FRIDAY FILE - Grounded in a context of mafias, militarization and impunity sanctioned by some States in Latin America, femicides are increasing in number and brutality.

FRIDAY FILE: LGBTQI individuals in Africa face numerous civil, political, economic, social and cultural barriers. AWID spoke to Hakima Abbas, the Executive Director of Fahamu about the challenges of LGBTQI activism and how the politics of foreign aid impacts the struggle.

FRIDAY FILE: December 2011 marks the ten-year anniversary of the economic collapse in Argentina, which culminated in civil unrest and political turmoil in the country. The protests and the violent police repression on 19 and 20 December 2001 left several people dead and precipitated the fall of the government. AWID invited Argentinean sociologist Norma Sanchís * and economist Alan Cibils** to contribute their reflections ten years after the crisis.

By Gabriela De Cicco

FRIDAY FILE: Microfinance is often regarded as having significant potential to alleviate poverty. Despite some success stories, though, micro-credit arrangements with unscrupulous lenders frequently contribute to making bad situations worse by driving women deeper into poverty and desperation. Many Dalit women have experienced the down-side of microcredit, the most common form of microfinance.

By Kathambi Kinoti

Launched in 2008, the mission of Vie Féminine et Handicap is to fight against poverty among women living with disability in Senegal and globally, but especially across the African continent.

Nana Adjoa Sifa Amponsah dreams of “a society where young women graduates are proud to be ‘agripreneurs’, agricultural entrepreneurs, and where the smallholder farmer gets value for money”.