Launch of the directory of pro-women organisations in Chiapas, México

It is with great pride that the Lilla: International Women’s Network announces the publication of Las Luchas por los Derechos de las Mujeres en Chiapas: Un Directorio de Organizaciones Sociales que Trabajan a Favor de las Chiapanecas (soon to be published in English as The Struggles for Women’s Rights in Chiapas: A Directory of Social Organisations Supporting Chiapas Women). This directory is the result of close to ten months of research and preproduction work, and is introduced with a text by Mercedes Olivera B. of the Centre for Higher Studies of Mexico and Central America (Centro de Estudios Superiores de México y Centroamérica, CESMECA) and the Chiapas Centre for Women’s Rights (Centro de Derechos de la Mujer de Chiapas, CDMCH).

The publication presents the contact details of 62 civil society organisations that operate in Chiapas, Mexico, to improve the lives of Chiapas women, together with descriptions of the work and projects of each organisation. The groups included work on a wide range of issues, such as agroecology, craftwork, popular education and communication, human rights, women’s rights, indigenous rights, sexual and reproductive rights, many forms of development, interreligious dialogue, social business, feminisms, homophobia, youth, natural resource management, nonviolence, prisoners, radio, recovery of indigenous traditions, civil resistance, migrant workers and violence expressed in many forms (to name just a few).

The launch of the directory will take place on Wednesday 29 July at midday, in Café Museo Café in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas. The Café is located in the street María Adelina Flores 10, in the Historical Centre. For those organisations who handed in their completed questionnaire, we will make a printed copy of the directory available to them at the launch or via other means, as necessary. For other interested people or organisations, an electronic version of the directory is available for free download at the following links:

• The directory’s cover.
• The complete directory in black and white.
• The complete directory in colour.

This publicaction has been designed for wide distribution, so we appreciate it if you share the news of the directory with your contacts. The reproduction of any information in this directory is permitted as long as the source is recognised. In the coming weeks the English translation of the directory will be made available for download on this webpage. We hope this publication is of use to organisations both within and outside of Chiapas, particularly for women’s organisations but also those which deal with other issues — local organisations will have a means of contacting each other to strengthen their networks and struggles, while non-Chiapas organisations will be able to use the directory to provide an overview of the situation of women and pro-women’s organisations operating in Chiapas. We appreciate your comments on this publication (which can be sent to info@lilla.org.au).

International Women’s Day 2009: Calling all creative women

Calling all women who are aspiring community leaders, practising artists, activists, creative types and trouble makers with a passion for social justice!

Lilla is running a weekend creativity workshop for women coinciding with International Women’s Day in March 2009. This workshop will bring together a group of practising and emerging musicians, artists, writers and other creative storytellers to explore the connections between social justice and creative expression. The range of creative works initiated at this event will be developed over a few months culminating in an exhibition later in the year. Currently we are seeking participants and creative mentors to be part of the workshop. Please email info@lilla.org.au for more information