Gender Centre to select trainees under its Women in Leadership project

Gender — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:00:59 +0000

Gender Centre has received applications from interested applicants to be a part of its Women in Leadership project. These applicants are going to be trained and groomed to either assume leadership positions in their communities or act as Mentors... Read more

WOMEN’S VOICES – Documentary on Womankind partners from Africa and Asia talking about why women’s leadership matters.

Gender — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:51:28 +0000

STAR Ghana/GC Education Project Year One Activities in pictures

Gender — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 10:10:04 +0000

Gender Centre holds its 2012 Annual Review Meeting

Gender — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 09:56:12 +0000

INTRODUCTION
Gender Centre on the 24th and 25th of January 2013 held an Annual Retreat for its staff at its office premises, at Nyaniba Estates here in Accra. The retreat was to among others, enable the Executive Director, formally welcome staff back from the Christmas break as well as thank them once again for a good work done during the previous year. The staff retreat also provided an opportunity for staff to as a team, review plans and activities of both the previous and current years.
Staff used the platform to discuss their achievements and challenges during the previous year and had open discussions on how to improve upon the achievements and also address the challenges encountered.
SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES
Successes chalked during the past year included the completion of almost all targeted project activities with the exception of some that needed to be reviewed to make them more relevant to the projects.
Challenges were mainly in the areas of fundraising activities, diversification of funding sources, collation and management of reports, information management that is, implementing an effective information management system. These, staff held, were to be given serious attention this year.
Another key challenge was financial shortfalls that compelled the organisation to dip into its reserves; an action which the Executive Director indicated if allowed to be repeated in the next two years would lead to an exhaustion of the organisation’s reserves.
POSSIBLE NEW PROJECT AREAS
At the retreat it was agreed that Gender Centre takes concrete steps to source funds to implement projects in the area of addressing violence against girls and adolescents.
REVIEW OF 2012
There was a review of projects being implemented for the benefit of the new Programmes Manage.
1. We Know Politics II – Lena, the project lead made the presentation. Gender Centre has completed all earmarked activities under this project. Preparations are underway to start work on the End of Project Report.
2. Promoting Quality Education Delivery and Safe School Environment – this project within Gender Centre, is referred to as the STAR project. Esther is the project lead, with support from Nicholina. Since Esther was on leave, Nicholina made the presentation with support from the Executive Director. All planned activities for the year were carried out. There have been challenges with strictly adhering to budget lines. Though there was a budget line for extra classes, it was not done because Gender Centre was yet to firmly decide how it ought to be organised. Also, an incentive package for brilliant but needy students was yet to be done because there is need to review the selection criteria. There are gaps in the management of project information and this will be addressed this year.
3. Reducing Violence Against Women and Children – this project is being implemented by Window of Hope Foundation, a partner organisation. The project is being implemented in two communities (Daekrom and Mpatasie) in the Atwima Kwanwoma district of the Ashanti Region. The project focuses on preventing violence against women and is derived from the Nkyinkyim project. The project has just entered its last quarter. Two main activities outstanding are the End of Project Evaluation and International Women’s Day training/sensitisation programme. Womankind Worldwide has forwarded a Terms of Reference (TOR) for the evaluation and Gender Centre is in the process of selecting a consultant to carry out the evaluation.
4. Women in Leadership – this project is referred to as the FLOW project within Gender Centre. Madam made the presentation. She indicated that the project was faced with serious challenges. The contract was signed in April 2012, but the funders said the project begun in January 2012. There have been delays in project takeoff as well as implementation mainly due to activities of political parties, district assemblies etc who are key stakeholders in the project. Activities earmarked for the first half of this year include development of a training manual as well as developing a criteria for selecting women for leadership training.
5. Reducing HIV and AIDs Prone High Risk Behaviours in the Brong Ahafo Region – this is a Ghana AIDS Commission funded project. Due to some technical challenges, Gender Centre withdrew its participation in the national programme. However early this year Gender Centre was contracted by the GAC to conduct a Gender Mainstreaming workshop for its key staff. GC’s Executive indicated that post the workshop, GC still has to remain in the sector to help in the effective mainstreaming of gender in Ghana’s HIV/AIDS response. The GAC Director General had also indicated that the doors of the GAC were still open to Gender Centre.
STAFFING ISSUES
The Centre currently is challenged in the area of staffing level. One staff is on maternity leave and would probably resume some time in April whiles another has lost her dear husband and is currently on leave. The new Programmes Manager has reported and was formally introduced to the team.
FINANCIAL ISSUES
Apart from GC having to dip into its reserves there were minor challenges in the area of financial management. These mainly bordered on financial management processes and so the Finance Officer run staff through some of these issues like putting in requests well ahead of time, sticking to approved budget lines when making project activity financial requests and timely liquidation of advances taken.
OTHER INSTITUTIONAL MATTERS
GC now has a new post office box number (CT8163, Cantonments, Accra) and staff were encouraged to use it. Staff were also encouraged to use the official email address gendercentreghana.org.
CONCLUSION
The event went very well and we are still fine tuning our work plan for 2013. Having accepted our challenges, we are better poised to face and address them. Increased fund raising efforts and building a stronger institution remain our key focus for 2013.

WKP II final activities in pictures

Gender — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 11:02:24 +0000

Final WKP 2 seminars in pictures

Gender — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 10:09:34 +0000

GC to organise meeting between 50 women and their mentors under the Women in Leadership project

Gender — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:12:34 +0000

GC to train 85 women under its Women in Leadership project

Gender — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:11:34 +0000

GC to hold Review Meetings with PTAs/SMCs and Counsellors under its STAR (Education) project

Gender — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:10:24 +0000

GC to train Peer Educators for school gender clubs under its STAR (Education) Project

Gender — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:09:10 +0000

Gender Studies & Human Right Documentation Centre

Gender Centre to select trainees under its Women in Leadership project

WOMEN’S VOICES – Documentary on Womankind partners from Africa and Asia talking about why women’s leadership matters.

STAR Ghana/GC Education Project Year One Activities in pictures

Gender Centre holds its 2012 Annual Review Meeting

WKP II final activities in pictures

Final WKP 2 seminars in pictures

GC to organise meeting between 50 women and their mentors under the Women in Leadership project

GC to train 85 women under its Women in Leadership project

GC to hold Review Meetings with PTAs/SMCs and Counsellors under its STAR (Education) project

GC to train Peer Educators for school gender clubs under its STAR (Education) Project