[APWW-Meet] Women's Feature Service Log

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An announcement list of the Asia Pacific Women Watch network
working for the advancement of the status of women.
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Dear Editor,

'Women Discover Veggies That Were Born Free' is about a group of dalit
and tribal women in Maharashtra, who have started a data-base on
uncultivated vegetables that grow wild on farms and forests. More than
6,000 young rural women in Andhra Pradesh have secured urban jobs in
customer relations, hospitality and IT-enabled services gratis the
state-run Employment Generation and Marketing Mission, reveals 'Farmer's
Daughter, Family's Breadwinner'. In a significant initiative to empower
the tribal hill women, tea estate owners in Darjeeling have begun to
appoint women field supervisors at their gardens despite threats of
lockdown by the male employees, as discovered in 'It's Their Cup of Tea,
Too'. 'No Honour in the Marriage Market' questions the need of most
Indians to pressurise, cajole, force and/or punish women and men who do
not wish to marry or who do not choose 'appropriate' partners. In
'Punjab Teenager Wins Diana Award', we take a look at the good work of
Kamalpreet Kaur Aulakh, who recently won the Diana Award, which
recognizes young social volunteers. 'Nairobi's Sexist Stations Tune Into
Profits' highlights how more than one third of the 45 FM radio stations
in Naroibi, thrive on their RJs making sexist and derogative remarks
about women. In 'Karen's Up To Speed', we profile Filipino Karen
Navarrete-Anton, who is a hands-on mom, professional
dancer-cum-instructor, and the first woman Marlboro Red Racing School
and Competition champion.=20

Please do forward your requests for stories. We would be happy to send
them to you.

With warm regards,
Ain Haider
Associate Editor
Women's Feature Service

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THE WFS LOG                       July 14, 2008=20
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India:                      Women Discover Veggies That Were Born Free
By Aparna Pallavi

A group of dalit and tribal women from 12 villages in the Yavatmal
district of Maharashtra have started making a data-base on a rather
unusual subject: uncultivated vegetables that grow wild on farms and
forests. With the help of a local NGO, the women are trying to resurrect
lost practices that involve the consumption of these leaves, fruits,
roots and flowers once traditionally eaten as vegetables by the
indigenous population before modernisation and mainstream food altered
palates. So far, the women have collected a database on 76 different
varieties of vegetables.

* "I used to suffer from anaemia and was very weak... But after I
started cooking and eating green umber (a local variety of fig, rich in
iron) regularly, my health improved so visibly that now everyone eats
umber."

WFS REF NO: INDh707c
1,160 words=20
Agriculture\Women
Photographs Available=20
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UK:                            Punjab Teenager Wins Diana Award
By Barbara Lewis

Kamalpreet Kaur Aulakh, 16, from Leicester in the English Midlands, is
one of the recipients of the Diana Awards. Originally from Punjab, the
UK-based teenager has been working as a volunteer since she was 11. Her
voluntary work now includes working at a shop to provide funds for
terminally ill children and a hospice, and helping to serve hot meals to
people from all communities. As a recipient of the prestigious award,
Aulakh will now have access to a life-long alumni programme to support
her personal development and continuing involvement in community
projects.

* "She is a fantastic role model and inspiration to others in the
community."

WFS REF NO: BRIh707
670 words=20
Charity\Adolescents
Photograph Available
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India:                     Farmer's Daughter, Family's Breadwinner
BY Usha Revelli

Shakuntala Volaka, who comes from the tribal belt of Seetampet, could
have ended up as a poor farm labourer or perhaps a cashew picker. Today,
she is a literate working women in a supermarket in urban Nalgonda. As a
sales assistant, she earns four times more than what her father does
after years of service as a cook. Santoshi Senapati, a supervisor in a
supermarket in Hyderabad, contributes to her household that had, until
recently, run on the modest income of her tailor father. Shakuntala and
Santoshi are two of the more than 6,000 young rural women who have
secured decent urban jobs in customer relations, hospitality and
IT-enabled services over the past two years - gratis the state-run
Employment Generation and Marketing Mission (EGMM) and women's self-help
groups.

* "I had been the sole bread-winner of the family until my daughters,
Madhavi and Santoshi, got jobs in the city. I had no hesitation in
sending them out for work."=20

WFS REF NO: INDh708c
1,020 words=20
Employment\Young Women
Photographs Available
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Philippines:        Karen's Up To Speed
By Donna Demetillo

One look at the fragile and stunning Karen Navarrete-Anton and one would
mistake her for a jet-setting runway model. Never would one imagine her
to be an ace autocross racer. In fact, Anton, a hands-on mom,
professional dance champion-cum-instructor, and entrepreneur is the
first woman to lift the Marlboro Red Racing School and Competition
trophy last year, in Italy, and the first Filipino to take home the
over-all champion trophy. Amazingly, the multifaceted woman only learnt
the art of racing a few weeks prior to the event from her racer
husband. However, she has since returned to her first love - dancing,
and imparts the lessons of disciple and preparation - two things that
helped her conquer the track - to young girls keen to learn Polynesian
dance.=20

* "My only experience in racing was watching my husband race. But I did
go there prepared. I was not scared on the race track, I was more scared
of doing badly."=20

WFS REF NO: PHIh709
1,000 words=20
Careers\Profile
Photographs Available
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Opinion:                 No Honour in the Marriage Market
By Pratiksha Baxi

One of the most compelling political issues in India today is the
subjection experienced by most single people, who wish to exercise their
autonomy to decide when, and whom to marry, if they wish to marry. Yet,
except for a couple of human rights groups fighting against forced
marriages and so-called 'honour' crimes, most Indians continue to
pressurise, cajole, force and/or punish women and men who do not wish to
marry or who do not choose 'appropriate' partners.=20
The institution of heterosexual marriage is a commodity that is sold in
the academia, marketplaces, religious spaces, and public discourse as an
essential feature of a good citizen ensuring respectability, security
and happiness.

* There are numerous instances where couples have been killed by caste
'panchayats' in rural landscapes or assaulted by their families in the
upcoming malls in Delhi.

WFS REF NO: OPIh709
1,170 words=20
Sports\Young Women
Photographs Available=20
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India:                      It's Their Cup of Tea, Too
By Kalpana Pradhan

The tea industry in Darjeeling provides employment to 50 per cent of the
local populace - around 52,000 men and women. Ironically, while 60 per
cent of this workforce has comprised women, not many have ever been
permitted to do anything other than weeding or plucking, with the
better-paying posts reserved for the men. In what could perhaps be
termed as a significant initiative to empower the tribal hill women, tea
estate owners have now begun to appoint women field supervisors or
'sarders' - as a supervisor is locally known - despite stiff opposition
and threats of lockdown by the male employees. Today, thousands of women
workers are glad to report to around 70 women 'sarders', who they feel
make more sensitive bosses.=20

* "We were actually frightened of losing our jobs to the women. So, we
threatened our owner with a lockdown. I had thought that women 'sarders'
would never be successful... I admit I was wrong."

WFS REF NO: INDh710
1,120 words=20
Women\Empowerment
Photographs Available
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Kenya:                    Nairobi's Sexist Stations Tune Into Profits
By Tabitha Nderitu=20

More than one third of the 45 FM radio stations in Naroibi, thrive on
their RJs making sexist and derogative remarks about women. Ironically,
according to a leading pan-African research firm, these controversial FM
stations are popular with both listeners and advertisers. While there
are just a few indignant voices of protest, a recent chastening report
is proof enough that the lurid radio content is detrimental to society.
According to the 'Airwaves to Doom' report FM stations are triggering a
high dropout rate - of around 10,000 schoolgirls - due to teen
pregnancies.

* "With impunity, the FM stations have particularly brushed aside clause
seven of the Code of Conduct and Practice of Journalism in Kenya, which
states that 'media should avoid broadcasting (including publishing)
obscene ... material unless the content is news worthy and necessary for
public consumption."

WFS REF NO: KENh708
1,090 words=20
Gender\Media
Photograph Available=20
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FOR THE COMPLETE TEXT OF THE STORIES PLEASE CONTACT
WOMEN'S FEATURE SERVICE AT: wfsdelhi@vsnl.com or wfsdelhi@yahoo.com=20
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Views reflected in these features do not necessarily reflect those of
Women's Feature Service.
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The Women's Feature Service office is located at:
G-69, Second floor; Nizammudin West, New Delhi: 110013; India.
Phone: +91-11-2435 9886, +91-11-2435 2546; Fax: +91-11-2435 4606
Email: wfsdelhi@vsnl.com; Website: www.wfsnews
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