Ahmedabad Women's Action Group (AWAG) Started working in January 1981 as a branch of Foundation for Public Interest. It has been the group's endeavor to establish women's equality in all walks of life and thus ensure their equal participation i n the development of the country. The group aims to raise women's image i n society by protesting elements which demean the image of women.

 

AWAG undertakes a number of awareness building activities such as: doing projects and studies related to the well being, security and education of women; putting up exhibitions, organising meetings and seminars; organising marches and protests against violence against women; participating in meetings and seminars that other groups organise, both in and outside the Gujarat region; contributing to dailies and weeklies; participating in television discussions; running a counselling centre and assisting women in taking legal action.

 

AWAG runs a counseling center for women centered counseling problems on marital discord, family disputes and other related matters. The center also organizes classes on family life education in schools, colleges and women's groups. It also serves as a field work placement center for training studies.

 

 

The ZWRCN is a newly established nongovernmental organization (NGO) which has as its main objective the enhancement of the position of women i n Zimbabwean society. It is a resource centre and a network with  documents and information on Women in Development (WID). The Centre functions as a library where documents and information on gender issues are systematically organized for a wide variety of users. The Network links people active in the women and development field, with a view to eliminating duplication of efforts.

 

The ZWRCN collects documents, data, reports and information on women in development issues from various (non)-governmental organizations on a regular basis, and makes this available to users in the Centre. It produces fact sheets with interesting data for NGOs. women's organizations, ministries, donors and other groups to use.

 

The ZWRCN repackages and translates information for the use of grassroots women. The organization also maintains and continuously updates a data base on organizations and people working i n the WID field and ongoing WID research. It facilitates debates and provides a platform to discuss current WID issues i n Zimbabwe with policy makers and beneficiaries.

 

 

Women for Women Political Prisoners is made up of women volunteers who work with the objective of protecting the human rights of women who are detained in prisons In Israel because of their struggle against the occupation, and of bringing the methods of interrogation and the torture going on in the Shin-Bet wing, to the attention of the public. WOFPP-Jerusalem members are active In the following activities:

 

• Finding out the identity of the prisoners (especially at the Russian Compound), and giving them some basic aid;

• Hiring a lawyer on behalf of the organization, to monitor conditions of imprisonment, to protect detainees from harassment in the detention center, and to ensure that they get medical and other aid;

• Providing clothing necessities, newspapers, and food through the prison canteen;

• Appealing to public opinion and to public bodies In Israel and abroad In cases of gross human rights violations, torture, sexual humiliation, and collective punishment;

• Maintaining contact with the prisoners' families and lawyers;

• Visiting released prisoners to obtain first-hand testimony about prison conditions and their treatment in prison;

• Being present at court sessions.

 

 

Wo Men Zhi Jian. the first lesbian group In Taiwan, was formed on February 23, 1990. Its name was taken from the French film, "Entre Nous," a film about lesbians.

 

As its first task, the founders started networking and letting other lesbians know about the group. It has also published friendly articles in the local press. In January, barely a year after It was formed.the group published. Its first newsletter and currently has more than 100 women on Its mailing list.

 

Its current goals are:

• primarily to serve as a support group for lesbians and to provide a place for lesbians to meet, talk and socialize with other lesbians.

• to provide a forum for cultural activities which include reading and discussing books, watching films, and discussing lesbian Identity.

• In the future, to pursue more public goals such as equal rights and treatment in the political process, the law, the workplace, marriage and mass media.

 

Wo Men Zhi Jian is only two years old, but its existence in a country where the feminist movement Is still in Its inception stage is In Itself remarkable.

 

SOLWODI (Solidarity with Women in Distress), Is an information center that helps foreign women who encounter problems with the German language and culture, with their residence permits, with the law for foreigners, with partnerships and matrimony.

 

One example is the case of Linda who comes from a formerly Communist Eastern country. SOLWODI took up Linda's case and helped her through the intricacies of the German legal system. They discovered that Linda's husband had brought other women to Germany, employing them Illegally and without pay. SOLWODI had inadvertently uncovered a dealer in women.

 

This is just one of many cases that SOLWODI takes on. They provide support and assistance to women who are often outside the boundaries of the law and because of their Illegal status have little chance of fighting their case in court alone.

 

 

PO Box 3741

6500 Mainz

Germany

Tel 06131122 22 24 (Mainz)

Tel 06741/2232 (Boppard)

Tel 0228/108248 (SKF/Bonn)

Catholic Parish Makupa

P.O. Box 86823

Mombasa, Kenya

 

The Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW) (Japan)