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| Full Workshop Report |
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During a site visit to Somaliland in 2001, BWHAFS Development Director, Shamis Dirir, met with 34 local women's organisations as part of a needs assessment study. After a brief meeting with group leaders, it was discovered that many were interested in bettering their management skills by understanding the concepts of leadership, decision-making and networking. These became the topics of a series of workshops, held at the Barako Family Health and Education Centre in Burco. Other workshops focussed on health education and other topics intended to bolster the rehabilitation of family life. Women from most of the community organisations in the Togdheer region attended these workshops, as well as Ministry of Health staff and local people.
Image: Shamis Dirir - Development Director
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The workshops included dissemination of material, as well as individual and team-building exercises. The workshops provided numerous spontaneous opportunities for team-building, as conflicts arose over the course of the sessions. These problems were handled by both facilitators and participants in a manner that was sensitive and supportive. Overall, the outcome of the workshops was extremely positive and was considered to be a step towards stronger capacity building by all involved. BWHAFS and Barako Family Health and Education Centre hope to conduct similar workshops, based on ideas generated by the participants in these workshops.
Workshops were conducted in Somali and have been translated here in English. A full printed report of all the workshops is available from BWHAFS, for £1.50.
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HEALTH EDUCATION AND FAMILY LIFE WORKSHOPS |
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The collapse of the state of Somalia extended beyond the disintegration of the government to affect the very fabric of the Somali family. Political unrest and civil war dangerously destabilized the nation economically and socially, and all but destroyed state institutions, leaving the local community to cope with a situation in basic services were lacking, displacement nearly universal and suffering acute. The impact of these events on family life has been extremely traumatic.
The establishment of the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland, and the ensuing peace and stability, means that programmes aimed at the rehabilitation of normal family life can now be instituted. This report documents the first workshops of this type, organised and facilitated by Barako Family Health and Education Centre and BWHAFS.
The workshops emphasised, among other issues;
- The importance of a healthy diet
- Problems involved in early and forced marriage
- The importance of ante- and post-natal care
- The dangers of the HIV/AIDs epidemic
- The harmful effects of FGM
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KEY ISSUES AND CONTRIBUTIONS |
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1. The first two days of the workshop began by discussing the topics of healthy food and diet. Facilitators explained how the family receives vitamins, minerals and protein from their food, and the value of particular foods in staying healthy. The workshop also talked about the basic food groups, problems caused by eating too much salt, sugar and fat and the importance of fibre in the diet.
2. Early marriage was the second key issue approached in the workshops. Facilitators described the problems brought about because of early and forced marriages and defined what is meant by the term 'underage'. Women shared their experiences, and facilitators advocated for the elimination of these practices, as well as for the education of young girls.
3. A third topic discussed was the ante-natal clinic. Facilitators talked about what a trip to the ante-natal clinic involves, including the services available. Menstruation and FGM were also brought up and discussed. The devastating epidemic of HIV/AIDS in Africa was the last topic discussed.
4. On the third day, participants filled out an evaluation in the form of a questionnaire, as well as participated in a group discussion that divided the fifteen participants into three groups, each group discussing at length one of the workshop's topics. The intention of these smaller focus groups was to result in contributions and recommendations.
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CONTRIBUTIONS |
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Participants actively participated in group discussions by asking questions, sharing experiences and making comments. Most notably, participants shared their own experiences with early and forced marriage, as well as pregnancy. Additionally, women were very much interested in the topic of HIV/AIDS, which was a new subject for most participants.
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The following case studies were taken from such discussions:
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CASE 1
An under-aged girl was given to an elderly friend of her father's for the purposes of marriage and soon after, she became pregnant. Her husband went to Europe while she remained in Somalia, where she gave birth to the child. She had undergone the Pharonic (link) form of FGM, and she reported that childbirth was extremely difficult and painful. The girl asked for, and was granted, a divorce.
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CASE 2
A young girl, was compelled by force to marry her father's employer, so that her father could gain financially. Distraught by the arrangement, she sought the advice of her female friends and, with their encouragement, she decided to flee from her husband's house. Her father learned about her plan and decided to hold her captive in his own home, as a sexual slave. The girl contacted the police and reported her father's intended illicit behaviour and as a consequence, he was arrested.
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CASE 3
An under-aged girl was married to an elderly friend of her father against her consent. Her so-called husband was a sailor working in the UK, and had been stationed in Somalia for only a few short days when the marriage took place. The evening of their marriage he raped the girl against her will and returned to the UK the following day. Shortly thereafter, she found out she was pregnant. Thankfully, the girl's family realised the trauma they had inadvertently put their daughter through and supported her through her pregnancy. The birth was abnormal and difficult because she was not yet physically mature. After such a traumatic experience, the girl requested, and was granted, a divorce.
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RECOMMENDATIONS |
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Recommendations made on the third day of the workshop included the following:
- To improve one's own, and one's family's diet by replacing costly meats and canned food products with locally grown vegetables
- To encourage the establishment of ante-natal clinics in the area, by recognising the need for such services
- To encourage the establishment of specialised HIV/AIDS clinics
- To disseminate information about HIV and AIDS to the community through public education campaigns
- To encourage elder women and mothers to share their experiences honestly with younger girls
- To attempt to eradicate the custom of forced marriage and reduce the practice of early marriage
- To campaign for the total eradication of FGM
The recommendations resulting from this workshop may seem rather weak and elementary; however, if we respect that the eradication of timeless traditions such as FGM or forced marriage requires first a dramatic change in attitude long before an effect on behaviour is seen, and it is understood that progress is a slow and somewhat arduous process, these recommendations put forward by local Somali women can be seen as truly radical and transformative. Through education and sharing experiences, Somali women may be empowered to bring about positive change.
For information about the leadership, communication and networking workshops, contact BWHAFS for a copy of the printed booklet.
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