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04 April 2024
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Story Lunga Luthuli
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Photo SUPPLIED
Dr Juliet Kamwendo champions gender-inclusive climate action in Africa. Her expertise at the recently held AFR100 workshop highlighted vital steps towards sustainable and equitable development.
Dr Juliet Kamwendo, Lecturer and Programme Director for Gender Studies in the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies at the University of the Free State, is spearheading efforts to integrate gender considerations into Africa's climate restoration agenda. Reflecting on her involvement, Dr Kamwendo stated, "This is particularly crucial, as women make up almost 50% of the population in Africa, and the depletion and degradation of land affect them disproportionately."
She recently served as a gender expert at the AUDA-NEPAD AFR100 workshop in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, from 25 to 29 March 2024. This initiative aims to restore forests and degraded land across Africa by 2030, with a focus on gender equality.
The workshop emphasised the integration of gender perspectives into the AFR100 project, acknowledging the disproportionate impact of land degradation on women. Dr Kamwendo's expertise highlighted the need to empower women in climate change interventions, addressing existing gender inequalities exacerbated by environmental degradation.
“Women – who are primarily responsible for household food security and water provision – bear the brunt of environmental degradation, leading to increased workloads, reduced income opportunities, and heightened vulnerability to climate-related disasters. Furthermore, the loss of forest cover and biodiversity further exacerbates the challenges faced by women, particularly in rural areas where they depend heavily on natural resources for their livelihoods,” added Dr Kamwendo.
Her participation highlights academia's crucial role in fostering inclusive and sustainable development, emphasising interdisciplinary collaboration to tackle complex environmental challenges. Through initiatives such as AFR100, stakeholders are working towards a more resilient and gender-responsive future for Africa.
Three from Theology accepted at Global Institute of Theology
2012-02-09
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Helené van Tonder, Michelle van Tonder and Andrew Barnard.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs |
For the first time in its history, students and staff from our Faculty of Theology have been accepted to the Global Institute of Theology. Students Michelle van Tonder and Andrew Barnard and staff member Helené van Tonder from our Department of Church History are among only 50 students worldwide accepted on a two-yearly basis.
The purpose of the institute is to give theology students and faculties an opportunity to learn, teach and practise theology in an inter-contextual and ecumenical way, situating the theological task in local, regional and world contexts.
Prof. Francois Tolmie, Dean of our Theology Faculty said, “The faculty is very proud of its students and staff member. They came up against very stiff competition and were successful in the selection process. We know that they will do the university proud.”