“Women are the architects of Society.

Women are the Sowers of virtues in Society. Women are the strong Pillars of Society.

Women are the manifestation of the very nature of God’s love”

Celebration of International Women’s Day

8th March 2014 You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a

woman; you educate a generation.”Brigham Young

Celebration of International

women’s day in Good Shepherd

Convent, Mulakalapalli:

Women’s day was celebrated on the

8thMarch at Good Shepherd Convent

ground. The celebration began with a

rally at 11am from Good Shepherd

convent to the MRO (Mandal Revenue Officer) office. The theme of the

celebration was“End all violence

against women.” There were 550

women and a few men. Sr. Kala the

director waved the flag before the rally.

Six men played big drums and they

were formed into two lines. Two

women who stood in front were holding

the International women’s day banner

and nearly fifty women holding the placards with different slogans on women like

“Educate women, she will educate the world. Ban all the domestic violence. Allow

the girl children to study till they stand on their feet. Happy International women’s

day. End all violence against women. Punish those who cause violence on

women.” When the rally reached the Centre all of them formed a big circle and

danced in celebration. There was a traffic jam for some times and from there the

people danced in two lines and went to MRO office where we submitted a

PROVINCE OF CENTRAL EAST INDIA NEPAL

memorandum to the MRO with certain demands for women. The MRO promised

to protect the rights of women.

We had public meeting at 1 pm in

our campus. The special invitees

were Mr. Raj kumar the SI, KLR PG

college principal, Mrs. Kottamma

head mistress of Mulakalapalli High

school. Sr. Kala the director,

Sr.Stella and Sr. Nirmala. All the

invitees spoke on the theme and how

the woman could be empowered

today. It was an enlightening and empowering experience for the women. The

highlights of the speeches were: ‘only when all the women come together they can

change the situation and reduce the violence happening against them. Family is

the first place where the values are being taught therefore, the mothers must teach

the boys to respect women as their mothers and sisters which help them not to

indulge in violence. The women were very happy about the message. The staff

presented a street play on child marriage and the action taken by different

Government departments to stop such marriages. They also explained about the

legislation with regard to child marriage. It was an eye opener for the women.

We had International

women’s day celebration in

another centre named

KukunureMandal on the 12th

March with the same theme.

Nearly 600 women

participated in the rally and

the meeting ACollege

Principal, CDPO, APO, local teachers and Sr. Kala were the guests for the public

meeting.

Reported by Sr. kala

Local community Leader

Khammam, Andhra Pradesh

India.

GOOD SHEPHERD CONVENT - MANGALAGIRI Celebrating womanhood and genderequality

This year, the AadavallaHakkulaSangam (Women

Rights Association) initiated and being strengthened by

the Sisters of the Good Shepherd working in

Mangalagiri and Amaravathi regions in Andhra Pradesh,

has observed the International Women’s Day on 8th

March 2014 with twin activities namely, celebration of

Women’s Day with eminent persons addressing the

Members of the AadavallaHakkulaSangam and

organising of Public Hearing on Violence of Human

Rights with much focus on women. The programmes

were organised in Mangalagiri, one of the important

Mandal headquarters in Guntur District in which 532

women and 27 men participated.

In the forenoon, the International Women’s Day was

celebrated with deliberations by the women rights

activists of the region. Smt. D. SrinivasaKumari,

President of AIDWA (All India Democratic Women's

Association), Guntur District gave a very enlightening

speech highlighting the significance of women’s

constitutional rights. She recalled the words of

Mahatma Gandhi who said that as long as women of

India do not take part in public life, there can be no

salvation for the country.

Many eminent speakers enlightened the gathering on various

aspects of women’s rights and their role in the society like

constitutional rights, education of girl children, influence of

electronic media and the need for economic independence. Sr.

Aruna George of the Good Shepherd Convent, Mangalagiri said

in her concluding speech that family is the foundation where

character is formed, culture of respecting women is learnt and

participation in decision making is developed which in turn will

be reflected in the society.

In the afternoon, for the first time in the history of the

Sisters of the Good Shepherd in India, a Public Hearing was

organized which brought out the raw reality of the

deprivation of justice for the dalits and women who had

endured untold sufferings on account of low economic

status and sheer ignorance. Court cases dealing with issues

such as atrocities against Scheduled caste/ Tribe, domestic

violence on women, harassment of women and girl child

abuse which were pending for a long period, were heard on

this occasion. A Panel of Adjudicators under the leadership

of Chief Jury, Mr. A.M. Prasad Sharma, Rtd. District & Session Judge, 11 cases of human rights violations

were reported and the Jury have given their suggestions to follow the cases for the best interests of the

victims.

Sr. ArunaGeorgergs Local Community Leader Good Shepherd Convent, Mangalagiri Andhra Pradesh, INDIA Email:arunargs@rediffmail.com

☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺

International Women’s Day was celebrated on 8th

March

2014 at Good Shepherd Convent hall. About 200 women

participated in the programme which was comprised of a

talk on women’s rights, entertainment and games.

At the very outset Sr.

Pushpa Louis spoke on

women’s rights and

made them aware of

the important role they

play in society and that

they have equal rights in decision making and

implementation along with their partners and are no longer

considered inferior to men. She asserted that women need to

overcome their fears and stand up for their rights, look for

solutions and seek help when required.

The programme held for the domestic workers commenced

with the lighting of the lamp followed by a prayer dance.

Indian dances were performed by tribal women and

children.

The second half of the programme was interesting as it

was informative. The Nurses of Hinduja Hospital who

were invited for the function put up a skit depicting how

women have been subject to physical, emotional and

intellectual exploitation, in spite of progressive thinking and

development. The skit brought out the various forms of torture

women go through like rape, sexual harassment, physical and

mental abuse in and out of their homes, often leading to suicide or

murder. The short play motivated the women to believe in

themselves, to stand up and fight for their dignity. They were

guided how to handle situations and whom they could approach in

case they were targeted by ruthless men. They were made to

realize that they are not weak but have the capacity to move

towards their goal and their strength can help them

overcome incredible obstacles in their life

The last part of the

programme was fun

and frolic. A few

games were conducted,

where the young and

old participated and

enjoyed thoroughly. Spot prizes were also given away at

intervals to enhance the enjoyment. After a session of dancing,

prizes were distributed and snacks were served.

Everyone dispersed happily taking with them sweet memories of Women’s Day celebration. The

message they received was loud and clear. “The dignity of women is equal to that of Men.”

Sr. Pushpa Louis

Local community leader

Mumbai

On 8th March 2014, Mumbai-India INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

International Women’s Day Celebration

Eighth of March 2014 was a joyous day for the women

from the neighbouring villages of the Good

Shepherd Covent at Nochipatty, Salem.

The Chief Guest for the programme was

Mrs.Nigila, the additional Superintendent of the Salem Central Jail, who is a

kind and courageous woman. Shespoke about Women’s power in

shouldering the responsibility of their families and enduring the many

struggles for the betterment of the family.

This was followed by a variety of competitions and games which the

women

enjoyed. These helped them to bring out their talents and potentials.

Prizes were distributed for thewinners.

“Without God there is a no world

Without women there is no birth

Without Mother Mary there can be no Jesus

Without Jesus we have no identity

So let’s praise God and respect women”.

Sr. ShanthiJaganathan

Local Community Leader

Nochipatty.Salem.

Tamil Nadu.

Good Shepherd Social Action, Virar

Women’s Day Celebration with sex workers at Bhiwandi

About 50 sex workers

gathered at Good Shepherd

drop-in centre in Bhiwandi,

(red light area) Thane,

Maharashtra for the

International women’s day

celebration on 12th March

2014. The celebration

included a short prayer,

introduction of the participants,

a good quality talk, games, a cultural program and a festal meal. The

celebration focused on affirming safety, equality and dignity of women

where ever they may be through the awareness talk “Know Your Rights”

and “Time for Action to

End Violence against

Women” by Sr. Pushpa

RGS. Many women

shared their personal

experiences faced in

brothel because of pimps,

customers and police. The

program was informative

and fun. The women were proud to view the cultural programme performed

for them by their own children from our Good Shepherd Home, Virar. The

women expressed their gratitude and joy for organising the day for them.

Sr. Jacquline

Good Shepherd Convent,

Virar,

Maharashtra.