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Women's Rights Worldwide

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF ANNAPOLIS

UNITED NATIONS GLOBAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE

WOMEN’S RIGHTS WORLDWIDE

333 Dubois Road, Annapolis, MD21401

410-266-8044 410-266-6910 (fax)

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis (UUCA) is facilitating theWomen’s Rights Worldwide initiative, which grew out of proposals to the 2005 and 2006 UU Association General Assemblies to foster a Study/Action Issue (S/AI) in this arena. Although the initial proposal did not lead to S/AI, Women's Rights Worldwide has become an international initiative of growing proportions internationally, under the leadership of the UUCA UN Global Justice Committee.

BuildingBridges and Relationships with Communities in the Philippines

through the Buhata Pinay (Do It, Filipina) Program

During the past two years the UUCA UN Global Justice Committee and the leadership of the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines have been collaborating on the Buhata Pinay ("Do it, Filipina") Program. Its mission is to enable and empower women and their families in the following four areas: 1) Economic participation within a sustainable environment; 2) Education; 3) Health and safety; and 4) Building leadership within the broader communities. Our overall goal is to improve the quality of life for women and their families residing within 26 marginalized communities on NegrosIsland and in Metro-Manila. Growing out of UUCA's Women's Rights Worldwide initiative, we have been seeing plans for Buhata Pinay unfold and grow.

The UUCA Endowment Fund and the Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation have provided significant seed money that have made early phases of this project possible. In Phase I Rev. Rebecca Sienes and other members of the Buhata Pinay Team on NegrosIsland worked with twelve communities to identify the priority needs and goals as determined by the women themselves. Five UUCA members traveled to the Philippines last summer as part of this process. Phase II currently underway has as its purpose the hiring of an executive director and establishment of a coalition of women's groups and communications network and throughout the communities. Without such an organizational infrastructure, longer-term activities would be difficult to sustain.

Phase III begins now and extends through 2008 as we embark on a women's livelihood program, beginning with: 1) livelihood feasibility studies to assess traditional livelihood projects and alternatives that may yield greater value per hour of labor input and higher individual satisfaction for the producers, such as stone-crafting, jewelry-making, weaving and sewing; and 2) pilot livelihood projects at the community level based on results of the feasibility studies. We are examining both micro-credit and social enterprise alternatives as preferred mechanisms for these projects. Thanks to a generous gift from R. Keith Raney, UUCA member, we have the initial funding for the Buhata Pinay Women's Livelihood Program, yet significant work lies ahead.

The UUCA UN Global Justice Committee welcomes your participation and your contributions to this initiative. Please contact us for further information. If you would like to assist us in making these livelihood projects a reality, we will add you to our mailing list. Contributions are also appreciated to further this work. Your check can be made out to the UUCA (and sent to address above), with UNGJC-Buhata Pinay on the memo line.

Thank you!

Christine Nielsen

Co-Chair, UUCA Buhata Pinay Program

Phyllis Marsh

Co-Chair, UUCA Buhata Pinay Program

Contact us at info@womensrightsworldwide.com