Participation

Prior to the January 12 earthquake, almost half of the households in Haiti were exclusively matriarchal, at least in terms of management. Though accustomed to taking care of families and a myriad of domestic and economic responsibilities, Haitian women still comprise only a very small portion of their own government.

Earlier this month, I traveled to Port-au-Prince as a part of a GFW delegation to learn about the current situation of women in Haiti and to learn how we can best support women's roles in decision-making throughout the reconstruction process.

On one of their daily walks through Khimki forest in the summer of 2007, Yevgenia Chirikova and her husband, Mikhail, noticed something unusual. Nearly all of the trees were marked with small red Xs.

After some research on the Internet, the couple learned that, unbeknownst to most nearby residents, the forest had been sold and a construction company planned to knock down large swaths of it to build a new highway.

August is dubbed Women's Month. It affords us an opportunity to celebrate, recognise and acknowledge the pivotal role played by women in the struggle against apartheid.

Interestingly, August is also the month that the ANC Women's League rises from the ashes. After that, it vanishes back into obscurity. Does the league have a programme? If so, why do we hear its voice only in Women's Month?

Burmese women in Thailand are making their voices heard for the sake of peace in Burma to mark democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi's 65th birthday today.

Peace Corps Alternative1-12 week programs, start dates year-round. Enroll online today!www.CrossCulturalSolutions.org

This week, 66 women from some of Sudan's diverse and volatile regions are in Juba for a conference called “Pathways to Sustainable Peace in Sudan: Why We Can't Wait!” Joining them are 10 Sudanese women now living in the United States and Canada who are members of a group called Sisterhood for Peace.

A group of NATO Training Mission –Afghanistan mentors hosted a women's forum for female Afghan National Army members July 18 at the Logistics Command in Kabul. Afghan women face many challenges; cultural, societal and religious views create barriers that often prevent them from entering the work force, attending school or joining their military.

Women activists from across Africa have gathered at a women's conference in Entebbe, Uganda, to demand that African Union (AU) heads of state consider gender equality when choosing representatives at all levels of AU structures. The female African activists raised concerns that there were very few women representatives within AU structures which made it harder to push gender-related issues.

In spite of advances, discrimination against women persists in laws and in practice. Many women suffer numerous forms of discrimination and limited access to rights, resources and opportunities. This is a moment to celebrate but, simultaneously, a time to mourn for women. Celebrate, for finding a better place and entity in the bureaucratic system of the UN.

Amidst the disarray following General McChrystal's interview with Rolling Stone, a much less reported but profound event marked the course of the insurgency in Afghanistan. The recent female suicide operation in eastern Afghanistan reveals not only a paradigm shift in Taliban insurgent tactics, but also a mutation of the organization's founding ideology.