Women on women

Posted by Stephen Rhodes

Our speakers on Monday provided the club with two different international experiences that proved uniquely similar. Dr. Monica Gallant talked about women in Dubai and Nike Adebowale, who has a personal interest in womens' rights, just completed a two month internship at the United Nations.

Monica, the daughter of Adrian, is the chair of the business department at the Womens' College of Dubai. She said Dubai has become a young cosmopolitan city, that depends less on oil today than tourism, technology and real estate.

Women in Dubai are entitled to a free college education, have the right to work with equal pay, can own property and drive and veiling, is optional dispite popular belief.

In reality, however, women have to balance these rights against their domestic obligations, arranged marriages and the attitudes of a patriarchal society.

Monica asked Rotary to support her Insight Dubai, where 50 women graduates from around the world gather in Dubai to discuss government, governance and culture. To sponsor a student the cost is $800 plus flight. To contact Monica direct email monica.gallant@hct.ac.ae

UN internship

Rotary helped Nike with a two month internship at the UN. She worked with the Division for Advancement of Women in areas of policy formation, gender mainstreaming and international agreements.

Her job in part was to provide feedback to consultants, contribute to UN publications, provide reasearch for a website and attend meetings, specifically on HIV Aids the Security Council on Women & Security.

She said it was a phenomenal learning experience and thanked our club for helping.

Nike is next working as a field intern with CIDA's Youth International Program in South Africa for six months through Rooftop Canada in the area of micro financing.