We held our Annual Membership Meeting on May 7, 2019, which was followed by lunch in the Delegates Dining Room at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. We affirmed PPSEAWA USA’s commitment to UN initiatives on education for all, women’s health and wellbeing, eliminating gender-based violence, and promoting peace. To find out more about our events and interests, visit PPSEAWA USA on Facebook and follow us on Pinterest!
PPSEAWA USA has Representatives to the United Nations in New York, who receive their UN grounds passes separately from International through an association with the UN DPI, the Department of Public Information’s outreach with non-government organizations. They attend UN programs, serve on NGO Committees at the UN, and we print their detailed reports in the national newsletters.
CSW63 at the United Nations in New York
Ten PPSEAWA USA members attended the Sixty-Third Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63) at the UN Headquarters in New York from March 11-22, 2019. PPSEAWA co-sponsored six side events this year, covering topics such as anti-trafficking measures, safe and orderly migration, educational opportunities for refugees in the USA, substance use, non-communicable diseases, and gender parity in parliaments.
- Akari Yamada (USA President 2015-19) was a speaker for a CSW63 parallel event entitled “No Woman Left behind: Hope for Women Facing Substance Use Disorders” on March 15, 2019, at 4 West 43rdstreet. She spoke about factors that protect adolescent girls from initiating substance use, such as feeling connected to parents and teachers. She highlighted programs that develop adolescent social-emotional and decision-making skills. Successful programs account for cultural and language differences, and address inequalities in access to mental health services.
- Pempho Chikondenji, USA Youth Representative to the UN, participated in the High-level intergenerational dialogue“Take the Hot Seat” hosted by UN Women and the Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth on March 13, 2019. Senior government officials and UN representatives answered questions on the critical issues of integrating and supporting youth into social protection, accessible public services, and sustainable infrastructures.
- Our national organization co-hosted a welcome reception with PPSEAWA International at Sardi’s Restaurant on March 12, 2019 for PPSEAWA sisters from Canada, Hawaii, Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand, as well as local members from Chicago, Honolulu, and New York, participating in CSW63.
PPSEAWA USA held programs on SDG 3 Good Health and Wellbeing.
There were several programs on women’s health at the local level as well as the CSW63 panel on substance use. The New York Chapter held a program entitled “Survive and Thrive with Letha Hadady” in September 2018, and the Chicago Chapter held a program on “Wellness in Daily Life: Lessons from the Chinese Philosophy of Water” in November 2018.
PPSEAWA USA is committed to SDG Goal 4 Quality Educationby providing inclusive opportunities for girls as our national philanthropy.
- Generous donations to the PPSEAWA USA Education Scholarship Fund enabled a tuition scholarship for a senior high school girl at Josephinum Academy of the Sacred Heart in Chicago for the academic year 2018-2019.
- The Chicago Chapter covered the annual tuition, room and board for a hearing-impaired girl at the Jyoti School for the Deaf in Kanpur, India, which was founded by their members.
- Furthermore, PPSEAWA USA co-sponsored an event on November 1, 2018 at the United Nations entitled “Media and Social Change: Recognizing and Challenging Disinformation, Stereotypes, and Fake News”with the Communications Coordination Committee for the United Nations [CCCUN]. One of PPSEAWA International’s UN-NY representatives, Kesinee Dulyarat, serves on the board for the CCCUN. Panelists provided a brief history of fake news and the misuse of the term for political and commercial purposes, making it difficult for news consumers to recognize what’s true and what’s false. The importance of teaching children about misleading information and reliability, especially in digital journalism, was discussed.
PPSEAWA USA held programs on SDG Goal 5 Gender Equality.
- PPSEAWA USA is committed to helping survivors of domestic violence find the safety and support they need. The Chicago Chapter supports both an emergency shelter and Bridges, a longer-term housing community operated by the YWCA for women with children escaping abuse. We have held an annual collection drive for women’s clothing, household supplies, and children’s items since 2007.
- PPSEAWA USA supports the rights of girls. USA Youth Representative Pempho Chikondenji and USA UN Representatives all attended the Girls Speak Out at the United Nations headquarters in New York on October 11, 2018. Amy Banker (New York) was there as PPSEAWA’s International representative on the Working Group on Girls.
PPSEAWA USA commemorates the International Day of Peace.
The Chicago Chapter held a Peace Day program on September 17, 2018 that focused on refugee resettlement in the United States. On a personal note, three PPSEAWA-Chicago members, Teresa Hintzke, Katherine McCaughan, and Anita Yamada shared their stories of displacement during World War II. We discussed the role of the United Nations Refugee Agency (www.unhcr.org) in the postwar period and local volunteer work with refugee assistance.
Disaster Relief
The Asia-Pacific region is prone to many natural disasters. To aid recovery efforts, the New York Chapter donated funds to PPSEAWA Japan following the 2016 Kyushu Earthquake, and to the Taiwan Center following the 2018 Earthquake in Hualien City, Taiwan.