| | International Women's Day 2023 march in Fort Dauphin | To mark International Womenâs Day (IWD), weâre celebrating our SEED women, starting with a discussion with our Deputy Director, Tsina Endor. Working with SEED for 18 years, Tsina has witnessed much change, both within the organisation and Madagascar as a whole. From a team that included just five women when she joined, to one now with almost 50% of staff being women, she praised the role SEED has played in promoting gender equality - âI am lucky to be able to work for SEED Madagascar⊠here the staff are treated equally and all ideas are valuedâŠâ Despite these opportunities and progressions however, there is still much to be done. Female employment in Madagascar is viewed as secondary to household management tasks, a factor that often restricts employment opportunities to their male counterparts. With the growing attraction of the IWD march in Fort Dauphin, Tsina is confident that more women will be encouraged to look beyond these household roles and to a life where employment and family care can work hand-in-hand. A more detailed blog piece exploring the life and experiences of Tsina will follow shortly, but for now, read on for some brilliant stories from our women-focused projects đ | | Mahampy employee, Kazy Augustine, putting her literary skills to the test | Reading, Weaving and Writing âïžđ | Since September, Project Mahampy has made significant progress to improve the capacity of the womenâs cooperative. With a high number of women in Sainte Luce unable to either read or write, developing literary skills was recognised as a crucial component towards ensuring that the Mahampy Weaversâ Cooperative was successful. A new product coding system has been developed, training was delivered to improve sales monitoring, and members are attending monthly literacy classes to improve their reading and writing. With the demand for classes so high, a beginner and advanced group had to be established and the women were supported with extra materials to enable them to practice at home. Kazy Augustine (pictured above) has worked at the workshop for three years and has been delighted with the progress sheâs had since starting the lessons in September. Kazy is now able to write her own name, setting the foundations for a skill that she will be able to continue using at home and in the workplace. | | | | Stitch embroidery pieces hanging proudly in the Sainte Luce workshop | âWe Loveâ... Project Stitch! | The Stitch Sainte Luce Cooperative is no newbie to meeting the demands for their beautifully handcrafted embroideries, previously attending events like Glastonbury Music Festival⊠though the achievements of last month may well have topped this! After a feature in The Guardian newspaperâs âWe Loveâ fashion article, sales rose by almost 2000%, generating just under ÂŁ1,000 (5,000,000 Ar) in one day for the Cooperative. Sales continued across the weekend with online stock almost selling out, leaving Stitchâs International Coordinator, Rebecca Dallimore frantically shipping parcels out around the UK, Europe and beyond⊠This achievement was not only a great marketing opportunity for Stitch, but an example of the role women play across the two organisations. From the projects establishment in 2012, to independence of the Cooperative in 2020, the women of SEED and Stitch have worked together like needle and thread đȘĄ, sharing knowledge and experiences that have made events like those seen last month possible to achieve. The money from these sales will mean greater financial independence to the embroiderers in Sainte Luce. Hereâs to promoting gender equality in Madagascar đ | | | Women attend Votsira health and wellbeing session in Fort Dauphin | Women at the forefront in the fight against preventable childhood diseases đ„đ©ș | At the heart of Project Votsira is women - mothers, grandmothers and aunts who come together to gain the knowledge and skills needed to keep their children safe from childhood disease. Votsira is the Malagasy word meaning âââthe state of wellbeing of a new mother and her childâ, and in late February, the SEED project team completed the delivery of its current round of maternal and child health sessions to 1,320 individuals across Fort Dauphin. A six-month learning programme was delivered through sessions covering topics such as antenatal care, breastfeeding, illnesses, vaccinations, nutrition and family planning. To support the sessions, community health workers also carried out over 1,100 household visits to pregnant women in Fort Dauphin, offering a valuable opportunity for mothers to ask more specific and personal questions away from the busier community sessions. SEEDâs health community partnering interventions like Project Votsira are vital measures for fighting the ongoing impacts of climate change and drought in the southeast of Madagascar. Giving caregivers health information will also contribute towards ending the deadly impacts of preventable diseases on children in Fort Dauphin. | | | Facebook fundraisers generated over ÂŁ2000 for us in 2022. Set one up to help us in 2023! Hereâs how | | | This email was sent to friend@example.com | © SEED Madagascar. All rights reserved. |
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