of Ethiopian immigrant parents on this issue. Their narratives indicate that parents with refugee background have more desire to have children as compared to the desire of parent with no refugee backgrounds. This paper examines their reasons as to why parents with refugee backgrounds have more desire to have children. The paper also highlights related literature on the impact of desire for children on parenting and the lives of young children.
- African Women Healthcare Professionals in the Diaspora: Serving Their Communities at Home and Abroad, Professor Joyce Millen, Willamette University, Oregon
At an alarming rate, wealthier countries are recruiting Africa’s health care professionals to remedy their own healthcare personnel shortages. Every year, sub-Saharan Africa’s 87 medical schools graduate thousands of new physicians. And every year, thousands of African physicians are enticed to emigrate to Europe or America.
To successfully realize World Health Organization campaigns to prevent a massive avian flu pandemic and lesson the burdens of AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, African countries need more trained healthcare professionals. Yet, while most clinics and medical centers on the continent are severely understaffed or not staffed at all, the United States now boasts over 5300 African physicians staffing its hospitals. One journalist entitled an article about the problem: “How Africa Subsidizes U.S. Health Care.”
The medical professional flight is worse in Anglophone African countries, in part as a legacy of colonialism. This paper seeks to understand these problems from the perspective of those most impacted: the medical professional migrants and their home communities.
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Domestic Violence
- Domestic Violence Against African Women, Jane Hayford, University of Cape Coast, Ghana
The presentation will discover various forms of domestic violence against women; the effect of domestic violence against women: socially, emotionally, physically, and economically; and ways to combat domestic violence against African women.
- “Lost in the Movements: The Voice of the Battered Immigrant African Woman” – Natasha Johnson-Lashley, Attorney/African Community Liaison, Sanctuary for Families, New York
The presentation will begin to questions how, when, and where room is created for the African immigrant survivor of domestic abuse in New York City is in the social and legal spheres? How to carve out her space in the legal and social remedies presently available, how does she balance (if at all) her myriad social obligations as an African women with her legal rights as an individual.
- VAWA – self-petitioning for abused women – Fondungallah Law Firm, St. Paul, MN
- Domestic Violence Among Immigrants/Refugees in Minnesota – Agitu Wodajo, Executive Director, ISAW
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Parenting
- Empowering African Immigrant women in Parenting in the US/Diaspora, Charity Mentan, LLM, MPA, Africa Network for Development Incorporated, ANDI, MN
This paper attempts to explore the art and challenges to parenting in the African community in the United States where public policy enables the state to usurp the powers of natural parents in order to protect a child who is in need of care. It also seeks some recommendations for cultural integration of parenting methods. It is hoped that the outcomes of this presentation shall generate new insight as a result of the social realities of parenting in a new socio-cultural environment governed by different norms and values and the respect of human rights.
- Emotional Awareness among Youth and Parents in the Society – Saida Sadiki Gandi, MA, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The presentation will bring awareness to ways to empower young adults into building strong self by emphasizing self esteem and self concept, self actualization, self-responsibility, developing critical thinking and decision making skills, morals and values as well as pillars of characters. Provide ways to empower parents on issues of parenting young people in this challenging society.
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HIV/AIDS
- Women and HIV/AIDS Epidemic: The issue of School Aged Girls’ Awareness in Nigeria - Solomon O. Momoh PhD., & Ailemen I. Moses, Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma Nigeria
This presentation will look at the lack of awareness of preventive method and the cultural, socioeconomic conditions inhibiting the use of this preventive method is viewed as more deadly than the virus itself. The case of Nigeria and Africa as a whole will address the cultural, biological a socio-economic conditions contributing to women greater vulnerability to HIV/AIDS epidemic.
- Young Women and Girls and HIV/AIDS in Africa-Kenya – Lorna Ndirangu
This presentation will focus on young women an girls in Kenya and the impediments they go through in the area of health and wellness specifically HIV/AIDS; the prevention measures taken by the leaders in the government, NGOs and the civil society; how these women have been involved in this area especially in decision-making.
- Poster Presentation - Gender Inequality and the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa - Ann Githinji and Chao Sio, Women Can International, New Mexico
The presentation will focus on increasing awareness to the central role gender inequality plays in the maintenance and spread of HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa and to highlight the ineffectiveness of the conventional methods of fighting HIV/AIDS in this region.
- Promoting Protective Factors Amongst Adolescent Females: Lessons Learned from the Bububuram Refugee Camp - Desmina Hamilton, MPH, Institution: University of North Carolina at Greensboro
The presentation will increase awareness about the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa; highlight refugee and displaced persons statistics and relation to HIV/AIDS; Identify protective factors amongst adolescents that deter them form engaging in risky behavior; Provide pragmatic means of incorporating findings into practice.
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Youth
- Educating the African Girl Child Case Study: Girl Child Education in Ngyen-Mbo and Ku-Bome Villages of the North West Province of Cameroon – Joy Siri Anyam, M.A., Jiangxi College of Foreign Studies, China
The presentation looks at the substantial economic and social returns on investment in women’s education. It examines the cost-effectiveness of special measures designed to improve girls’ attendance with the case study of Ku-Bome and Ngyen-Mbo villages of North West providence of Cameroon. It also will address the policy makers’ concern in both gains accrued from girls’ education and the constraints that keep them from enrolling.
- African youth in Minnesota at home and in School: Gender based issues – CSCM & MAWA youth staff
- Emotional Awareness among Youth and Parents in the Society – Saida Sadiki Gandi, MA, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- Acculturation of African Youth in Minnesota – Clare Rodrigues
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Immigration Issues
- Human Trafficking in Minnesota - Linda Miller, Executive Director of Civil Society, Minnesota – Panel
The purpose of the presentation is to create awareness of the issue of human trafficking, to help promote the identification of trafficking victims, to provide education about culturally appropriate methods of working with trafficking victims, and to disseminate information about resources for victims.
- VAWA – self-petitioning for abused women
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Women’s Empowerment
- Participation in NGO’s as a Means of Creating Social Networks and Improving Access to Health Information: A Survival Method for Liberian Refugee Women in Ghana, West Africa – Osatohanmwen F. Ogbahon Chitou, MPH, HIV/AIDS Case Manager, Director of Women’s Centers and Programs for the Liberian History, Education, and Development Organization (LIHEDE); Participation of NGOs
This research was based on data collected at the Buduburam Liberian refugee camp in Ghana, West Africa. Many refugeesare in a state of limbo as they have halted their education and have had limited economic opportunities. Because of Ghanaian regulations, Liberians have difficulty accessing work due to great tensions between the Liberian and Ghanaian community, in conjunction with the limited opportunities available for citizens of the host country. Thus, many Liberians on camp have chosen to volunteer with the registered camp NGOs or CBOs. The volunteers’ efforts often provide them with much desired skills and vocational training, and may also provide them with a small monetary stipend. This research has numerous implications for refugee health as the results suggest that free vocational and skills training needs to be provided to individuals on camp as a means of decreasing the likelihood of engagement in negative health behaviors such as prostitution. The results also suggest that association with camp NGOs provides individuals with access to pertinent health information that may have positive effects on future health outcomes.
- Developing African women’s leadership and enhancing community building through a critical analysis of Gender Family Context, Culture and the Diaspora Dynamics. – Norah Barongo-Muweke, University of Oldenburg
The presentation will advance African women’s capacity for intervention through critical reflection based on a coherent understanding of the factors shaping their lives and that of their families in a community building context.
- Women and Environment: Empowering the Woman for Sustainable Development (The Case of the Rural Woman in the South West Province of Cameroon) - Caroline Time, legal council Domestic Violence shelter Alexandria, Virginia. Member Cameroon Bar Association, Member International Bar Association.
The presentation will look at the value in incorporating women in environmental management; suggesting they should have access to education, information, methodology, and good health. Women should also be encouraged to get involved in economic activities to get them out of poverty. It examines the case of the of SW province of Cameroon, where the rural women form the majority of the population and they are the hewers of wood, haulers of water, farmers as well as breeders, yet they are never included, when issues about their environment are being discussed. The women still use archaic materials, methods under unhygienic conditions and are still very poor.
The empowerment of the rural women, who play a major role in managing natural resources, by elevating them from their poverty state, through education, sustainable development will be ensured thus ensuring Africa’s future. If the rural women of the Southwest Province of Cameroon are empowered then the future of Cameroon has been ensured given that 80% of Cameroon’s economy comes from that province.
- Women and Natural Resources, a West African Case Study – Beatrice Gwena Muton (Fulbright Fellow), University of MN
- Empowering African Immigrant women in Parenting in the US/Diaspora, Charity Mentan, LLM, MPA, Africa Network for Development Incorporated (ANDI), MN
See synopsis under “Parenting”
- Promoting Protective Factors Amongst Adolescent Females: Lessons Learned from the Bububuram Refugee Camp – Desmina Hamilton, MPH, Institution: University of North Carolina at Greensboro
The presentation will increase awareness about the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa; highlight refugee and displaced persons statistics and relation to HIV/AIDS; Identify protective factors amongst adolescents that deter them form engaging in risky behavior; Provide pragmatic means of incorporating findings into practice.
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Gender, Culture & the Diaspora
- African Women Healthcare Professionals in the Diaspora: Serving Their Communities at Home and Abroad – Professor Joyce Millen, Williamette University, OR
See synopsis under “Health”
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Community Development
- Participation in NGO’s as a Means of Creating Social Networks and Improving Access to Health Information: A Survival Method for Liberian Refugee Women in Ghana, West Africa – Osatohanmwen F. Ogbahon Chitou, MPH, HIV/AIDS Case Manager, Director of Women’s Centers and Programs for the Liberian History, Education, and Development Organization (LIHEDE)
See synopsis under “Women’s Empowerment”
- Negotiating Livelihoods in a Fragile Economy: Evidence from Women Hawkers in Cameroon. – MOLEM CHRISTOPHER SAMA (PhD), Department of Economics and Management, University of Buea
The presentation will situate in the context of fragile economy, the role of women hawkers in the informal sector in, how they are guaranteeing the improvement of livelihoods by staying off poverty and the constraints they face in their small scale entrepreneurial activities.
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Refugee Issues
- Resettlement of Refugees from Africa in Minnesota – Panel discussion with leaders from refugee community organizations in Minnesota: Liberian, Oromo, Somali, Sudanese & Rwandan – Saeed Fahia, Confederation of Somali Community in MN; Representative, Oromo Community of Minnesota; Reem El-Radi, Sudanese community; Floriane Robins-Brown, Rwanda & Ada Beh on Liberian Community, MAWA Board Chair
- How you can help after International Disasters – Barlin H. Ali, Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI), VA
Center for International Disaster information- The purpose is to provide information and guidance in support of appropriate international disaster relief. Through education and outreach we can reduce the level of inappropriate donations sent to victims of international disasters.
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Women and Policy
- Shifting powers, women’s impact on politics and policy – Dr. Caroline Newton, Institute for Social and Economic Geography, Hogeschool Gent, Belgium
The presentation will start discussing the impact of women in politics, by asking the definition of “power”, and how to speak about “political power”, in order to broaden our horizon and try to look for other definitions.
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Well-Being
- Accessible Health, Education & Career Advancement Opportunities for New Americans – Anietie Umoeka, Employment Resource Center, and other service providers from the Twin Cities
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