The board holds first meeting.

• Author: Wanyeki, L. Muthoni

During the African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET)'s Programming Conference and General Assembly in August 2003, FEMNET members elected a new Executive Board and Board of Trustees. The new Board held its first full meeting in October 2003, chaired by Mama Koite.

During the meeting, the Board reviewed all programme and project activities, as well as FEMNET's administrative and financial matters. Board members designed a way of working with the Regional Secretariat by dividing roles and responsibilities relating to these activities and matters among themselves. A process for representation by the Board was also agreed upon depending on the new members' areas of expertise and interest. This should make it easier for members, through their sub-region's representatives on the Board to follow and participate in FEMNET's activities. In addition, this should strengthen the capacity of the Board to fulfil its oversight role with respect to the Regional Secretariat.

With respect to programme and project activities, it was decided that follow up to the decisions of the PC/GA should take place by undertaking a strategic planning exercise. The exercise will utilise the outcomes of the evaluation of FEMNET's programmes and projects carried out just prior to the PC/GA as well as the outcomes of the PC/GA itself.

FEMNET's advocacy programme currently has five projects under it, only two of which, for funding reasons, are not implemented in both anglophone and francophone Africa. These are the gender and macroeconomic modelling project and the men to men project. It was decided that efforts should be made to extend the men to men project to francophone Africa.

With respect to administrative and financial matters, two new regional programme level positions were created for the Regional Secretariat. These are the positions of Advocacy Officer and Translator. Work under these positions is currently carried out by Mary Wandia and Elvire Chumbow. Processes to proceed with the recruitment of a Communications Officer and a Financial Administrator were also agreed upon, following the departure of Alice Munyua and Bhajan Bhannot. FEMNET's current funding was reviewed, with the tabling of the financial report for the third quarter of 2003.

This first Board meeting was important in building a collaborative spirit among the new members as well as between the new members and the Regional Secretariat. FEMNET looks forward to this next phase of its...