CCA Women's Voice

Dear Friend,

Greetings from CCA- EGY.

The month of March 2008 is very important as we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Resurrection of Christ is a symbol of God’s liberating power andopportunity for us as Asian Churches and faith communities to reconcile and heal the pains of the broken. This month we also celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD) on the 8th March and World Water Day on the 22^nd March.

Dr Prawate Khidarn General Secretary of CCA invited Asian Churches on IWD through his message  To Renew their Pledge to Promote Gender Justice and Over Come Violence Against Women in Asia. See below to read this message.

On March 22^nd March as we celebrated World Water Day it was also time for Asian Churches to renew their pledge to promote the Water Democracy Movement. That is sharing water with all and resisting all forces that monopolize and pollute this natural resource, a gift of God. Women in Asia suffer most as rivers are being polluted or drying up as they are traditionally the water collectors.   There are millions of children in Asia who are denied safe drinking and are dying from water born diseases or arsenic poisoning. In theIndigenous Women’s Alternative Leadership for Transformation (IWALT)organized by EGY in February  indigenous  women organized a worship to promote water democracy movement and shared indigenous  insights to make peace with water.

In this issue we share with you about activities of EGY and  various information to facilitate our  networking  to  evolve together action plans to build communities of peace.

Please share information with us from Churches, women’s fellowship, countries for prayer request, unheard stories of women working for peace and justice. You can directly send it to me at   [email protected].

Shanti! Shalom! Salam!

Moumita Biswas

Joint Executive Secretary 

Ecumenical Formation Gender Justice and Youth Empowerment

Renewing our Pledge to Promote Gender Justice and Overcome Violence against Women in Asia

Asian Churches have a very crucial role to uphold the real essence of IWD and educate the congregation to reflect their ‘faith into action’ to promote gender justice and overcome violence against women.

Many times Asian Churches also need to confess that they:

• Remained silent about violence against women in society, domestic violence within families of congregational members and abuse and discrimination within Church.
• Excluded women from the decision making processes of Church.
• Mistake gender justice as the agenda of women only and do not educate both men and women together for partnership of equals.

IWD is an important day for the Asian Churches to renew their commitment and pledge to promote:

• Re-affirm and strengthen commitment to gender justice and full participation of women in Church and society.
• Acknowledge and recognize the achievements of women especially the contributions of the grassroots women to society.
• Engage in education and action to end all forms of violence against women and children in Church and society.
• Continue to encourage resistance to all forces of globalization that disintegrate the dignity of women, children, people of vulnerable communities and the Mother Earth.
• Engage in healing and reconciliation ministry by guaranteeing support to women victims of abuse and violence especially in situations of conflict and war.
  

Dr Prawate Khid-arn
General Secretary CCA.

EGY in Focus

Indigenous Women’s Alternative Leadership for Transformation (IWALT) Regional Follow up Training

What is IWALT?

One of the major focuses of CCA EGY is to promote indigenous women’s ecumenical leadership development.  The IWALT in Asia is a three year project of CCA in partnership with ‘World Council of Churches’ supported by ‘United Church of Canada’ and ‘Canadian International Development Agency’.

Between 2005 and 2007 there have been three sub regional trainings in India, Thailand and Philippines. Regional follow up on the IWALT Training was recently held in Chaing Mai Thailand from 4th to the 8th February 2008. 32 participants from previous sub regional IWALT work shops attended the meeting which was held in order to gauge and evaluate the multiplying affect of the IWALT training in local communities.

The context for the need of IWALT in Asia

Indigenous, Dalits and ethnic minority women are the most oppressed and vulnerable people in Asian communities. They suffer from sexism, casteism, exclusion and marginalization, all factors that undermine community and ultimately threaten life itself. However, despite such sufferings women have tremendous skill to build communities of peace. The purpose of IWALT was to enhance these skills as part of their ecumenical formation training.

Specific Objectives of Regional IWALT Training:

1.     To assess the attainment of objectives of the sub regional trainings through the participants sharing about their follow up activities.

2.     To deepen and sharpen participant’s understanding of feminist theologizing and the reading of the Bible through indigenous and Dalit women’s eyes.

3.     To evaluate the applicability of alternative i.e. feminist leadership in their respective contexts.

4.     To build a platform for action, solidarity and cooperation among indigenous and dalit women on building communities of peace.

Highlights of IWALT Regional Follow up Training

Alternative Transformational Leadership

Dr Anna May Say Pa, a renowned indigenous feminist theologian from Burma, gave the keynote address and led a Bible study on feminist leadership. Dr Anna May said that women are more transformational leaders, use power from charisma, interpersonal skills, and hard work, rather than power from the organizational structure, and are lead by attempting to transform the self interest of the worker to the larger interest of the group.

The transformational leaders serve as role models, help others to develop their skills, energize them and motivate them to be more creative

A Frame Work of Asian Feminist and Women’s Theologizing

Dr Hope Antone (Executive Secretary for CCA FMU) facilitated the Asian feminist theologizing but critically locating it in the context of indigenous and Dalit women. In small groups, participants went through the steps of feminist theologizing by naming oppression, identifying agents of oppression, identifying dominant theology and ideology that reinforce oppression, doing feminist critique of religious texts and cultural practices, and planning transformative action.

Re reading the Bible through Indigenous and Dalit Women’s Eyes

Indigenous and Dalit women have unique resources for theologizing their folk stories, oral traditions and myths. Dr Limatula Longkumer an indigenous Naga feminist theologian who is a contributor to IWALT said ‘Folklore, oral traditions are indigenous people’s expression of faith, beliefs, struggles, sufferings, fears and hopes and has ethical value. Therefore, it is an inevitable tool to understand a society and community its past, its traditions, culture and worldview and also to re read the Bible.’ Dr Limatula Longkumer facilitated the participants to share their myths and folk stories to use it as an hermeneutics to re read the Bible.

Towards Self Reliance: Handful of Rice

The group discussed how they can continue promoting IWALT and multiply its effect. Ruth Raksham, a Garo woman from Bangladesh, and Langsanpui, a Mizo woman from India, shared how women keep a handful of rice every time they cook. Such handfuls of rice are later collected from every house and sold to raise funds for women’s training program. Such an “in kind” contribution from Asian indigenous women cannot be compared with dollars or pounds but it reveals the power of Asian indigenous women to contribute to grassroots women’s ecumenical movement.

No More Sorrows in God’s Garden of Justice

Participants shared amazing stories of multiplying effect of IWALT in local communities. As a part of IWALT follow up in India the indigenous students in the seminary wanted IWALT to be a part of the college curriculum. A book named No More Sorrow in God’s Garden of Justice and edited by Dr Limatula Longkumer was also published gaining inspiration form IWALT.

(For a detailed report about this IWALT meeting see www.cca.org.hk )

Women’s Ecumenical Accompaniment for Vision and Empowerment (WEAVE) Project – in Timor Leste

WEAVEis an ongoing project of CCA-EGY to assist new CCA member Churches or Councils in need of capacity building in the area of women in ecumenical leadership as well as organizational and program development through a full time Ecumenical Accompanier.

WEAVE has been operating in Timor Leste since 2007 as part of an ongoing project of EGY-CCA for capacity building of women in conflict ridden societies. Previously the WEAVE project was implemented in Cambodia. Dominica F. Faurillo from the United Church of Philippines is a  full time ecumenical accompanier of CCA in Timor Leste working in collaboration of ‘Igrja Protestante Iha Timor Loro Sae’- (ITPL) – Protestant Church of East Timor. IPTL is the newest member Church of CCA.

WEAVE Objectives:

Accompany Church women in Timor Leste in order to help them to develop leadership skills for conflict transformation.

• Accompany Church women in Timor Leste in order to help them to develop leadership skills for conflict transformation.
• To encourage CCA member Churches and Councils to support newer Churches.
• To Link Women’s organizations in support of women in conflict situations.

At present WEAVE in East Timor is also facilitating the organization of Church Women and supporting the formation of a full time women’s desk of IPTL.

(More information and updates of activities will be shared in the April issue of ‘CCA Women’s Voice’)

EGY and ‘South Asian Ecumenical Partnership Program’ (SAEPP) Joint Collaboration for Women’s Capacity Enhancement

The main aim of this joint collaboration between CCA-EGY and SAEPP is to promote ‘Capacity Enhancement Ecumenical Leadership Development for South Asian Church Women’. This ecumenical endeavor will also facilitate South Asian Church women to:

• Strengthen  networking and evolve  common action plans to promote Gender justice;
• Promote South Asian women in decision making process of Church and society; 
•  Promote advocacy and campaigning for Women and Children’s Human Rights in South Asia.

  Ms Moumita Biswas – Executive Secretary of EGY and Rev Vinod Victor – SAEPP Coordinator had a meeting in Bangkok on 9^th March 2008 especially planning for the first capacity enhancement training which will be held in August in Bangladesh.

   

  For further information about the work of the EGY please contact Moumita Biswas [email protected]

Asia Scene –  Prayer Request from Bangladesh

February 13^th 2008 was a defining moment in the history of the relationship between the new comers and the traditional owners – the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia. After more than a decade of rejection the Stolen Generations finally heard the word they had been waiting for – ‘Sorry’.

The new Labour Prime Minister captured the mood of the nation when he made his heart felt apology, on behalf of the Federal Government, for the pain caused to those who were taken away from their families. Finally, those who had suffered were heard and their experiences acknowledged. For many, Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike, it was an emotional and uplifting day which brought great hope.  

NATSIEC Chairperson Bishop Saibo Mabo, who was in the gallery to witness first hand this momentous occasion, said of the apology “I was rejoicing today. I always talk about baskets, how we can’t come together because we carry our lives in separate baskets; White people carry around their baskets, Torres Strait Islanders have our baskets and Aboriginal people have their dilly bags. They are all separate baskets. But today I was so happy because the bridge was connected. When that bridge is connected we can all carry one basket. We can throw the bad gifts out of the basket and keep the good things in”. 

The big question however, is what next? There is no doubt that the apology was significant and held great meaning for many around the country, but unless it is followed up by concrete actions the words that were so powerful on the day will come to sound hollow and empty.

Perhaps NATSIEC’s Deputy Chairperson, Revd. Sealin Garlett summed up the challenge for us all when he said “there is often a defining moment when you can hear a pin drop; here there was a defining moment when you could hear the tears drop. It went to the core of being a stolen generation. It defined those who cried out. It was a spiritual moment. It put on a stage our work for tomorrow.”

Our greatest hope is that this new beginning can be carried forward with the same good will and bi-partisan spirit that was shown in parliament and all around the nation on the day of the Apology.

For more in depth coverage see www.ncca.org.au/natsiec

CCA – EGY network

Strengthening Our Networking

Friends from Asian Church Women’s Resource Center for Culture and Theology visited CCA office on 21st February 2008.

There was discussion regarding how the relationship between CCA-EGY and AWRC can be enhanced in working together.

AWRC is an organization of women and women’s organizations in Asia who are engaged in promoting Asian women’s theology.

It was conceived at the Asian Women Theologians’ Conference in Singapore in November 1987 by a group of women theologians who felt the need to form a community of Asian women engaged in theology and ministry and to encourage them to articulate Asian women’s contextual theology. AWRC was officially inaugurated in September 1988 in Hong Kong.

AWRC publishes a theological journal, In God’s Image, four times a year also a newsletter, womenet, is published twice a year. Ms Yong Tin Jin form Malaysia acts as the coordinator of AWRC.

Address of AWRC

Asian Women’s Resource Centre for culture and theology (AWRC)
119C-2 Batu 3 ½ Jalan Kelang Lama
58000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: +603-7984 9734
Fax: +603-7984 4227
Email:[email protected], Website: www.awrc4ct.org

Summit of Asian Women Religious Leaders- Preparatory Meeting-10th-11th March 2008

Under the initiative of ‘World Conference of Religions Peace’, CCA in partnership with International Network of Engaged Buddhist (INEB) and World Fellowship of Buddhist (WFB) is organizing a ‘Summit of Asian Religious Women Leaders’ which will be held in 21st-23rd April 2008in Bangkok.

A preparatory meeting for this summit was held with partners in Bangkok on 10th-11th March 2008.

GOALS OF THE SUMMIT

Form a Network among Asian Women Religious Leaders.

For information contact Moumita

Prayer to Make Peace with Water

Thank you God for

The Water in the womb of mother earth

The water in our bodies

The water in our wombs with which we nurture our children

The water in our blood and veins

The water we drink

The water with which we cook rice

The water in our paddy fields

The water in dew drops and clouds

Water is life
Let us make peace with water

Let us respect water as gift of God

Let us end water wars 

Let us start a water democracy Movement

Let us seek water justice.

Amen

Christian Conference of Asia
c/o Payap University
Muang, Chiang Mai 50000
Thailand
Tel: +66 53 243 906/7 Fax: +66 53 247303
eMail: [email protected]

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