Siyanda Update: Religion, Issue No. 44, June 2006
http://www.siyanda.org/
Past issues of the update are available at: http://www.siyanda.org/archive.htm
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In This Issue:
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I. Quick Guide: Religion
II. Country Focus: Niger
III. Experts and Consultants Database: religion and culture
IV. Latest additions: resources on gender-based violence, health, HIV/AIDS and more...
V. Contribute section: share your opinions and latest news
**Tip: you can quickly find multilingual resources in the Siyanda database by typing the language name in the Search box, then clicking on the Go! button. For example, type "French" for French resources**


I. Quick Guide: Religion
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How do gender and religion interact to shape women's status? What is the impact of religion on gender dynamics and power relations in societies?

- Islamic Masculinities, edited by Ouzgane, L., January 2006
This collection of essays explores the great complexity and diversity of male identities
http://www.siyanda.org/static/ouzgane_islamicmasculinities.htm

- Sexuality, Religion and Human Rights, 2006
This newsletter of the International Lesbian and Gay Association explores new thinking on sexuality and gender by European Muslims, Catholics and Jews.
http://www.siyanda.org/static/various_sexualityreligionrights.htm

- Allies for Social Change: an International Buddhism and Peacebuilding Course for Women, International Women’s Partnership for Peace and Justice (IWP), 2006
This link gives access to the mission and initiatives of the International Women's Partnership for Peace and Justice (IWP), a spiritual feminist organization which supports grassroots activists and organizations in South and Southeast Asia in their work for peace and justice.
http://www.siyanda.org/static/iwpp_alliesforsocialchange.htm

- Complying with the Law? How Catholic Hospitals Respond to State Laws Mandating the Provision of Emergency Contraception to Sexual Assaults Victims, Ibis Reproductive Health, 2006
This report argues that women who have experienced sexual assault should have easy access to emergency contraception (EC), including from Catholic hospitals.
http://www.siyanda.org/static/ibis_contraception.htm


- A Culture of Peace: Women, Faith and Reconciliation, Best, M. and Hussey, P., 2005
This paper exposes the voices and perspectives of women who are making innovative contributions to peace building in Rwanda, Afghanistan, El Salvador, and East Timor, among others. It argues that equality between men and women is a basic prerequisite to achieving real peace, reconciliation and development.
http://www.siyanda.org/static/best_hussey_reconciliation.htm

- Gender, Religious Involvement and HIV/AIDS Prevention in Mozambique, Agadjanian, V., 2005
This study contrasts the views and behavioural choices of women and men in Mozambique regarding HIV/AIDS and examines how these vary across two types of religious denominations - the more established churches and the newer Pentecostal churches.
http://www.siyanda.org/static/agadjanian_mozambique.htm

- Great Ancestors: Women Asserting Rights in Muslim Contexts – A Training and Information Kit, Shaheed, F. and Lee-Shaheed, A., 2005
This information and training kit challenges the notion that the struggle for women's rights has been confined to Europe and North America by tracing the efforts of women in Muslim contexts to assert their rights from the 8th century through to the 1950s.
http://www.siyanda.org/static/shaheed_lee-shaheed_rights.htm

- Women’s Autonomy in India and Pakistan: the Influence of Religion and Region, Jejeebhoy, S. and Sathar, Z., 2001
This article compares the autonomy of women in different regions of South Asia and assesses the extent to which these differences could be attributed to religion, nationality, or north-south cultural distinctions.
http://www.siyanda.org/static/jejeebhoy_sathar_religion.htm

You can find additional resources on Religion through the Simple Search function: http://www.siyanda.org/search/


Environment will be the next Quick Guide theme. Users are invited to suggest resources on this topic for possible inclusion in the database: http://www.siyanda.org/addinfo/. Please also visit the archive section to view past Quick Guide themes: http://www.siyanda.org/quick_guide.htm


II. Country Focus: Niger
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- Niger Gender Profile, African News Agency (Afrol), 2006
This Afrol gender profile of Niger lists a range of social data, including life expectancy, sex ratio and access to medical services, as well as links to relevant news articles and background presentations on Niger.
http://www.siyanda.org/static/afrol_niger.htm

- WAWI Gender Mainstreaming Workshops: Ghana, Mali and Niger, 2005 (Summary report and country reports), Koopman, J. , Akpalu, E. , Aisse, D. and Mariama, A., 2005
In 2005 three gender mainstreaming workshops, supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) were undertaken in Ghana, Mali and Niger. The purpose was to help mainstream gender into the West Africa Water Initiative (WAWI) practice and in their partner organisations.
http://www.siyanda.org/static/koopman_akpalu_mainstreaming.htm

- Women Leaders for a Local, Sustainable and Equal Development (French), Belemsigri, C. T. and Magawata M., 2005
This document aims to support the identification of women leaders and the process of leadership building in Niger.
http://www.siyanda.org/static/belemsigri_magawata_communitydev.htm

Access more gender resources on Niger: http://www.siyanda.org/search/qlinx-countryfocus.cfm?code=Niger, and network with experts and practitioners: http://www.siyanda.org/exps/results.cfm?CouOfExp=Niger


III. Resources from Experts and Consultants Database: religion and culture
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The Experts and Consultants Database contains names, contact details and areas of expertise of people working on gender specific issues worldwide, and includes some of their publications. On religion and culture, the following publications can be found:

- Religion, Rights and the Politics of Transnational Feminism in Bangladesh, Siddiqi, D., 2004
- Socio-cultural, Religious, and Political Aspects of the Status of Women in Pakistan, Aziz, A., 1999
- Why Might Women support Religious “Fundamentalism”?, Nisha, 2004
- Incorporating Gender and Culture into the Skilled Attendance Framework: Women’s Perspectives on Pluralistic Health and Traditional Birth Attendants in Chiapas, Mexico, Coates, A.
- Culturally Adequate Development Strategies for Indigenous Women, Meentzen, A., 2000
- Indigenous Ukpiovwin Women and the Challenge of Development, Evwierhoma, M., 1998

For further details on these publications, copy and paste or type the author's last name into either the Name or Search Words field on the Experts and Consultants search page: http://www.siyanda.org/exps/

- View the latest consultants:
http://www.siyanda.org/exps/latest.cfm
- Join the list:
http://www.siyanda.org/exps/addexp.cfm
- Search the database:
http://www.siyanda.org/exps/
- Edit your existing profile:
http://www.siyanda.org/exps/editlogin.cfm (you need a user name and password)

The Siyanda Gender Experts and Consultants Database, with over 900 profiles, can be used as a networking tool for connecting practitioners, researchers, activists, students and experts with like-minded colleagues, persons working on similar themes, or in the same geographical location. It is also an excellent resource for those seeking experts for gender-focussed consultancies.


IV. Latest additions:
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Please find below a selection of materials recently added to the Siyanda database:

- Islamic Feminism Revisited, Badran, M., 2006
- Responding to Violence against Women: How Development Policies Address the Issue of Gender-Based Violence, Sobrino, B., 2006
- Health Rights of Women Assessment Instrument, Bakker, S. and Plagman, H., 2006
- Tap and Reposition Youth (TRY): Providing Social Support, Savings, and - Microcredit Opportunities for Young Women in Areas with High HIV Prevalence, Erulkar, A., Bruce, J., Dondo, A., Sebstad, J., Matheka, J., Khan, A. and Gathuku, A., 2006
- Harmonized Gender and Development Guidelines for Project Development, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation, National Economic and Development Authority, National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women, 2005

You can locate more Latest Additions here:
http://www.siyanda.org/newadditions.htm or through the Simple Search function: http://www.siyanda.org/search/ (copy and paste the title without characters such as ":" ";" and "-" or copy and paste the author's last name into the Search box).


V. Contribute section:
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View and/or advertise new funding sources, scholarships, fellowships and grants in the following forums:

Funding Sources
http://www.siyanda.org/forum/xviewthread.cfm?Thread=120060307100834
Scholarships
http://www.siyanda.org/forum/xviewthread.cfm?Thread=120060307094130

For topics such as gender training, announcements and newsletters please visit:
http://www.siyanda.org/participate.htm

(All summaries in the update are written or adapted by BRIDGE Team members. This update was edited by Paola Brambilla)

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** The "Siyanda Update" is a monthly newsletter featuring the latest gender mainstreaming resources available on the Siyanda website http://www.siyanda.org/ Siyanda aims to assist busy gender practitioners to locate essential gender mainstreaming resources quickly and easily. It is also an interactive space where practitioners can share ideas, experiences and resources with like-minded colleagues.**