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Way of life is shared - Refugees reunited with their host families - Queensland, Australia

The Graduate Women of Queensland Sunshine Coast Branch (GWQ SC) is leading a Refugee Education Project in Sunshine Coast enabling young refugee students to participate in a two-week English language course and stay with Australian host families. In April 2011, the GWQ SC organized a picnic in collaboration with Buddies Refugee Support Group where refugee students returned with their families to meet with their former hosts. For 18-year-old M’Mah Toure, the picnic was an opportunity to introduce her family to her Sunshine Coast hosts, who helped her master her English before she started university in February. “It was a whole new experience for me, being with an Australian family,” Ms Toure said. “I don’t speak English at home, so I was always speaking English and that was a good thing.” Event organiser Marilyn Keelty said the program had helped many refugees assimilate into Australian life and succeed at school. Program participants join an intensive English class at the University of Sunshine Coast, share family life and cultural perspectives, and also take in some of the local tourist spots. “It has been very successful. Most of them have gone to university. It makes a huge difference in their lives,” Ms Keelty said.

Let's Read Together

At the beginning of the last decade, Finland, a country where citizens have been able to read for centuries, suddenly found itself with hundreds of illiterate people, many of them women. In 2004, with official integration programmes failing to reach many immigrant women, members of a local UNIFEM branch, including individual members of the Finnish Federation of University Women (FFUW), started a literacy group for older illiterate women. The group met for two hours weekly, with teachers working on a voluntary basis. One of the goals was for those involved to get to know each other and to overcome prejudices on both sides.  By September 2010, "Lets Read Together" had spread to 80 groups in 28 municipalities. 300 Finnish women now act as teachers and about 700 immigrant women attend the groups.  Both Zonta and the Finnish YWCA in turn supported the project and in December 2010, FFUW took over primary responsibility.  With a grant from the Finnish Cultural Foundation, FFUW has been able to employ a part-time person, is buying teaching materials and will be holding workshops for the teachers, many of whom are retired engineers, accountants, medical doctors, secretaries, nurses, and teachers from all levels of education. Through this project FFUW hopes not only to help immigrant women but also to get new members who see the value of this type of integration.
Marja Toivanen, FFUW CIR 

BRPID Promoting Women's Reproductive Health in Cameroon

The Cameroon Association (CAMAUW) was one of the groups to receive a Bina Roy Partners in Development grant for 2009/2010 for Reproductive Health Education in the community of Mbororo. The project is showing excellent results. The Association first had to convince community leaders of the need for this training and then offered sessions to a small number of mature women to show them what was involved. Following this sensitization, young girls and women of active reproductive ages (14-22) were allowed to take part. Since the sessions began there has been an increase in attendance for routine monthly antenatal clinics and more of the Mbororo women are taking their children for vaccination especially during vaccination campaign periods. There are indications from the local markets that more fruits and vegetables are being purchased especially during feast periods; before the diet consisted of ground maize and beef. It is too early to assess the impact on family planning, particularly gaps between children, but the signs are promising. The next BRPID competition opens in January 2011.
From the CAMAUW BRPID Report

SLAUW Holds Awards Ceremony

The Sierra Leone Association (SLAUW) is proud to annouce that its annual awards ceremony was held in November. Sixteen awardees received cheques towards their school fees. The beneficiaries, all schoolgirls from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, are pupils in various stages of primary and secondary education. The girls were addressed by members of SLAUW and a guest speaker who encouragingly about career possibilities in Information Technology.
Linda Williams, SLAUW CIR

Non Formal Education in Nepal

The Nepal Association of University Women's 2010 Bina Roy Project offered non formal education and training to housewives. Included were literacy classes, vocational training in mushroom cultivation and potato chip making, as well as awareness training on reproductive health, legal questions, human rights and civic awareness. While some of the participants planned to use the new skills for personal uses, others are hoping to start small businesses.

National Action to End Violence: Moldova

The National Association of University Women in Moldova is one of many IFUW national federations and associations working on the prevention of violence against women and girls at the national and local level. Among their actions have been the creation of a Balti Crisis Centre for Victims of Violence, training of volunteers for telephone "hot lines" to assist victims, mass media campaigns to educate the public, the creation of a legal clinic for victims and the publication of books, brochures, leaflets and flyers in Romanian and Russian to raise awareness of the problem. More recently, the group compiled their experience with crisis centre work from over ten years into a guide to help others starting similar centres.

Keys to Choosing Careers - IFUWA

The Indian Federation of University Women's Associations (IFUWA) carried out a series of workshops "Keys to Choosing Learning and Meaningful Career Opportunities" to provide teachers with the skills to help girls make education and career choices. These included training in aptitude testing and counselling techniques. 130 teachers from from 45 schools participated and will ultimately reach 4200 girls from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The project was funded in part by the Bina Roy Partners in Development Programme (BRPID). IFUWA members from seven branches were involved. As a result of the project, counselling centres will be opened in each of the schools. (From the IFUWA Project Report)

Building Friendship Bridges - TUKD

The Turkish Association of University Women (TUKD) with its 21 branches started the Friendship Bridge Project to support female university students financially and morally. To date more than 700 students have been helped. In addition to a small monthly grant, TUKD builds "Friendship Bridges" between donors and students, based on the donors' professions and the students' study areas. For example, a lawyer may support a law student, providing the student not only with financial support but also study and career guidance. The donors give their contribution to the Association's Scholarship Fund. A committee chooses the recipients based on their academic success and level of need. The first Saturday of each month, TUKD invites the students to their office. While the payments are being made, guests and members talk with the students. Every TUKD member is encouraged to contribute herself and to introduce at least one donor to the project. Once they graduate the young women are invited to join the Association without paying an entrance fee The goal is to give a hand to female university students with the hope of seeing them in future decision-making positions.

JAUW Reports Work-Life Balance Study Results

In 2008-2009, the Japanese Association of University Women (JAUW) conducted a comparative study looking at policies that enable women and men to balance work with responsibilities related to the family. Survey responses from IFUW national affiliates offered insights into policies regarding provisions of childcare, parental leave, employment options such as flexible work hours and work-sharing. They also examined attempts to eliminate gender bias and stereotyping by promoting progressive attitudes regarding gender roles in school textbooks. The English translation of the findings is now available. See here.

Finnish Federation presents seminar She Says YES to Power

At the occasion of the Commission on the Status of Women 2010, the Finnish Federation of University Women will be holding a special seminar in tribute to Helvi Sipilä, the first female Assistant Secretary-General of the UN. The seminar has been entitled She says YES to Power. Women’s political participation is a prerequisite for gender equality and genuine democracy. Empowerment of women in politics begins with increasing the number of women in decision-making positions, but it cannot stop there. What is required, are gender-sensitive governance reforms and a boost to women’s participation in economic policy-making. For more information on the seminar, click here.

Excerpts from an Education Report from Pakistan

Two members of the Pakistan Federation shared a moving account "From Gloom to Chase" of a series of special camps designed to promote science subjects, particulary physics, at secondary school level in rural areas of the country. "We discovered that life is worth living still in the backdrop of the current social and economic upheaval and the bomb blasts..." At the first workshop about 100 students and 20 teachers from government schools took part, 50% were girls. It was amazing that "in an era where girls’ schools and colleges are being destroyed by militants and suppression of the female child is the norm, so many girls could stay away from their homes for five straight days." We were impressed by the students trying to understand the principle of an experiment and its underlying concept to later discuss them amongst themselves. Only a real teacher can understand our joy on the responses of those eager learners. In Nawabshah, we repeated the exercise for another 100 students , again 50 per cent were girls. Informal sessions of spontaneous oratory, poetry, jokes and music unearthed the hidden talents. "How we wish that our leaders could organise a huge EXCEL camp for the entire nation in order to dissolve the ethnic, racial, language and religious prejudices." (read the full report here).

The Network of Nordic University Women holds successful workshop on the Leaky Pipeline

KANN, the Network of Nordic University Women, ran a workshop during the 6th European Conference on Gender Equality in Higher Education (Stockholm, August 2009) called “Understanding the Mechanisms of the Leaky Pipeline”. The Leaky Pipeline is a metaphor for the question of why women drop from PhD and Post-doctoral programmes. Some of the factors presented were: hidden discrimination, lack of encouragement, lack of visibility, male gate-keepers and a masculine power structure. Dr Steven Sampson from the Department of Social Anthropology (University of Lund) reformulated the issue asking: What kind of people remain at the universities? During the last 15-20 years, universities have adopted a new management culture, a steering process which diminishes peoples’ ability to develop and increase their knowledge. University employees have become exposed to an “audit culture”, where everything is to be weighed and measured, thus freezing creativity and development. Perhaps women are critical of this new way and that is why they leave? (read the full report here)

Geneva Association offers Human Rights series

The Geneva section of the Swiss Association of University Women is organizing a four-part series on human rights starting in September, which will be open to the public. The first session will present the evolution of human rights concepts and the structure of the UN's human rights bodies. Subsequent sessions will look at the various human rights conventions and discuss some of the more pressing issues covered, such as racism and the elimination of discrimination against women. The goal of the series is to promote a human rights culture and to encourage a human rights approach to political decision-making and implementation.

Canadian Federation receives recognition for work on Resolution 1325

The Canadian Federation (CFUW) was recently invited to take part in "Until the Violence Stops" a special national event organized by the Canadian All Party Parliamentarian Group for the Prevention of Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity. The meeting looked at ways Canada could help end the use of sexual violence as weapon in war. The invitation reflects growing recognition of the CFUW's role as one of the leading national proponents of Resolution 1325. This landmark resolution, adopted unanimously in 2000, calls for women and a gender perspective to be an integral part of all conflict resolution and peace-building efforts. Among its many provisions, the resolution specifically calls for special measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence, particularly rape and other forms of sexual abuse, and all other forms of violence in situations of armed conflict.

Egyptian Young Members to lead illiteracy eradication project

The Cairo Association has announced that illiteracy eradication classes are to be offered at the Cairo Headquarters beginning the first of October. The project, which will be supervised by a new group of young members, addresses a critical national problem. According to official estimates, 17 million of Egypt’s population of 80 million are illiterate.

Swiss Association helps students integrated into the job market

The Swiss Association of University Women (SVA/ASFDU/ASL) was one of three women’s organizations offering a series of career advice workshops “Approaching the beginning of your career in full knowledge of all the facts” to students and postgraduate students at the University of Zurich. The workshops addressed difficulties young women face starting their careers and entering the job market. Sessions covered topics ranging from wages (“earning, what I am worth”), job applications, active networking, employment law and work contracts, to balancing career and family. Around 60 students took part. The exercise was so successful that it will be repeated in Basel and Lucerne.

2009 Irish FUW Public Speaking Competition for girls aged under 15

The Irish Federation of University Women held its yearly Public Speaking Competition for girls. This cross-border and cross-community competition offers girls under the age of fifteen the opportunity to gain self-confidence by developing public speaking skills in an encouraging and enjoyable atmosphere where they will meet their peers from a broad range of social and cultural backgrounds.

The IrFUW has presented workshops on the competition at IFUW conferences in Graz and Perth. You can contact them if you would like to know more about how it works.

French Association wins prestigious award

The French Association of University Women (AFFDU) has been awarded the 2009 Irene Joliot-Curie Prize for mentoring. This prize, awarded annually by the Ministry of Education and EADS Foundation, was created in 2001 and is awarded every year by Ministry of Education and EADS Foundation to promote women in research and technology in France and to highlight women's exemplary scientific career paths marked by excellence and dynamism. AFFDU was honoured its outstanding work over the years encouraging and mentoring young women entering scientific careers.

Australian duo seeks ways to help genocide survivors

Members from the Australian Federation of University Women (AFUW) including two graduates from Murdoch University in Australia recently visited members of the Rwanda Association of University Women (RAUW), to discuss ways of assisting genocide survivors overcome trauma. With a view towards understanding the mechanisms of human flexibility, Dr Ebert, a clinical psychologist, is studying how people recover from extreme trauma without intervention. In addition, Dr Third is dedicated to the study of cultural and communication practices. She has a research interest in the social and cultural dimensions of new media technologies. The full Media Release is available on RAUW's website.

RAUW member wins top honours in Korean women's varsity

Rwanda Association of University Women (RAUW) member, Mediatrice Kagaba, a student who was pursuing a Master’s Degree in International Development Cooperation at Ewha Women’s University in Seoul, South Korea, has been crowned Miss Ewha-Koica 2008. Please read the full article, which was originally published in "New Times", Rwanda's daily newspaper.

Project 100

Project 100 is a joint initiative of Queen's Women Graduate's Association (QWGA) in Belfast, and the Rwanda Association of University Women (RAUW). The project aims to enable disadvantaged and parentless children in Rwanda to access secondary education.

Project 100 is part of celebrations marking 100 years of the Royal Charter granted to the Queen’s University in Belfast. When thinking of a way to celebrate, QWGA members remembered a paper on rebuilding society after conflict, presented by Rwandan members at the 29th IFUW Conference. As Belfast is itself also rebuilding after years of conflict, QWGA thought it fitting to mark the centenary via a joint initiative.

The project provides food, accommodation, uniforms and other equipment to enable the children to transition from primary school and to access government funded secondary education. Secondary education is crucial to employability and access to third level education in later life. This is particularly important for the economic future of girls and their families, in a country where girls continue to lag behind boys in terms of opportunity to go to school and in completing schooling.

At the 2008 Women of the Year awards ceremony, Dr Marion Gibson, a QWGA member, was named Woman of the Year in the voluntary sector for her work with Project 100.

Links of friendship

When the Dijon local association of the Association Française des Femmes Diplômées des Universités called for information on friendship links between branches and associations, we received many interesting stories. One of them was about a Finnish-Dutch friendship link between The University Women of Salo, Finland and its sister club in the Netherlands: The University Women of Friesland in Leeuwarden. The friendship started about 25 years ago and they have visited each other every three or four years since. Here is a photo from one the visits, on a forest trip to Teijo Nature Park situated near the town of Salo, Finland.

NFA activities on International Women's Day, 2008

Eariler this year, the Status of Women Committee asked NFAs to report on the activities they had carried out for International Women's Day. A summary of the responses received is now available online.

First "Girl's Day" proclamation ceremony in Seoul

The Korean Association of University Women (KAUW) co-organized the first “Girl's Day” at the Olympic Park in Seoul on the 26th April 2008 which was attended, among others, by members of Parliament and NGO leaders. Twenty NGO booths introduced girls to their respective programmes and activities.

The KAUW presented a "Mentoring for the Girls" booth with different areas of interest. This was very popular with the many girls who visited. Members were there to answer their questions and give the girls suggestions to on how to prepare their studies and select study areas at the university.

KAUW worked closely with the national Project 5-0 leadership (International Council of Women, International Federation of Business and Professional Women, International Federation of University Women, Soroptimist International, Zonta International) and Girl Scouts of Korea to initiate this "Girl's Day" programme. It has been officially submitted to make this a yearly event.

Submitted by Sun Young Kim, President KAUW