The Value of our “C”

Erica Lewis is a former intern from the World YWCA Office, a former board member of the YWCA Australia and Life Member of the YWCA of Canberra .

The ‘C’ in YWCA is often a source of comment for those outside the movement, and sometimes a source of discomfort inside the movement. My home association is a secular organisation that welcomes members and service users from all faiths and none. However, as a person who sees her social justice work as an extension of my faith, I look forward to participating in regional and global meetings, because I know questions of faith will be discussed.

Erica Lewis

I sometimes reflect that I am better schooled in ‘feminist thought’ than I am in theology. This has on occasion, meant sitting in pews listening to patriarchal interpretations of Christianity that I know are not the messages I take from reading the Bible – but my lack of theological training limits my ability to engage in debate. Therefore, each engagement with worship at regional and global YWCA meetings is a valuable opportunity to expand my understanding of feminist theology.

In many countries, patriarchal interpretations of scripture are used to restrict women’s rights and so it is vital that women of faith are given the theological tools to challenge interpretations of our faith that are used to support harmful traditional practices. That is why the devotions at the European Study Session will combine the study of the foundational texts of both Christianity and human rights.

Our first devotion at the European Study Session opened by each of us in turn reading aloud the articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and we closed by saying the Lord’s prayer. Both activities were done in the diversity of languages of the attendees at worship. United by our membership of the World YWCA and our belief in the universality of women’s rights we reached across cultures, language and traditions to recognize the important role that faith plays in our leadership.

Faith Inspired Sexuality

By Rebecca Phwitiko, World YWCA Board Member

Rebecca as part of the World YWCA delegation to AIDS 2012 in Washington, DC shares her reflections on faith and sexuality:

In one of my favourite books on HIV and AIDS, ’28 stories of AIDS in Africa’ Stephanie Nolen says the reason why HIV and AIDS still remains a challenge is that its transmission preys on our most intimate moments. And so sitting in the workshop on young people sexuality and faith in the context of HIV during the Interfaith Pre-Conference on HIV, I felt the truth of these words.

Rebecca Phwitiko

A research by John Blevins of the Rollins School of Public Health (Emory University) finds that religion does not feed into the sexual values and activities of most young people. This I didn’t find surprising at all. But then what I found to be amazing was that there are still a lot of young people out there asking critical questions about their faith as it relates to sexuality, what does it mean that Solomon had many wives for instance?

So in my mind this is a vital opening for the faith community. There is a great need among young for more open conversations with their faith leaders about their sexuality, particularly in the context of HIV. Even in the most conservative communities, HIV has taken sex and all that comes with it to the public space. There is no longer the luxury of saying what I do with my partner, how I protect myself is a taboo subject. Sometimes these uncomfortable conversations can ‘postpone’ a new risk of exposure to HIV.

We live in an age where 61 percent of all new HIV infections are among young women, particularly in Africa. Religious entities are uniquely positioned to respond to HIV because they are pervasive and dynamic.

Churches, mosques, traditional religions, are at the heart of African society. Faith organisations need to understand the powerful entity that they can be in addressing public health issues such as the sexual and reproductive health of young women.

It is a great injustice when young women are denied their rights to sexuality education and services. And who can better champion the rights of a marginalized group, our young women, than the people that teach us about compassion, love and peace. Unfortunately the faith community has had difficulties in addressing sexuality in HIV prevention, reproductive health, family planning, and women’s empowerment. Religion has often been a barrier, and efforts to mobilise religion as a positive force for addressing these issues need to be strengthened. It is time to overcome injustices and ensure that AIDS responses improve the lives of women and girls.

The Global Sisterhood

By Michelle Higelin, World YWCA Deputy General Secretary

Elizabeth Palmer

I am in a car heading out of Los Angeles to Claremont to meet with a group of YWCA leaders who have retired to a small Californian community called Pilgrim Place. I’m feeling a little nervous as I will be meeting with Elizabeth Palmer, a living legend in the history of both the World YWCA and the international women’s movement.  Under her leadership as General Secretary of the World YWCA, the movement expanded throughout the world and we were widely known as a leading women’s NGO, chairing NGO women’s forums preceding international women’s conferences in Mexico, Copenhagen and Nairobi. She later tells me that our respect came from being able to convene all women’s groups to discuss the issues that mattered and not get caught up in the politics. On the two occasions I have met Elizabeth before, I know she is a woman who dares to speak her mind and she will tell me if we are not living up to her expectations.

So the car arrives, deep breath, and I descend upon Pilgrim Place.  I first meet with Mary Douglas, who despite wanting to retire here in the late 90’s, keeps getting asked to come back and support YWCAs get back on their feet.  In the last decade she has been the Interim Director of four YWCAs in the USA and has been able to turn them around from struggling groups to viable organisations.  I ask her what has been the secret to her success and she says it is leadership development and ensuring YWCAs have the skills and people they need to be able to prosper.

I also meet Betty Jo Anderson, whose story tells me that she is someone the YWCA quickly identified as a leader and continued to find new challenges to keep her busy, working at her local YWCA, the national and then later the international. She shares how she went to Turkey to set up the YWCA in an environment where organisations were unable to have Christian in their name, so she set up an organisation, which for ten years flourished as the YWCA by another name.

Elizabeth arrives.  She tells me that she is one of the oldest pilgrims at 99, although make no mistake she is sharp.  Immediately, she is questioning how we express the Christian values in our work today.  She stresses the importance of creating space in the movement to discuss who we are as the YWCA and remaining grounded in our faith and values.  Elizabeth remarks “That we are clearly talking about important issues but are we”, she says, “listening to the woman and girls who make up this great movement”.  Elizabeth says, “That this listening must inform what we do at all levels”.  The human rights principle of participation springs to mind.

Solidarity across the movement is another important message Elizabeth shares.  One of the reasons that YWCAs flourished all around the world during her time was the support of sister associations.  In Elizabeth’s day, mutual service saw YWCA women from strong associations travel to other countries to support their sisters in setting up systems and solid organisations.  Today we see this expressed in the partnerships between YWCAs like Canada and Honduras, but there is something important in this message that centres on movement building and the ability to support our sisters in times of need.

I ask these impressive women what is their vision for the YWCA movement of the future.  Mary is clear – we must train young women to believe they will be the next President of their country.  If we want to change the world we live in, we must be preparing our leaders to take up the highest positions of power and to be clear on the change that needs to happen.  Elizabeth asks only that we listen.  She says that we need to know our movement; we need to create space for women from communities around the world to express their concerns and our leadership must respond accordingly.  Clearly, this listening and responding is what distinguishes a movement from an organisation.

During the afternoon, I meet other YWCA women who form part of the Pilgrim Place sisterhood, including Tinker who spent 30 years in Japan with the YWCA of Sendai and Marilyn from the YWCA USA, as well as other women who have been connected to this great movement at different levels. As we talk about issues of identity, Mary remarks that we are not for everyone, but the YWCA is infectious.  Once you first encounter the YWCA, it is difficult to leave as these women’s stories so aptly highlight.  Elizabeth shares that in her day, being at the YWCA was much more than a job. I don’t tell her that I’ve always known this. We reflect that one of the special qualities of the YWCA is the global sisterhood.

As I am leaving Elizabeth apologises for being so frank.  I tell her that I wouldn’t expect anything less.  She has inspired me to think deeper about how we build a movement that goes beyond paper into real practice; how we can create stronger connections among women and YWCAs around the world, and be a movement whose heartbeat is connected with the dreams and aspirations of women in local communities.  They have all taught me that we cannot afford to rest on our laurels and the great history that these women have shaped, we must mobilise the global sisterhood towards improving the living conditions of people everywhere and seize the power to make this happen.

What does it take to be a wise woman?

The World YWCA history is rooted in faith-driven social action and Christian women committed to service. Exploring the theme of Women Creating a Safe World, Common Concern Issue 145 turns to the strong women in the Bible that have contributed to peace and safety in the world.

Extracted from the December 2010 Common Concern, Issue 145

In the Bible the violent taking of Israel occupies much of early history, from Joshua through to the books of Kings. When the prophet Samuel died, all of Israel gathered to mourn and bury him. During that violent time we meet Abigail, the wife of Nabal, a wealthy man who owns land in the Carmel (1 Samuel 25: 2-13).

Here we have the description of a man and a woman – one is harsh and ungenerous, the other is intelligent and attractive. Along comes David who needs provisions. He turns to Nabal, but Nabal is rude and unresponsive, breaking the code of hospitality that is fundamental to the people of the desert, for he is required by law to give to those who beg from him. By refusing to help him, Nabal provokes David to battle.

David is furious and responds with violence, but Abigail intervenes. (Verses 14-19) She is quick and organised, and knows that she has to undo the insult and shower David with gifts. Abigail meets David before the army reaches her house (Verses 20-31).

Abigail could hold lectures on nonviolence and peacemaking. She follows a pattern and a plan, but is aware that she is taking a chance. Abigail gives David the possibility of being reasonable, she brings gifts, she is humble and she begs to be heard.

Abigail prays for David, blesses him and his future dynasty, and then assumes responsibility for the transgression and offense to hospitality and justice. She reminds David of God’s power and the uselessness of personal vengeance. Abigail is counting on David’s basic goodness, and she tries to teach him mercy and nonviolence, in imitation of God. David, who has won the favour of God responds (Verses 32-35).

David acknowledges that God has sent her to prevent him from violence. Her quick response in going to meet him – an enemy – has turned him into a friend who now grants her a personal favour. Peace, shalom, wholeness, balance, and a bond between people, have all been repaired by her act.

Abigail is a prophet sent by God to bring peace in a time of violence. Instead of force, she uses gifts, words, and herself to resolve conflict. She is a woman of courage and heart, and she shares joy.

When Abigail returns home she tells her husband what she has done. He suffers a stroke and dies ten days later, thereby making God the judge, not David. Thus, David learns how to govern in God’s name and not use his own power for personal vengeance. Abigail has taught him a valuable lesson.

Abigail could become the emblem of all women who find themselves in violent situations but look for peaceful resolutions. She could be remembered by women who seek justice and protection from rape, war and beatings, and counted among those killed, maimed or left as refugees and survivors. Abigail is the model of all those who negotiate and deal in conflict management and nonviolent actions. She is a teacher to all who meet the enemy and look for peaceful solutions, sometimes being humiliated and jeopardising themselves in order to stop others from being harmed, and seeking to end misunderstandings and petty quarrels.

The lesson that Abigail teaches the future king should be learnt anew with each generation, in every nation, and in every heart. Abigail models an alternative that can be practiced, experienced and incorporated into daily life as well as into politics, businesses, schools and parishes. She demonstrates behaviour that is vital to the continued existence of humankind and the daily life of peace among peoples. The earth needs Abigails, lots of them, young and old, female and male, from all nations.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.”

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Who is going to be next?

By Samia Khoury

“Yesterday evening Sabeel organised a special Ecumenical memorial service at St. Stephen’s Dominican church in Jerusalem for the victims of the Coptic Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Alexandria, Egypt.  It was a very meaningful service with the readings carefully chosen and the intercessions especially written for the occasion. The young woman who led us in the singing had a beautiful voice which added a special aura to the solemn event that we were gathered for.  And as we lit the candles, I could not help but wonder who is going to be next.  It was only last November  that we also  had another service organised by Sabeel  in memory of the victims of the Catholic Church in Baghdad, Iraq.

Samia Khoury

The Christians of the Middle East are in fact the first Christians.  They are the followers of Jesus Christ who was born in Bethlehem.  That is why we are often surprised when people inquire about when and how we were converted to Christianity.  I remember writing a reflection in February 2006 on behalf of Sabeel for the Presbyterian Church in the USA Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study.  I started it with the following paragraph:  “The message of Jesus was launched from this Holy Land, to spread east and west, and has come back to us dressed in various new garbs.  It has taken root in foreign soil, and has sprouted in different shapes, colours, and flavours.  Sometimes, its original garment is hardly recognizable to us indigenous Christians of the land who are rapidly decreasing in number due to Israeli restrictions and political instability.”

Not only did this message come back in a different garment, but it came back to us with the wave of colonialism and split the indigenous Christian Church. Even new born babies started to carry foreign names, making it easy to identify the faith of a person from his or her name.  Despite that, we continued to remain Arabs, whether Palestinians, Syrians, Lebanese, Iraqis, Egyptians, etc.  And we remain Christians, faithful to both our country and our faith. In fact some of the outstanding leaders of Arab Nationalism were Christians. I am not writing a historical document to list all those who were involved, but I am trying to reflect on who benefits from this kind of extremism that is tearing the region apart by driving a wedge between the indigenous Christians of the Middle East region and their Muslim compatriots?

I remember after 1967 when the Palestinian Territories fell under the Israeli occupation, how easily the doors of the USA were opened for Palestinian emigration – mostly  Christians – from the Palestinian Territories.  Now all efforts with a variety of tools and strange hands are playing to split the people in each of the Middle East countries under the guise of political freedom and democracy.  The basic policy of the colonial powers has always been “divide and rule”.  So it is not strange that the powers that have succeeded in tearing up the whole Middle East into small states, and their allies or collaborators, are still at work fragmenting each state into political, ethnic and religious conflicts.  When the masses lose hope in the absence of freedom, independence and stability, the ground becomes very fertile for extremism that could be used in different ways.

Hopefully both Christians and Muslims of the region are aware of who is at the root of all this, and that all learned people, lay, clergy along with Muslim clerics, will engage in a campaign of building awareness to quench the fire that has been ignited as a result of those bloody massacres, so that we do not need to worry who will be next.  It only takes a spark and then, God help us, if it turns into a conflagration.”

Samia Khoury is an outstanding woman leader within the Palestinian community. Her voluntary work in community organisations is marked by genuine effort and huge commitment. Samia Nasir Khoury retired in 2003 after serving for 17 years as president of Rawdat El-Zuhur, a coeducational elementary school for the lower income community in East Jerusalem. She continues to serve as treasurer of the board of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in East Jerusalem and on the board of trustees of Birzeit University in  Palestine.

Samia was deeply involved with the YWCA, including serving as the national president of the YWCA of Jordan for two terms (as the Palestinian West Bank had been annexed to Jordan in 1950). When Jordan severed its ties with the West Bank in 1988, the YWCA of Palestine was reestablished, and she was its first president from 1991-96. Her breadth of international experience has also included addressing two UN NGO Forums: in New York in 1996, and in Athens in 2000.

Samia writes about justice, truth, and peace for the Palestinian people, the relationships between people and the land, the context of Christian-Jewish-Muslim relationships in the Holy Land, concerns for children in conflict, and gender issues.

Celebrating Hanne Braun: A YWCA leader with amazing Commitment, Humour and Vision

By: Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda and Ana Villanueva

It has been almost a month since we have come back from Stuttgart, Germany. We were there to visit with the YWCA Germany, one of the oldest associations in the region. We were also there to attend the 11^th Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), whose theme was “Give us this day, our daily bread”.  Hanne Braun is just one person who has indelibly remained etched in our experience of this visit. She is the President of the YWCA of Germany, and a former World YWCA Executive Committee member from 1979 to 1987.

Almost two months ago, Hanne Braun visited the World YWCA Office in Geneva, together with 10 other YWCA women members, volunteers and friends. They took a 5-hour train ride, and spent a week orienting, sharing and experiencing together the fellowship with the ecumenical family. In addition to sharing the programmes of the YWCA of Germany, she brought some gifts for all of us in the World Office. We received an umbrella with the Map of Stuttgart, clearly showing the key features of the city, the venue of the LWF Assembly as well as the YWCA Building. This was meant to prepare for the journey we were to take the following month! Just in case we did not have someone to assist, all we had to do was to open the umbrella! It was a practical, humorous and inviting gesture, given with love and in the spirit of sisterhood.

Hanne Braun is a long-standing leader within her church and her community. With her background in social work, and her personality and passion, it was just a joy to spend time with her in Stuttgart. She mobilised the YWCA women to contribute as volunteers and resource persons of various kinds in the LWF Assembly. She assisted with worship, Ursula Lüders met guests at the train station and was in the Women’s Networking Zone, her husband volunteered with the village groups and took photos of the events where YWCA women were involved; Bea was at the registration desk and several other YWCA women assisted as volunteers. The two of us were official guests of the LWF Assembly. It was with confidence that we delivered the World YWCA message to the Assembly, calling the LWF communion to continue working for gender justice and echoing that we share traditions and neighbourhoods. It was true, as we felt the presence of the YWCA in this event. We just needed to turn around, and Hanne Braun was a whisper away among the local communities, or a step away with the pool of YWCA volunteers.

Amidst the thousand of things to do, in addition to caring for her mother, Hanne Braun found time to give us a tour of the YWCA history in Germany, the connection with the church and its mission with? Diakonia. It was a powerful experience for us to spend time with Ursula Lüders in the Women’s Networking Space, together with other women leaders from the church in Germany. Equally enriching was sharing breakfast with Rev. Esther Peylo, a theologian and journalist, working with the local parliament and General Manager of the Association for International Work with Youth (Verein für Internationale Jugendarbeit –VIJ – e.V.), part of Diakonia work of the Association of Evangelical Churches in WürtembergHanne also introduced us to Ruth Lauterstein who received us with warm hospitality at her home. Ruth arrived in Stuttgart from Uruguay many years ago, and from being a beneficiary, she became a staff member of the centre for information for women (Fraueninformationszentrum – FIZ), a division of VIJ e.V.

On Sunday afternoon, after the beautiful and moving service at the Stiftkirche in Stuttgart, Hanne offered us lunch and took us together with Annette and Arja, two friends from the YWCA of Germany, to visit the Rosenstrasse 76 exhibition in Bad Mergentheim. This is an amazing and very touching exhibition which aims at sensitising people about the ever present issue of domestic violence. After this, Hanne took us on a tour of the neighbouring areas of Stuttgart, which fascinated us with its beauty, culture and long history.

The tour of Stuttgart, in Hanne Braun’s car took us to the top of the hill. As we stood therewe marvelled at the ingenuity of human kind and the inner strength to reach new heights in science and technology. We equally nestled in the spirit of the knowledge that with us is a woman leader, who has spent her life reaching to the spirit within. Touching the lives of sad, lonely migrant women in Europe, arranging for language classes, providing child care, and a roof for those coming from afar. She remained in the trenches, understanding the dark and invisible world of commercial sex workers. Some of them exploited and abused because they are foreigners. As we walked  down the hill, Hanne Braun took us through the red-light district of Stuttgart, so we could have a feel of what her commitment to women’s rights mean. We saw, we shared, we reflected. As we nestled into our beds for that evening, we recommitted to our service for women and girls. Hanne Braun had just re-kindled the spirit. Just the knowledge that together it is possible to reach new heights in our nourishment of the human spirit, especially for women and girls, survivors of violence, abuse and exclusion.

The five-hour train journey to Geneva was a possibility of reflection on the time spent with Hanne Braun. Her presence filled the room as she assisted in the communion service at the installation of the new LWF Leadership; her laughter had warmed our hearts as we found our ways in the streets of Stuttgart; her humour livened our souls as she recounted her days as a World YWCA Executive Committee member in the era of apartheid. She inspired us for  the future with her elaborate plans of bringing the Rosenstrasse 76 exhibition on domestic violence to the 2011 World YWCA World Council to be held in Switzerland. If anything, join us in Zurich next year and enjoy a moment with Hanne Braun, one of the amazing, committed, humorous and visionary women leaders of this movement.

Women of faith gather at CSW 2010

By World YWCA CSW Intern and Superstar: Chelsey Butchereit

The World YWCA delegates that attended the Ecumenical Women Orientation Day on February 27, 2010 at the United Nations Church Center were part of a group of a couple hundred women (and men) that received training about combining their faith and advocacy efforts during CSW 2010.

A review of the establishment of CSW, a short history of the BPFA, and an introduction to Ecumenical Women’s organisation was presented first.

Following that, there were speakers that discussed how faith communities could engage the UN specifically on issues where Ecumenical Women believes the BPFA remains unfulfilled. These include

·      Ending the culture and practice of impunity: violence against women

·      Transforming leadership: Gender, Power, and Decision-Making

·      Establishing Economic Justice: Women and the Economic and Financial Crisis

Keynote speakers addressed these issues and gave examples of innovative ways faith groups are tackling challenges related to women’s rights in their communities. As a group we were also encouraged to not only work during the days of CSW but throughout the entire year on building relationships with UN members and holding the body accountable for what they say they will do.

To finish the orientation a couple of hours were dedicated to advocacy training and practice. During this time the World YWCA participants Arda Aghazaria, Sheila Matindike, and Chelsey Butchereit re-energised the entire group when they role played how they could use the Ecumenical Women’s talking points in a short encounter with UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon (role played by our very own World YWCA staff Juli Dugdale!).

It was another nice day of preparation as we all gear up for the start of CSW on Monday.

World YWCA CSW Chelsey Butchereit

Visit http://www.worldywca.org  for more information