The Mawina Kouyate Daughters of Africa Award was created to honor the memory and achievements of Mighty Daughter of Africa, Mawina Kouyate. Sister Mawina was a founding member of the All-African Women’s Revolutionary Union (A-AWRU) and made an excellent contribution to the overall development, consolidation and expansion of the A-APRP. She dedicated 29 years of her life to building the A-APRP and A-AWRU and crossed into the ancestral realm in September 2002.

The MKDOAA is awarded each year to an individual and/or organisation that has activity worked for the struggle for the advancement of women’s revolutionary advancement and the advancement of humanity. Some previous recipients of the award are Wangari Maathai, Assata Shakur, Berta Càceres, Madame Hadja Andrèe Toure, Mama Charlotte O’Neal, Piedada Esneda Córdoba Ruiz, Rasmea Odeh and others.

2022 Recipients

Teodora Ignacio Gomes (Guinea-Bissau)

Comrade Teodora Ignacio Gomes grew up in Guinea Bissau under the system of Portuguese colonialism. In 1962, she joined the PAIGC and its Women’s Wing, UDEMU. Working closely and collaborating with Amilcar Cabral, she was militarily trained and commanded a unit of 95 women during the armed struggle against Portuguese colonialism. In 1964 she received a scholarship and went to study in Ukraine later returning to Conakry, Guinea in 1966 to become a teacher at a school and its director from 1969-71. After Guinea Bissau became independent in 1974, she became a member of the National People’s Assembly representing the PAIGC and helped to pass laws against Female Genital Mutilation and other laws to help defend women’s rights. In 1976, Comrade Gomes was elected to represent the PAIGC as one of four Vice- Presidents in the Guinea Bissau/Soviet Union Friendship Association. Her work for the masses of African people is very extensive, but especially valued is the work she did with the A-APRP in 2000 when she joined our women’s wing, A-AWRU, on a recruitment drive across the U.S. then helped to organize our A-AWRU 20th anniversary in Guinea Bissau. She has continued to work with our party as a member of the PAIGC and the women’s wing UDEMU over the years helping build the AAPRP/AACPC/AAPRA

National Union of Eritrean Women

Established in 1979 as one of the mass organizations of the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front, in its current form the NUEW is an autonomous non-governmental organization dedicated to improving the status of Eritrean women. During Eritrea’s liberation struggle, NUEW succeeded in organizing and encouraging women’s participation in the war effort. Since independence in 1991, NUEW has continued to enhance the role of women by raising their political consciousness through literacy campaigns, credit programs, English language lessons, and other skills training. NUEW is administered by a headquarters office located in Asmara, as well as by regional offices located in all six zones. Membership numbers over 200,000 women. Sources of income include monthly membership fees, grants and projects, and fund-raising activities by members. MISSION The NUEW seeks to ensure that all Eritrean women confidently stand for their rights and equally participate in the political, economic, social, and cultural spheres of the country and share the benefits.

ADVOCATE FOR –
• The development of women’s confidence in themselves and respect for one another, and the raising of consciousness to ensure their rights in the political and legal systems;
• Laws that protect women’s rights in the family: entitlement rights and other civil laws;
• Equal access to education and employment opportunities: equal pay for equal work and equal rights to skills development to promotion;
• Improved access to adequate health care, paid maternity leave, and child care services;
• The eradication of harmful traditional practices that endanger women’s health and well-being;
• The reduction of poverty for Eritrean women and their families. Eritrean Women in Government In the national and regional assemblies 30% of seats are reserved for women.
Women compete against each other for the votes of both men and women. Women
also run against men for the remaining 70% of seats. The NUEW played a major role during the drafting of the Eritrean Constitution by organizing workshops and sensitizing women on the crucial issues that concern women. NUEW has played and continues to play a key role in advocating for, monitoring, and evaluating the formulation/planning and implementation of
government policies and programs from a gender perspective.