The Documentation Unit for Women’s Studies (DUWS)

The Documentation Unit for Women’s Studies was established in 1989 as a natural progress of the women’s studies at the University. The Unit functions and cooperates with all the University bodies, particularly the Institute of Women, Gender and Development Studies and the Elhafeed Library.

It was established to compliment the role of the library in collecting publications and materials for documenting Sudanese women’s studies. It aims at gathering relevant theses, publications and materials and tries to modernize the various means of documentation conducive to coping with the information and communication revolution. Hopefully, it will be a nucleus of a future Documentation Centre.

Components of this Unit include:

• Office of the Head of the Unit
• Office of the Unit Coordinator
• The Documentation, Information & Publication Division
• The Documentary Research & Studies Division
• The Computer & Archives Listing Division
• The Sudanese Women Museum Division
• The Media Division; and
• The Public Relations & Training Division

The objectives of the Unit are:

• Collecting, processing, and documenting information related to women and gender issues with special focus on the issues of peace, conflict resolution, and human rights;
• Enhancing the documentation and provision of information & data on women's studies;
• Promoting documentary research in women and gender studies and other social, cultural, economic, political, and historical areas;
• Publishing researches and studies in the field of women and gender in booklets; and
• Establishing links with similar national and international organizations in related activities.

Central activities of the Unit include:

• Collecting newspapers, books, papers, and publications related to women issues;
• Supervising documentary research projects annually outlined by the unit in the field of women's studies for finalist students of the University;
• Documenting all university activities and occasions;
• Preparing and publishing “Women & Development" series;
• Supervising the magazine (ElNisf ElWaid) prepared by the University students;
• Publishing the Ahfad Newsletter;
• Conducting training sessions in the fields of audio- visuals documentation and publication in order to promote students' talents in the field of press & information; and
• Exchanging relations with similar national and international organizations in related activities.
  

Bodies that assist with the operation of the Unit include:

• The organization responsible for the annual plan by the Divisions’ Supervisors
• The General Advisory Committee of the Documentation Unit
• The Advisory Committee of El-Nisf El Waid Magazine
• The Advisory Committee of the Sudanese Women Museum
  

One of the diversified activities of DUWS was the establishment of a Sudanese Women's Museum. This idea was originally advanced by the late Prof. Ahmed M.A. Hakim who then was the Secretary of the National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums and member of the Advisory Committee of the DUWS. After the approval of the project by the Academic Council of the University, the Uunit started a two-stage implementation plan. The first was the establishment of "The Woman's Lodge" to serve as a nucleus for the succeeding stage. The second stage was the establishment of the Sudanese Women's Museum.

The Sudanese Woman's Museum is a specialized institution, which aims at:

• Providing visual and tangible documentation of the social, political, and economic life of the Sudanese women;
• Documentating the various developments in women’s life in ancient and modern times;
• Conservation and preservation of the woman's heritage;
• Documentation of the life history of pioneers in the Sudanese Women Movement;
• Exhibition of the material culture of Sudanese women in early and contemporary periods;
• Provision of material for researches concerned with women's studies; and
• Provision of historical information for future generations.
  

Nafisa Ahmed ElAmin, General certificate of Education, Women Teachers College, Omdurman, Sudan (1950), General Certificate of Education, University of Cambridge (1955), PhD (Honourary) From AUW (1996). Head of the Documentation Unit for Women's Studies, Joined AUW 1989. MSc Prague 17 November University (1973), Post Graduate Diploma in Population Studies, Cardiff University UK (1976), PhD, Cardiff University (1982), Associate professor. Joined AUW in 2003.
Ikhlas Nouh Osman, B.Sc., AUW (1988), MSc, Institute of Social Studies, Netherlands (1993), Researcher. Joined AUWi n 1994.
Omima Mustafa Ahmed, B.Sc., AUW (1993), Higher Diploma in Information and Libraries, ElNileen University (2000). Coordinator. Joined AUW in 1994.
Suad Ibrahim Nugud, B.Sc., Patrice Lumumba University, Moscow, (1989). Higher Diploma in Journalism, University of Khartoum (1996). Teaching Assistant. Joined AUWin 1994.
Nahla Faisal ElSayed, B.Sc., AUW (1995), Higher Diploma in Development Planning, University of Khartoum (1997), Administrative Assistant. Joined AUW in 1997.
Intisar Suliman ElBashir, B.Sc., AUW (1996), Higher Diploma in Communication Skills (Directing and Editing), Sudan Academy for Communication Sciences and Media Training, (2001). Administrative Assistant. Joined AUW in 1997.
Rasha Abdallah Abbass, B.Sc., AUW (1999). Administrative Assistant. Joined AUW in 2000.
Manal AbdelAziem Siddig, B.Sc., AUW (1995), Higher Diploma in Development Studies, University of Khartoum (1997), MSc, AUW (1999), Researcher. Joined AUW in 2000.
Atif Abdel Rahman Saghairon, B.Sc., Prague 17 November University (1972),