Versión para impresiónEnviar a un amigo

Chinyere Elendu--of the Nigerian Concerned Group for Environment, Population, and Development--offers some encouraging feedback of the effects New Tactics has had on his work.

He writes, "My participation at the [2004 New Tactics International] Symposium in Ankara, Turkey marked a turnaround in my approach and methods to issues concerning women's human rights. With the support from the Center for Victims of Torture though the micro grant, the organization I worked for...was able to carry out an interactive session to the benefit of other organizations in our region."

This session focused largely on the issues of wife beating and widowhood practices. In the folk tradition of the Igbo people of Nigeria, it is believed that no man dies naturally--hence a widow automatically becomes suspect. Such women are often subjected to humiliating and offensive practices in order to prove their innocence. In addition to this, society often categorizes women with children; since children are chastized and women are viewed similarly, such a categorization many times brings about wife-beating.

"Through the use of tactical mapping," Chinyere goes on to write, "we have found out that the underlying factor to these abuses of women's rights--especially wife-beating, is the inability of the woman to be economically independent. To this end, the need to provide micro credit to women arose."

To rectify this problem, Chinyere facilitated the formation of 33 women groups and sought funds to provide soft loans to them for various economic activities.

He concludes about the New Tactics grant he received to fund his efforts: "My biggest success and joy for having received the partnership grant is the opportunity to share this information with other member organizations and see the positive transformation in the lives of the women in the micro-credit scheme. These groups would not have existed if their need was not identified through tactical mapping."