Meet our Caribbean partner: the Women's Institute for Alternative Development.

Annual murder rates in the Caribbean--at 30 per 100,000 inhabitants--are higher than in any other region of the world. The Women's Institute for Alternative Development (WINAD) in Trinidad and Tobago, a longtime partner of Project Ploughshares, has been a vigorous campaigner against gun violence in the Caribbean. WINAD's beginnings, however, had little to do with guns. "We had a concern about succession planning in the women's movement," says Folade Mutota, community activist and one of the 11 women who founded WINAD in 1999.

Objectives and members

WINAD's objectives include promoting respect for women's human rights; developing initiatives to end discrimination against women and encourage collective action by women; implementing initiatives for social and political transformation; and developing alternative learning and social institutions. Membership is by referral. WINAD members identify women who can further the objectives of the organization, and they are invited to join.

This membership is a powerhouse of women leaders from various fields, including social work, media, insurance, politics, information technology, business, trade unions, law, education, research, culture, and social development, as well as homemakers. Although the number of members varies, Mutota estimates that there are currently 25 members.

Until May 2008 WINAD did not have a core staff or office. Still, driven largely by the voluntary efforts of its members, WINAD has accomplished a great deal, pushing forward its agenda both within and outside the country.

Leadership of women

In 1999 WINAD launched the Inter-Generational Women's Leadership Programme, an innovative mutual-learning program that paired female students (aged 14-18 years) recruited by secondary schools in the capital city Port of Spain with older women selected by WINAD. Jillian Duncan, a founding member, recalls that the partnering "more or less came naturally as young and old met on 'open days' sponsored by WINAD." About 35 young women have participated in the program; one is now a staff member in the newly opened WINAD office.