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Message From The President
March
2003
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this newsletter we are proud to present our 2003
Bridging Worlds Emerging Leaders from India
and Nepal. As part of our mission to empower women, this
program aims to enhance the skills and knowledge of developing
country emerging leaders through internships with women's
organizations in the U.S. We look forward to welcoming
them in Fall 2003 at which time they will volunteer |
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with women's groups on both the East and West coasts. We welcome
your support of these Bridging Worlds Emerging Leaders whose
travel to the U.S. will require financial, emotional and logistical
support. It's you, our private donors whose generosity supports
these women and their organizations. We thank you for your contribution!
A total of 6 emerging leaders from India and Nepal were democratically
elected by their colleagues at workshops in Hyderabad,
India (January 7-9, 2003) and in Kathmandu,
Nepal (January 22 -23, 2003). The workshops were inspiring
events, bringing together Jagriti partner organizations (16
in Nepal and 11 in India) from throughout the two countries.
In India the groups shared their expertise in areas such as
education, self-help groups and economic empowerment. In Nepal,
seven years of Maoist rebel conflict, provided the context for
our workshop. Over a two day period women's groups had a unique
opportunity to share their fears and experiences of working
under difficult and stressful conditions. The courage and resilience
of these women leaders is truly inspiring. On the day we departed
Nepal (January 30, 2003) a temporary cease-fire was called.
Era Shrestha from Manushi, Nepal
and Maryam Scotlin, Centre for Women's
Development and Research in India, two of the chosen emerging
leaders, have written personal reports about the workshops.
Be sure to read these compelling articles and look at the pictures
to better understand how we are fulfilling our mission of empowering
women by providing networking opportunities for grassroots women's
organizations.
Personal stories written by four of the emerging
leaders can also be found in the newsletter. These are truly
"emerging leaders" and Jagriti International is pleased to
share their stories and dreams with all of you. In our next
newsletter we'll introduce you to four emerging leaders from
Afghanistan and Pakistan who will join their colleagues from
India and Nepal, in the U.S. this fall.
In addition to the workshops, our January journey to India and
Nepal focused on conducting site visits with our partner groups
in order to better understand their needs. These site visits
are an important step in our Bridging Worlds program and allowed
us to identify many exciting opportunities for U.S. and European
Bridging Worlds volunteers to work in both countries. We visited
a total of 25 groups in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Mumbai, Hyderabad,
India and in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal.
Also in this newsletter you'll see an example of the types of
heartfelt inquiries that
we receive from women around the world. Our "staff" of work-study
students and volunteers, continue to do amazing things in the
few hours per week that they work for Jagriti International.
Thanks to Jaime, Rachel, Jessica,
Stacey and Hilary for "connecting
us," reaching out
to Mexico, and keeping up with all the photos, information
requests, registrations and e-mails!
Finally, we would like to extend a very special welcome to our
new Webmaster - - Softcell
Systems Pvt. Ltd. of New Delhi, India who have generously
offered to update and maintain our website for a very reasonable
rate. We look forward to working with them and to supporting
the efforts of the software industry in India.
Sincerely,
Michele (Mikki) Andina |
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