No.1, January - April 2001

As I prepare myself to leave WSCF and move on to another arena in my life, I found myself reviewing the past and engaging in deep thought about my work and some program related issues I encountered in working for the past five years as the Coordinator of the Regional Women’s Program. I suddenly realized that there are quite a lot of them. Some were trivial but others were significant questions and critique which has led to some changes in the way we do things in the Federation. For instance, there was no WSCF Pre-women’s Assembly in the last GA in Lebanon, women senior friends in Asia were constantly asking for the reason, and I cannot quite explain in simple terms why. The co-secretary model of leadership is constantly being challenged as ineffective in providing leadership to the Federation, ignoring the fact that the model is a concrete expression of WSCF’s commitment to partnership and shared leadership of men and women.

With the institutionalization of the WSCF AP Women’s Program in the Asia Pacific region and an impressive background in women’s work, I felt that somehow a more holistic picture should be shown and presented as an anti-theses to the growing concern over the perceived notion that women’s empowerment is no longer an important agenda in the Federation. This is not to deny the fact that indeed there are some weaknesses in the past, and appropriate changes should be made in some area and strategy. But to deny the important contribution of the women’s program in the life of the Federation is unforgivable. This is perhaps the main purpose of this issue of Praxis, to highlight and celebrate the contribution of women and women’s program in the life of the Federation.

This issue of Praxis will focus more on internal rather than external issues that affect the Federation. In the section on Perspective, Yong Ting Jin, WSCF AP former Regional Secretary and one of the pioneers of the Women’s Program, wrote a substantive article on the history and the issues related to the Women’s Program of the region. Women’s Space discusses the WSCF Framework of Analysis on Women’s Oppression highlighting some of the critical points in this framework, and finally excerpt of interviews done by two young women to two senior friends who has made great contribution to the Federation.

Perhaps as an end note, I would like to quote Sr. Marj Tuite, when she challenged WSCF women in a meeting early in the 80’s:

"May you have the passion for justice when ours falters
May you have a sense of humor when we lose ours
May you have compassion for others when ours become selective
May you have strength and courage to risk
When some of us are afraid to speak
Take with you
Don’t give up on us
You are the creators of the new"

Necta Montes
Outgoing Regional Women’s Coordinator