The world is battling against a pandemic claiming many lives across nations and distorting global trade, travel and economies. The coronavirus disease, (COVID-19) has become a global emergency considering the effects on global growth.
As the pandemic is further affecting employment, education and the mental health of African youth, we acknowledge that COVID-19 is also bringing to light the profound gender disparity in the various sectors. Several studies have predicted an increase in cases of Gender-Based Violence as a result of the lockdowns as victims are trapped with their abusers without adequate assistance.
The voice of young African feminists must be a crucial part of the conversation. Particularly, those who are caught in the digital divide. Rural and marginalized young women are mostly not connected and therefore miss out on the empowerment of the digital revolution. This exclusion also impacts the development field, as young women may not have the opportunities to communicate how COVID19 is affecting their realities, and alternative solutions to this pressing global challenge. In addition, the mainstream narrative portrays the challenges and achievements of women without a critical insight into the intersection of barriers they face.
Therefore, we want to draw attention to Young African Women’s struggles, advocacy and achievements in fighting the global pandemic COVID19 and amplify their voices and actions.
The African Union Office of the Youth Envoy launched on International Women’s Day “Africa Young Feminist blog “Sauti صوتي”. Now it will be re-launched in collaboration with the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) to publish “Sauti صوتي” Publication of 25 young women contributions celebrating Beijing+25 featuring untold and underrepresented stories of young women from across Africa and the diaspora showcasing their innovation and impact in the community.
WORTH
- Selected submissions will receive a remuneration of 200 USD each for their creative work in an effort to support young women financially in these difficult circumstances of coronavirus outbreak.
ELIGIBILITY
- Submissions are opened to African women aged 20 to 35;
- Collaborative works are permitted, however, payment will be made per submission;
- All submissions should answer one of the listed themes;
- The selection will be on a rolling basis;
- All submissions must be original works;
- Plagiarised content will be rejected;
- Work that has been previously published or distributed will be rejected.
DEADLINE: May 31 2020
To apply and for more information visit here
