UPDATE

May 2006

 

  

Registration Deadlines:

1.  59th Annual UN Department of Public Information/NGO Conference -  6-8 September 2006)

The title for this year’s conference is Unfinished Business:Effective Partnerships for Human Security and Sustainable Development.  Deadline for registration is June 1, 2006.  Please let Catherine know if you are interested in attending this session at fergcf@earthlink.net. For those of you who have colleges or universities you might also consider asking one or two if they would be interested in attending.

2. Nominations for speakers at the Civil Society Hearings on Migration – 12 July 2006. For anyone who would like to participate and can speak to issues of concern related to international migration, the deadline for applying is May 5, 2006.  Please notify Catherine at the above email address by May 4 at the latest.

 Planning Ahead for CEDAW:

The session of the Committee on All Forms of Elimination Against Women will hold its third session this year from the 7-25 August.  During that time the following governments will be giving their reports: Cape Verde, Chile, China, Cuba, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Georgia, Ghana, Jamaica, Mauritius, Mexico, Philippines, Republic of Moldova and Uzbekistan.

 If you have members working with women in any of these countries do consider asking them to prepare an alternative report for the session.  Please notify Catherine at the above email if this is possible for someone in your congregation.

 Commission on Sustainable Development – CSD 14  1 -14 May 2006

UNANIMA International will have four additional delegation members for the opening day of this session which focuses on energy, climate change and industrial development: Charo Sanchez, CCV and Leonor Maldonado, CCV, visiting the United States from their generalate in Rome will attend the opening day of the session accompanied by Maureen Foltz, CCV, UI’s new board member.  Mary Louise Knott, OSU, will also be there but she will have an opportunity to get much more involved in the discussions of the session as she will attend the entire session.

 Speaker for Civil Society Hearing on HIV/AIDS – May 31, 2006

 UNANIMA International was notified last week that one of our delegation for the high level meeting of the UN General Assembly related to HIV/AIDS has been accepted as a speaker at the civil society hearings on May 31.  She is Thandiwe Mathunjwa, the Director of Cabrini Health Services in their project with children affected by AIDS in Swaziland.  We are looking forward to having this opportunity for input in to the discussion at this important meeting.  In addition to Thandiwe, UNANIMA International will have Diane Dalle Malle, MSC, Monica Adigwe, SHCJ (on their General Council) and Linda Fuselier, SNJM as part of its delegation for this meeting.

 Visit to Africa – 12 March- 15 April. 

I feel very grateful to the many Sisters of our UNANIMA International congregations who welcomed me with great hospitality and made my learning about the situations in the respective countries possible.  Thank you and know I remember you daily in my prayers. Catherine

 As the coordinator of UNANIMA International, Catherine visited four countries in Africa where our members are working.  She and Lise Gagnon, SNJM, spent about three weeks in Lesotho where the Sisters of the Holy Names have a Province of about 100 African Sisters.  The purpose of this visit was to prepare for doing a retreat focusing on the spirituality of justice there in late December and early January.  Part of the preparation entailed having a short personal interview with each Sister.  During the interviews she and Lise learned that the temporary vowed Sisters have recently begun a project to assist those infected with and affected by AIDS in a small village near the capital city of Maseru.  This work seems very much connected to justice in country where 1 in 3 persons between the ages of 15 and 49 is HIV positive.

 Following the time in Lesotho, Catherine then spent about a week in Nigeria and a week in Cameroon.  In Nigeria, she visited Lagos where she was hosted by the Religious of Jesus and Mary and the Society of the Holy Child Jesus. With the RJMs she presented an evening session on trafficking to about 300 persons in the parish where the Sisters live.  While with the SHCJ, through the organization of Sister Mary Akinwale who participated in the trafficking session in January 2005 in New York, and of Sister Uche, she was able to visit a detention center for women and girls picked up by the police.  In the center there was a girl of 8 years old who had been trafficked from a rural area near Jos where the Sisters also have a mission. The next day she visited the centre where Mary is the director and spoke with groups of women and youth regarding the dangers of trafficking. 

  Although Cameroon was the last stop on Catherine’s travels, she visited five UNANIMA International communities there.  She was hosted by Sister Julie Wheatley, of the Holy Union Sisters and the Sisters of temporary vows in the capital city of Yaounde.  Early in the visit, Sister Julie coordinated with Sister Sheila RJM for Catherine to speak with the Sisters at the RJMs house which had a large room suitable for a presentation.  About twenty-five Sisters were present from the CND, the RJM, the SUSC, the SSA, and the SP.  Later in the week, Catherine was able to visit with most of these communities separately and in the case of Sister Clare Racine, SSA, was also able to hear from some local women about their concerns regarding the trafficking of organs and the abuse of children generally.
Holy Union Sisters
Mich and Constance
Celebrate Sister
Genevieve’s birthday
 Yaounde, Cameroon.