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…
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Empowerment
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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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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?…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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”…
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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,…
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“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…
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“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…
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“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…
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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…
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“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…
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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…
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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…
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“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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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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),…
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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…
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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…
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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.
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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