Women Empowerment and inter-faith dialogue (Sr Kathleen Geaney reports)
The interfaith women’s group and wider interfaith groups we are involved with, try to live and witness to the possibility of working across and beyond the borders of religion and ethnicity. In the present situation it is challenging to work together for the common good. It is especially difficult in situations of conflict where trust easily breaks down. Also where there is poverty and great need in families and neighbourhoods it is difficult to focus on the common good. This money enabled us to have seminars and meetings with the women to enable them to continue to support one another in reaching out to those most in need.
We have 6 leaders in the women’s interfaith group each leader tries to be a peace builder in her own quarter as well as reaching out in practical ways to support those in need.
Many people are unemployed and some direct livelihood assistance, financial assistance for medicine and funerals, was given to families in the different quarters by the women leaders. Many young people have had to leave Myanmar because of the present situation and this has resulted in old people finding themselves alone and in need and the women supported them.
Since there are so many displaced people all around us we used this money to support them in various ways- food medicine and shelter. Many Catholic Churches, Buddhist monasteries and nunneries have become places of refuge and shelter for people who are fleeing. We are supporting a Buddhist monastery in a rural area where there are many refugees.
In a Buddhist monastery which is situated at the riverside beside a big squatter area we have a small educational programe four mornings a week for out of school children. The number of children attending ranges from 30-60. The numbers grow as displaced people move to that area. The children are sometimes joined in the class by their parents who have often had little educational opportunities themselves and who particularly enjoy participating in the art work being taught to the children. This money was used to pay the salaries and travel costs of two teachers for this program and to buy notebooks and other materials for the children. Because of the situation one teacher had to flee with her family and now we are reduced to one teacher. We also provided food for the children once a week and every few months we donated food for all in the neighborhood and all the residents in the Buddhist monastery.
In this present situation there is a huge need for education and support for processing what is happening. Using a small part of this funding and another source of funding we have an educational scholarship programe. We supported students to attend two educational programs set up by Mandalay Archdiocese. The students were from the war torn areas. I taught in one programe for three mornings a week and I personally saw how much the students benefitted from the programe at time when so many young people’s hopes have been shattered. We also supported a Buddhist school in a poor area which has students up to grade 10.
Also during this time it is an ongoing challenge for people to find meaning and hope in the midst of all that is happening. We were able to use some of this money to provide some quiet prayerful spaces for people to enable them to pray reflect and rest. This was much needed and appreciated.