Economic Empowerment
Source: Namibia Economist
Casting its social net across rural women, the Ambassador of Spain, Her Excellency, Carmen Díez Orejas, visited the Okahandja Town Council earlier this week to obtain first-hand information on the polices and measures employed by the town council to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women.
Me Diez Orejas met the Okahandja Mayor, Cllr Dawid Uri-Khob, and together they visited some of the community projects supported by the Town Council.
These organisations range from the more formalised Women Empowerment For Action to the very informal Ileni Tulikwafeni, founded by the people and for the people of the Vyfrand Camp, a notorious squatter camp sprawling just outside the town. The ambassador also visited the Enongelo Community Center dedicated to the youth.
The Spanish Cooperation, through the NEPAD/Spanish Fund for African Women Empowerment, is financing a project to empower women and to boost economic development. This project is being implemented by Gender Links, in 40 local councils in 6 Namibian regions.
Spain's funding intends to increase the number of women in decision making positions at local level. At a further level it promotes changes in the mentalities and attitudes of local government with regard to the role of women. The ultimate aim is to increase the number of female politicians and gender sensitive laws and budgets.