Forward UK Updates September

Tuwezeshe Fellowship Training – Young Women Trained to be Leaders

"We want to be a movement, we want to do great things. Women are greater than the gender roles and ridiculous limits society sets to for them."

FORWARD's Tuwezeshe Akina Dada team spent the first few weeks of July in Uganda and Kenya and UK where we rolled out the first in a series of leadership trainings. The training was facilitated with our Tuwezeshe Akina Dada partners Akina Mama Wa Afrika and Young Women Leadership Institute. 36 young women received training on a range of topics from understanding legal frameworks and human rights to self care through yoga. Following the training the young women have been allocated grants to implement social action in their communities. Each woman will be supported in the campaign by a female mentor.

Read more here.

Uncomfortable Conversations – Using Music to Speak to Communities about FGM and Self Care

“Being in an open environment with women was good. Everything about today was good, the culture, importance of expressing your feelings and the importance of being well. I learnt about body responses to trauma, about sexual expression and about cultural differences and similarities in seeking help.”

This July FORWARD held our second in the series of Uncomfortable Conversations events, a project that empowers communities in the African diaspora to focus on cultural issues that are difficult to discuss. Hidden Scars was a women only event that focused on dealing with trauma, finding support, and music as therapy. We were very grateful to be joined by Sudanese artist Rasha Sheikh Eldin who is part of FORWARD’s Musicians Unite to End FGM initiative.

View pictures here.

Upcoming Events

Responding to FGM: CDP & OCN Accredited Training on FGM for Professionals and Frontline Staff, London - 26th October 2017

About: The increased focus on FGM and recent changes in legislation mean that staff with safeguarding responsibilities will need to be fully prepared to deal with any concerns of suspected and actual cases of FGM. This one day training course, accredited by OCN, will help increase knowledge, strengthen competency and skills when dealing with cases of FGM and enable multi-agency cooperation in relation to safeguarding and signposting support services for affected women and girls.

Read more here.

SIERRA LEONE UK DIASPORA: AN OPPORTUNITY TO DREAM - November 4th

FORWARD, in partnership with Project ACEi, invites the Sierra Leonean dispora to this event which is an opportunity to come together to tackle violence against women and girls in Sierra Leone. Developing Rights-based and Empowering Approaches to Mobilize (DREAM) is a project being implemented in Sierra Leone by FORWARD and our local partners.

Register here.