THE world president of Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW) Ruth Shanks AM visited Penola last week to share her knowledge on empowering women across the globe.
The president, from Dubbo in New South Wales, said it was beneficial to have one-on-one discussions with the region’s branch members from both Country Women’s Association (CWA) and Women in Agriculture and Business (WAB).
“The organisation’s success is all thanks to these ladies who do the ground work and raise the valuable funds to assist with the education, health and the standard of living for rural women and their families,” Ms Shanks said.
Ms Shanks gave a one hour presentation to the room full of like-minded women from Keith, Bordertown, Naracoorte, Kingston, Millicent, Penola, Kalangadoo, Mount Gambier and Padthaway.
She discussed how the non-sectarian, non-political, forward looking and not-for-profit organisation was run and the influence it had on the United Nations.
“It has been fantastic to have her here and the CWA and WAB members have appreciated getting to know exactly how money they have raised is spent,” WAB state president Sandra Young said.
“ACWW now has members in 80 countries with Ms Shanks representing nine million women across the world.”
During her presentation, she also discussed the newly launched online global survey, helping to document the living conditions of rural women.
“We began this survey when I started looking for data on regional women and found hardly any statistics,” Ms Shanks said.
“Any women anywhere can participate in the survey and we hope to ensure communities are heard on a global stage.”
Ms Shanks also visited the popular Mary MacKillop Interpretive Centre and was treated to a performance by the Mary MacKillop Memorial School choir during her visit.
“We have loved showcasing Penola to Ruth and appreciate the time she has spent here,” Ms Young said.
