Blogs – JASS

Gathering for Liberation: Reflections on the Power of Movements and Possibility

JASS Southern Africa’s Kwezi Mbandaza shares her personal reflections on what it meant to be a part of the third African Social Movement Baraza — a space for radical possibilities and movement strategies — held…

Pride Is Not a Month: Queer Resistance Across Borders

Photo credit: Bahaghari Philippines Across much of the world today, Pride has become a sanitized celebration of queer visibility, co-opted by liberal and corporate narratives. In Mesoamerica, Southern Africa, and Southeast Asia, regions shaped by…

Imagining What Is Possible for Our Collective Liberation

By Alisandra Abadia and Justine Siscar AWID was the first big feminist conference we’d been to. New to such circles, we were delighted at the idea of being around many like-minded individuals – women and…

Living in an Ongoing State of Resistance: A Shared Journey of Solidarity, Strength, and Collective Power

By Grace Divine Ingabire, Power Up! Program Officer, East Africa From November 24 to 29, 2024, I participated in a training session organized by JASS Southern Africa in Nairobi. This intensive six-day program included…

Activism as Ritual – Honoring the Heart, Mind, and Body

By Juliana Davids from the Triangle Project In November 2024, Nairobi became a vibrant hub for feminist discourse as JASS Southern Africa convened the Feminist Movement Building School. This gathering brought together over 40…

Another environmentalist murdered in Honduras

By Laura Zúniga Another environmentalist murdered’ it says, and as the daughter of a mother murdered for defending the Gualcarque River, the news tastes of the recent past and of defeat. Yet another family that…

Exploring our power to envision and build a better world

By JASS Working Group on Feminist Economic Justice Two years ago, JASS embarked on a learning journey on what we then called Feminist Economic Alternatives. We wanted to explore Power For– our visions of where…

What do elections mean across borders?

Elections impact our lives in many ways despite being marred by violence and corruption. The elections in South Africa hold profound significance not only in the country but also in the region. We spoke with…

Towards a shared vision of liberation

By Phumi Mtetwa This year has been hyped as the ‘election year’ with a number of countries observing their elections in 2024. The buzz in South Africa sounds no different with the country preparing to…

Time to Strengthen Movement Consolidation in Indonesia

Reflections on Indonesia’s 2024 General Election By Desti Murdijana In 1998, Indonesia successfully emerged from the dark period of the New Order under Suharto. The Reformasi (Reformation) movement as initiated by the civil society organisations…

Coming Together to Protect Ourselves

By Laura Carlsen “We are not one, we are not a hundred, damn government, count us right!” The slogan refers to the traditional Mexican government strategy of minimizing feminist strength by lying about their numbers.…

Millions of Voices, One Struggle: Building Transnational Solidarity among Womxn Land and Territory Defenders

By Tami Alvarez, a youth activist and land defender from the Philippines As a Lumad youth activist and part of the organization Sabokahan Unity of Lumad Women that promotes the rights of womxn and LGBTQI…

Navigating Gender-Based Violence in Indonesia

By Dewi Aryanu, community organiser, Indonesia Trigger Warning: Sexual harassment, sexual violence “Why did you take off your hijab? I sent you to live in a pesantren (Islamic boarding school) so that you know to…

Facilitating Safe Spaces for Womxn in Indonesia

By Theresia Siti, community organiser, Indonesia I joined FAMM Indonesia (Young Indonesian Women Activists’ Forum) during their intergenerational meeting and Movement Building Institute (MBI) in 2010. Initially, I received an invitation from the director of…

Learning from the Indigenous Womxn of Lou Bawe

By Yuliana, community organiser, East Kalimantan, Indonesia When I decided to migrate from Sulawesi to East Kalimantan, the people around me said “be careful of the Dayaks, they like to cut off people’s heads.” Their message stuck…

The Search for Critical Friends

By Mufliha Wijayanti, lecturer at a State Islamic University in Indonesia “These “gender ladies” just add more work. Making regular planning is already a hassle, let alone having to use gender analysis, complicating things.” “PSGA…

The Change is Here: From Words to Voices, From Present to Future

By Vevi Alfi Maghfiroh, young journalist, Indonesia I was born in Indamayu’s coastal region, and for me, my birthplace decides the kind of path that I have to walk on every single day. Since…

Elections – An opportunity to demand?

By Wadzanayi Vere I cast my first vote at the age of 25! I remember feeling excited and overcome with a sense of power. I became conscious of the electoral process as a means of…

Everyday is women’s day

A conversation with Makoma Lekalakala, Earthlife Africa What is the state of organising by women in your sector and context? I respect women, particularly South African women because they don’t ever wait for Women’s Day…

Guatemala Faces a Critical Juncture

* Photograph credit: Saul Martinez/ Reuters By Laura Carlsen, Edited by the JASS Mesoamérica Team Guatemala is teetering on the brink following the surprising results of the first round of elections on June 25, where…

International Women’s Day in Mexico City: A mega-march against the patriarchy

By Laura Carlsen The International Women’s Day march in Mexico City was one of the largest in the world in recent years. After receding during the pandemic, the traditional mobilisation returned in 2023 stronger…

Struggles, Movements, and Resistances Transformed into Alchemy

By Daysi Flores We women occupy a special space when we speak of struggles for land and territory and resistance against the extractivist economic model that has been promoted throughout the Mesoamerican region and…

Unresigned

Picture credit: Wisconsinwatch.org By Alexa Bradley I am sweating. I am alone, sitting with a phone pressed to my ear, waiting. My heart is beating, I am trying to breathe but feel nauseous. I am…

Every coup d’état comes to an end

By Daysi Flores Every June 28 gets its November 28: that was the phrase that was popularly used to describe what happened in Honduras last November 28, when the Honduran people, full of a stubborn…

Lutong Baybay (Seaside Recipes): Feeding our Resistance

In July 2021, the City Council of Dumaguete (Negros Oriental, Philippines) approved a motion that would pave the way for the construction of a 174-hectare reclamation project. Various groups—scientists, environmentalists, fisherfolk, several youth and progressive…

Reflections on a New Era in Honduras

By Delmy Martínez The scene after the 2021 presidential election: There is an air of freedom, and hope for change. The feeling of bonding is everywhere–in the looks, in the smiles, in the dance of the…

Why anti-racist struggles are critical for our liberation

An interview with Phumi Mtetwa, Regional Director, JASS Southern Africa To mark 21 March, The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (also observed as Human Rights Day in South Africa), JASS sat down with Phumi…

What’s LIBERATION without play?

A riddle: What is more powerful than power? As the oceans boil, and the hurricanes beat violently against our shores, and the air sweats with the heat of impending doom, and our fists protest the…

The Paths of Justice for Berta

On March 2, 2016, the world suffered the murder of land defender Berta Cáceres. From that moment, those of us who took on the fight for justice pointed out that this act was aimed at…

Loud and Proud: Resisting Authoritarianism in the Philippines

Almost a year ago, 20 members and supporters of the LGBTQ+ community were arrested and detained on 26 June 2020 as they led the Pride March in commemoration of the International Pride Month in Manila,…

Learning virtually: the Honduran Feminist Alquimia School in the time of pandemic

To María, Daysi, Laura, Brenda, Paty and Carme, alchemist sisters COVID-19 has disrupted all our lives to levels that we would never have imagined. We traded shared coffee and conversation in our organizations’ safe spaces…

Myanmar: “We Will Fight until We Win”

Women have been at the forefront of the sustained resistance to stop the military coup and demand for democracy in Myanmar. Since 1 Feb 2021, when the military seized power, people from different communities and…

One Day, One Voice 2020: PEOPLE ARE THE SOLUTION! CELEBRATING MOVEMENT BUILDING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

This year, we are proud to be celebrating the 10th year of JASS’ annual regional campaign One Day, One Voice (ODOV), which aims to unite the initiatives of women across Southeast Asia around the 16…

Popular Demonstrations in Guatemala are a Product of Built-Up Outrage

The country was still reeling from the impact of hurricanes Eta and Iota when a new crisis hit Guatemala last week, this one the product of a history of accumulating pressure in the country. The…

The Long Haul

Right now, my thoughts are with the long haulers and the way the personal is always political but often in surprising ways. Two weeks or so ago, I attended a meeting organised by my doctors…

What’s Next for Malawi’s New Dawn?

A few weeks ago, chief opposition leader, Lazarus Chakwera was appointed as the new president of Malawi, generating new expectations and renewed hope. Following the election, we asked our allies to reflect on the significance…

What Coronavirus Teaches Us About Inequality, Discrimination and the Importance of Caring

They say coronavirus doesn’t discriminate, that it puts us all at risk, that it dictates an equally threatening future for all humankind. But the measures that have been implemented in Central America to deal with…

Obituary for Mabel Moyo & Retelling Stories of Organising in Zimbabwe

We walk in the footsteps of those who came before us. What is your theory of change? But is it value for money? These pesky questions have become the bane of many an activist’s life…

Juneteenth, June 16th, and the unfinished business of black liberation

This is an important week for reflection. Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, sits alongside June 16th , the day that saw a series of uprisings…

A wake up call: A Conversation between Hope Chigudu and Rudo Chigudu

By Hope Chidugu (HC) and Rudo Chigudu (RC) HC: Wake up RC and service your vehicle known as your body. It is the only one you have; once it gets grounded or overloaded, it will…

Stigma & Discrimination Kill the Soul: What we learnt from HIV & AIDS

I feel like I have been here before, like I have travelled this exact same road. It must be eerily familiar, to those of us who grew up and lived through the early days of…

Last words – for now!

Dearest friends and family, On my last day as JASS ED, it feels both momentous and gentle as I step beyond the invisible line of JASS’ daily organizational intensity to support her from another angle.…

Happy JASS Day!

It’s October 18th and in Santa Fe, that means it’s JASS Day! Five years ago many wonderful Santa Feans joined my mother, Marg, to organize the first JASS gathering, an important step towards building…

Felicitas and the President

Two events I lived during my childhood marked forever the life project I have forged for myself as a woman human rights defender of indigenous women’s rights. When I was 8 and was beginning my…

Fighting for Abortion Access amid Bans & Gag Rules

In 2019, anti-abortion groups and their political allies have launched of a full-scale war on abortion access and rights. This year alone, nine U.S. states have passed early abortion bans. Among them, Alabama has gone…

The road to self care: My experience in the Serene House

#StrongerMovements The road to get here wasn’t short, but it never is when we want to go far and deep, especially within ourselves. And the ritual begins from the moment in which we connect with…

How I became bold – Meet Marg VeneKlasen

When I first sat down to interview Margaret VeneKlasen, I was very nervous. I wondered whether it was even appropriate to ask this 90-year-old woman with an inspiring legacy this simple question, “Marg, how did…

Women and the Migration Crisis

By Audrey Lopez Valdivia “Asylum was never meant to alleviate all problems — even all serious problems — that people face every day all over the world.” This is what U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions…

Day 3: Power

Written by Laura Carlsen Today we talk about strategies. The day begins with JASS’s presentation on the power framework. What do we know about power? Lisa VeneKlasen, JASS Executive Director, explains that power is…

Day 2: Coming Together

Written by Laura Carlsen Today was a day of coming together—getting to know each other, talking about how to work together in networks and alliances, and there was even an intercontinental virtual meeting with…

Day 1: Ideas with Feet

Written by Laura Carlsen Our Power and Our Protection: Sharing Information and Knowledge on Extractivism, Antigua, Guatemala. May 21-23, 2018 After the hugs – among friends who hadn’t seen each other in ages, among…

Why am I a Feminist?

By Chantrea Koeut-Urgell I have been a feminist since before I even realized or understood what feminism meant—before I even heard what “feminism” was about. I am a proud feminist because I advocate for women’s…

Safe Spaces Across Contexts: Comparing Southern Africa and Corporate America

Written by Veronica Espaillat Gender inequality manifests around the world in vastly different forms because of distinct underlying roots and causes. Take for example the case of the United States versus the Southern African region.…

The Politics of K-Pop

Written by Lina Han Five years ago, I visited Korea as part of a cultural program where I spent several days immersed in a South Korean high school regimen. Classes were heavily lecture-based with minimal…

Standing up when everything is at stake – land, territories & rights

Written by Mikas Matsuzawa With President Donald Trump poised to pull the US out the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, a hard-won global commitment to reduce carbon emissions, many fear the consequences for vulnerable communities and…

Carrying on Maria’s Legacy

We chatted on Facebook the day before Maria Mustika died. We talked about the #DefendHer campaign of JASS (Just Associates), Global Fund for Women and MADRE. Maria volunteered to translate the #DefendHer messages into Indonesian…

Nourishing our movements: Reflections from JASS’ Cross Movement Dialogue

As women, we are always vulnerable to violence but there are shades of violence directed to women who do not conform to the social expectations of what it means to be a good woman: lesbians,…

What Women Crossing the Line Means to Me

Four years ago, a young girl – Januba – from an impoverished family in a village in Tamilnadu, a province in the heart of southern India, finished middle school thanks to the determination and sacrifice…

The Fires We Light

By Maureen Kademaunga The fires we light are not fires to set alight police cars, they are small cooking fires we make in our township backyards to feed the children when there’s no electricity. The fires…

Six Months Without Justice

The skies wept as together we received the month of September in the town of La Esperanza, Honduras. Hundreds of visitors brought with them hearts that beat to the rhythms of their struggles, their love and…

Women Voicing their Demands in Zimbabwe

Ahoy macomrades Ahoy. This was the call to action on June 13 as hundreds of Zimbabweans converged in the nation’s capital at the Harare Magistrates Court to support the release of Pastor Evans Mawarire who…

Fighting for the Right to Lands, Livelihoods and Life

The WoMin–JASS Southern Africa Feminist Movement Builders School (1-10 March) was a meeting like no other: 32 women from seven countries across Africa, representing a diversity of languages, ages, backgrounds and more. The one thing…

Indigenous Woman Activist: “We Need to Unite to Fight for Our Rights”

What drives indigenous Indonesian activist Pipi Supeni to fight for indigenous women’s rights? The prevailing discrimination towards indigenous women is at the top of her list of reasons. Indigenous women and indigenous peoples in general…

Standing Up as a Feminist Activist in Cambodia is not Easy!

Like many women of my generation, when I was younger, I never asked myself why women and girls live under the control of men. Or why women have less value than men in all aspects…

Our Bodies, Our Lives (and ICTs!)

“I now know how to use a tablet which is not a norm in Malawi because [many believe] tablets cannot and should not be used by a local woman like me,” says woman activist leader…

Rebelling for the Right to Education

“When you’re an ‘activist’ you are labelled all sorts of things, [you are seen as someone] who is ‘rebellious’,” says long-time Zimbabwean student rights activist, Evernice Munando. Students across the globe are rising up and…

Bina Masadah: How Indonesian Women Transform Coastal Communities

Written by Noni Tuharea Have you ever heard of Seram Island? It is an island rich in natural resources located north of Ambon Island in Indonesia. Since 2003, Seram Island has been divided into three…

Bina Masadah: Women Farmers Transform Communities in Indonesia

Have you ever heard of Seram Island? It is located north of Ambon Island in Indonesia. Since 2003, Seram Island had been divided into three regencies: Central Maluku with Masohi as its capital, Eastern Seram…

India: Navigating rights offline and online

Everywhere at the Human Rights Council (HRC) the catchphrase on everyone’s tongue is “shrinking spaces for civil society”. But what does it mean, really? How are activists grappling with this “shrinking space” in their work?…

Brazil: Sustainability vs Survival

Everywhere at the Human Rights Council (HRC) the catchphrase on everyone’s tongue is “shrinking spaces for civil society”. But what does it mean, really? How are activists grappling with this “shrinking space” in their work?…

Mongolia: Fighting big business & transnational mining companies

Everywhere at the Human Rights Council (HRC) the catchphrase on everyone’s tongue is “shrinking spaces for civil society”. But what does it mean, really? How are activists grappling with this “shrinking space” in their work?…

Justice Does Not Apply to Indonesian Migrant Women, How Come?

Two Indonesian women on death row in Saudi Arabia, 47-year-old Siti Binti Zaenab and 37-year-old Karni Medi Tarsim were executed recently. In November 1999, Siti Zaenab admitted to stabbing her female employer 18 times because…

LGBTQI and Women’s Groups Cancel IDAHOT Event over Threats

“Your event is against Islam and Indonesia’s constitution. We demand that you cancel the event, if not, we will.” – Anonymous SMS Sender For the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT) celebration on…

Breaking out of the Boxes

By Maggie Hazvinei Mapondera I am a writer, and an avid reader. But I am always left thinking where the stories about me are? When do I ever read a story in which I can see or…

I Write (and Wear) What I Like

Sister ko mabva matakura masofa acho mukati rega ndifambe ndakasenga (Sister, your body looks like you carried the couch with you into town). Hure (prostitute) Eish mukoma vari kunakirwa kumba uku (Eish, your husband/boyfriend should…

African Women Stand up to Big Coal

JASS Southern Africa (JASS SNA) sat down with two activists who are saying “No!” to Big Coal: Nomonde Nkosi, a young feminist activist from rural Mpumalanga, South Africa and Betty Abah a poet-environmentalist from Nigeria.…

We or Them

We stand here right nowWe stand tall and proudWe stand on common ground Because we are not aloneBecause we are oneBecause we are home So don’t lay your head downNowBecause we must fight NowWe must…

Tripping Over Inequality

Kicking off 2015 with an odd bang, the African Union (AU) both commited to an agenda of women’s empowerment and elected 90 year-old Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe as chair – despite international criticism of his…

The Business of Beauty & Body Politics

Marita sits on a stool at her stall in an open market just outside Harare. She is counting brightly-coloured sweets and placing them carefully into a bag. Her neighbour on the right sells packets of…

President Obama: Break Barriers to Post-Rape Care

During 16 Days of Activism on December 9, JASS Crossregional Program Director, Carrie Wilson spoke at a White House Rally on behalf of the International Campaign to Stop Rape and Gender Violence in Conflict—which JASS…

Truth, justice and the feminist way

Ask a roomful of people to stand up if any of them have ever experienced violence personally or know of a woman who has experienced violence. They’ll all stand. Ask this same group if they…

A Young Cambodian Woman’s Dream

Written by Pin Marin I have long dreamed of living in a “prosperous” Cambodia – where everyone contributes to the country’s development, where women and men are active and equal participants, and where we finally…

Climate and Indigenous Peoples: the real dispute at the UN

As a global capital, New York City is accustomed to high-level discussions on earth-shaking issues. But something different is happening. Two events in a single week – the UN Climate Summit and the UN World…

Malawi: How far have women come?

A Look at Positive Women’s Organising in Malawi, 2005 to 2014 It is hard to conceive the magnitude of what Malawian women activist leaders with whom JASS works and the hundreds of women they represent…

Apparently women have achieved equality—who knew?

This. This interview pulled at almost every one of my emotions—laughter, confusion, anger, frustration, and sadness BUT, it missed happiness. Watch the video, but if you can’t now here is a quick synopsis, although I…

Is a Woman’s Place only in the Home?

I got married at the height of the Cambodian peace rallies last year. During this time, the women’s groups in the peace rallies formed a volunteer paramedic team and I immediately joined. But, this decision…

Authentic Movements need Authentic Efforts

In recent weeks, much global activism has focused on action towards justice for the over 200 Nigerian schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram in April this year. Under the broad banner of ‘Bring Back Our Girls’,…

A Week of Reflection & Learning

Surrounded by the tropical warmth and lush vegetation of Nicaragua, the breezes from Lake Managua and the gardens of Cantera refresh us. This historic popular education center created by women is our beautiful home during…

JASS contra la violencia sexual cometida en situaciones de conflicto

From June 10 to 13, the Global Summit on the Eradication of Sexual Violence in Conflict Situations 1 will be held in London, England, co-chaired by the special envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner…

Celebrating Womanhood

When I was 14 years old, I had a male friend – his name is Dede. People said he acted feminine. The boys in school used to make fun of him. A few boys –…

Transforming Women’s Lives in Myanmar

Written by Julie Lun (Caing Ngaih Lwin) “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the whole world,” goes a popular saying honoring women. But why is it that there are so many women today who…

Searching for the ‘A-ha!’ Moments: A Chat with Pat Made

Fungai Machirori, founder of Her Zimbabwe, sat down with fellow feminist journalist, Pat Made at the JASS Southern Africa Strategic Planning & Review to explore the ins and outs of communications for feminist movement building…

Putting Women’s Agenda at the Core of Indonesia’s Legislative Elections

I barely slept on the days following the elections. We in Forum Aktivis Perempuan Muda – Indonesia (FAMM-Indonesia) took part in various work related to the legislative elections of 9 April 2014 mainly to call…

Reflections from an “African Youth”

Where to start? … Over a week ago, I attended a dialogue—The Importance of Youth Leadership in Africa: A Discussion with Young African Leaders, hosted by Congresswoman Karen Bass. Catchy title, but I wish I…

Building from the ‘I’ to the ‘We’

For three days in Johannesburg, JASS has been asking the big questions for feminist movement building and activism in Southern Africa: where, what, who, why and how. It couldn’t come at a more pressing time…

On Women’s Agency & Feminist Alternatives in Southern Africa

I read Ngugi wa Thiongo’s The Trial of Dedani Kimathi years back when I was still in lower secondary school. The character that sticks with me most since that time is the woman political activist…

Trekking the Internet

The first time I got my hand on computer, I wasn’t scared at all. Maybe it’s because as a 16-year-old, I was anxious to try something new. My parents encouraged me into “techie” stuff because…

Seven Striking Things about Zimbabwe’s Stop Rape Now March

Over four hundred women are waiting in front of Harare Town House, a spot that once marked the centre of the city. There are all sorts of women in the crowd—the young and the less…

Ending Rape in Cambodia

Why do men rape women? This is a simple question with a complex answer. My friends, relatives and colleagues – both men and women – often ask this question. Last year, Cambodians were put on…

Jolism, Strike, Score!

The Strange Dynamics of Mixed Gender Spaces I am sitting in a room packed with excited leaders for a leadership forum organised by the Gugulethu Youth Development Forum. It’s blisteringly hot and it makes it…

When reality becomes stranger than fiction, Gumbura gets going!

Rape of women and girls is proving to be a deliberate constant in Zimbabwe. On 3 February the Harare magistrate court concluded an ‘exceptional’ case in which Robert Gumbura, founder and supposed ‘pastor’ of an…

How Indonesian Women Bridge the Digital Divide

IGF is a UN multistakeholder forum to discuss on internet governance. As you may read from its website the event is “to support the United Nations Secretary-General in carrying out the mandate from the World…

Women, Seize the Online Space!

November 20, 2013 — I will be traveling to Bangkok with hesitation. I had an email from Bytes for All, inviting me to represent JASS Southeast Asia about a discussion on the freedom of expression…

Feminist BUZZ: Beyoncé has us asking WHO & WHAT is a feminist?

Beyoncé has the internet abuzz, but this time it’s not just about her music and the groundbreaking launch of her new album—it’s also about whether or not she is a feminist. From academics to culture…

Not another Soldier on our Streets

Mahatma Gandhi used to say, “What is obtained with violence can only be maintained with violence”. It is with violence that the power elite successfully kidnapped democracy in our country. As much as they have…

Thai Activists Stand for Women’s Right to Make Choices

“We can make it happen. People need to break the culture of silence. Women’s experiences on undergoing abortion are real and we only need to communicate these to the world. Art performances and film screenings…

Alquimia: Creating a community of solidarity and common purpose

What a gathering! I just got back from the JASS leadership course in Nicaragua with some 34 women activists from Mesoamerica—that part of the Americas that reaches from Panama all the way up to Mexico…

The Story behind the Vagina Warriors

There’s an act of defiance in going onstage… We are standing in the garden of Katswe Sistahood’s office in Harare. It is 29°C, the sun beats on our foreheads until we’re shiny with sweat and…

Claiming Online Spaces for Urban Poor Women’s Causes

Written by Misty Lorin Online activism is popular in the Philippines because the mainstream media, usually owned by corporations, does not provide enough space for the people’s agenda. Through the internet, the people’s discontent and…

Dancing with Malawian Women

When a woman has been living life like that of ‘[a] rat on a treadmill,’ tired and resigned; in a state of hopelessness, helplessness and despair, on the brink of giving up—it is hard to…

Feminist Social Struggles in a Globalised World: What Malawi’s Women Have to Teach Us

Written by Dr Simukai Chigudu JASS’ work in Malawi has many lessons to teach about activating the energy women have and opening safe spaces for them to interrogate issues of power, organize collectively and demand…

Getting the Facts Straight on Indonesia’s Virginity Tests for Young Women

Just like a saga, the recent media brouhaha on virginity testing for young girls in Indonesia proves that the discourse on this testing is far from over. In 2007, several students of Indramayu got involved…

Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder, But Who Is This Beholder?

I will never forget the day I decided to cut my hair. I remember taking my walk of courage to the beauty salon seven years ago. I walked in and the lady who usually braided…

Why I joined the Million People March against Corruption

When Philippine President Benigno Aquino came into power in 2010, his electoral platform focused on eradicating graft and corruption in government voiced out in his “righteous road” speech. Now, apart from the recent “pork barrel”…

Young Women Size up CEDAW

The young women of Cambodia have come a long way. Almost four years after its groundbreaking formation, the JASS-inspired Cambodian Young Women’s Empowerment Network (CYWEN) is living up to its name – empowering young women…

Waiting for Elections in Zimbabwe

“They’re already neck-and-neck, heading for a run-off!” That’s a running joke on the streets of Harare as we wait for July 31, the day of Zimbabwe’s national elections. Walking through the city’s streets, standing in…

A Walk Down Vilakazi Street

The winter sun bathes the gently curving road, the street, the people, the commuters and the face-brick houses. In that instant, the narrow road we have been walking upon suddenly appears welcoming and prosperous. However,…

Upcoming Zimbabwe Elections, Wiztech, and Feminist Politricks

7 am TALKCITY cyber cafe, Joina City Mall, Harare A long, winding queue has formed from the Julius Nyerere entrance, past the Edgars shop, across Jason Moyo, stopping right at the corner of the main…

The Big “L” Word

“No, I can’t write about myself! What should I write? I am embarrassed!” cried Swita, a 24-year-old activist. Swita works at Yayasan Harapan Ibu (Mother’s Hope Foundation) and organizes women sex workers in Jayapura, Papua…

Breaking Barriers: Writing Herstories from the Heart

“Are writers born or made?” The young women activists of Indonesia have long resolved this classic Jack Kerouac question. The JASS-inspired organization Forum Aktivis Perempuan Muda – Indonesia (FAMM-Indonesia) or Young Indonesian Women Activists’ Forum…

Fanning the Flames of Feminist Activism in Zambia

Sometimes you just don’t know where things will end up. In 2009, JASS held a series of movement building institutes (MBIs) in Southern Africa that were attended by feminist activists in the region. These institutes…

Women’s Bodies as War Booties

Women are wooed. Women are raped. Women are impregnated.Women are abducted. Women are raped. Women become mentally ill.Women are wrongly accused. Women are raped. Women get death threats.Women are raped. Women are raped. Women are…

Remembering Women in Zimbabwe’s Land Reform

A few weeks ago, I attended a discussion on Land Grabbing in Zimbabwe. As a Zimbabwean who grew up on a farm, I assumed I knew everything there was to know about this issue. Yet,…

Now that I´m Sixty-Five…

On January 26, 2013, I turned 65. Instead of getting depressed because I´m now officially a senior citizen or worse still, an “elderly” woman, I decided to celebrate this journey which has been my life by…

Tackling Women’s Stake on the Post-2015 Agenda

“Our lives are not dependent on our governments. Many governments actually fail to do their duty. They just leave the women and the people to struggle alone,” says Dina Lumbantobing of JASS Southeast Asia. In…

Sex Workers’ Rights are Women’s Rights

Written by Wala Nalungwe, a young Zambian feminist activist who is also the Coordinator for the Young Women’s Leadership Academy Project at JASS partner organisation, Youth Vision Zambia. “Would you fight for the rights of…

Now that I´m Sixty-Five: celebrating HERstory

Translated from Spanish by Kiona Medina. On January 26, 2013, I turned 65. Instead of getting depressed because I´m now officially a senior citizen or worse still, an “elderly” woman, I decided to celebrate this…

Marking Women’s Day with a Bang

“I’m willing to join more protest actions and even be detained every week just to get women’s and the people’s message across,” says Abigail Extremadura, a Filipino woman activist who was arrested in a demonstration…

Movement Builders’ Blood, Sweat and Tears

The Philippines has a strong nationalist movement and I grew up in this context. Movements and movement building are not novel concepts for me. The Filipino counterpart of movement is kilusan; I learned this word…

What’s in a Partnership?

“You know how they say it takes a village to raise a child. Well it takes many people to build a movement.” At least that’s what we re-discovered over the three days JASS Southern Africa…

The Fairy Tales Patriarchy Tells Us

I am sitting in a private taxi. Earlier, when I stepped into it, I noticed the cab driver’s gaze run over my body—the kind of look that makes my skin crawl and my fingers dig…

Should We Care about International Women’s Day?

One of my friends posted a question in her Facebook account about why there should be an International Women’s Day (IWD). For her, it is reflecting women’s dualism: women feel oppressed and at the same…

Are we Sweeping Domestic Violence Under the Rug?

By Adelaide Mazwarira As an avid fan of the TV show, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, I couldn’t help but take interest in its latest episode which was receiving a lot of outrage over…

Step by Step: Honduran Feminists March for People’s Sovereignty

When life can only be half-lived, it’s hard to keep hope. When soldiers, churches, governments, death, crime and fear all conspire to choke off life like the heavy blow of the midday sun or a…

Women’s Peace in Liberia

Twenty-six women – Liberian and their visitors – several small children and a few men are pressed into the round, mud-walled hut. The Liberians wear matching bright yellow lapas (cloth wrap) and white T-shirts with…

CYWEN: Shaping the Feminist Movement in Cambodia

In June 2008, JASS widened its movement-building institute in Southeast Asia, in line with its multiregional capacity-building initiative. This initiative, led by Indonesian activists Nani Zulminarni and Dina Lumbantobing, aimed at strengthening women’s leaderships and…

Blaming the Victim Sparks Outrage in Indonesia

“Sometimes it can be intentional. They do it for fun and then the girl alleges that it’s rape. Cases of teenage rape are sometimes the victims’ fault.” – Minister Mendikbud Nuh, Indonesia’s Education Minister…

The Unshakeable Spirit

“For me, cancer is a rite of passage – from darkness to light, from sorrow to joy, from despair to hope, from confusion to enlightenment. Above all, from clinging to self-pride to warming up to…

Still a Long Way to Go for Malaysian Women?

There is no need for a women’s rights movement in Malaysia. This recent pronouncement of Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has earned the ire of feminists and social activists in Malaysia. Ironically, Prime Minister…

Malawi: 10 things we would write about if we had the time

After a whirlwind of activity over roughly 14 days, we leave Malawi bone-tired but also excited about the depth and breadth of JASS’ work, our partnerships with MANERELA+ and women leaders from a wide spectrum…

Marching All the Way to Parliament

It’s hot. 36 degrees. We are not sure the march is going to happen. How can women take to the streets with the sun burning down on their heads? As we arrive at Kamazu Statue, there are not many…

Highlights from the National Women’s Dialogue and More in Malawi

Over two days, more than 140 HIV positive women activists met to celebrate the campaign they built to access to better ARVs and treatment literacy. As a prelude to the Global Race to SAVE Lives…

One Step Forward: Filipino Women Protest against the New Anti-Cybercrime Law

Young women activists are posting their comments on the “freedom wall” during a protest action in Manila. The women’s movement in the Philippines, along with social movements that have been actively campaigning to repeal the new anti-cybercrime…

Caution: Fearless Women Crossing the Line in Malawi

There’s energy in the air—here in Malawi. It crackles and shimmers, builds and builds, until it feels as though we are riding on a tidal wave of collective power, of women who have come from…

Moo-vement building in Malawi

The dusty roads twist and turn. The setting sun signals the end of another day. The roads are chock full of mini busses ferrying weary workers home, street side sellers with tomatoes, ground nuts, sweet…

Where did all the “bad women” go?

Musasa-JASS Wellbeing Circle in Zimbabwe. What makes a “bad woman”? Does she laugh too loudly or speak out of turn, drink too hard or dance all the time, have too much sex or no sex…

Young Zambian Women Tackle Patriarchy, Power & Sex

Patriarchy. Power. Sex. These are the concepts that young women in Zambia are grappling with at the Young Women’s Leadership Camp. Patriarchy – through institutions like the family, tradition and culture, education and the media – controls women’s sexuality as…

Violence, Movement-building & CEDAW

“The Mexican government’s strategy to combat organized crime, should not be at the cost of women’s lives” – On July 16th I had the great honor of sitting next to Margarita Martinez, a spirited human…

Honduras Resists!

when the heart becomes brave . . . every dimension is transformed It is difficult to reconcile bravery and the heart, but it is more challenging to separate this relationship from romantic love and even…

Our Love

I love you not for your skin or how your hair done I love you not for your face or how you dress yourself I…

The Personal is political: Inside out with Malawian feminist Tiwonge Gondwe

Writer, feminist researcher, and market organiser, Dudziro Nhengu (Zimbabwe), interviewed Malawian activist, Tiwonge Gondwe in Istanbul, Turkey (April, 2012). Tiwonge, please tell me about your relationship with JASS? I knew JASS in 2008 in Cape…

The slippery business of gender equality

Last week, in the typical last-minute dash to finalize an excruciatingly detailed, mammoth end-of-grant report for the last 3.5 years, my task was to “churn” a response to this zinger of a donor question: “What…

On Valentine’s Day, chocolate is no substitute for my rights

It was raining this morning when I read the news: my country’s Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) reinstated the 2009 ban on the sale of emergency contraceptive (EC) pills, arguing that EC is “incompatible with…

How Long? – Thoughts on Women and Occupy Wall Street

Translated from Spanish by Emily Goldman A few days ago, Iread the following item on Democracy Now!: “In other news from ‘Occupy,’ activists in New York erected a tent to be used only by…

Women Build their Collective Power by Pen and Paper in Buhera

By Vimbai Njovana The period from the FTX till now has been something of a whirlwind tour for me and an exhausting one too. As I reflect on the skills gained and the time…

What is Theory of Change (TOC) thinking and its added value for social change movements?

Within the past five years “theory of change” has been promoted and popularized by some of the world’s largest charitable foundations as a way for social change organizations to describe and evaluate their work. Look…

My experience at the 6th Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights (APCRSHR) in Indonesia

It was a great opportunity to be part of an Asia Pacific level conference that is so reputable, particularly for my personal development. The experience allowed me to gain new knowledge and was a moment…

Citizen action and the perverse confluence of opposing agendas

When opposing political interests are using the same terms and tactics in diametrically opposed agendas, Lisa Veneklasen asks how we can transform the power of citizen action into sustained change for justice and equality. What…

A Brief Virtual Discussion on “NGO-isation” and its discontents

Hope Chigudu said: NGO-isation? I am not sure that I know what this term means but what I know is that there is a way in which we do things as NGOs that makes some…

How and Where Does Change Happen for Women?

Malawian Activists in workshop The reunion with the women we have been working with in Malawi was emotional. Tiwonge, who has been involved since the beginning in 2007, lifted me up in the air as…

Connect Your Rights!

At APC Women’sNet “Connect Your Rights!” Workshop in Mombasa, Kenya. My mind is literally exploding with concepts and ideas.I’m at the APC Women’sNet “Connect Your Rights!” Workshop in Mombasa. We opened the workshop with a…

Young Timorese Women Clear Up Confusion around LGBTI

How does a woman have sex with another woman? Can a transgender person change both their internal and external sexual organs? Why would a gay person marry someone of the opposite sex and have children…

CYWEN: Raising the Profile of Young Women in Cambodia

I’m in Cambodia this week getting to know the women of the Cambodian Young Women’s Empowerment Network (CYWEN) and their work around equipping young women with the confidence, information and skills needed to increase their…

Building Pathways and Movements: Feminist Tech Exchange

A statement by Feminist Tech Exchange participantsJohannesburg, South Africa – 20th July 2011 From the 18th to the 20th July 2011, the first Southern African Regional Feminist Tech Exchange (FTX) was hosted in Johannesburg, South…

Psst, psst, I slapped a policeman today!

8:00 a.m Zimbabwe time. At Charge Office Flea Market, where we have learnt skills to multiply the dollar for daily survival, there are stacks and stacks of second hand clothes, and unopened bales too. We…

Days of Learning: You think I can’t dance? Watch me!

From 16th – 18th April, I joined over 300 participants from all over Southeast Asia and South Asia and beyond at CREA’s Count Me In! Conference in Kathmandu, Nepal. Count Me In! focuses on marginalized…

Heart-Mind-Body: Creating Organizations with a Soul

The Heart-Mind-Body workshop, held at Chengeta Lodge just outside Harare (April 9 – 10), brought together 26 women, each with diverse experiences, perspectives and survival strategies, all united by a common concern: sustaining the work…

My Body Is Not a Strange Flesh Anymore

My body used to be a strange thing. It’s a fragile yet a sacred monument full of myth, which I found out later is not the truth. In some cases the myth serve as the…

Taking the Power Within and Crossing the Line: Reflections from JASS in Malawi

Hope Chigudu shares reflections about building women’s voice in Malawi and powerful stories of the ways in which grassroots women internalize the power framework and use it to challenge, resist and rebel against various forms…

Wise Advice for Activists from Ugandan Sex Workers

In time for International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, Hope Chigudu shares lessons learned from our sisters – activists, sex workers, feminists in Uganda… They hate writing. They like music, dance and…

I am a Chameleon: Young Feminists in Zimbabwe Carve Out Space for Themselves

Every woman is a chameleon. She changes her color to suit the situation; she adjusts and adapts to face the pressing challenges. She wears a different face but the essence of who she is…

JASS SEA: Strengthening Solidarity and Sisterhood

JASS SEA women from Cambodia, East Timor, Malaysia, Philippines, and Indonesia are in Bandung, Indonesia for a regional political planning focused on strengthening and amplifying the alternative agendas produced by grassroots organizing and young feminist…

The Voice of Indigenous and Rural Women

Last week JASS Mesoamerica and Sinergia No’j hosted over two dozen indigenous, rural women from all over Central America and Mexico for a communications training in Guatemala City. The training focused on the right to…

Live Radio Broadcast from Guatemala: Indigenous Women Exercising Their Right to Communicate

Right now I am privileged to be in Guatemala, as part of a team hosting this fabulous gathering of Indigenous women from all over Mesoamerica. Members of JASS and Sinergia Nój will be sharing our…

A New Global Partnership

JASS Board Member, Maria Victoria Raquiza, of the La Liga Policy Institute in the Philippines delivered these remarks to the High Level Plenary Meeting of the recent UN General Assembly on the Millenium Development Goals’…

Learning to Live Under Dictatorship Without Accepting It

JASS Mesoamerica Team + Feminist in Resistance, Tegucigalpa, Honduras Ever since I can remember, my country has had democratic governments. That is, until now. We have always been told that democracy is the way to…

Through the Looking Glass Latin America

Latin America, Same-Sex Marriage, and Separation of Church and State The recent decision by Mexico’s Supreme Court to uphold a law passed late last year allowing married, same-sex couples in Mexico City to adopt children…

They can cut down flowers… but they CAN’T STOP SPRING FROM COMING!

Since the coup d’etat, Honduras has suffered many blows. The military has maintained its power, in ways both visible and invisible and brought a wave of threats and death into our lives.We live in fear…

Putting gender justice into alternative economic agendas

In 2010, many of us across the JASS community are thinking about how to define and promote economic democracy as a critical element of our gender justice efforts, and any equality effort for that matter.…

How Honduras’s Military Coup Gave Birth to Feminist Resistance

Adelay Carias is a Honduran feminist, researcher and writer, member of Feminists in Resistance and Las Petateras, and a contributor to the Center for International Policy’s Americas Program. I remember the coup d’état as if…

Microbicides – HIV prevention in women’s hands!

Lisa Veneklasen, JASS Executive Director, celebrates the news and congratulates JASS board member, Lori Heise: I wanted to share some great news from our fellow JASS-ist, Lori Heise. As many of you may know,…

Photos from the US Social Forum

JASS’ Maggie Mapondera in action – and some eye-catching images and slogans at the Social Forum. Thanks, Nani, for the photos!

JASS at the US Social Forum

We’re in Detroit where more than 8000 grassroots and union organizers and activists of all stripes are debating, performing, strategizing. It’s an awesome multigenerational, multiracial, multi-everything mix with great vibes, smart politics and incredible T-shirts.…

JASS is like jazz

When I think of JASS, the first thing that comes to mind is jazz music. Travis Jackson describes jazz music as “swinging, improvising, group interaction, developing an ‘individual voice’ and being ‘open’ to different musical…

Fighting for gender justice: Campaigning to end rape in war

“It has probably become more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier in armed conflict.” – Major-General Patrick Cammaert, former commander of UN peacekeeping forces in the eastern Congo Jacqueline Nolley Echegaray reflects on the recent International…

Maria Suárez Toro reports from Haiti: Violence against women and social assessment in the camps in Haiti

by María Suárez Toro, FIRE While I lay in a tent in FIRE´s camp in Haiti, I remember one of the first popular songs that changed social consciousness regarding violence against women, at a time…

If this is not feminism, then what is?

Movement building in Rumphi, Tiwonge Gondwe’s village (Tiwonge has been part of JASS movement building in Southern Africa from 2007) As Sindi and I drove to Tiwonge’s town in Rumphi, northern Malawi, the light was…

So that you know – more from Malawi

At the 11th AWID International Forum on Women’s Rights and Development (November 14, 2008, in Cape Town), Geeta Misra painted the landscape for ‘The Power of Movements’ by suggesting five common elements amongst movements: a…

The Dangers of One Story

The latest dispatch from Hope Chigudu, this time from the North of Malawi, with Sindi Blose It’s difficult to know people till you meet them in their environment. The workshop situation can present what Chimamanda…

Reclaiming Women Space and Voices: Crossing the Line in Zimbabwe

The gathering on the 6th March 2010 was a public one at the National Art Gallery in Harare, Zimbabwe – one of the events taking place this month to commemorate International Women’s Day. The panel…

The Springing Up of Herbs and Passions

This time we moved from the workshop rooms to the communities. We are humbly learning from the experience of the those who live on the margin, from their perspective, from their perseverance, from their assertiveness,…

No longer Invisible

Written by Miles Tanhira, Information & Communications Officer at GALZ, Zimbabwe Therefore i will not keep silent.I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit, i will complain in the bitterness of my soul (JOB 7…

Give Them Wings to Fly: Crossing the Line in Zambia

A dozen young women have converged on the Protea Hotel Cairo Road in Lusaka, as JASS (Just Associates) Southern Africa continues with the process of movement-building in Zambia. This part of the process is Leadership…

GUARDIANS OF HISTORY

By María Suárez Toro, and RIF-Fire Communications CenterFeminist International Camp Translation by Amandla Gigler, Executive Director at CALALA Fondo de Mujeres / Women’s Fund Lise Marie Jean, a feminist leader from SOFA in Haiti, warned…

Feminists in Resistance March in Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Pepe Lobo was inaugurated as the new president of Honduras today. After the inauguration, ousted president Mel Zelaya left Honduras with a “salvo conducto” pass from the new government. Although the Resistance opposed it, the…

NEWS FROM UGANDA

Cabinet debates homosexuality draft law http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/707661 By Barbara Among THE Cabinet has debated the controversial Anti-Homosexuality Bill now before parliament and agreed to amend it. In a heated meeting yesterday, chaired by the second deputy…

Prioritize Aid to Women in Haiti: Open Letter to the Heads of State and to the United Nations

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti on January 12, 2010. Estimates of the death toll currently exceed 200,000, and approximately one million Haitians have been displaced from their homes. As a result of the gender…

A day in the life of a zimbabwean woman

Public taxis are a nightmare, the screaming and rude conductors, the cursing drivers and the vulnerable passengers. Normally I don’t pay particular attention to other passengers in these dilapidated taxis, but what I witnessed today…

Age Matters: A JASS Discussion Paper

How can we truly engage all generations in our movements? We all have something valuable to offer, no matter what our age, and yet the ageism that often blocks us has not been explicitly addressed.…

Reflections on the Asia-Pacific NGO Forum on Beijing+15

by Mikas Matsuzawa Recently, I attended the Beijing+15 Asia Pacific NGO Forum held at the Miriam College here in the Philippines. It was my first time to participate in such an event, and my first…

Give me back my movement!

“We must involve the bosses. We can not move without them. The bosses are our partners. Many of them are just victims of the system too. Most of the employers mean well. All we need…

The Flame that Will Build a Movement

This morning, the women left. We had a great time but also experienced some Oh! moments. A young woman, six months pregnant, fell really sick. The truth is she came to the workshop sick. Most…

Crossing the Line in Malawi

Tonight we decided to chill – candles, blankets, drinks, chips; creating the kind of accommodating and comfortable atmosphere that would allow the us to engage effectively with issues that are regarded as very personal, reflective,…

Malawian women’s stories may surprise you!

Some of us wore expressions of a most unprofessional glee as Victoria, one of the women at the workshop, a teacher by profession, made us smile by sharing a story of how she has been…

I Am My Sister’s Keeper!

Our lives are written on our bodies. Sisters! Women living with HIV who are leaders in the AIDS movement in their communities in Malawi came together for the start of a four-day workshop organized by…

Women’s Human Rights Situation in Honduras following the Coup

We, the Honduran Feminists in Resistance, are convinced that the restitution of democracy to Honduras does not mean only the return to government of President Zelaya – it must also signify respect for the Honduran…

Mobilizing against Homophobic Legislation in Uganda

Uganda’s proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill is generating outrage among African human rights advocates. A strong argument comes from Solome Nakaweesi-Kimbugwe, Executive Director of Akina Mama wa Afrika and author of a chapter in JASS’ collection Women…

Generational dynamics and debates at Beijing +15 Asia Pacific

The opening addresses of the Asia Pacific NGO Forum Beijing +15 emphasized the background of the conference and set the tone for the rest of the forum. The speakers recalled the previous AP NGO forum…

An Ode to an Activist – Keith Goddard

By Millcent Tanhira (GALZ) A small stature, a giant voice, a powerful spiritHow best can I describe you, words fail me.Your wit, intelligence and determinationAmidst all the struggle and condemnationWith the stubbornness of a horse,…

Repression in Honduras

We have been receiving message from Daysi, a young woman who is a feminist in Honduras, writing from the frontlines in Honduras. 22 September, 2009 – Tegucigalpa, Honduras Early this morning, military forces attacked those…

From Sea Change to Rivers of Change: El Salvador

Building personal and collective empowerment for women’s rights and action Building on the JASS’ Mar de Cambios (Sea Change) region-wide gathering in July and the accompanying Wings of the Butterfly-sponsored play, Salvadoran Petateras by September had launched Rios de Cambios (Rivers of Change),…

Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Laureate (1997) Visits Atenco

Furthering our solidarity with the people of Atenco over the past two years, JASS, the Nobel Women’s Initiative, and Mexican allies brought Laureate Jody Williams to San Salvador Atenco on September 8 to support women…

Video from the Observatorio in Honduras

Video of Honduras: Young Feminist in Resistance Speaks Out JASS and allies organized an international delegation to travel to Honduras (August 17-21, 2009) for a week-long womens rights watch. The delegation is conducting a…

Unlearning the ‘truths’

Zimbabwe was hounoured with the presence of Professor Sylvia Rosila Tamale from Uganda. She gave a talk at the Zimbabwe Women’s esource Center Network (ZWRCN). The room was packed to capacity with a mixture of…

Media Ignores Escalating Sexual Aggression Against Honduran Women Protesters

Escalating Sexual Aggression Against Feminist And Women ProtestersAgainst Military Coup In Honduras Ignored By Global & National Media By Margaret Thompson FIRE – Feminist International Radio Endeavour/Radio Internacional Feminista August 17, 2009 – Tegucigalpa, Honduras —…

Feminists in Resistance

It has been an intense couple of days since we arrived in Honduras on Sunday. When I catch the words “I’m tired” coming out of my mouth I stop myself because standing next to my…

International Delegation Amplifies Honduran Women’s Voices

Press Release TEGUCIGALPA – JASS (Just Associates) announced that an international delegation arrived in Honduras Monday for a week-long women’s rights watch. The delegation is conducting a local and virtual Observatorio (Feminist Transformation Watch) from…

Feminism

by Mia Nikasimo (c) Feminism is an activismIn the service of equalRights for all women with-out exception; all of us.Congratulate yourselfWhen you hear echoes ofThe gunshots pow, pow followed by a ring, ring,Hits concrete or…

Rally in Washington DC

Message of Support

From the green hills of Vermont, I send all my solidarity to the companeras and compañeros in Honduras and also to all those right at this minute who are in front of the White House…

Women Mobilize Against Coup in Honduras

July 21, 2009 – In a show of solidarity, women throughout the Americas are mobilizing to pressure the US government and international organizations to take a stronger stand against the June 28 coup in…

Virtual March Tomorrow!

Wednesday July 22, 2009, Special FIRE coverage of the protests in Washington in solidarity with the people of Honduras defending their human rights and institutionality A virtual march at FIRE will accompany the Washington protests…

Rally in front of the White House

Call to Action This Wednesday at 10:00 am, JASS, CODE PINK, Women of Color United, Las Petateras, Feminist International Radio Endeavor, and Foreign Policy in Focus, will hold a RALLY in front of the WHITE HOUSE in solidarity…

We are all the Women of Honduras

JASS and our Mesoamerican allies Las Petateras express our solidarity with all the feminist organizations and social movements of Honduras in condemning and repudiating the coup against democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya. The coup, led…

Our Feminist Ancestors

Last week during the Sea Change Feminist Leadership School, participants created a mural of their “feminist ancestors,” women who have influences their lives as feminists and as women who cross the line. Many people brought…

Mar de Cambios Panama

Here we are in Panama — 33 women from Mexico, Central America and the US sharing and deepening our understanding of power and patriarchy with all the passion and creativity that our collective energy and…

Mar de Cambios

Just a short note from Panama City about Mar de Cambios (July 5-10), where around 40 women from different MesoAmerican countries are discussing about feminism and how the patriarchal power affects ourselves and our society.

Three Seasons in Nairobi

We are almost there, making shape out of the confusion, enduring the pain, but loving each other as sisters, as we build and undo and rebuild, and we start seeing the shape of our Southern…

A View from Fairview

As the 8 women in the planning meeting go to their rooms to retire for the night , I reflect on the day’s proceedings. What have we achieved, what are we going to do, where…

JASS Strategic Planning in Nairobi – Reflections

It has been a long and intense day, emotionally draining – but in the spirit of strategizing for Southern Africa Women’s Movement Building as JMBs, it was well worth it. The honesty that is not…

Reflections from JASS Southern Africa Planning

As I end the day, I would like to share my thoughts on the process on Planning for the Southern African Region.It has been an interesting process to be involved in, its shaping and defining…

JASS’ Role at the NWI’s “Women Redefining Democracy” Conference

JASS was thrilled to play a significant role in conceptualizing, planning, and facilitating the Nobel Women’s Initiative’s international conference entitled Women Redefining Democracy for Peace, Justice and Equality that was held in Antigua, Guatemala from…

Religious Harmony via Feminism in Israel: A Discussion with Ms. Roula Deeb

By Vyjayanthi Vadrevu Carrie, Carmen and I had the privilege of meeting with Ms. Roula Deeb, Director and Co-Founder of the Israeli-based feminist organization Kayan. Prior to Kayan, Ms. Deeb worked at Isha L’Isha- Haifa…

Declaration of the Nobel Women’s Initiative Conference

Declaration of the Nobel Women’s Initiative ConferenceonWomen Redefining Democracy for Peace, Justice and EqualityAntigua, GuatemalaMay 10-12, 2009 [The declaration was drafted by JASS board members: Malena de Montis and Srilatha Batliwala with input from…

Reflections on the NWI Conference and Guatemala Observatorio

After the Nobel Women’s Initiative Conference in Antigua, a group of us – Petateras, JASS, FIRE, and key international allies – conducted an Observatorio and Fact-Finding Mission on the situation of violence against women in…

Participant Profile: Safaa Adam and Redefining Democracy

Video of Participant Profile: Safaa Elagib Adam Safaa Elagib Adam is a bold voice for Darfurian women, working to ensure these vital stakeholders are involved in building peace. Though Darfurian women are at risk of…

End of Day Two of Nobel Women Conference

Video of Jody Williams Closes Day Two

Context: Guatemala

Video of NWI Women Redefining Democracy: Guatemala–A History of Violence and Struggle 36 years of violence and oppression because of the armed conflict in Guatemala left more than 100,000 dead, 50,000 disappeared, 250,000 orphans, more…

End of Day One of Nobel Women Conference

Video of End of Day One Nobel Laureate Mairead Maguire closes day one of the international conference “Women Redefining Democracy.” Participants reflect on the full day of learning and knowledge, and proceed to a lively…

Nobel Laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum Opens Conference on Redefining Democracy

Rigoberta Menchú Tum welcomed participants to the second international conference of the Nobel Women’s Initiative in Antigua, Guatemala on May 10th. She introduced the Vice President of the Republic of Guatemala, who welcomed the women…

JASS at the Nobel Women’s Initiative Conference: Women Redefining Democracy

Video of Getting Ready for the Conference JASS, along with the Nobel Women’s Initiative and the Rigoberta Menchu Tum Foundation, are convening an international conference, “Women Redefining Democracy” from May 10-12th in Antigua, Guatemala. Follow…

Prejudices

I was looking forward to a restful Easter, when on the eve of Good Friday I went into a meeting where I thought I would be in a safe space. This was a feedback meeting…

Guatemalan Lawyer Gladys Monterroso Kidnapped and Tortured

March 25, 2009 – Gladys Monterroso, lawyer, University professor, and Secretary General of the Encuentro por Guatemala party, and wife of Human Rights Ombudsman Sergio Morales, was kidnapped in Guatemala City on Wednesday March 25…

Diversity of Feminisms at the XI Latin American and Carribean Feminist Encuentro

Over a thousand women from all over Latin America and the Carribean have gathered for the XI Feminist Encuentro in Mexico City. The debates have been lively, the ideas and questions brought up in the…

Las Petateras at the Feminist Forum in Mexico City

JASS and Las Petateras are participating actively in the 11th Feminist Forum in Mexico City. The 6th Feminist Transformation Watch began with Radio Petatera, a radio program broadcast on Feminist International Radio Endeavor (FIRE).…

Encuentro Feminista in Mexico City!

JASS and our Mesoamerican allies, Las Petateras, are attending the 11th Feminist Forum in Mexico City. Martha Sanchez, an indigenous leader from Mexico, carried the opening plenary with her outspoken and fiery commentary. The 6th…

International Women’s Day: Still a long way to go!

Not yet Uhuru! March 8 was International Women’s Day. This is a day marked to ‘celebrate women and recognize the great role they play in the world’. Women are not just women they are mothers,…

Reflections – Malawi

I have been reflecting on the circumstances of the women we have been meeting during the Malawi workshops, on how they live and how they cope with the changes in their lives in the context of HIV…

The government war on women’s rights in Nicaragua

Feminists stand up against anti-abortion crusade and Daniel Ortega’s rightward turn On Nov. 25, 2008, police blocked 400 women’s rights activists from marching in Managua’s annual commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of…

Obama

Hey good people I’m in the moon, screaming happy and sobbing because of joy that the has come for change. To you ladies I’m telling you change will come for us women to enjoy and…

Be sporty, healthy and fun feminist!

By Kamilia Manaf, Institut Pelangi Perempuan (Indonesian Youth Lesbian Center) Sport is very helpful for the physical and mental health. Sport can reduce stress, anger and depression. Several people do sport for fun and hobby,…

Fight Homophobia with Politics of Fun not Anger

By Kamilia ManafInstitut Pelangi Perempuan (Indonesian Youth Lesbian Center) At the AWID Feminist Forum held on November 2008 in Cape Town,South Africa, on the fourth day of the conference, I attended aworkshop on homophobia organized…

Connections Across Continents

INDVOLU: A Phoenix Rising from the Ashes Experiences that connect us across continents can take unexpected turns. A community group from South Africa and a theatre troupe from Central America came together this November creating…

World AIDS Day 2008 in Zimbabwe: Why I Will Not Join the Celebration

Why I Will Not Join the Celebration World AIDS Day (WAD) came upon us again on the 1st of December – 2008 marking the 20th such commemoration. Surprisingly we are still doing the same things…

My turning point

Pantsunburma shares her reflections at the JASS Crossregional Dialogue. I could learn experience sharing form difference region. JASS each regional group is come from different continent, background and political situation which make different contacts, approaches…

Back Home in Harare from AWID Forum cape Town

I got home in Harare back from AWID Forum in Cape Town to even more distressing situation with prices of basic commodities beyond skyrocketing, cholera out of control while officialdom claims everything is under control.…

Women Crossing the Line in Cape Town at AWID ’08

JASS had a strong and visible presence at the AWID (Association for Women’s Rights in Development) Forum held in Cape Town, South Africa in November 2008. JASS core team leaders Nani Zulminarni (Indonesia) and Martha…

Pens and Presentations Down

By Keba, South Africa A session that was supposed to be about experiences of hate crimes, and remembering people we have lost at the hand of homophobia ended up into something else. The session started…

Amandla Awethu at AWID!

Written by Amanda Awethu I cannot believe I almost gave up on coming to Cape Town for the 11th AWID Forum. I was on the verge of giving up as I had hassles trying to…

the voice of a grassroots woman

From AWID, I have learnt on how to strengthen women’s organisations and to bring solidality on womens movement in our regions and our countries and documentation is important. To make sure that we are achieving…

Interesting event at AWID Forum in Cape Town

Today i’m very happy because i’m attend one session about dancing the revolution. I am learning about how to make activities to fun. it’s great….that’s inspiring my self to make a good plan activities in…

Young feminist at AWID

As I look forward to the opening of the AWID forum , I am quite excited about the work that the young feminist have planned for the conference.It pleases me to know that space has…

JASS Crossregional Dialogue 2008: Workshop

By Wala The meeting was explosive with different ideas from diverse women across the globe. It was an enriching and eye opening experience. It also challenged me as a woman and as an activist to…

Things Fall Apart

We have a bad cholera outbreak. Everywhere I look, I get worried – anyone, including me, has a high chance of contracting cholera. As if we have not had enough troubles with the political jokers…

Troubling Twists of History in Nicaragua

Since my return from Guatemala, I’ve been trying to keep up with the unfolding political repression in Nicaragua. I admit that it’s impossible for me to watch from a rational distance. It’s very personal for…

Urgent Action in Support of Nicaraguan Feminists

Dear friends, Please read the urgent condemnation letter to register support for the Nicaraguan feminists who’ve been targeted by their government for their support for reproductive rights and criticism of the shrinking democratic space in…

Women’s Voices Strong at the Americas Social Forum in Guatemala

Wow, what a week. It is hard to know where to start and exhaustion is setting in so my thoughts are all over the map. Perhaps I should begin by attempting to share some of…

JASS and Las Petateras at the Americas Social Forum

“Las Petateras,” JASS’s movement building allies in Mesoamerica, convened a press conference this morning to kick-off the activities planned during the Americas Social Forum, as well as to announce the declaration made by the…

Crossing the line at the African Feminist Forum

Commonwealth Munyonyo, Kampala was this year graced with the presence of at least 150 African women feminists who got together to continue with the feminist revolution. Throughout the 4 days women from at least 29…

Thank you to Stephen Lewis

Dear Stephen Lewis, Thank you very much for giving us the opportunity to attend the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. This meaningful experience provided us with the chance to get to know the…

Peace is a mere illusion when rape continues

These remarks were delivered at the Wilton Park Conference: Women targeted or affected by armed conflict: What role for military peacekeepers? on May 27, 2008, by Stephen Lewis*. http://pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/50445 Here is an unassailable truth:…

Political Crises Affect Women and Girls Most

I sit here in Harare agonising, and wishing I had the same courage our Swazi sisters have. The fear is just paralysing!! NGOs Ban, Political Crisis Stall ‘Basket Fund’ Saturday, 06 September 2008 THE political…

Go! Go! Swazi Sisters!

Mbabane More than 1 500 mostly HIV-positive women staged an unprecedented protest in Swaziland on Thursday against a foreign shopping tour by eight of the ruling monarch’s 13 wives, in a country ravaged by Aids.Dressed…

Julian’s Blog

By Julian, Age 11 This AIDS conference has been full of knowledge. It wasn’t just about HIV/AIDS. It was about learning and gathering and sharing information and opinions among people with HIV and without HIV. I…

Criminalisation at the IAC2008 Mexico City

In the final plenary session in Mexico City on Friday morning, Justice Edwin Cameron gave, as part of his address, ten reasons why criminal laws and criminal prosecutions make bad policy in the response to…

What a Week in Mexico City!!!

The AIDS conference ended today. It has been an eventful week. I did not get to contribute to JASS blog as I tried to cram in as much of conference program as possible. There has…

Bittersweet goodbye to Mexico City

Mexico City: August 7th, our last day together, was another action-packed 10 hours of motion as we tried to make the most of the conference and being together. A discussion about the complex world of…

The day I crossed the line

Tuesday at the IAC was an action packed day for me. I got to speak in front of a lot of people which was a new experience for me and it definitely made me feel…

From the Global Village and Opening Ceremony, AIDS 2008

I’m sharing this space with my friend and sister activist, Sindi Blose, from Treatment Action Campaign in South Africa. She won’t mention the fact that she did an extraordinary job of rocking the Global Village this…

Arrival in Mexico City

By Ana Luisa We all made it to Mexico City last night, many exhausted from the grueling cross-Atlantic journey, but happy to see each other and excited for the upcoming week of events around AIDS…

Welcome!

Welcome to the new JASS Blog! We will be reporting on our trip to the International Conference on AIDS (ICA) in Mexico City this August! Check back soon for videos, photos, and posts from the…

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