NAMIBIA rose with the creation of their original OBR
Namibia song and OBR poster creating events. They also
held numerous OBR community meetings with women in
churches, and with church leaders on VAW issues.
MALAWI held OBR awareness raising campaigns
through sustained and numerous advocacy meetings with
authorities, senior chiefs, group village headmen, members
of parliament, health officers, police officers, teachers
and community members on a wide range of VAW issues,
including roots of violence, violence prevention, and rights of
women and girls.
KENYA rose with a political and artistic event that was
supported by women representatives, who all committed
to push through the issues of gender based violence in
parliament.
GHANA An event which included a workshop and panel/
community discussion on VAW, abuse, killings, war and slavery
was one of the highlights of the Ghana Rising – in their first
year of OBR!
CONGO had major rising events this year, beginning with
the training and rising of youth and V-girls at City of Joy, which
created the youth rising and core group of OBR and V-Day
Youth Rising Congo. On February 14th, people from all walks
of society attended a major Rising with the theme “No to the
exploitation of women”, focusing on social, political, economic
and sexual exploitation. In March the risings continued with a
3-day agricultural exhibition in Bukavu gathering rural women and
farmers to exhibit what they produced and to think of better ways
to make farm activities more profitable.
In SWAZILAND, a women’s revolutionary march was one of
the highlights of the rising – with members of civil society groups,
along with men, women and youth from urban and rural areas. The
revolutionary march was an artistic protest as women danced in
their traditional regalia reciting traditional songs – which quickly
turned into revolutionary chanting and rising.
swaziland