Street play training, tailoring lessons, skills training workshops, senior citizens’ outings, road traffic camp for children, NGO fairs for youth, celebrating different United Nations Days – these are just some of the activities of the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA).

“Our main aim is to empower women and create a safe world for them,” said Sarasa Isaac, President, YWCA of Bombay. The YWCA’s mission is to reach out to victims of economic and social injustice and to those who are manipulated by socio-religious and political power.

A presentation was made on the outreach programmes of YWCA and dances and skits were performed by many of the empowered women who had received vocational training in order to set up their own businesses. “These are women from underprivileged communities and training has given them a boost of confidence in their abilities, certainly a firm step in the right direction towards a future they have dreamt of”, UNIC Director Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman said. “The United Nations Information Centre, with the help of the Maharashtra UN Association (MUNA), would certainly like to partner with the activities of the YWCA to make those dreams a reality”.

MUNA President A.A. Syed recited a wonderful poem on the empowerment of women, while Mohini Mathur reminisced about her work with the YWCA since many years. Ashraf Ahmad Shaikh encouraged the women to pursue knowledge and skills training to acquire what is their birthright as daughters, sisters and mothers.