WEA Voices
Sowing Seeds, Supporting Women Farmers in India
By: Katie Douglas, WEA Intern “Seeds have no caste, creed, religion, or gender. They are universal and secular. We nurture this sentiment strongly in our work with various communities,” says Manorama Joshi, a farmer in the Malnad region of Karnataka, India. A mother and wife, Manorama has also gone on to become the spirit of…
Read MorePope Francis’ Encyclical: A Message of Hope for the Earth, but Where are the Women?
By: Katie Douglas, WEA Intern “Laudato Si” or “Praised Be to You”, Pope Francis’ recently released environmental encyclical, details how the collective actions of people are responsible for the irreversible degradation of our Earth. Subtitled “Care for Our Common Home”, the encyclical speaks boldly to the need for change to the structural injustices that drive…
Read MoreBuilding Solidarity Around Resource Management for Women
By: Katie Douglas, WEA Intern For Nanu Ghatani of the Lalitpur District in Nepal, staying silent in the face of injustice and oppression was never an option. Nanu’s strength, courage and determination was first tested when she moved villages to be married at the age of 14. She soon learned that she was not permitted…
Read MoreA Mother’s Day Call to Protect the Earth
This Sunday is the day of the mother, the day we honor the source of life. As we give thanks for our very existence, for all the nurturing and resources our mothers provide for us so that we may grow and thrive, we also celebrate our shared mother—the Earth itself. Without her flowing waters, warm sun,…
Read MoreMalnad Mela — A celebration of Seeds
In an event hall in the small village of Sirsi, on the edge of the Western Ghats in the Indian state of Karnataka, more than a hundred women gather to participate in the Malnad Mela, a decade-old festival organized by Vanastree, a seed saving collective of women farmers. These participants, as well as the 800…
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