Launched in Kampala, Uganda, 2000
What is Amanitare
 A partnership of African women’s voice,
articulating the importance of women’s rights
to sexual and reproductive health at regional
level.
 A coalition of existing groups active in the
field of sexual and reproductive health,
gender equity and women rights at national
level.
Mission Statement
 Amanitare aspires to create a working
partnership of African activists, women’s
groups and networks around the
fundamental rights of women to sexual and
reproductive health, autonomy in sexual and
reproductive decisions, the right to bodily
integrity and freedom from coercion and
violence.
Mission Statement
 To create a platform for dialogue and
consensus building, information exchange,
skills training to coordinate advocacy at
policy level and to build support among
various popular constituencies towards
social transformation.
Amanitare’s uniqueness
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Positions the issue of SRHR and choice as a
central development challenge
Links the agendas of key regional structures
using national, regional and international
levels to prioritise SRHR issues
Builds feminist leadership on the continent,
particularly amongst young women to
articulate/shape the SRHR agenda and
women rights on the continent.
Amanitare’s uniqueness
 Challenges cultural and societal constructions
heavily enmeshed within the African societal
fabric.
 A network strongly believing in the
importance of its core principles and values.
 Working together to bring about the
necessary pressure on governments to adopt
this agenda.
Amanitare’s uniqueness
 A framework that supports SRHR activists to
make inter linkages
 Locates politics of the body central to the
political and development centre stage
 Explicit focus on issues of sex, sexuality,
reproduction and women’s autonomy
Key Focus Areas & strategies
 Three thematic focus areas:
 Violence against women and
girls
 HIV/AIDS
 Sexuality
The EC/ ON Amanitare project
 March 2010 – February 2013
 Project titled ‘Accelerating the right to sexual and
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reproductive health services for women and girls
Project being implemented in 6 countries
Mozambique – Forum Mulher
Nigeria – Girl Power Initiative
South Africa – Masimanyane
Uganda – MEMPROW
Zambia – WLSA Zambia
Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe Women Resource Centre &
Network (ZWRCN)
The EC/ON Amanitare Project
Overall Impact
Improved sexual and reproductive health
status of women and girls in Zimbabwe,
Zambia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Uganda and
South Africa
Immediate results:
 Strengthened capacity by civil society to
advocate for improved access to SRHR
knowledge, information, education and services
in respective countries.
 SRHR-based women’s movement strengthened
in the region
 Enhanced implementation by governments of their
national, regional and international commitments
to realise their obligations to women and girls in
relation to SRHR issues.
Achievements
 At inception phase, situational analysis
conducted focussing on:
 institutional capacity of each lead CSO
 the socio-political and economic context
within the respective country and
 an exploration of the national interpretations
of the components within the project.
Achievements
 Appointment of Country Coordinators in
the lead CSOs
 Establishment of 6 coalitions in the
respective countries with grass root
structures.
 Organizations identified on expertise in SRHR
(policy, research, advocacy, media, etc)
Achievements
 4 regional workshops conducted to strengthen
project management aspects amongst 6 CSOs
 3 regional workshops (Multi Generational
Schools on Sexuality, VAW, HIV and AIDS
 Feminism and SRHR over arching theme
 12 national workshops (coalition level)
 HeRWAI
 BMETA
Overall Achievements
 6 country coalitions are in place (functionality
varied)
 Information base on the status of SRHR policies
developed at regional and national level
 Capacity has been built in policy and budget
analysis
 Ongoing capacity building
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SRHR
Feminism
Advocacy & campaign strategy development
Project and financial management
Country Policy Focus:
Problem Tree
 Adolescent Sexual & Reproductive Health
 Mocambique, Nigeria and Uganda
 Contraceptive Access (CPR)
 Zambia
 Links between HIV and AIDS and VAW
 Access to information & services for sexual assault
survivors
 South Africa
 Maternal Mortality
 Zimbabwe
Cross Cutting Challenges
• Inadequate budget for ¼ coalition meetings
 Intense pace of project
 impact and compliance compromised
• Project demand exceeds capacity
 Competing priorities: CSO work vs ASRN Campaign
• Inflexibility of budgets
 Illogical sequencing of activities (Project Plan)
• Sustainable & effective participation of coalition
members
Challenges
 Financial expectations by coalition members
 Language : All communication and capacity
building conducted in Portuguese
 Human resource capacity constraints at secretariat
and country level
 Religious diversity in some coalitions – not sharing
same values
Ongoing Outputs
 National campaign and advocacy tactics
developed and strengthened
 Local capacity building: CBOs/Networks
 information provision
 social mobilization
 National Campaigns Launch: March 2012
 Regional Campaign: March 2012
Lessons learnt
 Project requires more resources and
capacity than what was envisaged
 Organizational and contextual variables
have a bearing on the project’s success and
impact
 Countries are at different levels