The World YWCA Movement
THE WORLD YWCA MOVEMENT
In 2005, the YWCA movement boasted 100 national associations with a worldwide membership of 25 million women.
History
The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) was founded in 1855 by two London women, Emma Robarts and Mary Kinnaird. The two founders strongly believed that women should support each other, and that with God’s help anything was possible.
Emma Robarts began by organizing a network of women throughout Great Britain to pray for young women and to offer them assistance. Initially, there were 23 members; 20 years later more than 10,000 women from the four corners of the world had joined the movement.
Of principal concern to YWCA members were the difficult working conditions endured by women in factories and shops. As the YWCA’s popularity grew so did the services they provided; including vacation camps which gave respite from the city for those who could afford the cost, and convalescent hospitals funded by donations. Exercise courses were also offered to encourage women in urban centres to lead healthier lives.
In 1890, there were more than 100,000 members in Great Britain alone. At the turn of the century all existing YWCA's were brought under the World YWCA banner headquartered in London. Geneva, Switzerland is the modern day home of the World YWCA movement. In 2005, a hundred national associations reached 25 million women all around the world.
A Vital and Honoured Presence
In 1995, Joyce Mungherera, Executive Director of the Uganda YWCA and Vice President of the World YWCA, received the United Nations Africa Prize for Leadership for the Sustainable End of Hunger. Ms. Mungherera was honoured for a project launched by the YWCA, which gave milk cows to women as a source of food and sustainable revenue for their families. Each woman gave her cow’s first female calf to another woman in the community, thus spreading nourishment and hope to a maximum number of families.
In 1960, the YWCA Atlanta in the United States opened its cafeteria doors to African Americans, becoming the city’s first public restaurant to end the practice of segregation.
In the same year, the YWCA of India was awarded the International Literacy Prize by UNESCO for having organized literacy classes for adults and children in 55 centres located in villages throughout India.
YWCA Canada: www.ywcacanada.ca
World YWCA: www.worldywca.org
