Intro Part I: Welcome

Thank you for joining us in a week a prayer for women. We will be taking 5 days to go through the YWCA and YMCA International Week of Prayer and Fellowship Guide. It is entitled, "Women Creating A Safe World". Please take a moment to read the President's Message from World YWCA and YMCA's World Allience:

Presidents’ Message
This year’s Joint Week of Prayer focuses on ‘Women Creating a Safe
World,’ which is also the theme of the World YWCA Council and
International Women’s Summit to be held in Zurich, Switzerland, July 10 –
16, 2011. The International Women’s Summit will explore the intersection
between violence, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and the
spread of HIV. The theme celebrates women as leaders and co-creators of
life everyday. In the company of many faith traditions, Christianity explores
and affirms the role of women in creation, nurturing life and reaching out to
the other.
For centuries, women and girls have been leaders in responding to the
threats and conflicts of their time. All women define their “world” in different
ways. The private and intimate spaces of family, home, bedrooms and
kitchens, as well as the public spheres of schools, churches, and friends’
groups offer love, care, healing; these places foster the potential in each
person. Yet too often they are where women and children experience
domestic and family violence, where they are neglected, abused, and
violated; unfortunately, they are often spaces where women and girls suffer
psychological trauma and contract diseases such as HIV.
Is a safer world possible and if so, how can the YMCA and YWCA
movements contribute to build it?
A ‘safe’ world includes freedom from violence in all spheres. In a world of
conflict, wars and violence, a safe world demands strong and proactive
prevention efforts and the dedicated pursuit of peace. To ‘be safe’ is to
enjoy universal human rights and to live free from discrimination and
stigma. It is to embrace gender justice and the gifts that both men and
women have to contribute to the wellbeing of the society. It is to call for
access to full and reliable information, so women and men, young and old
can take responsible decisions. It is to develop societies in which all people
are willing to cooperate for the common good rather than to compete and
exclude for their own benefit.
As we strive to create a safe world, we need not confuse safety with
paternalistic security. We have seen too many “security” walls and fences,
which are symbols of fear and instruments of oppression rather than
protection and harmony.
YWCAs and YMCAs around the world are contributing to the creation of a
safe world through programmes that provide leadership development
opportunities for women and girls. Some of these programmes raise the
community’s awareness and knowledge of gender disparities and violation
of women’s rights. In addition, these programmes provide women and men
with role models that strengthen their leadership skills and foster positive
behaviours that promote working together for the benefit of all.
How can we challenge our YMCAs and YWCAs to do more to build a safe
world for women? Is this too much of a dream? In this year’s Week of
Prayer, let the angels wake us from our sleep. Let us not despair; God is
with us as we dare to make the world a safer place.