As 2016 drew to a close, One Billion Rising continued to take off in many parts of the world. And as the New Year begins, we continue to witness incredible Risings taking place – gearing up for the global Rising Day on 14 February!
Here are some highlights from the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Cameroon, Guatemala and the UK:
3 JANUARY
PHILIPPINES
OBR DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development)
One Billion Rising Revolution 2017 at DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) – with staff and officials dancing.
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24 DECEMBER
OBR GUADALUPE MAKATI
One Billion Rising today Guadalupe Viejo Makati Manila with Barangay Captain and council, together with Gabriela women and senior citizens of the community – with the dancing and event led by Gabriela Women’s Representative – Congresswoman Emmi De Jesus.
“Babae, Bata, Bayan tuloy tuloy ang laban!” (“Women, Children, Country – the fight continues!”) – Gabriela Women’s Party
INDIA:
21 DECEMBER
OBR JOINT WOMEN’S PROGRAMME
Risings by Joint Women’s Programme from the month of October. their activities include-community meetings about violence against women, children’s rallies, e-rickshaw rally with women, public park meetings. They cover the themes of Girls Education, violence against women, child sexual abuse outside and within the family, child labour in cracker factories etc. They also help women open bank accounts who are denied the facility by their families and teaching them to operate ATM.
Besides lobbying and advocating for the rights of deprived and marginalized women, and children, the JWP also runs an non-formal education cum daycare centre for children of ‘Rickshaw pullers, vegetable vendors and domestic workers. It also runs tailoring and computer classes; a durry (hand woven rug) making unit run by school dropout girls. The JWP also provides adult education classes for women from the community. It is the principle of the JWP to practice action at the grassroots.
19 DECEMBER
OBR IN MEMORY OF NIRBHAYA
One Billion Rising and the One Million Working Women Network (wowonet.org) which is a working women centric campaign celebrated ‘Narinama – The Story of Gender Justice in memory of Nirbhaya’ on the 16th of December 2016. The campaign was launched on 3rd of Jan ’16 on the 185th birth anniversary of Savitri Bai Phule who opened the first school for girls in India in 1848 in Pune. The campaign celebrates women achievers and gender justice.
The event saw a panel discussion on women, financial independence and gender justice, a band performance, a talk by Kamla Bhasin, slogans and songs by the Jagori and Sangat Sangat teams!
28 DECEMBER
OBR SMS (Srijanatmak Manushi Sanstha)
Srijanatmak Manushi Sanstha and Mittika rose for One Billion Rising against Violence against Women in the community of JJ Colony. The community members who have been engaged in this issue by the organisations for a while engaged other community members in issues of VAW, victim blaming and other gender related discrimination through forum theatre, music, dance and dialogue.
SMS is a non profit organisation running at the grass root level working for a holistic development, comprising of an egalitarian, aware, well-informed, skilled, healthy, cultured humans in a peaceful and ecologically sustainable environment . Activities now aim at driving awareness about women rights (including legal counseling), mother & child health & nutrition, imparting education to children, domestic workers/ daily wage earners, strengthening educational foundation of students, & vocational training.
3 JANUARY
OBR MADHYA PRADESH
Pinky, a women’s rights activist in Madhya Pradesh, attended the Sangat Sangat and Jagori Grameen capacity building course, and has spoken to 680 village women about OBR. She is photographed here with one of the OBR groups in Madhya Pradesh.
OBR IN CELEBRATION OF SAVITRI BAI PHULE AND INDIAN WOMEN’S DAY
Renowned Indian feminist SAVITRI BAI PHULE and FATIMA SHAIKH began the first girls school in Pune about 155 years ago. Amazing pioneers these two foresisters. Today many organisations in Gwalior celebrated Indian women’s day, on the 185 birth day of SAVITRI BAI PHULE.
On the occasion of SAVITRI BAI PHULE birth anniversary a big program me was held to celebrate Indian women’s day at Jiwaji university in Gwalior. This was organised in collaboration with the university. Friends of Eka Bhopal , Suresh Tomar and OBR South Asia Coordinator Kamla Bhasin spoke about gender issues, VAW and OBR and then there was a powerful play by a theatre group from Bhopal on the life of the Phule couple.
6 DECEMBER
PAKISTAN
OBR INSAN FOUNDATION TRUST
OBR event video link from Qauid e Azam University, Pakistan on Dec 6th, 2016. In this video you will see the number of people with different ethnic identities i.e. Pathan, Sindhi, Balochi, Punjabi, and many others from different areas of Pakistan are dancing in solidarity on a cultural song, wearing OBR shirts.
The message is “no matter what culture, ethnicity, area we belong to; we all are against the exploitation of women in any field. It’s a beautiful way to rise in solidarity against exploitation of women.
2 NEW VIDEOS OF THEIR EVENT!:
10 DECEMBER
GUATEMALA:
Rising at the end of OBR Guatemala’s 16 Days of Activism activities. Hosted by OBR Guatemala TIME for SHOW Santa’s Circus, Producción Total
OBR Guatemala in a Home For the Elderly
28 DECEMBER
CAMEROON
Cameroon Rising – organized by OBR Cameroon coordinator Saher Aminatou!
2 JANUARY
UNITED KINGDOM
The working committee of One Billion Rising United Kingdom (London) getting plans into motion for #Vday and #IWD in partnership with Justice for Domestic Workers & Divergent Theatre Collective! Rochika Deo (OBR Pacific organizer from Fiji now studying in the UK), together with long time OBR organizers Marissa Begonia of Justice for Domestic Workers, Director Roman Berry and OBR UK Coordinator Tanya Anastasiadis. Rising in solidarity!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!