YWCA News current

On 12 January 2010, as witnessed with horror by many on their TV screens, Haiti was devastated by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake which traumatised the country and its people, led to vast loss of life, dramatic destitution and the uprooting of many Haitians. Thanks to donations from across the globe, including from YWCAs worldwide, as well as relief efforts from international humanitarian organisations, close to 900 Internally displaced persons (IDP) camps were set up for some 600,000 Haitians, over 300,000 of whom were women.

The 56^th  session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) to be held in February 2012 in New York promises to be an exciting and progressive event focusing on the empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and other current challenges.

Date: July 22-27, 2012 

The Power to Change Fund is a permanent fund of the World YWCA, which endows leadership development programmes for women and girls worldwide. A number of exciting and empowering projects were successfully developed in 2011. The YWCA of Finland was one of the member associations that successfully applied to the power to change fund.

Date: February 27-March 9, 2012

On December 6, 2011, the Permanent Mission of Canada in collaboration with the World YWCA organised a panel discussion on ‘the role of men and boys in ending violence against women’. The discussion was part of the 16-days campaign of activism against gender- based violence. Nyararadayi Gumbonzvanda, World YWCA General Secretary, co moderated with H.E. Elissa Golberg, permanent representative of Canada to the UN in Geneva.

Every January, two young women land in Geneva for a year long whirlwind internship at the World YWCA - a new continent, a new country, a new culture, a new professional environment, new friends, new challenges, a unique experience,… and before they know it, the time has come for them to fly back home.  Alemtsehay Zergaw (YWCA of Ethiopia) and Jenta Tau (YWCA of Solomon Islands) spent the year working respectively in the Communication and Programme Departments of the World office. Their main motivations in applying for the internship were to experience a new environment and different culture, to learn more about the YWCA movement and, especially, to learn new skills and knowledge which they could implement back home and share with their local YWCA.

December the 8^th  marked the opening ceremony of the Sthree Mela (meaning Voices of Sri Lankan Women) exhibition and conference held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Sthree Mela was organised by the Association of Women affected by War with the key global, national and local women actors and activists on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325). As a project Sthree Mela has been on-going for the past year with the vision of creating unity among women from diversified backgrounds, ethnicities and religions within Sri Lanka, striving for peace, reconciliation and sustainable development.

The World YWCA is proud to congratulate Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, World YWCA General Secretary on her achievement as an awardee for the 2011 Femme Africa Solidarité (FAS) Women’s Leadership in Peace building Award. This prestigious award is given once every three years on the occasion of the FAS General Assembly.FAS is a non-governmental organisation created by African women leaders, with the mission of empowering African women to assume a leadership role in conflict prevention, resolution and building peace. By using international instruments such as the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 as its main conceptual framework for guiding its programmes, FAS sets forth the absolute importance to create a new social order that guarantees the respect of women's rights, women's equal responsibility for, and equal access and opportunity to participate in decision-making.