What is advocacy? Advocacy is usually about influencing in one form or another. It is directed at the root causes of problems. Advocacy seeks to ensure that people, particularly those who are most vulnerable in society, are able to: have their voice heard; defend and promote their rights; and access information and services.
What are organisations doing in the field of advocacy? One of our partners, the International Presentation Association (IPA), actively advocates at the United Nations in New York and at the grassroots level. We are working with them on their emerging advocacy focus. This is “eliminating violence against women and children”. Violence against women and children is a fundamental human rights violation. It is prevalent worldwide and is deepening as a result of the spread of COVID-19. Click here to learn more.
How can a tree be used to represent advocacy? The IPA has illustrated their approach to advocacy using the image of a tree (see below). Like a tree, violence against women and children has ‘roots’. These roots are the systemic causes of violence such as a lack of education or cultural norms. As with branches of a tree, violence against women and children branches out in different directions, manifesting in different ways in local and global contexts. For example, in some areas human trafficking may be a significant risk for women and children, while in other areas online abuse is more prevalent. This concept of a tree could be adapted to any advocacy focus.
Efforts to reduce Covid-19 in Malawi. Malawi is extremely vulnerable to coronavirus. United Purpose, one of our partners, has been responding to the emergency through improving sanitation and access to safe water, distributing much needed seed to communities, and more. Click here to read a recent report about their efforts so far. We are currently facilitating a strategy development process with United Purpose Malawi.
Did you miss our recent webinar? On Monday we held a webinar titled: “Challenging today to create tomorrow: purpose, people, planet and prosperity in a Covid-19 world – what difference will we make?” We had over 40 people from a range of countries share their stories and experiences. To learn more, click here to watch the recording, and here to see the PowerPoint we used.
Leymah Gbowee quote: “You can never leave footprints that last if you are always walking on tiptoe.”
Have a great day!
Rosie, Lorna and Ian