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REPORT OF 8TH
MARCH
from Kaabong's Women's Group Organisation
KWGO
was blessed to have an audience to explain the Global Women’s
Strike. Sylvia Awori first recognised the presence of the
district leaders like the Guest of Honour who was the L.C. 5 of
Kotido district.
She
praised the local government for the moral support they always
rendered to KWGO and also praised the lively members of Kaabong
Women’s Group Organisation (KWGO). She further applauded the
efforts of other women’s groups that joined KWGO in the Global
Women’s Strike.
Above
all, she applauded the efforts of Grace Loumo and the Global
Women’s Strike International coordinating office in London through
whose wise and large well-planned efforts, there has been the
extension of better services to the whole of Kotido district.
During her efforts to make KWGO grow, in the year 2000, Loumo was
able to represent Karamoja in the UN women’s conference Beijing +5
in New York, where she was invited and given all the hospitality,
travel fares and accommodation by Women in Dialogue - London.
This was a big advancement to the women of Karamoja.
Sylvia further invited Grace Loumo to explain more about the need
of the strike.
“Today is the 6th Global Women’s Strike on 8th
March 2005,” Grace said. “Women in over 60 countries have taken
all kinds of rural actions to demand together for an End to
Poverty and Wars, with a call to INVEST
IN CARING NOT KILLING.”
The Strike event always brings
together all women and men who support the Strike, as you can see
them now amongst us. We also have the support and participation of
men internationally which is coordinated by PAYDAY. This is
a network of men who have supported the women’s Strike actions and
have also organised with women and men barring the military from
killing. The Strike has grown stronger in these five years,
especially in Kotido and other Uganda counties.
We have quite a number of women among
us here whose work in their homes can now be noticed by their
spouses. We have even won free medical services and access to
clean water from boreholes just to mention but a few gains though
some women still have to walk miles in search of unclean water.
Demands of the Strike: (KWGO)
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End
war and poverty.
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Food
security for all.
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Remove all guns from Karamoja for the safety of the women’s
children.
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Accessible clean water, health care, housing, transport, literacy,
among others.
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Stop
discriminating against women because we are women.
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There
is need for affirmative action.
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Women
united against domestic violence.
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Invest in caring not killing. |
