About this project

Developing Relationships, Increasing Capacity

A Discussion Paper on the Developing Relationship between YWCA Canada, ABANTU for Development and Canadian Crossroads International

The YWCA Canada exists to fulfill both the immediate and long term needs of women in Canada. Public services, such as shelter and child care, address pressing needs that are not being met by government services. At the same time, advocacy challenges the roots of this need. Referencing the absence of national public policy reform with regard to urgent issues such as violence against women and women’s poverty, the YWCA lobbies for meaningful, sustainable change in Canadian women’s quality of life. As the largest provider of shelter and the second largest provider of childcare in the country, the organization has both the need and the ability to do this in an accurate, representative manner.

Gender inequality is a global issue. While women in different nations face different social pressures, cultural norms and state policies, YWCA Canada recognizes that these oppressions, and thus their solutions, may be intrinsically interconnected. From this ideological basis, a partnership is currently being established through Canadian Crossroads International with ABANTU for Development’s Regional Office of West Africa in Accra, Ghana. This partnership with allow for a cross-border flow of information and strategies for change, a model of reciprocal learning expected to result in the increased capacity of both partners.

ABANTU for Development, like the YWCA, operates as both an advocacy group and a provider of public services. In the area of services, ABANTU’s focus has been on the training and capacity building of local women’s organizations and NGOs, as well as the development of accessible resources on issues of gender and development in Africa. Their advocacy work has sought to address the relationship between gender disparity and development through networking with crucial organization such as the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the Organization of African Unity (OAU). They have attained special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission (ECOSOC), granting them access to all UN proceedings.

Information and communications technology (ICT) plays a central role in the mandate and accomplishments of ABANTU. Because ICT offers women direct access to global networks of advocacy while creating new economic opportunities, it is a focal point of training programs and workshops that they offer. The effectiveness of this technology in establishing their own network of advocacy and awareness has solidified this strategy as an important part of ABANTU’s agenda to create meaningful, sustainable change for women in Africa. For these reasons, it is also the focal point of the developing partnership.

This partnership has been established though the facilitation of Canadian Crossroads International (CCI). CCI is an international NGO that works to strengthen communities through the building of capacity in civil society groups and the partnering of organizations working on similar issues in different national contexts. Southern partners are supported in their selection of a Canadian organization who will work with them to build capacity and establish channels of reciprocal learning. Through this process, ABANTU identified YWCA Canada as an association with aligned goals and strong resources which would benefit the development of their project. Now that this partnership has been established, it will be consolidated through the exchange of a skilled volunteer who will work with both ABANTU and the YWCA to increase capacity in the area of greatest need, specifically information communications technology. This volunteer was determined by the collective efforts of all three organizations.

Alessandra Naccarato will be taking on this position and participating in both a Canadian phase and a Ghanaian phase. Before traveling to Ghana, Naccarato will be placed at the YWCA Canada to learn the strategies and tools used by the organization to address gender inequality in Canada. The skills and knowledge offered by this placement will then be brought directly to ABANTU to be shared and adapted to their organizational needs. Over the course of four months, Naccarato will train members of the ABANTU staff to improve their skills in web design and desktop publishing, strengthen internal communications and create a database of available resources. Staff members trained by Naccarato will then create training programs of their own, establishing a sustainable exchange of skills. Improvements in these targeted areas are expected to strengthen ABANTU’s ability to network, distribute resources and engage both local and international communities, further adding to the sustainability of the project. Upon her return, Naccarato will complete a second phase at the YWCA Canada, where the lessons of the Ghanaian phase will be drawn out and best practices determined. This will be a chance for the YWCA to learn from struggles and successes of the Southern partner and determine the next phase of the partnership.

For more information:
YWCA Canada | A Turning Point for Women
www.ywcacanada.com
ABANTU for Development (Regional Office of West Africa)
www.h-net.org/~harrison/ABANTU
Canadian Crossroads International
www.cciorg.ca

Written by Alessandra Naccarato, October 2007.