women for change
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Why
women for change?
The Orange Foundation and the Women’s Forum
for the Economy and Society, in partnership with
Marie-Claire magazine, are proud to announce a new
award called Women for Change.
The Orange Foundation and the Women’s Forum
share the vision of a world where women are the
solution for long-term development. The Women for
Change award aims to recognize women who are
actors of change and drivers of growth, and give
them the resources to expand their initiatives to help
women and girls.
For the Orange Foundation and the Women’s Forum,
the award is part of a long tradition of commitment
to promoting women in the economy and society.
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you have a chance
to select a project
Five projects of exceptional African women
are candidates for the Women for Change awards.
Visitors to the website have had their say to elect
the most important project up to October 15th, 2013
on www.fondationorange.com/en
The project selected online will be announced at
the beginning of the interactive opening dinner by
Orange and the Women’s Forum on October 16th
and it will receive a €25,000 grant.
At this dinner, we will give you a chance to select
a second project that you think is important, and the
winning project will also receive a €25,000 grant.
Deauville, October 16th, 2013.
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Tunisian women rebuilding their country
Sarah Toumi / Tunisia
restore confidence in women at-risk
Brigitte Michel / Mauritius - Indian Ocean
make women the drivers to improve and modernise rural life
Maria Raharinarivonirina / Madagascar
hope for the girls of Dakar
Anta Mbow / Senegal
hand in hand for orphans
Marie Nomo Messina / Cameroon
Among the 4 remaining projects, choose the second one you want
to support. Each table votes using contactless technology (NFC) -
one vote per table.
Orange coaches are available to help you.
It’s your turn to vote!
The concept
For 10 years, the Empire des Enfants Centre has been working to care for and reintegrate street children in Dakar. The centre currently accommodates only boys but it sees young girls every day only to have to send them to other organizations. The goal is to create a new centre
exclusively for young girls who are having serious problems at home or in society and need to be removed from their living situation and provided with special assistance.
The goal
The Empire des Filles Centre (Girls’ Empire) will be the first shelter in Dakar designed just for girls who are victims of violence and exploitation and are in extremely insecure situations. Its primary mission will be to take in and care for these young girls by restoring their dignity and position in society. It is for the most vulnerable young girls in Dakar, and will not discriminate on the basis of social, ethnic, cultural or religious status. The young girls
will be referred by the court. With an institutional framework suited to their needs, they will be physically and legally protected and regain security and confidence.
The Girls’ Empire will be open to all of the troubled girls in Dakar who need support and advice. No one will be turned away.
The future
Initially, the centre will be able to accommodate 10 young girls. Their length of stay will be determined based on their individual situation. When the situation requires integrating girls back into their families, the objective will be refocused on dialogue and mediation.
hope
for the girls of Dakar
The Empire des Enfants Centre works to reintegrate disadvantaged, vulnerable boys in Senegal.
The association’s president, Anta Mbow, is currently embarking on a project to build a new centre
for young girls who have serious family or social problems.
Anta Mbow
/ Senegal
Empire des filles Centre Candidate : Anta Mbow
Project objective: Build a shelter for young girls suffering severe hardship.
Beneficiaries: Accommodations for 10 young girls aged 10 and over. The len-gth of their stay will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
The concept
People who use drugs and attend a methadone-based drug rehab programme need psychological and social support so they can escape their situation. There is a lack of any real infrastructure to accommodate them and their families.
In 2009, Brigitte Michel founded A.I.L.E.S (Assistance, Information, Freedom, Hope, Solidarity) as a prevention and treatment initiative.
The goal
The project aims to develop activities that help women who have stopped using drugs to secure and acquire job skills by providing them support to start a micro-business in
The women will receive training to teach them how to manage a budget and handle administrative processes, manufacture a high-quality local product, etc.
The other component of the project will be focused on educating women about their rights and the risks of domestic violence, drugs and HIV. The ultimate, and most important goal is to restore their confidence and hope!
The future
Rehabilitate and then reintegrate 75 women into society.
Make it easier for these women to
In the long term, establish a prevention campaign aimed at young people on the dangers of drugs and HIV.
restore confidence
in women at-risk
Most of the female drug addicts in Mauritius are both infected with HIV and are victims of social
isolation. Those that manage to escape their situation are rejected by their peers and society.
Assistance in reintegrating society is essential for this marginalized population.
Brigitte Michel
/ Mauritius - Indian Ocean
A.I.L.E.S
(Assistance, Information, Freedom, Hope, Solidarity) Candidate : Brigitte Michel
Project objectives: Reduce the number of new HIV-related infections in drug addicts and their families
Reintegrate women who have stopped using drugs into society - Increase protection for young people and children by informing them about the dangers of drugs and HIV
Beneficiaries: 75 women and their families and all young people in the
The concept
The Acacias pour Tous (Acacias for All) project of the Ajmi Toumi association, launched in 2012, aims to improve the skills of rural women in Tunisia by giving them and their families access to education, employment, micro-loans and good social and health infrastructure. The project is supported by several initiatives that the Ajmi
Toumi association has already implemented in Bir Salah, where it built the “Fort of Knowledge”, a club for women and children, expanded and renovated the health dispensary and the school.
The goal
The project aims to build a new acacia tree nursery managed by the Acacialma Cooperative, which gives women a decent standard of living with the financial proceeds from selling the Arabic Gum produced while simultaneously fighting desertification.
The cooperative is entirely run by women. This helps them develop a wide range of economic activities like growing vegetables for the
local market, producing honey and essential oils, and making fair-trade clothing and fashion accessories. The entire village of Bir Salah and its 5,000 inhabitants support and rally behind the project.
The future
The project is designed to span across all of North Africa. The 2015 objective is to reach 100,000 trees planted every year in each region to benefit 10,000 women per region and complete a total overhaul in every beneficiary village of basic infrastructures, tools and services required to make them self-sufficient. Our main goal is to make every woman a driver behind local change to generate a national movement.
Tunisian women
rebuilding their country
One out of every four people in Tunisia live on less than two dollars per day. The unemployment
rate for women is 30%. These numbers are double in rural areas, where old-fashioned
ancestral customs predominate.
Sarah Toumi
/ Tunisia
Ajmi Toumi Association Candidate :Sarah Toumi
Project objectives: Develop economic initiatives managed exclusively by women to give them independence and increase their skills
Beneficiaries: 5,000 inhabitants of the Bir Salah village
The concept
Women have no right to speak out because they are uneducated and have no property or inheritance rights. Men hold exclusive authority through their ownership of zebu cattle, which are seen as the symbol of power. This makes women completely dependent on men in a region where food insecurity is acute.
SOS Children’s Villages works to provide women in the area with independence and freedom in the interest of fostering holistic community development. To this end, three women’s homes (Maisons des Femmes) were built to provide women with education and job skills
The goal
In six small villages, renovate the three women’s shelters and build and operate three new ones to combat gender discrimination and all forms of violence.
There will be three phases of the program: literacy instruction for girls and women, then an awareness campaign on women’s rights throughout the community. The issue of food insecurity will be addressed by training women in farming to improve their yield. This includes managing, communicating and establishing communal granaries. They may be given assistance to create income-generating projects, access loans,
The future
810 women in six associations will receive direct training and information developed by the women’s shelters. Once they gain independence and are integrated into society, they will contribute to developing the community as a whole.
make women the drivers to
improve and modernise rural life
The rural south is considered to be the most disadvantaged and illiterate
part of Madagascar. Conditions for women in this traditional society
centred around zebu cattle are especially miserable.
SOS Children’s Villages Association of Madagascar Candidate :Maria Raharinarivonirina
Project objective: Create three new shelters and renovate the three existing ones to provide independence for women of the zebu society in southern Madagascar
Beneficiaries:
The concept
The association makes sure that the children are protected from all types of violence or exploitation, administers specialised care to ensure their physical and psychological development
and restores their self-confidence by encouraging them to continue their studies.
Its mission is to teach them skills in sewing and hotel service to foster their integration back into society and entry into the working world.
The goal
The interior of the building has suffered water damage and has faulty electrical wiring. In particular, the dormitories are in a state of severe disrepair.
In addition, the number of children has doubled, so its capacity for 50 children is not sufficient to handle the 71 children it currently houses. The orphanage also accommodates
both girls and boys, so it requires separate facilities.
The building desperately needs to be repaired and expanded so its work can continue and all the children can enjoy better living conditions and hygiene.
The future
By expanding and renovating the centre, the Hand in Hand association aims to continue its reintegration initiative and further develop its prevention missions. With the help of professionals, the association will
provide more face-to-face support for local young girls who are victims of sexual abuse and addiction.
hand in hand
for orphans in Cameroon
The Main dans la Main (Hand in Hand) non-profit association welcomes children who have been
abandoned or are experiencing severe hardship. The Romulus & Remus Centre of the association
provides them with the healthcare, education and training they need to re-enter society.
Marie Nomo Messina
/ Cameroon
Main dans la Main (Hand in Hand) Association Candidate : Marie Nomo Messina
Project objectives: Renovate the dormitories of the orphanage to improve accommodations for children, primarily girls
Beneficiaries: Orphans of the centre (currently 71 children) from birth to 19 years old and above who are aban-doned, ill or exploited.
Since 2005, the Orange Foundation
has developed corporate philanthropy
programs to help women and girls in
Africa.
It supports projects in the African
countries where Orange operates.
The Foundation’s conviction that women
drive economic and social development
has prompted it to help build and equip
educational and healthcare infrastructures,
provide training for teachers and healthcare
workers and strive to develop women’s
job skills.
Whenever the opportunity arises, the
Foundation supports projects that use digital
tools to develop healthcare and education
initiatives.
The Orange Foundation works closely with
Orange subsidiaries in each country and
partners with non-profit associations and
non-governmental organizations. It selects
the projects it supports based on how
pragmatic and effective they are for the
beneficiaries.
the Orange Foundation
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