THE LAST WOMAN FIRST: CALL FOR AN ALLIANCE FOR ADVOCACY & ACTION

Your voice will strengthen the Last Woman First Global Alliance. Please send us the name of your organization, the address and the focus of work, the point of contact and an E-mail contact to Meera Khanna: guildofserviceni@gmail.com – khanna.meera.1@gmail.com

Dear Friends:

The Last Woman

The SDGs aim to transform the world into a more just place with equitable access to resources , full legal and political rights, and equal access to opportunities and consequent benefits.  Within this context, The UN Women’s commitment to take the last woman first is commendable as it is vital. Because while women enjoy only subaltern status in most societies, most women would swell numbers of the last woman

• When she is one of the 38 million[1] widows who live in extreme poverty she is the Last
• When she is affected by the innumerable armed conflicts, wars and terrorist attacks across the world she is the Last
• When she is the daughter pulled out of school by her widowed mother, she is the Last
• When she is a child widow, rendered as such when abducted or trafficked, and forcibly married to one or several husbands, she is the Last:
• When she is disinherited from her home, land, and ownership of any assets by cultural and religious custom, she is the Last
• When she is subjected to heinous and harmful cultural rituals to avail herself of the sin or blame of her husband’s death, she is the Last
• When she is widowed after the death of an HIV-affected  or disease-ridden husband,  she is the Last
• When natural and manmade disasters, migrations,  and displacements leave her alone without any support, she is the Last
• When she is poor, elderly with no one to care for her she is the Last

Above all when circumstances force her to support  a household  and bring up children with little or no economic support and social security she is truly the Last among the Last.

The Last Woman First

Across the globe civil society organizations like yours are working for the under privileged, the marginalized, the discriminated and the victimized. Nonprofit organizations work with governments and sometimes despite governments to ensure that the last woman gets to rightfully live a life of dignity. They work to ensure that the Last Woman can become the First in terms of rights, opportunities and liberties.

The  Global Alliance of the Last Woman First

Nonprofit organizations working with underprivileged women who due to their marital status, manmade and natural disasters, affected by disease, poverty and conflict are forced to support households against all economic, social, humanitarian, and cultural odds are  coming together to ally for mutual benefit, learning and lobbying strength.

The Alliance of the Last Woman First will:

• Be a platform for sharing best practices so that they can be replicated for the benefit of the stakeholders.
• Be a strong lobbying network for the strength of advocacy.

A growing and evolving alliance

The Alliance which is apolitical was created by nonprofit organizations across the globe that are advocating for the rights of the widow, the head of household, the Last Woman:

The Guild of Service – India

Women for Human Rights – Single Women Group – Nepal

Widows Rights International – United Kingdom

Widow’s Develoment  Organisation – Nigeria

Hope Charity – Libya

Helpage International – USA

Global Fund for Widows –USA

WURN: Women’s UN Report Network – Global

Within this alliance,  organisations will learn from each other’s experience and best practices and  gain lobbying strength. The group is growing and evolving and will be a loud voice for all the voiceless last women.

We invite you to join the alliance which will be connected through the mail and social media

Together, the Last Woman will become the First.

Best regards

Dr. V. Mohini Giri

Chairperson

The Guild of Service

New Delhi, India

[1] World Widows Report: Loomba Foundation