•  Home
•  Who We Are
•  What We Do
•  Media Centre
•  Publications
•  Humphrey Award
•  Reference
•  Links
•  Contact Us

Florence Bird Grant helps Afghan Women express views

Refugee Women in Development (RefWID), based in Washington, USA, has won the 1998 edition of the Florence Bird Grant of the ICHRDD.

Montreal, 06 March, 1998 The Refugee Women in Development (RefWID), based in Washington, USA, has won the 1998 edition of the Florence Bird Grant of the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development. RefWID will use the $15,000 grant for a projet named "Afghan Women Representing Their Views on Human Rights and Democratic Civil Society." This project will help Afghan Women to participate in the 42nd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women of the United Nations, which will be held March 10, 1998 in New York. As follow-up, the project will also ensure participation of Afghan women in other international fora.

RefWID proposed this project for the Florence Bird Grant to assist women from Afghanistan to voice their concerns in international fora regarding women's rights. The political situation in this Central Asia country has increased the marginalisation of women who have been forced to withdraw from public and political life. The project of this US-based group will help counterbalance the message delivered by the new rulers of Afghanistan.

Refugee Women in Development works mainly with Afghan women that have taken refuge in Pakistan. RefWID has a strong background in training for empowerment, leadership development, capacity-building and advocacy to women who are experiencing major socio-political transformations.

The International Centre created the Florence Bird Grant to help an organization involved in communications or educational work to raise awareness of women's rights as human rights. The aim of the grant is also to help a project that has an impact within a specific community and answers to the needs of this community. The Centre is particularly honoured to give the grand to RefWID, which share's the Centre's long-standing concerns about women's freedom of expression and the rights of women in conflict situation.

Born in the United States in 1908, the Honourable Florence Bird worked as a professional journalist while engaging herself in the constant struggle for women's emancipation. Reporter, broadcaster and editorialist at CBC radio from 1946 to 1966, she headed - from 1967 to 1970 - the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada, which tabled its final report in 1971. She was a Senator from 1978 to 1983.