This week, the excitement of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Summit in Ottawa begins! Many Open Heroines are already busy in Canada week attending several OGP Summit pre-events — and the conference itself begins tomorrow!
As you may know, with support from the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, Open Heroines is conducting a second round of travel granting to sponsor women’s conference travel and attendance. Each woman who received a Travel Grant for the OGP Summit is participating in Feminist Open Government Day, engaging in OH’s and FOGO’s networking events, and attending relevant conference sessions that interest them – including many of the events on the OGP “Gender Agenda.”
Last week, we published a Spotlight on the OGP 19 Travel Grantees (Part 1) – and today, we are introducing the remainder of our grantees!
Read more about our grantees below:
Maria Fabiola Cantú
Where I Work:
Argentina, Centro Latinoamericano de Derechos Humanos
About Me:
I am a lawyer working in human rights, and am currently Executive Director of Centro Latinoamericano de Derechos Humanos (CLADH), a non-profit that works in the promotion and protection of human rights in Latin America. Through my work, I seek to strengthen Open Government, promoting transparency, participation, and collaboration. I am experienced in human rights international litigation and activism regarding access to information. Also this year, my organization was selected to integrate the National Open Government Roundtable of Argentina. Attending OGP will help us drive the National Table and make innovative proposals.
Brenda Guadalupe Vázquez Uribe
Where I Work:
Mexico, Cultura Colectiva
About me:
I am Senior Analyst in the Public Affairs Department of Cultura Colectiva, a tech and media company that uses data to produce engaging content. As the largest native content platform in Mexico and Latin America, Cultura Colectiva’s mission is to generate awareness of progressive causes. My position entails collecting and processing data to create compelling communication lines that can awaken emotions and ignite action. My background as a social scientist has enabled me to work in data collection and analysis in order to understand reality and design political communication strategies. I want to learn how to use data to take women to power and change things from the top to the bottom. I think participating in this event will allow me to learn new skills related to data management and to meet women who share my passion to advance the feminist agenda.
Marieme Soda Mbacke
Where I Work:
Senegal, Publish What You Pay
About me:
I have been engaged in civil society since 2007, and am a founding member of the Youth Network for the Promotion of Human Rights (chaired until end of 2018) and founding member of Active Citizens for Social Justice, a youth association for social justice, transparency, and accountability in public resource management. I work as a project manager at Publish What You Pay Senegal where I coordinate a gender and EITI project that aims to make this initiative gender sensitive. OGP will be a framework where I can learn and convey key messages about gender mainstreaming in the governance of mineral resources, so that young people and women participate effectively in decision-making processes.
Ani Tovmaysan
Where I Work:
Armenia, Armavir Development Center, Huysi Metsamo
About Me:
As an active woman leader, I coordinate social monitoring of school construction in Armenia as a PR specialist at Armavir Development Center NGO, and have been a trainer in the ‘’Huysi Metsamo’’ NGO targeting children with disabilities. Also, as a strong woman who mitigated challenges and difficulties to break stereotypes and become a feminist and activist, I highly emphasize the international experience in open government, specifically feminist open government and inclusive open government. I’ve also contributed to transparency, accountability, and participation by coordinating election observation during 2017 and 2018 local and national elections.
Florence Akara
Where I Work:
Kenya, Femme International East Africa
About Me:
I am the Regional Director at Femme International. Prior to this, I worked as a corporate lawyer for 5 years. My drive for a career with impact for women and girls led me to Femme international. Femme provides access to menstrual health education and distributes kits containing reusable menstrual products to our beneficiaries. I am an aspiring African leader and in the next 5–10 years, I aim to have the skills and capacity to lobby or partner with government for implementation of policies that prioritise the menstrual and reproductive health needs of women in East Africa. I look forward to OGP to learn more about FOGO and become part of the coalition. I also look forward to opportunities for mentorship and guidance on how to help Femme International break potential barriers and provide access to even more beneficiaries. I am also looking forward to the opportunity for networking to increase Femme’s visibility and advocate for its great service in East Africa.
Asma Slaima
Where I Work:
Tunisia,
About Me:
A lawyer by training, I started my career as an activist in Tunisian civil society in the year 2011; focusing on gender and gender equality activism. I also believe in individual freedoms and the need to preserve a maximum threshold of freedom in post-revolutionary Tunisia. At the professional level, I’ve specialized in decentralization and transparency at the local level. Currently and for more than a year, I hold the position of Legal Affairs and Advocacy Officer in a national organization that is interested in transparency in the Tunisian parliament, in local authorities, and in the state budget. As a result, my work focuses on promoting transparency and putting citizens at the heart of the decision-making process and making data available. My participation in OGP19 will help me to have innovative and creative ideas to use in my work especially at the local level, to help Tunisia establish a culture of open governance and transparency in newly elected local authorities.
