Commission on the Status of Women, WOW Women to Attend
United Nations NYC March 1st to the 15th 2010
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing15/index.html
Ever since I joined WOW in 2004, I have attend the CSW meetings. It is an amazing time to be surrounded by women from all over the world. Most of these women are in NY for the two weeks of the conference to lobby their delegation as well as make connections with other women and NGO’s that share common interests.
Every year a topic is chosen to focus on. Here is a taste of what you can expect. I have taken this description from the UN web site.
15-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) and the outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly (2000)
In March 2010, the Commission on the Status of Women will undertake a fifteen-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly. Emphasis will be placed on the sharing of experiences and good practices, with a view to overcoming remaining obstacles and new challenges, including those related to the Millennium Development Goals. Member States, representatives of non-governmental organizations and of UN entities will participate in the session. A series of parallel events will provide additional opportunities for information exchange and networking.
The General Assembly is expected to mark the 15th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in a commemorative meeting during CSW.
You may want to visit this link http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing15/index.html to read more.
CSW runs for two weeks but it is not necessary for you to spend that much time in NY to get a benefit from this conference. We would recommend that your first experience be two to four days. It is expensive to be in the city and the UN can be a little overwhelming. We will find housing for all WOW women so we can be together. The UN is a short walk from Grand Central Station and the Hotel we use is close to both locations.
There is nothing happening at the UN during the weekend. If you want the weekend to be part of your trip you will be on your own to enjoy the city.
So, what will WOW be doing this year at the CSW?
We always try and meet with the US coalition of NGO’s. They will be making plans for a presentation to the USA delegation. Being part of this meeting is critical.
We will be spending time listening to floor debate and participating when we can.
We are always renewing friendships with old friends and organizations we have met over the years.
We love meeting and eating in the UN dining room overlooking the East River.
We are planning three Parallel events. These are happening across the street from the UN
1. Women’s Health: We have been active in Geneva with Women’s health issues. This will be a panel talking about Motherhood mortality in developing countries and the impact of climate change on Women and their access to health care.
2. Peaceabilities, A Violence Recovery program for children: We will Partner with BYU faculty with their ground breaking program on Violence and how to help Children recover from the effects.
3. Education Girls in developing Countries: Three years ago we invited Diana Haskins from Afghan Academy of Hope and her guest Serena from Afghanistan. She will join us again with other friends such as Patti Liston From Reach the Children and Carol Ugochukwu freom Nigeria and director of WOW Africa, to speak about and how one woman can make a difference.
If you have a desire to be with us, let this year be the year you come. Registration is limited only because of the logistics of hosting too many new members. I will take the first 10 who let me know they are ready to book plane fare. As of Dec 18th we have three slots open for new members. Let me know. Registration is open NOW but will close as the conference gets closer. wow@wowinfo.org
Susan Dayton,
President Worldwide Organization for Women
WOW hosts Asha Elmi in Washington D.C. Read about her from the Somali View
The Worldwide Organization for Women was able to host Asha for a week in Utah and also a week in D.C. during October. While in D.C. she spoke at George Washington University and Georgetown among other places. A Number of websites have posted press release and pictures regarding the Somali event for Asha in Washing ton D.C. Below are are some of the links:
http://www.somaliweyn.org/pages/news/Oct_09/23Oct24.html
http://midnimo.com/view.php?id=2544
Response to Conference Women and their Worldwide influence for Peace
POSITIVE COMMENTS about the WOW conference
Thank You, so so much, I feel my heart, mind and soul invigerated. I feel Changed
Wonderful opportunities to learn more about WOW and to meet women who are working to do so much good. Good handouts. Lovely lunch and speakers. Thank you all for the tremendous amount of effort you went to, to provide us with this opportunity. I am looking forward to more!
Excellent presentations, How can I help? Judeth
Appropriate stories, presentations that teach, emphasize and update us to current conditions, problems, needs and opportunities.
I thought the conference was great. Incredibly inspiring to have these good women speak about the things they do.
Wonderful! I was truly touched: Marianne
It was inspiring
The day was really beneficial and inspiring. I learned a lot and how every small thing contributes and can be the cause of a positive snowball effect.
Due to this conference i will donate either physical or financial contributions.
Valerie Hudson was very interesting. She brought up questions and points that have never crossed my mind. Charlotte Hamblin showed how big a difference a handful of people can make and how easy it can be to serve and give
I am grateful to have been exposed to WOW and also grateful such an organization exists, Favorite Speaker Carol Ugochukwu
Many great points were provoked in me as I listened to the speakers. I felt so privileges in my life to realize how much one person can truly do.
This was a great conference, Thank you
I think you guys did a great job. I learned a lot.
I would really like to get involved somehow. Kim
International level conference, Award luncheon of the highest quality, refinement, beauty, fabulous speakers, well organized and very professional. excellent videos and power points.
I think that there was fabulous information relayed. I love that there were stories told and Inspiring experiences shared. I have been able to work in the Philippines and orphanages, woman’s shelters and also in China. These stories touched me because I have also seen firsthand the problems that women are facing. I love that you have given us hope. That each of us as individuals CAN make a difference. I would like to know more about your internships or if there is any way we could ravel with you to these countries and be able to give our help there. Whitney
IDEAS FOR Now and next time:
Contact information and name of attendees: We will be sending information out to all WOW members, Many of you joined at the conference. We will be sending a monthly news letter to members and then posting information from the speakers on the blog
More displays tables of ongoing WOW activities: The only thing keeping us from putting up more displays was man power. With your help the next conference will be even better.
More interactive sessions: We had no idea the interest in this conference. Next time we will have work sessions. Great suggestion!
More time to make connections with others and to network: Great Idea, we will incorporate this into the planning
Problem solving and brainstorming: We hope to be getting information out to you about meeting in small groups and finding ways you can contribute to issues you learned about. Visit this site often!
Somali Peacemaker Honored at Peace Conference
Somali Peacemaker honored at Conference at Weber State
Odgen, Utah The Worldwide Organization for Women in partnership with Weber State University recently concluded ‘Women and their Worldwide Influence for Peace’, a conference which highlighted women around the world working for peaceful resolutions to conflict. Conference events began in Utah on October 7th and will end in Washington D.C October 17th.
Asha Hagi Elmi Amin, the keynote speaker at the conference was awarded the Worldwide Organization for Women’s Women and their Influence for Good award at an Award’s Luncheon held in the Weber State University Ballroom on October 10th. She spoke during the luncheon about the need for WOW’s three pillars; education, advocacy and humanitarian work in order for the world to find peace for families. The conference was sponsored by WOW and Weber State University, the Department of Geography, the Women’s Study Program and the Diversity Office.
Asha Hagi Elmi Amin founded Save Somali Women and Children (SSWC) a woman run non-governmental humanitarian organization in Mogadishu in 1992. SSWC works to create a safe and sustainable situation for women by helping them overcome marginalization, violence and poverty in their communities. It is a non-profit organization that functions under the belief that through their own efforts as well as with help from local and international allies, women can transform their own lives and their communities. Amin has been involved for many years in peace negotiations and has met in recent months with US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. Amin was recently honored in New York City at the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative on Thursday September 24, 2009. She was awarded one of six 2009 Clinton Global Citizen Awards which recognizes remarkable individuals for their leadership in improving the lives of people around the globe.
Other speakers during the daylong Conference included:
Valerie Hudson, the author of Bare Branches and a Professor of Political Science at Brigham Young University. Hudson presented findings from her research called WomanStats. She has spent seven years studying the connection between the treatment of women and the peacefulness of nations. Her insight and vast experience gives a better understanding of the need to speak out for those who are marginalized in society.
Afton Beutler, Vice President for International Affairs for the Worldwide Organization for Women in Geneva. Beutler is involved in: humanitarian projects, advocacy for women, children and families, issues of health, peace, human rights and climate change, the Eleanor Roosevelt Project on behalf of WOW and the Geneva internship program. New York UN Representative, Suvi Hynynen along with some of the Geneva interns shared their experiences about being part of the advocacy and educational process at the UN as a positive influence for change.
Carol Ugochukwu, the current Executive Director of WOW-Africa. Ugochukwu strongly advocates for community and self development projects. Ugochukwu was elected the State President and National Vice-President for the National Council of Women’s Societies of Nigeria. Ugochukwu was instrumental in building a bridge in her village of Ozubulu.
Ramita Shrestha, the Manager for ‘JOY Foundation-Nepal.’ Shrestha takes a proactive stance in improving the lives of women and children in her home country of Nepal. Through the ‘JOY Foundation-Nepal’ she organizes eye and health camps for rural Nepalese. She began her work with the Nepalese community by actively engaging the youth in after school computer literacy programs. She has worked with women from her village of Sankhu on the outskirts of Kathmandu to empower them through education and self reliance workshops.
Jackie Hunlow, founder of the Mothers’ Legacy Project. Hunlow is on the National Board of American Mothers Inc. and created the Mothers’ Legacy Project, as a living collection of written, oral and visual stories honoring mothers. As an author and artist, Hunlow spoke about the importance of women telling their stories and addressed how to build strength in our children and peace at that foundational point.
Charlotte Hamblin, philanthropist. Charlotte and her husband saw a need in the city of Mozambique and decided to do something about it. Over the last three years they have helped countless girls to get an education through their humanitarian projects. Hamblin discussed her work in Mozambique, including how getting sewing machines into the hands of women and paying for the production of school uniforms has opened doors for girls to go to school.
Other activities associated with the WOW conference included: a literacy event Thursday October 8th in conjunction with Global Literacy Day where Susan Dayton, President of WOW and Carol Ugochukwu, Current Executive Director of WOW Africa were at Glendale Middle School in Salt Lake City. to share inspirational stories about the education of women. Bags of books were provided by First Book, Utah Children’s Reading Foundation Reading Tree and Harmons. This event was partnered by the Salt Lake Community Action Program, the Children’s Reading Foundation and the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office of Education Partnership. On Friday, October 9th, WOW members participated in the Diversity Conference at Weber State University.
The Conference will continue to Washington D.C. Monday October 12th through Saturday October 17th, where Amin will do a series of meetings, presentations and fundraising events at Georgetown University and George Washington University. One of the key lectures and discussions will take place from 5:45 to 8:50 p.m. October 14th at the Georgetown University Law Center where she will be hosted by the International Law Faculty.
A Bridge Over Troubled Waters
By: Bobbi Aboe Smith
In an unlikely alliance, a group of American women and Nigerians are protecting children from crocodile and snake infested waters. The children of Enugwu, Nigeria, wade the Eze River to get to school. During the 5 month rainy season, though, they cannot cross the enlarged torrent at all, so they stay home. This results in a lack of consistent education, a pressing problem in an already underprivileged area.
This situation was a call to action for The Worldwide Organization for Women (WOW). WOW’s efforts to connect women and unite their influence for good focuses on 3 areas: advocacy, education and humanitarian activities. The organization has consultative status to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, and members worldwide work to create a safer, better world for women and their families. Together with Dr. Todd Stong, a retired civil engineer from the Army Corps of Engineers, they began a quest to help the people of this Nigerian village build a permanent means of safely crossing the river. The cooperative and combined efforts of all involved would end up bridging more than just dangerous waters.
While traveling to the World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995, WOW members became acquainted with Carol Ugochukwu, a delegate from Nigeria to the same conference. Their friendship led to a visit to Ugochukwu’s home village, Urumabian in Ozubulu town, by WOW representatives in 2003 and again in March, 2005. The purpose of the visits was to observe literacy, micro-credit, child-care and nutritional programs that had been instituted by Carol in her role as leader of WOW-Africa, founded in 1999.
Observing village life, Afton Beutler, then Director of Humanitarian Projects, and currently WOW representative to the United Nations-Geneva asked the community elders what they would need the most for their village. “They took me to the Eze River,” Beutler said. “As we all stood on the banks, they explained that their people couldn’t cross the river in the rainy season.” They detailed the many problems this created for the villagers, including lack of employment options, restriction from health care, limited opportunities for the children’s education and the trading of goods. Their request: help with the construction of a bridge.
“I told them we would try,” said Beutler. “That night there were cries of joy, praising God, as the village crier told the news of a bridge being built over the river. They, of course, thought it could be done immediately.” This was in 2003. The first task was to find an engineer who would give them a bid, spearhead the work, and live in a high-risk, remote location for 2-3 months—and all for free.
Ugochukwu was asked to find an engineer in Nigeria to prepare an estimate. The bid came back at what seemed like an impossible amount–$300,000.00. A WOW committee member recalled reading about a retired engineer who was available for humanitarian work in third world countries at no cost for his labor. Through an unlikely series of events and coincidences over the next several months, Lori Wilkinson, Bridge Committee Chairman, found that same engineer, Dr. Todd Stong. He told her he would be available in November, 2005, to take the job.
After dimensions of the river and site conditions were sent to him, he estimated the cost. “The challenges included the need to design a bridge of over 200 ft. in length to carry a truck, to be built with 30-50 unskilled laborers by hand, with no construction equipment, and to fit WOW’s budget, which was less than 10% of that expected for such a structure,” Stong said. He believed it could be done.
WOW began fundraising. Nina Palmer, past president of WOW said they approached friends and family for help with the funding. A plea for help was made to attendees of WOW’s conference in Sept. of 2004. Many people donated and money began to accumulate. Much more was needed, though, and NuSkin, a Utah corporation, provided a grant of $17,500.00. The project could go forward.
The details of Stong’s journey to Enugwu show the perils he faced. “We sewed the money for the project into our clothing, traveled by daylight, and paid off numerous ‘police’ roadblocks,” Stong said. “Robberies are common, especially for foreigners.” Upon arriving in the village, work to clear the vegetation from both banks of the river began, and it was discovered that the river bed was wider than previously estimated. Dr. Stong was dismayed when he found that the measurements of the needed bridge span were underestimated by more than half. His $35,000.00 bid was going to be stretched to its limits and beyond.
Dr. Stong welcomed the volunteers from the villages and began to train them in the skills required. To start and finish the bridge within a 3 month span of time he would need a significant amount of manpower. The state governor graciously offered some funds to provide the volunteer work force of 25 men with a token wage. Modern machines and technology are not an option in rural Nigeria, especially on such a limited budget. Instead, Dr. Stong took with him the minimal tools required. “When I showed the local government official, and later the governor, my engineering tools—a 500 foot roll of nylon cord, a 4” line level and a tape measure—they were amazed,” Stong said. “The tools for the men in building this bridge were equally simple—shovels, picks and head pans.”
The increased scope of the bridge would require 150 tons of excavation, 170 tons of concrete and 47 tons of timber placement, all completed through manual labor, but “it would be straight and level”, according to Stong. Additional problems surfaced as the work went forward. Crocodiles and snakes became a minor issue as they tended to move upstream with the noise of construction. The oppressive heat and humidity caused Dr Stong to lose 26 lb. in the first 2 months. Delays in obtaining basic materials sometimes slowed the project down for several weeks at a time.
Good things happened, too. The men gained confidence as they learned new skills. The women were proud of the men and often brought food for the workers. Dr. Stong said. “Hope began to grow as the bridge grew. The local government saw our progress and came through with some funds for bull-dozer help on the adjoining roads.” During delays and at night, Dr. Stong rarely rested. He tackled other projects in the area for the villages and churches. These included plans for a water supply, rebuilding of other bridges, and even the design of a ferry to cross trucks and people over a wide river several states to the north.
Dr. Stong and WOW had determined an objective that all designs, construction concepts, devices crafted for substituting manual labor for powered machines, and the administrative agreements developed by this project be freely offered to any and all other interested communities. As the weeks passed, the structure grew. Forty concrete pillars topped with steel columns emerged from the swamp. 350 lb. timbers were bolted between pillars and then came the equally massive beams that would lie beneath the wheels of the autos soon to pass overhead. Finally came the deck planks, railings and treadways.
The last bridge built in this area had taken three years to complete, but had washed out completely over 30 years before. The story of this bridge being accomplished in less than three months by volunteers with no construction experience or equipment soon reached Dr. Chris Ngige, the Governor of Anambra State. He came to the river with a TV crew to publicize this amazing enterprise. He praised the ingenuity and leadership of Dr. Stong, the generosity of WOW, and congratulated the workers for their amazing speed, obvious skill, and willingness to volunteer. “The pride of the local villagers could not have been higher,” Stong said.
Dr. Stong returned home in mid- January. The last shipment of heavy timbers from the distant forest was still delayed and family matters required his presence in the U.S. Local timber supplies were exhausted, requiring a hazardous journey to a remote area near the border of Nigeria and Cameroon. The men purchased large standing trees, cut them by hand, and hauled the logs back to the bridge site. After the timber arrived, the men finished the bridge on their own with Dr Stong consulting with his crew via e-mail. The men remain anxious to be given the chance to do another bridge project, one that Dr. Stong designed and bid for them before his departure. This new job will not only provide the villagers with an opportunity to make use of their new skills but will also offer a full wage.
Dr. Stong is once again leaving for central Mexico to begin more water-related engineering work. He is in his tenth year of providing humanitarian services at no cost. The end result of the labor of many men, the unselfish work of Dr. Stong, and the dedicated faith and fundraising of WOW members is that economic improvement, better health and consistent education will soon be benefiting the families of Enugwu.
Susan Dayton, current president of WOW, says this is what her organization is about. “Supporting women and recognizing their influence for good worldwide, we have helped the women, men and children from this remote village know that anything is possible.” And now the children will be able to attend school all year round—without worry about what may be lurking in the water.
