Different Cultures. One World. Women's Voices from South Yorkshire

About the author

Tchiyiwe Thandiwe Chihana

I was born in Braford, England in May, 1978 to Zambian parents. My formative years were lived in Zambia. I live in Sheffield, South Yorkshire

I am a co-founder and the Campaigns and Policy Officer for DEWA Project (Development and Empowerment for Women's Advancement). I also serve as Trustee and Women's Group Co-ordinator in Rotherham. At regional level, I am a panelist of the Northern Social Forum and was in the committe that developed and launched the 'Why Refugee Women?' charter for Yorkshire and Humber. I blog on twitter as AfriWoman and own http://www.afriwomen.blogspot.com/.

Having witnessed VAW as a child, I decided at an early age that my life commitment would be to stand up with and for my fellow women. This passion drove me to take an interest in various aspects of women's well being and I became aware of issues relating to sex trafficking, girl child education and the various systems that uphold the subjugation of women. In 1995, I swept in the wind of the Beijing Conference on Women. A school going child myself, I identified with matters around the promotion of Girl Child Education and spent the rest of that year being actively involved in debates that argued for its prioritisation. I consider this to be the year that my involvement in women's issues took a career turn.

About the book
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Different Cultures. One World. Women's Voices from South Yorkshire is a collection of contributions from women of various backgrounds living in South Yorkshire. Each contribution is an inspiring real life story, poem or recipe. To this rich collection, I have contributed 'A Woman's Worth?' which is an account of my witnessing domestic violence as a child. My story recounts the effects that domestic violence has had on me both as a child and as an adult. I discuss how my childhood experiences have shaped my activist work around Violence Against Women (VAW). I also question the 'taboos' and silences around VAW and the justification for its practice in our communities.
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The story is supported by statistics of domestic violence and gives information on the support services available to children living in abusive homes and also to women who are victims of violence in the United Kingdom. The book is available for immediate purchase from http://dewaproject.wordpress.com/one-world-different-cultures/