Tea cups can develop helping hands

Too often women’s organizations are looked on as 'tea party’ groups – where women get together for an afternoon or evening of pleasantries and small talk. Well, yes, the Women’s Institute can do that as well, but far more often we get together and extend a helping hand to make great things happen: and not only in our own communities.

World Connections

Internationally we are part of the Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW), with more than 7 million members in over 70 countries in all parts of the globe. Many of those members live in Third World countries and struggle to provide food and shelter for their families. We help where we can – and that has been in many, many countries!

Replacing Boats

After the tsunami of 2004, our members collected and donated money to an ACWW project to replace some of the fishing boats lost by villagers living in the southern most tip of mainland India.It was decided to donate one boat to each of three villages, and that each boat would be named Rehoboth  - a word which means ‘broad and plentiful places, especially with reference to water.’

Efforts in Africa

For example, in answering a plea from members in Kenya, money was provided for the purchase and planting of trees to hold back the desert. Called “Desertification”, this plan saw thousands of trees, many of them acacia trees, planted and cared for in this African nation, and they have held back the advance of the desert!Thousands of dollars were donated to the “Water For All” a plan which organized the drilling of wells in African villages – thus providing clean, healthy water for families, while relieving the women of the task of walking for miles each day to bring home necessary water.

India and South America

In India, young women were taught the skills of tailoring, thereby providing them with a means of earning a living.How? Through the donations of sewing machines from Canada and a few skilled Indian women teachers.In Lima, Peru, some under-privileged people now have a community kitchen where they can prepare food, learn from one another and have support to raise healthy, well-nourished youngsters for the next generation.

More projects, more areas:

The list is long:library books for the public library in Suva, Fiji and text books to schools in the Caribbean.A Land Rover for use of Government Extension workers in the mountainous regions of Lesotho and funds for a program to reverse the problems created by Iodine Deficiencies in parts of Africa.To keep the elderly and disabled warm on cold nights in parts of Africa, British Columbia Women’s Institute members knitted over 250,000 squares which were sent overseas in small packets – to the people in the needy country where they were assembled into blankets and distributed.

Donations Help Haitian Mothers

Today, our members are collecting donations to assist a group of Haitianmothers who are living in the Dominican Republic. These women need to be able to support themselves and provide for their children – so a plan has evolved to provide them with a number of cows – animals to produce milk for consumption, in time meat for consumption or sale, and to teach the children how to help support themselves.The women are being given training in how to care for and feed the animals, veterinarian support, and in time, will become contributing citizens of their country. This is another version of –“give a man a fish, and he can eat today, teach him to fish, and he can eat for a lifetime.”   Have questions? Leave us a message! Better still, join with us to help more people in Third World Countries, and be part of making a better world!   The above article was submitted by Ruth Fenner - A member of Somenos Women's Institute