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BPW International competition’s "Beyond
2000: Helping Women Help Themselves"
gives global recognition to BPW clubs for
their efforts to help women in ways which
enable them to sustain themselves in the
future. Qualified activities are those that
give women knowledge, education, skills,
advices, guidance, opportunities, strength,
or know-how. The assistance should directly
help women to prepare for their careers,
to establish or to advance in their careers
or to build capabilities to overcome problems.
Charitable activities do not fit the criteria
of this competition and would be considered
as indirect help.
The
country that directly helps the highest
number of women in ways with high impact
receives the Excellent Country Effort Trophy.
The top 3 most innovative and/or highest
impact projects receive Excellent Project
Trophies. A club or a Federation would receive
Outstanding BPW medals if it either
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directly helps at least
200 women or |
| (ii) |
offer assistances
to fewer women but for a long duration
or has high impact on women’s
lives. Extra credits are given to
activities that involved young BPW
members. Young BPW who led projects
submitted for this competition would
qualified to compete for Outstanding
Young BPW Leaders awards, where the
top 3 persons would be selected based
on their performance in the project
and their other accomplishments that
exhibit leadership ability. Certificates
of Appreciations are given to BPW
clubs or federations that participate
in this competition and those who
support winners with funding supports.
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For
the Third competition, winners from Australia,
Cyprus, Germany, Hong Kong, Korea, Nepal,
New Zealand, Panama, Sri Lanka, Thailand,
Uzbekistan help over 13,500 women gain the
capabilities to sustain themselves.
Excellent
Country Effort Trophy
PANAMA
Panama
won for helps the total of 3,738 women through
the combined efforts from BPW Panama Club,
BPW El Bosque Club and BPW Colon Club, under
the leaderships of Judith del C. Ríos,
Magaly González, and Maritza Modestin.
They all worked on CrediMujer
project, which provides women
in poverty with micro-management skills
and knowledge through training, assessment
and financing at very low interest rate.
When the project started in 1992, it was
the first time loans are given under community
banks concept which comprise of a group
of at least 15 women, each receive around
$100-$200, as well individual loans for
women to start or strengthen small businesses.
BPW raised fund from clubs, from government,
and other organizations. During 2002-2004,
it gave $349,900 loans to 3,670 women. BPW
Panama Club also worked on providing
technical skills to women in extreme poverty
conditions for a better employment opportunity,
which taught 68 single mothers with dressmaking
skill, nursing for elders, House Keeping
Maid Trainee, cooking and basic reading
and writing - with funding support from
INAFORP (Technical Educational Institution
in Non Traditional Careers).
Excellent
Project Trophies
First
Place: |
BPW
Nepal’s activities to Help Women
Help Themselves By BPW Nepal |
This
project completes the cycle to help for
grass root women in Nepal to gain economic
independent. It helps women in stages through
literacy training, skills trainings, micro-credit,
marketing the products, and support day
care centers to enable mothers to work at
factories full time. The training include
training trainers for functional literacy,
6-month literacy training, agricultural-related
trainings, cloth weaving, marketing, leadership
training, social training, enterprise development
training and training for management of
women cooperative through saving and credit
practices which they have already started
by small group formation. The work has been
carried on for over two decades under the
leadership of Mrs. Ambica Shresta. During
2002-2004, these activities change the economic
livelihood of over 2,000 women in 14 villages.
BPW Nepal received funding supports from
Project Five-O for skill trainings, BPW
New Zealand (for Nepal’s literacy
program) and other sources.
BPW
Cyprus initiated Women’s Cooperative
Bank 'initiative' Cyprus, Ltd (WCB) in October
2000 to provide the economic empowerment
for women, business start up and entrepreneurial
opportunities. The project enhances the
role of women both in its operation and
with the research projects. Initial investment
of £400 Cyprus pounds from each founding
members (181 out of 350 are members of BPW
Cyprus). WCB is the first Co-Op Bank created,
financed and operated by women. During 2002-2004,
£4000-£10000 Cyprus pounds loans
were granted to 470 women, who mostly lack
necessary collateral, to start or expand
their businesses. These businesses further
led to employment of 1,072 women. The bank
deposits in 2004 are over £3,200,000
pounds (USD 6,500,000) and are being used
for loans with better terms than those of
other banks. The innovation in WCB is recognized
as best practice in Europe by several international
organizations, including UN Economic Commission
in Europe. In December 2004, Cyprus Chamber
of Commerce gave "Excellent Award"
to Mrs. Artimis Toumazi, president of BPW
Cyprus for the innovative idea to create
and operate WBC and her efforts to promote
the idea in Europe.
This
mentoring program includes various aspects,
such as public speaking, self marketing,
confident building, leadership and marketing
skills and personal development. It teaches
employable skills as well as social skills.
About 5,000 students participated (number
of girls are not indicated). The project
also awarded 12 month mentoring scholarships
for 16 girls. BPW Geelong, under leadership
of Ninette Trifiletti, works hard to obtain
5,000 Australian Dollars funding supports
from Victorian Government Leadership Grant
and in interacting with education professionals
and organizing activities.
Outstanding
BPW Medals
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BPW
Sri Lanka won through the
work on BPW
Global Peace Village in
Illukpitiya, Sri Lanka, which built
houses and other facilities for people
in who were internally displaced as
consequence of war. BPW Clubs world-wide
contribute fund to build 30 houses
and water well during 2002-2004.
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BPW
Germany won through its young
BPW Germany’s Mentoring
project. During 2002-2004,
the projects paired up 50 young Business
and Profession Women to the mentors
that match their business or profession
to offer one-on-one long term mentoring.
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BPW
Hong Kong won through its
Mentoring
project which offer monthly
activities for 30 participants where
mentors-protégés relationships
help develop traits that critical
for their personal and professional
success, improve communication and
problem solving, teambuilding, networking,
social and conflict resolutions. It
received HK$ 40,000 corporate funding
support.
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BPW
Korea won through their work
in Leadership
Camp for future young BPW.
They identified 106 high potential
young women from 150 high schools
in Korea to participate. The activities
involved identifying various professions
and businesses as well as job opportunities,
giving motives to participate in the
community by meeting women leaders
in business and profession, and giving
opportunities to actually experience
various fields of occupation/profession
by role-play.
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BPW
Kathmandu, Nepal won through
helping over 500 women via literacy
and skill training in Chapali Bhadrakali,
Balambu, Purano villages; working
as social intermediatery for micro
credit program for Women Cooperatives
in Kathmandu Metropolitan City (200
members) in Balambu village (375 members);
and support for Balaju Day Care Center.
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BPW
Patan, Nepal won through
helping over 150 women via literacy
training and skills training in Sainbu
village, working as financial intermediatory
for Micro credit program from Nepal
Rastra Bank for 560 women in Khokana
village, Sainbu Bhaisepati village,
Thecho village, Chapagaguan village
and different wards of city in Lalitpur
district; and support for Patan Day
Care Center.
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BPW
Thimi, Nepal won through
helping over 180 women via literacy
training and skills training in Sirutar
village and Thimi.
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BPW
New Zealand won for activities
by clubs in Auckland, Tamaki, Franklin,
Hibiscus, Dunedin, Milton and Kaitia,
that help over 790 women. These activities
include :
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(i) |
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(ii) |
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(iii) |
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A
Survey on Bullying at Workplace supplements
this with indirect help, as it helps
raise awareness of problems for women
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BPW
Thailand won with combined
activities by clubs in Bangkok, Chiang
Mai, Lampang, Roi-Ed, Nakornsrithammaraj,
Yasothorn, Kalasin and Phuket (see
below) which help 1,143 women. One
common project is Returning
Good Women to the Society: Giving
Skills and Knowledge to Women in Jail,
which offers varieties of skill training
for women inmates to give them career
opportunities after their releases,
which is supplemented by indirect
help through books and computer donations.
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BPW
Lampang, Thailand won through
Skill Training for Women Inmates
at Lampang Women Jail which gave
1.5 month beautician skill training
for 70 women and train sewing skill
to 30 women.
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BPW
Nakornsrithammaraj, Thailand
won through 372-hours
Thai Massage Training for
18 women with certification that enable
them to start their massaging careers
and improve their economics.
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BPW
Uzbekistan won through Credit
Union "Sherdor"
which help over 1,160 women and girls
by granting them $111,200 loans which
help create 712 new workplaces, train
360 business women and help 56 families
start their businesses; and by granting
$22,350 student loans for 43 young
girls. BPW Uzbekistan received funding
support from ADB and WOCCU. |
Outstanding
Young BPW Leaders
| First Place: |
Pattara
Waramit
Young BPW Kalasin, Thailand
Member of Parliament and a former
Mayor in Kalasin, Thailand |
| Second Place: |
Naphaphen
Vejjajiva
Chair of Young BPW Bangkok, Thailand |
| Third Place: |
Usha Gongal
Chair of Young BPW Nepal |
Certificate
of Appreciations
Recipients
of Certificate of Appreciation which include
other BPW projects in the competition and
financial supporters of winning projects,
will be published on www.bpw-international.org.
Adjudicator
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Chair
of Adjudicators: |
Chonchanok
Viravan
PhD., First Vice President, BPW
International |
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Adjudicators: |
Sylvia G.
Perry
Past International President, BPW
United Kingdom
Susan Jones
Chair of Project Standing Committee,
BPW Australia
Maria Ines
Bunning
Past President, BPW Brazil
Jill Worabec
Past President, BPW Canada
Lynn Robinson
Past Regional Coordinator for Africa,
BPW South Africa. |
Note:
An adjudicator is not allowed to evaluate
projects or candidates from her own country |
