The Countrywoman International Magazine of the Associated Country Women of the World
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THE COUNTRYWOMAN INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE OF THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD ISSUE 1 - 2017 TURNING RED SQUARE GREEN ACWW in Russia for the Women’s Dialogue: Infinite Charity Forum NEW YEAR CHALLENGES How you can help in the year ahead TRIENNIAL SUMMARY Looking back on 2013-2106 Registered Charity no. 290367 © ACWW 2017 | PUB17-1 DEAR FRIENDS... A Message from the World President This was a very successful venture and Associated Country Women of the World provided much needed contact with the Mary Sumner House Russian Union of Women, who are ACWW 24 Tufton Street members and also with other women’s London SW1P 3RB organisations from Europe and Asia. Registered Charity no. 290367 Hopefully some of these organisations will be able to attend the European Area Conference +44 (0)207 7993875 [email protected] www.acww.org.uk in Romania in September, 2017. There has also been consultation with UNESCO in Paris (read more next issue!) to develop ACWW’s facebook.com/acww.media advocacy and reporting work to this agency. @acww_news Amongst all this busy-ness, the work in the office has continued as usual with the @acww_media paperwork for the change of status of ACWW Here we are at the beginning of another going on in the background. We will of course The Countrywoman year and well into this triennium. It is hard to let you know when things are successfully ISSN 0011-0302 believe that it is six months or so since the completed and when we will be working successful Triennial Conference which was © ACWW 2017 PUB17-1 under the new structure. Reflecting some held at the University of Warwick, Coventry, of the staff changes and responsibilities at The Countrywoman is the official quarterly England in August 2016. Thank you to all Central Office, it was decided to change magazine of ACWW, and was named by members who assisted in any way and I hope Tish’s title from Operations Manager to Chief Mrs Alfred Watt MBE, the First President you had a rewarding experience. Executive Officer, more fitting for her role of ACWW in 1933. Since the conference we have had another within the organisation. ACWW CENTRAL OFFICE CONTACTS round of Committee and Executive meetings I have also met with the CWA of Victoria in October where new members of the Chief Executive Officer Organising Committee for the next World committees had the opportunity to take part Tish Collins - [email protected] Conference to be held in Melbourne in April, in fruitful discussions around the work of 2019. They have certainly hit the ground Media & Communications Manager ACWW. Thank you all for putting your hand running and I know that the TCC members Nick Newland - [email protected] up to be involved for this Triennium. will be looking forward to hearing all about the plans at their meeting in late February. Projects Administrators Following the committee meetings, I attended Juliet Childs - [email protected] the Rural Women New Zealand National Please take note, if you receive a request for Sarah Kenningham - [email protected] Conference in Wellington New Zealand, information from Central Office, please send UN & Agriculture Administrator accompanied by the South Pacific Area what is required as this information is what Dr Sam Page - [email protected] President, Mrs Gail Commens. This was a very we base our further work on and also what interesting and informative conference and we put out to the public telling them what we Finance Administrator a great opportunity for Gail to meet with the do, and what we want to do. Manisha Vora - [email protected] members of this organisation and also to meet As we continue to move forward in this “age Office Administrator with the organising committee for the South of technology”, please don’t let us forget Sydney Salter - [email protected] Pacific Area Conference which is being held in New Plymouth, New Zealand in May, 2017. those of us who do not have access to these We then travelled onto Tonga to both catch up communications means and make sure we Please note the following deadlines for with the Aloua Ma’a Tonga and the Kafataha keep in touch with each other. Please ensure submitting your articles, updates and organisations, and also to monitor an ACWW that you keep us up to date with your postal photographs to The Countrywoman. We funded project in the area. This project was to address and other contact details. welcome new contributors and those in supply land-fill to protect the homes from sea Christmas and New Year celebrations have areas not recently featured - please get in water infiltration, and also to provide top soil been held around the world and my wish is touch with [email protected] if you need to enable the women to grow vegetables etc that this year, 2017, we see less unrest and any help in submitting. for their families. If they then have an excess more peace amongst across the world. of vegetables, these can be sold at market Women can move mountains and as long April - June: 1st February 2017 stalls to provide income for the families. as we work together, many things can be July - September: 1st May 2017 achieved. Cheers for now! October - December: 1st August 2017 Whilst we were enjoying 35°C temperatures January - March: 1st November 2017 in Tonga, Tish, Nick and Margaret McMillan, the European Area President, attended The Editor’s decision on acceptance a conference in Ufa, Russia, representing and inclusion is final. ACWW, and they experienced -22°C!! Ruth Shanks, A.M. ACWW World President 2 | www.acww.org.uk INSIDE THE COUNTRYWOMAN Welcome to the 2016-2019 Triennium 2 DEAR FRIENDS... 17 CRAFT ACROSS BORDERS A message from the World President Janétje van der Merwe reports on the Mapula Embroidery Project, South Africa 4 CENTRAL OFFICE NEWS Updates from the Chief Executive Officer 18 AREA FOCUS Introducing the new Area President for the 4 EDITOR’S NOTE South Pacific, Gail Commens Nick Newland reflects on production of The Countrywoman 19 AREA FOCUS Returning Area President Dotsie Gordon reports on 5 FINANCE COMMITTEE NEWS the Caribbean, Central & South America Treasurer Heather Brennan updates us on 2016’s Pennies for Friendship total, and sets a new 20 - 21 PROJECTS UPDATES challenge for 2017 Case studies and reports from our projects around the world 6 - 7 HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT ACWW - Tanzania / Goodness Organisation The many different ways you can donate - India / ATSWA Trust - India / Centre for the Development of Rural Women 8 NEWSLETTER ADVICE Communications & Marketing Committee 22 - 23 SOCIETY FOCUS Chairman Magdie de Kock offers wisdom We hear from you! Good news and updates from around the world 9 #16DaysOfActivism The campaign against Gender-Based Violence 10 INCNGO AT UNESCO CEO Tish Collins reports on the International Conference of Non-Gonvernmental Organisations COVER IMAGE Chief Executive Office Tish 11 - 13 TRIENNIAL SUMMARY ISSUE 1 - 2017 Collins, European Area President THE COUNTRYWOMAN Important statistics and accounts from the INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE OF THE ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD Margaret McMillan and Media & 2013-2016 Triennium Communications Manager Nick 14 - 15 TURNING RED SQUARE GREEN Newland stand in Mowscow’s Red Square before meeting with Media & Communications Manager Nick Senator Irina Gekht; a prelude to Newland reports on Women’s Dialogue: Infinite the Women’s Dialogue: Infinite Charity Forum in Ufa, Russia Charity Forum in Ufa, Russia. TURNINGACWW in Russia RED for the Women’s NEWSQUARE HowDialogue: YEAR you can Infinite CHALLENGES helpGREEN Charityin the year Forum ahead Photo by Ekaterina Belotsvetova 16 COMMITTEE FOCUS WOMEN WALKAn update THE on ACWW WORLD Day 2017 New Chairman Kerry Maw-Smith introduces the Registered Charity no. 290367 United Nations Committee © ACWW 2017 | DON’T FORGET - YOUR 2017 MEMBERSHIP IS DUE NOW! PLEASE CONTACT CENTRAL OFFICE TO PAY NOW IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY MAKING YOUR MAGAZINE SUSTAINABLE We deliver The Countrywoman in an envelope rather than a plastic wrapper. This is because we use Forest Stewardship Council approved sustainable paper for both the magazine and its packaging. For every tree used in the production of this issue, three are planted in its place. This is part of ACWW’s commitment to a healthier planet, and Sustainable Development Goal 12. www.acww.org.uk | 3 CENTRAL OFFICE NEWS Tish Collins, ACWW Chief Executive Officer Since the last issue I was privileged to attend the ‘Women’s Dialogue: Infinite Charity’ EDITOR’S NOTE conference in Ufa, Russia with European Nick Newland Area President Margaret McMillan and our Media and Communications Manager, Happy New Year! It has been a whirlwind Nick Newland. We met up with Senator few months since I last wrote to you all. I Irina Gekht, whom the World President want to start this magazine with a little bit and I had had a discussion with at our of information about the magazine itself; Warwick Conference, and her assistant since the re-launch of The Countrywoman Dr Kate Belotsvetova. Margaret and With Dr Rohani Hashim, Secretary-General of the World Association of Industrial and Technological in March 2016, we have been investigating Nick have contributed a report to this Research Organisations at UNESCO in Paris ways to make it more efficient, cheaper to magazine. I was also able to participate in produce and delivered more easily. One the UNESCO International Conference of They told us the pressing issues facing of the big challenges is that whilst printing Non-Governmental Organisations (ICNGO) their women were problems of access to the magazine is very cheap (around 85 in Paris in mid-December.