As part of the Feminists in Action (FEA) project, a workshop took place in Saly (Senegal), bringing together eight organizations from Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal. Equipop continues to support these organizations as they capitalize on their key experiences. The workshop was an opportunity for them to forge inter-organizational ties, learn from each other’s experiences, and assess their progress since receiving Equipop’s support.
DIFFERENT PROJECTS WITH COMMON CORE ISSUES
The FEA project supports the transformative power of feminist organizations in the South. Equipop led a capitalization workshop to foster knowledge and experience sharing between the organizations supported by the FEA project (Fondation des Jeunes Amazones pour le Développement, Jeunes Filles Actrices de Développement, Voix de Femmes, Taafé Vision, Stop au chat noir, Association des Femmes Juristes de Côte d’Ivoire, ABOYA and Réseau Ouest Africain des Jeunes Femmes Leaders/ Sénégal). The workshop gave participants a chance to speak on their projects and discuss their most significant challenges.
Participants identified cross-cutting issues in their projects after comparing experiences and practices while debating the best solutions to overcome obstacles and improve their performance at the grassroots level.
These discussions helped identify the following topics:
- The fight against gender-based violence in the academic world,
- Women’s empowerment,
- “Artivism” to fight gender-based violence
- Community involvement
Analyzing these topics will help contextualize the “capitalization sheets” completed by participants on their experiences and inspire any organization wishing to carry out similar activities.
SELF-EVALUATION AND NEW PERSPECTIVES
This workshop allowed organizations to assess their own empowerment journey after receiving support from the FEA project by taking stock of their achievements (skills, equipment, etc.) and any noticeable changes. In the words of Azaratou Bancé (President of Taafé Vision, Burkina Faso), “The Feminists in Action project helped Taafé Vision grow and have a headquarters, a creative space for women in the film industry and all women artists, a place where they can blossom.”
The next step for organizations is to complete the capitalization sheets and the analyses of the selected topics, which will be disseminated to other West African actors involved in the fight against gender-based violence.