NEW DELHI, May 26: Sister Judith, a 65-year-old Catholic nun from Shillong, has been honoured for women empowerment initiatives at the recent Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, North East Festival 2022.
Sister Judith, a native of the Jaintia Hills, is a social worker, and founder and executive director of Women for Integrated Sustainable Empowerment (WISE) in Shillong. She has received several awards for her work in uplifting women in difficult circumstances, especially single mothers and women in distress.
Sister Judith was nominated for the award by the Social Welfare department.
She received a certificate, parchment scroll and a memento.
The event was organised by Tripura Rural Livelihood Mission as part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ under the programme named ‘Role of Women in the Development of North East’.
Her social service activities started from Shillong when she joined the ‘Bosco Reach Out’ as Head of Women’s Desk actively promoting self-help groups in the remote villages of Meghalaya to spread awareness and sensitisation programmes. For over two decades, WISE provided alternative means of livelihood and support to the school dropout girls, domestic workers, single mothers and women in difficult circumstances, through the vocational skills training in various trades in both urban and rural areas.
An educationist with 12 years of teaching experience in various schools in Meghalaya managed by Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions congregation, Sister Judith was also involved in educating people in health, social awareness and spiritual wellbeing.
Along with being a Consultant to Functional Vocational Training Forum, she organised six national integration camps in the Northeastern region.
Sister Judith further organised and conducted skills training on various income generating activities like tailoring, fast food, pickle making, mushroom cultivation, and livestock rearing to help poor women to improve their standard of living and above all to lead them to a sustainable livelihood. She took active part in the legal literacy campaign, organised legal aid seminars on women’s rights; conducted workshops and seminars for NGOs, voluntary organisations, government officials on development and self-help groups promotion.
Sister Judith also did a lot of networking with local bodies and village headmen and block officials on various development programmes. She continues to care for the inmates of Shillong District Jail and juvenile home through various programmes to facilitate their transformation and reformation.
