Tuvalu National Council for Women (TNCW) is a Tuvaluan national council, which is the umbrella organisation for non-governmental
women's rights
Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...
groups in the country. The TNCW aims to enable gender equity in Tuvalu, through educational campaigns and through resourcing women to be informed about their economic, legal and social rights.
Background
The work to create the Tuvalu National Council for Women (TNCW) began in the late 1970s. It was formally established in 1980 during Tuvalu's transition to independence. Initially the organisation's goals were to improve the standard of living for women, but this has expanded to include gender equity in all forms.
Administration
The TNCW has a council which consists of sixteen women. Two women represent each of the islands that compose the country. It acts as a bridge between governmental and volunteer organisations and is registered as a charity. The TNCW has a staff of three: one co-ordinator and two further staff. The organisation's base is in
Funafuti
Funafuti is the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu. It has a population of 6,320 people (2017 census), and so it has more people than the rest of Tuvalu combined, with approximately 60% of the population. It consists of a narrow sweep of la ...
. As of 2021 the co-ordinator was
Pulafangu Toafa
Pulafagu Toafa (born ) is a women's rights activist in Tuvalu. For over a decade, she has led the Tuvalu National Council for Women, the country's umbrella women's rights organization.
Biography
Pulafagu Toafa was born around 1960 in Tuvalu. ...
.
Projects
The TNCW has run a variety of projects, including a programme to encourage
legal literacy Legal awareness, sometimes called public legal education or legal literacy, is the empowerment of individuals regarding issues involving the law. providing training in family planning and business administration, as well as establishing the
Women's Handicraft Centre
A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...
, which is a nation-wide marketing system for women craftworkers, in particular for weaving. In 2006 they secured funding from the Japanese government to fund improvements to the centre. They have also run programs addressing violence against women. In 2001 the TNCW began a credit scheme where women could borrow money in order to establish small businesses such as poultry farming, pig-keeping and catering. However many loans went un-repaid.
Programmes have also been run in response to the
climate crisis
''Climate crisis'' is a term describing global warming and climate change, and their impacts. The term and the alternative term ''climate emergency'' have been used to describe the threat of global warming to humanity (and their planet), and to u ...
. These include women planting mangroves as coastal protection, as well as home gardening projects and consultancy and education work. In 2016 the TNCW worked with the
Green Climate Fund
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a fund established within the framework of the UNFCCC as an operating entity of the Financial Mechanism to assist developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change. The GCF is ba ...
to enable women from the islands of
Nanumea
Nanumea is the northwesternmost atoll in the Polynesian nation of Tuvalu, a group of nine coral atolls and islands spread over about of the Pacific Ocean just south of the equator and west of the International Date Line. Nanumea is with a pop ...
and
Nanumaga
Nanumanga or Nanumaga is a reef island and a district of the Oceanian island nation of Tuvalu. It has a surface area of about 3 km² with a population of 491 (2017 Census).
History
On 9 May 1824 a French government expedition under Captain ...
to be part of talks about climate crisis. One their key issues was the additional burden of social care than women take on in the aftermath of natural disasters. In 2020 they co-ordinated the events for
International Women's Day
International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...
, which included a church service and hymn competition.
Finance
Until 2011, the TNCW's annual budget was 10,000 AUS dollars, however that year it was cut by 50% – a trend that continued in 2012. The government stated that the reduction in support was as a response to the global financial crash.