Young Women's Christian Association
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| Founded | 1855 |
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| Founder | Mary Jane Kinnaird and Emma Robarts |
| Founded at | London, United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | Geneva, Switzerland |
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Region
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Worldwide |
| Website |
www |
The World Young Women's Christian Association (World YWCA) is a global movement working for the empowerment, leadership and rights of women, young women and girls in more than 120 countries. The members and supporters include women from many different faiths, ages, backgrounds, beliefs and cultures. Their common goal is that "by 2035, 100 million young women and girls will transform power structures to create justice, gender equality and a world without violence and war; leading a sustainable YWCA movement, inclusive of all women". The World office is currently based in Geneva, Switzerland.
The YWCA is independent of the YMCA, but many local YMCA and YWCA associations have merged into YM/YWCAs or YMCA-YWCAs, and belong to both organizations while providing the programs of each.
Although "YWCA" is often associated with hostels and fitness centres, the World YWCA is a human rights-based organization with activities across the world such as advocacy of gender equality and women's empowerment, trainings on SRHR and HIV, dialogues between young girls and religious leaders and across generations. The World YWCA states its purpose as: "Develop the leadership and collective power of women and girls around the world to achieve human rights, health, security, dignity, freedom, justice and peace for all people".
Since the 1940s the World YWCA has focused on specific global issues including:
During the World YWCA Council in Phoenix, Arizona in 1987, the World YWCA passed a resolution urging the national organizations to implement programs for education for the prevention of the spread of HIV. Today, YWCAs in 70 countries have programs related to HIV, including prevention, advocacy, treatment, care and support, and addressing stigma. The YWCA works closely with HIV-positive women on a grassroots level. Initiatives within the YWCA by HIV-positive women have allowed for the tailoring of programs to meet the specific needs of their communities.
Along with HIV prevention, the World YWCA has strongly promoted access to the female condom. According to a statement made by Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro, former General Secretary of the World YWCA (1998 - 2007) “Accelerated female condom distribution and education is essential. HIV infection rates among women are rising disproportionately to men in every region of the world, and young women and girls account for 76% of infections among African youth. And when AIDS affects women, it affects entire families and communities, tearing apart social safety nets and fueling instability and conflict.”
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