Human Trafficking Seminar Toronto March 2012

admin@dmwsc.org (Anne Kelly ibvm) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 06:19:41 GMT

The Canadian Lorettos recently organised a seminar on human trafficking that attracted much interest from a wide range of people, including male and female high schools students. A federal MP, who has introduced a number of bills on the prosecution and sentencing of human traffickers, opened the proceedings. After a moving testimony by a trafficking survivor, three activists working at the national and international level took the floor: an ex-policeman, a First Nations woman and the Canadian director of International Justice Mission. Evanne Hunter ibvm (Provincial Leader) set the scene for the day in the following manner.

LORETO INTERNS AT THE UNITED NATIONS

admin@dmwsc.org (Anne Kelly) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:37:21 GMT

Two weeks ago I welcomed Cecilia O’Dwyer ibvm from the Spanish Province to New York, where she will work for the next few months as an intern at Loreto’s UN Office. She arrived hot on the heels of my previous intern, Clare Condon, from Australia. I asked both women to explain why they had wanted to take on such a challenge. Their thoughtful and intelligent response to this question clearly indicates their competence and suitability for the position.

56th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)

admin@dmwsc.org (DMWSC) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 07:43:17 GMT

The Commission on the Status of Women is holding its fifty-sixth session at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from Monday, 27 February to Friday, 9 March 2012. Established in 1946 by a group of 15 government representatives, all women, the Commission works towards its original guiding principle: “To raise the status of women, irrespective of nationality, race,

Girltank

admin@dmwsc.org (DMWSC) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 09:19:43 GMT

Website: http://www.girltank.org

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/girltankorg?sk=app_349727475052332

ANN’S STORY

admin@dmwsc.org (DMWSC) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:30:02 GMT

Ann is a twenty-one year old woman. Along with her brothers and sisters she lives with her mother and father in a small mud-hut without proper shelter and no land. She comes from a very deprived background; her family struggles to make a living and to feed themselves from day-to-day.

In this context she has received little education and at the age of twenty-one is completely illiterate and has little hope of gaining work.

One day a ray of hope came into her life. She received a phone call from her brother who had migrated to Bangalore. He had learned of an opportunity for his sister to leave the village and find work to improve their family’s livelihood. At the time neither of them knew it would end in disaster.Her brother put her in contact with a man he had met, Robert,the brother of an ‘employment agent’, Paul, who promised to find her a job.

Right to Food

admin@dmwsc.org (DMWSC) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:26:45 GMT

On 16^th June 2011, the newly elected Government of West Bengal issued a Government Order asking for the re-formation of monitoring and vigilance committees for the Public Distribution System. The West Bengal Advisor, Ms. Anuradha Talwar, was asked to nominate non party, civil society representatives (known as NGO representatives) to the District and Sub-divisional Committees.

Celebrating Mary Ward Week

admin@dmwsc.org (Kelly Fusion) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:24:51 GMT

28th Jan 2012

On the 28 January 2012 the Loreto Sisters working in development came together with the co-workers, who assist the sisters with work in the different mission areas, to celebrate the life and contributions of Mary Ward to the Church and world. The event was held at Loyola Pastoral Center, Matigara.

An ice breaker exercise was conducted to introduce participants to one another in a fun and interactive manner.

Distribution of Ration Cards

admin@dmwsc.org (Susan O Leary) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:22:09 GMT

The journey to today’s distribution of ration cards has not been easy. It began over a year ago when the animators of MWSC resolved to help the most deprived families within the community obtain ration cards. These families had all but lost any hope of ever receiving a ration card because every time they had attempted to do so in the past, they had to ask other more educated community members to help them and these members opportunistically asked them for huge amounts of money (500 to 1000 rupees) which the families had no ability to pay. They were repeatedly cheated and given false promises.

Therefore, it was at first difficult for the animators to mobilise the

Income Generation Projects

admin@dmwsc.org (DMWSC) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:07:20 GMT

Income Generation Projects

“Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day.

Teach a person to fish and you have feed them for a lifetime”

The income generation initiative is an initiative that started with the Youth of Panighatta and the help of volunteers from India as well as Australia.

A Year In Review

admin@dmwsc.org (DMWSC) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:06:12 GMT

A Year in Review

What a busy year it has been at the Darjeeling Mary Ward Social Centre (DMWSC) as we continue to strive for equality, protection, nutrition, health and education through a range of projects and programs. Please see our stories on achieveing access to hygienic drinking water at Khaprijot, rescuing women from human traffickers and promoting confidence and leadership of the young people of the Tea Estates through our Youth Workshop.