February 2005 Connecting your pocketbook to your soul
women's perspective newsletter
in this issue
 
Workshops & Events

 

Wilton, CT: Feb. 14-28; AIDS Orphans Photo Exhibit, photos taken by AIDS orphans in Kisumu, Kenya. Created by Ann Reeves in collaboration with WP. Rockwell Art Gallery, 279 Danbury Rd.; call 203-762-8311 for directions and gallery hours. Grand opening reception: Feb. 18, 5 - 8 pm.

 

New York City: March 6, 3 - 5 pm; Repairing the World: Anglican Women's Faith in Action with Marian Wright Edelman, President of the Children's Defense Fund; Cathedral of St John the Divine, Synod Hall. For details, click here.

 

Norwalk, CT: March 12; 9:30 am - 4 pm; Weaving a World That Works, celebration of WP's 4th Anniversary as well as International Women's Day 2005; First Congregational Church on the Green; email us for details.

 

New York City: March 19; 11 am - 1 pm; Financial Empowerment for Women, community service event; site TBA; $15 registration fee. For details, email Dara Colwell.

 

Bridgeport, CT: April 20; Connecting Your Pocketbook to Your Soul, with artist Janet Slom and Rosemary Williams. $75 for materials and workshop fee; some scholarships available. Black Rock Community Art Center. Email us for details.

 

Charlotte, NC: June 24-25; Money and Spirit Workshop with Jane Burruss and Rosemary Williams; TENS 2005, The Episcopal Network for Stewardship; click for details.

 

Bring a Money & Spirit Workshop to your group! Email us with your ideas and needs.

 


The links below offer starting places to learn more about how you can help with the HIV/AIDS crisis. Also check with your own faith-based organizations, since most operate HIV/AIDS ministries.

Links on HIV/AIDS in Africa



 
Join our mailing list!
Dear Mimi Griffith,

Welcome to our February newsletter, with reports on the extraordinary trip to Kisumu, Kenya in November, where we worked with widows and orphaned children affected by HIV/AIDs.

A message from Rosemary Williams:
"Do you not perceive it?" was a question asked at a social justice conference in Tucson last month. The thought behind this question was: Do you perceive a new thing happening? Are we being called to a new vision? The conference planners thought so, and I think so.

I think we are being asked to live beyond the borders of our neighborhood and nationalities, into a deep spiritual understand of the meaning behind the phrase "the human family." The thread runs from 9/11, through the Tsunami to the front page of today's paper. We are global citizens, spiritually connected to each other. How we understand that is reflected in all our actions.

For Women's Perspective, it means holding the threads of our lives as we weave them into the threads of others' lives around the world - co- creating a better world. As you read this issue you will see how we are carrying this call into our lives.

Soon women from all over the world will gather in New York to attend the UN Commission on the Status of Women, February 28 to March 13. These women are also taking action to create a better world. Please watch your newspapers for reports on this conference and check for daily reports on the Commission's website.


 
Financial Workshop in Kenya Lifts Hopes at Widows Conference

"Who is important?
I am!"
"What can I do? Anything is possible!"
- Women attending the International Widows Conference, Kisumu, Kenya

In November, a delegation from Women's Perspective traveled to Africa to work with women attending the International Widows Conference in Kisumu, Kenya. WP board member Dr. Jane Burruss conducted a workshop on financial skills for more than 200 widows from Kenya and other African countries. These women were so hungry for hope and information that one group traveled five days by bus from Tanzania to attend the conference.


 
AIDS Orphans Create Photo Albums

The thirty children quickly dispersed in every direction, with intense focus and excitement reflected in their little bodies. For the first time in their lives, they were holding cameras, about to have a profoundly personal encounter with those things that hold meaning for their lives. Their excitement, natural spontaneity, and thoughtfulness were palpable as they roamed their environment on a mission. They were also having a ball....


 
It Takes a Village to Raise an Orphan

(Left) Bernadette Otieno

Throughout Africa orphanages are sheltering children who have lost their families to HIV/AIDS, and many of these orphans are also infected with HIV.

Bernadette Otieno's nephew avoided placement in an orphanage because she was able to make a home for her nephew after his mother, Bernadette's sister, died from HIV/AIDS. Although her nephew eventually also died, Bernadette is convinced that he stayed healthy much longer than expected because he remained with her in his home village ...


 
With Gratitude to Our 2004 Contributors
 

We are deeply grateful to the many individuals and organizations that made financial donations to Women's Perspective in 2004. Your contributions made it possible to help others connect their financial lives with their spiritual power. With your funds, we were able to provide our website, email newsletter, and workshops on money and spirit.

Looking Ahead
In 2005, we are planning new ways for Women's Perspective to continue its transformational education programs, including materials for book groups and workshops for women in economically deprived communities.

Please join us on our journey in 2005 by making a financial contribution to Women's Perspective. Donations small and large are received with gratitude and appreciation. For more information about contributing, click here.

In addition to a financial donation, you might consider our Wish List as a way of contributing:

WP WISH LIST
Mac computer (fairly recent model)
Airline miles
Graphic design help
Copier (color would be ideal)
Lateral file cabinets (if you are local in Connecticut)