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• Adventists Attend UN Commission on the Status of Women
• Adventists Support UNICEF's Efforts to Provide Free Education in Kenya

Adventists Attend UN Commission on the Status of Women
March 17, 2003

New York, NY, USA. While many are debating the issue of possible war in Iraq, non-governmental organizations, delegates and United Nations agencies have been busy with another issue as well. The organizations came together on March 7-14 (International Women's Day was celebrated on March 8) to discuss the current status of women around the world at the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Among those in attendance were Mindi Rahn and Kate Tolhurst of the Seventh-day Adventist Church's UN liaison office.

"On International Women's Day, like any other day, hundreds of women will lose their limbs from exploding landmines, thousands of women will be raped at gunpoint in countries ravaged by war and armed conflict, and hundreds will sit in camps displaced by bombing of their towns and villages," said Noeleen Heyzer, executive director for the United Nations Women's Fund (UNIFEM). "All of these point to a horrifying conclusion: a central factor for becoming a victim of violence is simply being a female."

To many, the statistics are staggering.

Of the 860 million illiterate persons worldwide, two-thirds are women. Seventy percent of the world's poor are women and children. A recent study by the World Health Organization noted that approximately one in three women in the world can expect to be beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Prostitution and trafficking is one of the largest sources of profits for organized crime. In Thailand alone, there are over 300,000 child prostitutes, and 16,000 in Mexico.

Reports released by the U.S. Department of State's International Information Programs revealed that more than 225,000 of the 1 to 2 million people trafficked worldwide each year are victims from Southeast Asia; 150,000 from South Asia; 100,000 from Latin America and the Caribbean; and 50,000 from Africa. An estimated 50,000 of these women are trafficked to the United States.

"In past decades great strides have been made in women's issues, but there is still more work to be done," says Ardis Stenbakken, director for the Department of Women's Ministries for the Adventist Church. "In our work, based on spiritual growth and outreach, we look at six primary challenges that affect women in the church and in our communities. These are issues of poverty, health risks, abuse, workloads and conditions, illiteracy, and the lack of women in leadership and mentoring for them. We need more women to work on these issues, and we need the partnership of men to really make a difference. Adventist women possess skills and knowledge to contribute to improving quality of life for many. Women Ministries leaders around the world are courageously bridging differences and meeting the needs of women in their local communities."

A 1995 official church statement on the issue says in part: "Women are entitled to the God-given privileges and opportunities intended for every human being-the right to literacy, to education, to adequate health care, to decision making, and to freedom from mental, physical, or sexual abuse. We also maintain that women should play an increased role in the leadership and decision-making bodies of both church and society."

"The Adventist Church will continue its efforts to work in partnership with other faith communities and non-governmental organizations to improve the lives of women and children worldwide," says Dr. Jonathan Gallagher, UN Liaison director for the Adventist Church. "It's very tragic that women and children under poverty and hardship are taken advantage of by criminal businesses. Several official church statements have made our position very clear, and we are committed to ending such discrimination and victimization."

For more information on women's programs, visit www.adventist.org/gcwm. [Viola Hughes]

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Adventists Support UNICEF's Efforts to Provide Free Education in Kenya
March 10, 2003

Silver Spring, MD, USA. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has announced plans to donate $2.5 million to support the Kenyan government's pledge to provide free primary education.

The funds - to be used over three months - will benefit 450,000 girls and boys from grades 1 to 3 in the districts of Kwale, Garissa, Wajir, Turkana, Moyale, Marsabit, Moyale, and West Pokot. The funds will also be used to train 5,000 teachers and assist in the repair and rehabilitation of primary school classrooms and water and sanitation facilities.

A UNICEF spokesperson in Nairobi commented that close to 1.5 million children reported for classes after the new government announced the abolishment of fees for all government schools.

"The Adventist Church supports UNICEFs efforts to educate these children, who otherwise, might not have access to education," says Dr. Garland Dulan, director for the Department of Education for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. "Education is key to improving quality of life for the community and the country's economy in the long term," Dulan adds.

UNICEF is also encouraging the government to increase its efforts to educate girls. Representative Nicholas Alipui of UNICEF said that one of the barriers to girls attending school is the lack of separate bathroom facilities.

"We deeply believe that education is a fundamental human right," adds Dr. Jonathan Gallagher, United Nations Liaison director for the Adventist Church. "Without education, how can anyone know the choice available and exercise their freedom? Education is essential to opening doors of freedom and opportunity, and we are totally committed to the goal of education for all."

An official statement issued in 1998 declared, "In promoting religious freedom, family life, education, health, mutual assistance, and meeting crying human need, Seventh-day Adventists affirm the dignity of the human person created in the image of God."

The Adventist Church's East Africa Union Mission which covers the territories of Kenya and Somalia serves over 2,500 primary school children. [Viola Hughes]

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