International Women’s Development Agency Inc (IWDA) seeks a skilled and experienced Communications Coordinator to work within the dynamic Strategic Partnerships team located in Melbourne, Australia.

This position is responsible for the production and distribution of communications for IWDA, including direct mail, newsletters, annual reports, brochures and other communication materials.

Please note: International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA) is EEO exempt and requests applications from women only.

IWDA is not in a position to be able to reimburse or organise for any aspects of the relocation of prospective staff members from outside Melbourne, Australia.

The applicant must be fluent in reading and writing in English.

DIRECTIONS FOR APPLICATION

For a full position description please download the Communication Coordinator Position Desc PDF

Please email resume and letter of application addressing the selection criteria to hr@iwda.org.au by close of business, Wednesday September 3, 2008. Interviews will be conducted in September 2008.

Please direct all queries to Melissa Birks, Senior Manger, Strategic Partnerships, 03 96505574

FINANCE MANAGER

The International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA) is a Melbourne based not-for-profit organisation that works with women and their communities in more than 30 countries across the Asia-Pacific region to improve their quality of life and advance their human rights.

IWDA is recognised as a leader in its field for its gender expertise and empowering development work. At present IWDA is undergoing an exciting period of transformational growth, strategic development and expansion of its services and scope.

As part of this progress IWDA is seeking to appoint a new key member to their senior management team.

Operating in a hands on, involved manner this position will be responsible for the overall financial management of the organisation, including leading strategic financial direction, budgeting, investment management, compliance, reporting, risk management and oversight of global program funding and expenditure.

The successful candidate will be CA or CPA qualified and experienced in effectively managing a financial unit and its operations within a similar funding/program based environment. Experience in MYOB or similar is essential.

Recruitment for this position is being handled by Molitor James.
Contact Details: Telephone enquiries may be made to Kerin James or Annette Guilfoyle on 08 8210 9999.

Timor-Leste Textiles Exhibition & Forum

Women in East Timor produce hand-woven textiles that are an important part of their culture, especially in the wake of prolonged and destructive conflict. The small craft industry is primarily composed of poor rural women, including many widows, who represent a vulnerable part of society. Selling their craft products is, for many of these women and their families, a source of income which pays for essential items and assists in the development of sustainable livelihoods.

However, new research has found that, like handcraft producers all over the world, they face great challenges in marketing their goods and maintaining the culture of their products and practices, while getting a fair price for their work. A coordinated and dedicated craft development program in East Timor based on the current economic realities of production and trade, the different social situations of women producers and on the potential for their empowerment could help reduce these challenges.

To support these women, IWDA will be involved in the Timor-Leste Textiles Exhibition, Forum and Market, to be held at St Kilda Town Hall and Gallery:

HANDWOVEN TEXTILES OF EAST TIMOR
Exhibition Launch Friday 5 Sept 2008 6.00pm
Forum ($20/$12) & Market Saturday 6 Sept 10.00am til 5.00pm

Exhibition at the new St Kilda Town Hall and Gallery
99A Carlisle St, St. Kilda (Trams 3, 16, 67 or Train to Balaclava Station)

Events RSVP to assist@portphillip.vic.gov.au or 03 9209 6777
For more information go to www.friendsofsuai.org.au

Women weavers in the new nation of East Timor have a long and cherished tradition of producing textiles called Tais (tie-ss). They are used for cultural and ritual exchange, worn as costume, and in recent times offered for sale.

One of the newest nations in the world, East Timor is also one of the poorest. International and local aid organisations have sought ways of assisting its development, such as helping handcrafts producers develop their craft into a livelihood. Women in East Timor live in a difficult environment of a society struggling with the after effects of violence and war.

Female-headed families are common and these families are often poorer and more vulnerable. Despite these difficult conditions they have built a small but strong movement for women’s rights, which among other things, supports and assists craft producers. For many village women, particularly older women and widows, there are few other ways to make cash, meaning that school fees, medicine and travel are beyond the reach of many.

Timor-Leste Textiles Exhibition & Forum Flyer PDF

Ursula’s work with the people of the Cartaret Islands, just off the mainland of Bougainville is an inspiration, and will pave the way for future Development work focused on the consequences of Climate Change for people living in low lying areas. Once again, congratulations Ursula and Tulele Peisa!

This August relieve the chill of winter with a Winter Warmers event!

With the support of IWDA, you and your friends can stay in one cold night and raise awareness of and support for the work of IWDA’s project partners in Asia and the Pacific. By hosting a Winter Warmer event – be it a movie night, trivia night, wine and cheese night, or a luncheon – you can make a difference to the lives of many women in Asia and the Pacific.

For more information about organising your own Winter Warmers event or to register visit www.iwda.org.au/winterwarmers or contact IWDA on (03) 9650 5574.

Program Manager, Erin McKinnon:

“On a recent trip to East Timor to visit IWDA project partners, I was able to spend time with a diverse range of passionate and inspiring women, and to visit the people involved in our current programs in the region. Life can be very difficult for women in particular, in remote regions of East Timor, given their role as primary care givers and food producers. Some villages are not accessible by road, and have very few basic services such as running water, electricity or telephone lines, let alone a school or health clinic. The programs IWDA funds in these areas focus on sustainable livelihoods, education and income generation.
Last week I had the chance to share the experiences of my trip on RRR radio, and IWDA will be conducting regular updates with RRR in the future.”

You can listen to the interview where Erin discusses the most recent work of IWDA in East Timor, as well as important ongoing literacy programs across Asia and the Pacific. 

Interview (16Mins)

IWDA would like to thank and congratulate the Youth Committee of the St Georges Young Women’s Festival 2008, for supporting IWDA. Over 100 girls attended the event, as two of the young organisers report below…

Young Women in tune: “All Women, All Equal”
(Written by Jessica and Gemma aged 14)

A group of young women from the St George area in Sydney recently raised $400 to support programs carried out by International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA) in developing countries, during the annual St George Young Women’s Festival 2008.

The nine girls who were part of the Youth Committee responsible for planning and organising the festival decided to support IWDA because “their goal is to empower women, and change lives”, said one of the youth leaders. This also related to the goal of the Festival, which was to help women to believe in themselves.

The St George Young Women’s Festival 2008, ‘Get in Tune: All Women, All Equal’, was held on Sunday, March 9 in celebration of International Women’s Day. 118 young women, aged twelve to twenty-one, came to the festival and had the opportunity to experience a range of activities and workshops such as jewellery making, afro funk dance, hair braiding, leather art, henna tattooing, motivational speakers/performers and much more. A two dollar coin donation and a gelato stand were the activities thorough which the Youth Leaders collected money to donate to IWDA.

The festival illustrated that young women can making positive contributions for other women around the world.

Free. General Admission Only - No Bookings. Doors open 30 minutes prior to the advertised session time.

The Nation and Beyond: The New Philanthropy - 6:00pm BMW Edge, Federation Square

In the wake of new wealth & legislative change, Australian philanthropy is undergoing change. Philanthropist Rupert Myer AM leads a discussion about hopes for the future of Australian philanthropy. Sir Gustav Nossal AC CBE talks about support for his work by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation & Jane Sloane about the International Women’s Development Agency. Associate Professor John Armstrong joins the discussion.

A PDF of the speech is now available for download

If you would like to hear the speech , a recording is available here (24 Min)

We have sourced a better quality recording that unfortunately was incomplete. We have replaced the missing minute and a half with material from the recording that was done from the audience (Thanks Veronica)

In the lead up to the lecture, Jane was interviewed on the ABC Conversation Hour by Jon Faine.

Jane’s interview can be heard here. (16 Min)

Caitlin Ryan, Communication & Education Assistant

“Literacy unlocks the door to learning throughout life, is essential to development and health, and opens the way for democratic participation and active citizenship.”
Kofi Annan
Many of us take literacy for granted. We consider it to be a right not a privilege, but many women are denied this basic right.

Women who have no access to literacy are greatly disadvantaged, missing out on many opportunities that might otherwise be available to them. For these women, access to literacy is a means towards the elimination of poverty and injustice. It works by increasing women’s employment opportunities (by reducing women’s reliance on informal and un-waged employment), reducing occupational segregation, increasing participation in public life and awareness of human rights, and by improving access to political processes.

In Australia we are currently seeing a resurgence of awareness around gender issues and inequity. With Julia Gillard as our first woman Deputy Prime Minister, and Quentin Bryce filling the role of Governor General, women are becoming more visible in leadership roles and political life in Australia. There is a feeling of movement towards structural change, where women hold more decision-making positions and are more visibly engaged in political processes. Yet there is a long way to go – there is still no country in the world where women’s wages equal that of their male counterparts and women still own only 1% of the world’s property. A fundamental way of addressing this inequity is through literacy.

Also in this issue:

• Letter from the Executive Director
• IWDA has moved!Our new location is
• Vale Pamela Bone
• International Women’s Day 2008!
• GFFTL, Project Partner, East Timor
• Kantha Shakthi, Project Partner, Sri Lanka
• Thai-Burma Border
• Women, chillis and the blue, blue sea; addressing gender inequities in the Maldives.
• Feast 2008!
• Herstory: Maree Keating
• WINTER WARMERS

There is still time to donate to our mid-year appeal!

Click here to help enable women in East Timor to access civic literacy training.