SHILLONG: The 14th conference of the Women’s League of the Unitarian Church of North East India concluded here on Sunday with members pledging to improve lives of women folks through community capacity building and awareness programmes on education and healthcare throughout the region.
The Women’s League also signed an agreement with the International Women’s Convocation of the Unitarian Universalists worldwide pledging to build resources, network and expand cooperation for the cause of women’s equality.
Speaking at the conference, Zsofia Sztranyicki, executive director of the Convocation, highlighted the organisation’s mission to launch and foster projects that enhances the lives of women and their families worldwide.
As part of the first convocation held in Houston in Texas in 2009, a woman student from Kolozvar in Transylvania was one of the first beneficiaries.
The convocation also launched a leadership school and offered grants to local empowerment projects, she said. In the Phillipines, women have formed trained teams of health workers and developed livelihood projects to retain people in their hometown and prevent migration to urban areas.
In the North East, Zsofia said the convocation is discussing with the partner church council to collaborate on organising local community capacity building workshops to address issues of healthcare, education, violence prevention and economic opportunities for women.
Such initiatives were held in Kyrdem Kulai in Ri-Bhoi, Padu in West Jaintia Hills, Puriand and Kharang in East Khasi Hills.
Elaborating on the importance of education of women, she said, “The more women we educate, the healthier and more prosperous a society will become resulting in lower infant and maternal mortality rates and fewer teenage pregnancies and child marriages,” she said. The Women’s League had in the past one year conducted workshops, health camps, held discussions and led a white ribbon campaign aimed at empowering women in the Khasi Jaintia Hills, Ri-Bhoi and Karbi Anglong.