Some of us decided it was time that we stopped apportioning blame and take responsibility instead. Women for Humanity was born three years ago, with a group of educated professional women with international perspectives and a deep concern for social issues. Drawing on our experiences we recognized that women are caregivers and a nurturing home environment could offer some solutions. A stable society in the future begins in the home today. However, many women around the world are oppressed and are often not given an equal opportunity to develop to their full potential. Over the centuries women have been deprived of rights often under the guise of religion. We all know what the Taliban are doing to women in Afghanistan, who continue to appeal to their more fortunate Western counterparts for help. Women in Kuwait have been denied the right to vote. Wife beating is quite common and an acceptable practice in many countries. Many nations tolerate abuse and exploitation of women in the name of religion. Despite such catch phrases as "equal rights" or "women's liberation" the majority of women worldwide are less educated and less free in economic and social areas than their male counterparts. A disproportionate number are dependent on men for their mere survival.

By empowering women to take care of their physical and emotional needs we can begin to impress upon our children that we all deserve a life with dignity and basic human rights. In today's global society we need to teach our children love of diversity across culture, race, religion and gender.

As the world continues to get smaller every day, the need to understand each other becomes more important than ever. We need to make a concerted effort in all neighborhoods across the world to raise the level of education, social awareness and consciousness in women. We need to allocate more resources for educating and empowering all women toward a better status in the future. We need to create social awareness of violence toward women, dispel ignorance and reach out to women who need help. To do this we invite women to join hands all across the globe and embrace equality. We urge women to open their hearts and minds to new ideas and new realities of today. We especially encourage women to step out and join us in discovering the strengths of our diversity. Beyond our differences of color, race or religion we have much more in common than we realize. Most importantly we have a common goal, to nurture our children and our children's children and create a world with harmony and peace. To achieve this we need to bring down the invisible walls that divide us across culture, language, color, sex, religion and political beliefs and celebrate our diversity.

If we take care of women today we will take care of our world tomorrow. Women for Humanity would like to create a sense of unity that transcends all barriers of race, religion, ethnicity and politics that prevent us from living with each other in peace and harmony. We hope to achieve this through education, dialog, and action at local, national and international levels.

This is a long-term holistic goal that we hope to achieve by persistence and perseverance, one person at a time. Using our individual connections throughout the United States and other countries, we plan to start small grass root groups, as we have done in Peoria, all around the country and the world.

Meetings

For the past two years Women for Humanity has been meeting once a month in an open and neutral environment to discuss women's issues of common interest. These meetings take place on the first Friday of every month from 11:30 am to 1:00 p.m. Currently only women are invited to these meetings. This is a deliberate decision to encourage women who would otherwise not go to meetings where men are present. Recent immigrants, first and second generation, bring their culture and religious values to the United States which add to its richness and diversity for the most part. However, in some cases in order to maintain their identity these new arrivals seclude themselves. This leads to isolation and mistrust with society at large. This separation leads to fear and hostility. When problems occur women in such groups have nowhere to turn to for help. But we are open to new ideas and venues in the future to advance our agenda. The meetings are free of charge and there are no other requirements to attend. The purpose of the meetings is to create community and through communication about women's issues, support each other to lead happier and more fulfilling lives. In past meetings we have invited professionals to talk on such subjects as interactive positive communication, depression, and menopause. The topics covered are usually in response to a need expressed by the group.

Public Interest

Besides monthly meetings we also organize important functions of public Interest. Even though International Women's Day has been celebrated around the world for decades it has been celebrated in the Peoria area only recently. For two consecutive years Women for Humanity has spearheaded this symbolic function inviting the local community to participate and declare their solidarity to the cause of women around the world.

Liaison

Our most important function yet, besides our own activities, is to promote interaction among existing national and international organizations. We seek to provide a link among various organizations and the women who, for a multitude of reasons, are left behind. We at Women for Humanity would like to make the US our headquarters for all our activities around the world.

Objectives

1. To provide information to the new immigrants regarding the services available provided by the county, state and federal agencies.
2. To help new immigrants adjust to their new environment and overcome cultural differences.
3. Raise awareness about violence against women in developing countries.
4. Invite speakers to talk on issues related to human rights, particularly those of women.

Future Plans

We plan to invite speakers from the National Organization of Women, Amnesty International, Peace Network, and many others to share their experiences. We plan to open help hotlines, informal education and a health network for women.

Our long-term plans include sharing our resources with women in other parts of the world by opening centers for adult education and abuse prevention. Also, we would like to raise funds to provide small interest free loans to women in third world countries to enable them to earn a livelihood and provide for their families.

For the last two years we have used personal funds to finance our efforts. To continue and sustain the activities already initiated by Women for Humanity and allow it to bloom to its full potential we recognize the need for raising funds from sources in the community. To allow us access to these resources we strongly feel the need to register our organization as a Not For Profit.