Women Lines

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda – See more at: http://blog.blogadda.com/2013/06/14/creative-writing-on-history-revisited-indian-bloggers#sthash.4RoBZV09.dpuf

“Spread love everywhere  you go.Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.”-Mother Teresa

At age of 12 she felt strongly the call of God. At age of 18 she left home to serve people and the rest of her story is really a history to be taught to coming generation that somebody like her really existed on earth.If I get a chance to meet any historical figure Mother Teresa will be that lady whom I would like to meet and talk. How can such a lady exist who served humanity without any hope of return. “The  Missionaries of Charity” was started by Mother  to love and care  for those persons nobody was prepared to look after.This organisation is present in many countries all over world and following Mother’s way of helping needy people .

Mother Teresa followed her instincts and was always ready to help poor. First calling made her realize she is born to help others and second calling made her realize that she should not lead her life as a Convent Nun but should help poor directly . Her life history teaches us if there is will there is way. Her desire to help people was fulfilled and various organisations across whole world supported her mission. From the late 1960s until 1980, the Missionaries of Charity expanded both in their reach across the globe and in their number of members. Mother Teresa opened houses in Australia, the Middle East, and North America. In 1979 Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. By that same year there were 158 Missionaries of Charity foundations. Whenever she got a chance she found out someway to help the section of society who really required most help. Like for Aids Patients she opened a first house’Gift of Love’ in 1985in New York where she  spoke at the fortieth anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly.

I want to hug her and feel her positivity around myself. Somebody pure like her can be like God only and in true words she is a saint. I want to ask her how she managed to be such a pure person. How she managed to be a human and save herself from all negativity around herself. How she was able to make her will power so strong?

Hats off to Jill Sheffield, founder of “Women Deliver’ for her dedicated efforts in the field of improving Maternal health of women across the world. Mission of Women Deliver itself speaks volume about their objective of concern about women-Invest in Girls and Women – it pays!

Women  Deliver is a global advocacy organization working to generate political commitment and financial investment for fulfilling Millennium Development Goal5-to reduce maternal mortality and achieve universal access to reproductive health.  Ms Sheffield, the founder of Women Deliver  has achieved so many accolades that its not possible to introduce her in one line. Concerned majorly about women issues throughout Ms Sheffield is serving on the board of the Pangaea Global Aids foundation, she is also the founder of Family Care International(FCI).She founded FCI IN 1987 in response to call at the Women’s Decade Conference in Nairobi which identified the silent tragedy that one women dies each minute from pregnancy related causes.Ms Sheffield is also one of the few civil society representatives appointed to the UN Secretary Generals Commission of Information and accountability for women’s and children’s health.
Women Deliver is organizing Maternal and Reproductive Health Conference 2013 in Kaula Lampur on 28-30May.A number of influential leaders like Melinda Gates(Cochair Bill and Mellinda Foundation), Helen Clark(Administrator UNDP), Anuradha Gupta(Joint Secretary Ministry of Health , India), Michelle Bachelet(Under-Secretary-General and executive Director of United Nation Women)  and many others are confirmed to participate in Women Deliver’s third global Conference. .    Answers by Women Delivers to certain queries mentioned below itself proves the clarity of their purpose-

What are the critical issues that women face, especially in Southeast Asia?

Globally, more than 287,000 women die each year during pregnancy or child birth, and more than 200 million women want, but do not have access to, contraceptives. We have made progress for girls and women under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and the pace of change is accelerating. Since 1990, fewer women are living in extreme poverty, more women have access to modern contraception, and maternal deaths have nearly halved. But challenges remain, and progress is uneven across regions and countries.

Southeast Asia in particular showcases the promise, progress and continued challenges facing women’s health and equality.  The region has successfully reduced gender inequality in education, and has made remarkable progress in reducing maternal deaths. However, Asia and the Pacific continue to bear the brunt of maternal deaths — almost 40 percent of maternal deaths worldwide occur in the region.

Why is it that women still suffer from the above-mentioned problems nowadays?

Historically, women’s health issues have not been prioritized. In fact, progress toward MDG(Millennium Development Goal) 5 has been the slowest of all the MDGs – and it’s not for a lack of solutions that work. We know how to save women’s lives and increase access to contraceptives, but to do this successfully, we need both political will and financial commitments to deliver the services women want and need. For too long, maternal and reproductive health have been seen as “women’s issues,” but they are not. They are everyone’s issues. It is up to all leaders to ensure that these issues receive the attention and the funding they deserve

What this year’s conference will try to achieve ?

Taking place as discussions about the post-2015 development architecture are underway, Women Deliver 2013 will be a landmark opportunity to ensure that girls and women remain a development priority worldwide –and to hold leaders accountable for the impressive commitments they’ve made.We must move from promises to progress. With thousands of global influencers in the room, we can – and we will – generate the political will, financial investments and grassroots action needed to improve girls’ and women’s health and rights. -

How different is this year’s conference compared to previous years? For example, are there more participants than ever? Different themes being discussed?

This will be Women Deliver’s third global conference and we anticipate it will be our largest and most influential yet, with thousands of private and public sector leaders from 160 countries expected to attend.This will be the first time the conference is taking place in Asia, and as a result, progress and continued obstacles facing women’s health and equality in Asia will be a key focus. It’s also the first time the conference will be held in a predominantly-Muslim country, offering a unique opportunity to tackle pressing challenges in the broader Muslim world.

Womenlines wishes best of luck to Women Deliver for their future endeavours!

Tags: jiff sheffield, malaysia, melinda gates, women deliver

Its all about courage!

Malala, a Pakistani teen blogger is a symbol of defiance against militants. An outspoken critic of Taliban Malala came into news when she was shot head onOn 9 October 2012,  in an assassination attempt by Taliban gunmen while returning home on a school bus. In the days immediately following the attack, she remained unconscious and in critical condition, but later her condition improvedand she was sent to a hospital in UK for  intensive rehabilitation.She is known for her education and women’s rights activism in her country where the  Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school. In early 2009, at the age of 11/12, Yousafzai wrote a blog under a pseudonym for the BBC detailing her life under Taliban rule, their attempts to take control of the valley, and her views on promoting education for girls.

Malala’s undomineering courage has already helped her in achieving nomination for the InternatPaional Children’s Peace Prizeby Desmond Tutu and Nobel Peace Prize. The latest feather in her cap is that she has signed  a deal of $3 million to publish her memoir.and this is a incredible feat.The book, titled “I am Malala”, will be published by Weidenfeld & Nicholson in the UK and Commonwealth and by Little, Brown in the rest of the world.

If you are honest and courageous then sky is the limit for you!Womenlines wishes best of luck to Malala for her future endeavours.

Movies are great way to relax. Some movies help you to feel better, some helps you to laugh a bit and few are there which leave such an impact in your mind which cannot be forgotten. “In Pursuit of Happyness’is such a movie. I recently got a chance to watch this movie and was really moved by the storyline and found it must to share with my readers.

The Pursuit of Happyness is a film based on real life story of Chris Gardner who is a famous entrpreneur, investor, stockbroker, motivational speaker, author and philonthropist.In early 1980s he struggled with homelessness while raising his toddler son Christopher.  Gardner’s book of memoirs2006  is the base for the movie’ In pursuit of Happyness”. Directed by Gabriele Muccino, the film features Will Smith as Gardner, an on-and-off-homeless salesman-turned stockbroker. Smith’s son Jaden Smith co-stars, making his film debut as Gardner’s son Christopher Jr.

The unusual spelling of the film’s title comes from a sign Gardner saw when he was homeless. In the film, “happiness” is misspelled  as “happyness” outside the daycare facility Gardner’s son attends. The rousing, true-life story of a single dad who went from living on the streets to owning his own brokerage firm is brought to the big screen by superstar  Set in early-’80s San Francisco, the film charts the hard times and eventual comeback of Chris Gardner, a suddenly single salesman who has custody of his son, but finds that providing for the two of them is a challenge in the increasingly unstable economic climate. He struggles to work his way from unpaid intern at Dean Witter to something more substantial, even as life continues to offer him setbacks.

Film portrays a beautiful message that whatever are the conditions in your life, how much  low you are feeling, it is only your determination to succeed going to help you in raising your standards. So never stop dreaming. If you have a dream just go for it.

Tags: in pursuit of happiness, will smith

Its a fact and I still can’t believe it!  

There is a lady named Immaculee Ilibagiza whose life was transformed during  1994 Rwandan genocide when she with seven other women spent 91 days silently together in a cramped bathroom of a local pastor’s house.Isn’t it unbelievable?

Immaculae was a 115 pound university student with a loving family. When she came out of the bathroom she weighted only 65 pounds and her whole family was murdered.And what helped her in surviving?Prayers! Yes she prayed continuously for 91 days, from morning when she opened her eyes till night. Her father gave a set of rosery beads to her before she went for hiding.She began to pray the rosary as a way to come out of her negativity.Through prayer, she was able to  forgive her tormentors and her family’s murderers.Immaculée’s strength in her faith helped her her to stare down a man armed with a machete threatening to kill her during her escape. She also later came face to face with the killer of her mother and her brother and said the unthinkable, “I forgive you.”Above all Immaculée learnt English with only a bible and a dictionary in that tiny bathroom and this helped her to get a job at UN later.

Immaculae’s story shows the power of belief and faith. In such circumstances she was not only  able to survive but she was able to forgive her tormentors too.That’s the power of belief and prayer.We get troubled with small problems in our daily life and here is this woman with such amazing faith. Hats off to her for her courage and faith!

Tags: faith, imamaculae ilibagiza, prayer, rwanda