World YWCA Day 2011
A message from World YWCA General Secretary, Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, on the occasion of World YWCA Day.
Dear sisters, it is that time of year again when we come together to celebrate World YWCA Day and continue to honour women’s leadership within our communities. On this day we join our hearts and rejoice belonging to such a powerful and historic movement, the YWCA. We also celebrate and praise of our collective efforts to making this world a safer place for women and girls, and we remain conscious of the daily struggles we encounter on this journey.
For over 155 years we have continuously provided services to our communities. We have lifted the leadership of women, especially young women in raising our voices against violence and advocating for peace with justice. We have sustained our programmes on women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights, while demanding an HIV and AIDS response that is centred on issues of women and girls. We have achieved all of this with the support of our volunteers and friends of all generations, in our communities and the world at large.
On April 24 we honour every woman and we acknowledge the skills, knowledge and commitment that shape and nurture our daily work. This is a moment of calling to double our efforts and find creative ways to support each other. On this day we also express our solidarity with the millions of people who remain victims of war, poverty, natural disasters and exclusion.
Dear sisters, friends and colleagues, I invite, urge and encourage you to give to a YWCA cause. You can be sure that this gift will change another woman’s life. Make a donation, encourage your loved ones to also make a special gift. Each one of our contributions makes our movement strong and vibrant, rich and diverse. Donate to the Power to Change Fund, be a part of the exciting projects that are changing the lives of women and girls in countries all around the world. In the last three years we have supported over 52 countries. From Peru, to the Solomon Islands, Mozambique to Belarus, Lebanon to Japan, let’s make each other stronger, for it is only together that we can keep on transforming the world, one community at a time!
This year we have even more reason to celebrate as we move closer to our World YWCA Council and International Women’s Summit, which carries the theme ‘Women Creating a Safe World.’ We have the space and the opportunity to define the world we live in, both at home and outside, to affirm our good practices and explore new approaches and partnerships. Women creating a safe world is about women defining the home environment they want to live in and the public spaces that they occupy. A safe world offers a supportive, affirming, encouraging, nurturing and non-discriminatory environment. We must ensure that those spaces where women experience their lives are empowering, not intimidating. This is a right, it is not an option, nor is it an exception.
Sisters around the world, as we come together on this day of giving and honouring, let us promise that we will keep on affirming that we are all born in the image of God and that God lives in each one of us. Let us claim our rights as citizens of the world.
Share with us your stories about how you seek to create a safe world, tell us what a safe world means to you, share with the movement the women that you have chosen to honour, and tell us about your successful fundraising initiatives.
Enjoy yourselves on World YWCA Day!
Share with us news and pictures of the activities you organised at communications@worldywca.org.
