Casa de Apoyo a la Mujer

Celine spent time at the Casa de Apoyo a al Mujer which translates as support house for women. The ‘Casa’ works mainly in 2 areas: health, which involves consultations by a doctor and sexual health promotion in communities; and support for women’s groups in communities such as micro-credit projects and a community garden.

Lilla Network announces English-language publication of Chiapas pro-women directory

The Lilla: International Women’s Network is proud to announce the English-language publication of its directory of pro-women organisations operating in Chiapas, Mexico. Entitled The Struggles for Women’s Rights in Chiapas: A Directory of Social Organisations Supporting Chiapas Women, it is the translation of the original Spanish work, Las Luchas por los Derechos de las Mujeres en Chiapas: Un Directorio de Organizaciones Sociales que Trabajan a Favor de las Chiapanecas. The English publication brings an end to a 12-month project, 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 English edition of the directory can be downloaded at the following links:

• The complete publication (also here from this external link).
• The complete publication (as a .zip file from an external link).
• The prologue, hints and tips, and research methodology.
• The introduction by Mercedes Olivera B.
• Two maps of Chiapas plus the location index, listing the areas of operation of the organisations registered in the directory.
• The directory of organisations (also here from this external link).
• The index, including names and abbreviations of civil society organisations mentioned in the directory (in both English and Spanish), as well as the issues dealt with by the organisations and the populations they work with.
• The appendices, which include the EZLN’s Women’s Revolutionary Law, the Political Pact: Non-Governmental Organisations, Collectives, Social Organisations and Institutions of Chiapas, Free of Violence Against Women, and the questionnaires used to collect the information which appears in this publication.

In addition, a revised edition of the original Spanish publication has been finalised. Both editions are available for download here: http://lilla.org.au/directory-chiapas.

We appreciate your comments on this publication, which can be sent to info@lilla.org.au.

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).

DEADLINE EXTENDED: Directory of pro-woman organisations in Chiapas, Mexico

Firstly, we’d like to thank the organisations who have already submitted their questionnaires. We are happy to have their participation in our directory of organisations which work to benefit the women of Chiapas.

For those organisations who wish to participate but haven’t been able to submit their completed questionnaire, the due date has been extended.

The new deadline is Wednesday 15 April 2009.

We believe that the directory offers a resources for the women of Chiapas, the grassroots organisations operating in the state, and other organisations at a national and international level. The more organisations participate, the richer the resource. Your valuable participation will increase the usefulness of this directory, and we hope you will choose to be part of the project. We also take this opportunity to remind you that each organisation which shares its contact details and information will receive a copy of the printed directory (in Spanish).

We’re republishing the translation of the Spanish-language questionnaire, designed to be accessible to indigenous, campesino and community groups. It includes instructions on completing and submitting the document, a publishing authorisation and the questionnaire itself.

To download the version designed to complete electronically and submit via email (Word file, 6 pages), click here.

To download the version designed to be filled in by hand and posted or hand delivered (PDF file, 9 pages), click here.

If you have any questions on the questionnaire’s format or the means of submitting the completed questionnaire, contact the directory coordinator, Jodie Lea Martire, via the contact form.

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

Volunteer Opportunity – Graphic Designer needed

The Lilla Women’s Network at ERC is looking for a graphic designer to assist with the layout of a directory we are compiling, of women’s NGOs in Chiapas, Mexico. This work is essential in its support of grassroots organisations in terms both of safety, and networking. It would most likely be a few days worth of work. Spanish language skills would be a bonus, but are not essential. Please contact marthese@lilla.org.au.

Applications for second round of Mexico internships now open

The Lilla Women’s Network at ERC have decided to open up our Mexico internship program for a second round, and as such we are looking for Spanish speaking women available from June 28^th for a three month internship program. This program will be supported both in country and from Sydney, and will involve working in a grass roots organisation in pursuit of social justice for women. Please contact marthese@lilla.org.au for more information.

Directory of pro-woman organisations in Chiapas, Mexico: Questionnaire

As part of our project to compile a directory of pro-women’s organisations operating in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, the Lilla Network presents the questionnaire which will need to be filled in by the organisations which wish to participate.

This document is a faithful translation of the Spanish-language document, designed to be accessible to indigenous, campesino and community groups. It includes instructions, a publishing authorisation and the questionnaire itself.

To download the version designed to complete electronically and submit via email (Word file, 6 pages), click here.

To download the version designed to be filled in by hand and posted or hand delivered (PDF file, 9 pages), click here.

The deadline to hand in the completed questionnaire is Sunday 15 March, 2009.

If you have any questions on the questionnaire’s format or the means of submitting the completed questionnaire, contact the directory coordinator, Jodie Lea Martire, via the contact form.

New Lilla Network project in Chiapas, Mexico

The Lilla: International Women’s Network has launched a new pilot project in the Mexican state of Chiapas. The Network hopes to extend its international network to the grassroots movements and social organisations which conduct work in favour of the women of Chiapas, thus permitting connections with Lilla’s contacts in Australia and India.

To begin our work in Chiapas, the Lilla Network is initiating two projects. The first is to connect Australian women to organisations in Chiapas working at the grass roots in  pursuit of social justice for women. This will take the form of a three-month internship during the first months of 2009, with the possibility of opening a second round of internships later on in the year. Both the organisations and the interns will be supported by a coordinator, who will be based in Chiapas for the duration of the internship.

The second project will be the research and compilation of a directory of organisations located in Chiapas which work in favour of women’s rights. The objective of the directory is to offer a resource to the organisations of Chiapas and other national and internatioal organisations which are interested in the struggle for women’s rights in the south of Mexico. We plan to include the largest possible number of organisations, including feminist, religious and autonomous organisation; campesino, indigenous and urban movements, campaigns against the trafficking of people and violence against women; groups of women, groups of men with an understanding of gender, mixed groups, etc. These are only a few examples. The final document will be published in a print edition in Spanish, to be distributed to the organisations which appear in the directory, and it will also be distributed in electronic format en Spanish and English.

If you or your organisation wish to know more about the new projects of the International Women’s Network in Chiapas, or would like to participate in the internship of the directory, please get in touch with the researcher in Chiapas, Jodie Lea Martire, using the contact form.

Pilot Internship Program in Kolkata

In 2007, Lilla ran the pilot project of the network: a 3-month internship to Sanlaap, an anti-trafficking organisation in Kolkata India.

The aim of the pilot was to connect Australians and South Asians working on women’s issues in order to begin a process of learning and working together across cultural differences. Outlined below were some of the specific aims of the internship program developed in collaboration with ERC international programs coordinator Sean Cleary.

Short term

• Explore women’s issues in the context of a vastly different political climate
• Observe how women’s organisations are responding to the abuse of women’s rights in West Bengal
• Develop skills in working across cultural boundaries
• Gain exposure to a dynamic organisation that facilitates change at a range of levels – from grass roots community work to advocacy at a local, national and international level

Medium Term

• Compare women’s rights in India to women’s rights in Australia
• Compare grass roots responses to women’s injustice in India and Australia
• Explore the connections between poverty and women’s rights in our region
• Consider the legacy of colonial rule in cross cultural interactions
• Consider the impact of continuing power inequalities in our region in shaping the relationships built during internship process

Lilla intern Anthea Ingram at Sanlaap, an anti-trafficking organisation in Kolkata, 2007

Long Term

• Transformative education through a period of immersion in another culture.
• Build qualitatively deep personal and professional relationships between Australians and Indians defending women’s rights
• Create a dynamic network that transcends national boundaries that is able to respond effectively to a range of emerging challenges to women’s rights

Camille Furtado with Sanlaap staff 2007

In Australia, the response from community organisations to this pilot women’s internship program, has been overwhelming positive. Rugmini Ventakaram, chair of the Immigrant Women’s Speakout Association and violence prevention worker described the internships as “a wonderful first step in a long term strategy to initiate actions to address the violation of the human rights of women.”

Download report of pilot program here