Women’s Action Group in Female Excision and Infibulation (WAGFEI)
c/o Minority Rights Group
36 Craven Street,
London WC2 5NG
Tel 01-930 6659

AIMS

To promote research and education on female genital mutilation.

To create an international awareness and understanding of this problem.

To work through UN agencies, governments, development agencies and non-governmental organisations to bring about change in this area.

To encourage and to find support for local initiatives.

METHODS

By publication and distribution of factual information on the subject. By direct contact with women, governmental and non-governmental bodies directly concerned. Through lectures and talks we try to inform the public properly on the subject.

SUCCESSES

We have put the subject onto the Agenda of the UN Commission on Human Rights, urging the Commission to find the appropriate channel to break the deadlock and get governments to take up committed action to end the practice. We are in the process of getting a number of research and educational projects off the ground. Our efforts have led to the publication of a few books by women from countries directly concerned. Within the UK we have been instrumental in breaking the silence on the subject through our educational work.

FAILURES

We are disappointed that we have not been able to initiate much work in Africa on this. We lack the necessary back-up to actively seek, meet and offer support to the right organisations who will be able to initiate change.

FUTURE PLANS

Top priority is to concentrate in areas where the most drastic and the most damaging of the operations exist and to find support for local initiatives. We continue to work to interest decision-makers in this issue. Our final plan is to get a base established within Africa working strictly on this.

HELP NEEDED

We are eager to be in contact with all people of goodwill, especially in relevant areas of Africa who are aware of the political sensitivity and have something positive to offer towards progress on work in this complex socio-cultural aspect of development.

Committee on Overseas University Libraries Support
321 Chapel Street
Ottawa, Canada K1N 7Z2
Tel: (613) 232-3569

AIMS

To mobilize interest and resources in Canada to assist Third World university libraries with the provision of books, periodicals, equipment and support.

METHODS

The Committee will evaluate and process requests fromuniversity libraries in developing countries and from Canadian groups with established links with overseas universities.

On approval of the request, an attempt will be made to link the overseas institution with one or more interested Canadian universities or faculties.

Alternatively, a Canadian university with an existing linkage with a Third World university, or an interest in establishing such a linkage, might apply to COULS on behalf of its overseas partner.

SUCCESSES

In our brief history we have provided 18 application forms to Universities in several developing countries. We have made one sizable shipment of periodicals to the Université du Burundi and another to the Federal University of Technology in Yola - Nigeria.

FAILURES

We have been fortunate in encountering only a few complications in shipping materials.

FUTURE PLANS

To explore the possibility of handling requests from Francophone universities and to co-operate with Francophone universities across Canada.

HELP NEEDED

We need to establish a network of local committee co-ordinators that can work with us in responding to the requests of a particular institution as the need arises.

Lysistrata,
11 George Street,
Brighton, East Sussex.
Tel: 0273 694600

AIMS

To link up wimmins peace groups both nationally and internationally by spreading news of wimmins direct action, especially small groups who do not get media coverage, and to provide information to isolated wimmin and wimmins groups.

To give space for wimmin to express their own views concerning all issues to do with peace.

To link with all wimmins’ struggles so we can challenge, expose and eradicate the corrupt mentality that prevents true peace.

METHODS

Producing a magazine that is accessible to all wimmin. Working collectively, but not as a close defined group to enable all wimmin to be involved.

SUCCESSES

In the last three months we have produced 2 issues of LYSISTRATA and feedback has been positive.

FAILURES

We haven’t, as yet, made contact with as many groups as we would like.

We haven’t as many wimmin involved as we need to enable the magazines’ production and distribution to reach its fullest extent.

FUTURE PLANS

To use LYSISTRATA to further the aims of the wimmins’s peace movement.

To find ways of reaching all wimmin.

To provide a taped version of the magazine for blind/partially sighted wimmin.

HELP NEEDED

We need ideas for fund-raising.

We need more contacts, especially from wimmins’ peace groups overseas.

We need more wimmin to contribute to the magazine either by distributing it in their own areas, writing articles, sending photographs, poems or anything concerned with peace and peace action. We need more wimmin to get involved with the actual production of LYSISTRATA.