Prize for women's creativity in rural life

P R E S S R E L E A S E

Contact: Elly Pradervand, Founder/Director
or Maria Peñaloza, Prize program coordinator
Women's World Summit Foundation
P.O.Box 2001, 1211 Geneva 1, Switzerland
Tel: (..41 22) 738.66.19 Fax (..41 22) 738.82.48
Email:[email protected]
Internet: http://www.woman.ch

Geneva, 15 July 2001

Every year since 1994, we take great pleasure in announcing the
winners of the "Prize for women's creativity in rural life" to the
international community and media. The Prize ($500 per laureate)
honours creative and courageous women and women's groups around the
world for their contributions to improving the quality of life in
rural communities. Little by little the world is recognising the role
of women in many fields of development, household food security, the
protection of the environment, the transmission of knowledge and the
fight against diseases among others.

We are proud to present to you the 31 laureates selected for the year
2001. We hope their stories will inspire you and encourage other
women to make their mark in ending poverty and injustice and
preserving our planet and our cultural heritage.

For information on how to nominate candidates for the year 2002, and
to read about the 179 laureates awarded since 1994, please visit our
Internet site at http://www.woman.ch (Rural Women's Hall of Fame) or contact
us directly at the Women's World Summit Foundation to receive the
profiles of the 31 laureates honored in the year 2001.

Among the 31 prizewinners, five will be invited to Geneva to
personally present their work at a Prize award ceremony to be held at
the Palais des Nations on Monday 15 October 2001.

* 31 Laureates awarded in 2001 *

AFRICA
1) Burkina Faso - Kassena "Femmes Batisseurs", Perpetuating
traditional art forms
2) Chad - Robertine DEMBETTE, Women take charge
3) Ghana - Joyce VIDA DONKOR, Bee keeping saves bees and brings
business
4) Kenya - Selline OTIENO KORIR, A crusader for peace
5) Nigeria - Victoria BOSEDE DUNMADE, Appropriate technology for
women
6) Togo - Honorine POIDI, Reviving cultural identity and native
language
7) Togo - MAWULAWOE, Struggling to provide iodised salt

ASIA and PACIFIC
8) Afghanistan - Zarin GUL, Knitting brings hope
9) China - Bao CAILUAN, Greening the hills
10) India - Kusum JAIN, Giving hope to the helpless
11) India - Rajeswari KARTHIKEYAN, Eliminating chemical pesticides
12) India - Ratni BAI KHATIK, Determined to make a difference
13) India - Vikas Mahila Multipurpose Cooperative Society,
Organising for change
14) India - Helen MANOHARAN, Challenging the caste
system
15) India - Prema NARASIMHAN, Innovative rural development
16) Nepal - Mohinee MAHARJAN, Making women aware of their legal
rights
17) Vietnam - Do Thuy DIEN, Helping her community begin again

THE AMERICAS
18) Bolivia - Alcira ESTRADA, Determined to save the forest
19) Cuba - Georgina PEREZ MARTINEZ, Transforming wastelands into
vegetable gardens
20) El Salvador - Mariana HERNANDEZ, From excellence to
leadership
21) Guatemala - Maria de Jesus COLAJ CHALI, Education equals
empowerment
22) Honduras - COMIXUL, In union lies strength
23) Mexico - Rufina Edith VILLA HERNANDEZ, Fighting for the rights of
indigenous women
24) Nicaragua - Petrona PEREZ BASILIO, Education, the key
to empowerment
25) Peru - Zoila VALDEZ CHAUPI, Promoting women's rights

EUROPE AND COUNTRIES IN TRANSITION
26) France - Véronique THEVE, Working towards sustainable rural
life
27) Germany - Christa OFF, Perseverance pays
28) Italy - Martina LINTNER, Preserving the rural way of life
29) Kyrgyzstan - Meimanbu TASHIEVA, A tireless teacher promotes
self-help groups
30) Northern Ireland (UK) - Women On Rural Development,
Working together for peace and development
31) Switzerland - Christine ZOLLINGER, Saving Switzerland's seeds

#### Laureates from Uganda ##### (my addition - Dorothy)

1999 Laureate Mrs. Petty Angida-Omagor
Starting again from scretch Petty Angida-Omagor (40), a woman with
little education from a poor family of the village of Agaria
(Mikonggon sub-county) in eastern Uganda, is an advocate for poor
rural women and children.

2000 Laureate Loyce Ogolla
Loyce Ogolla (49), head mistress at Mudodo Primary School (Tororo
district, West Budama County) and mother of seven, initiated the
Mudodo Women Tree Planting Project in 1990, through which she
contributes to development in all aspects of rural life.

2000 Laureate Rebecca Mulwana
Rebecca Mulwana (36), from a rural area in South Eastern Uganda,
learned various handicrafts and agriculture as a member of the YWCA.
After working with the government supervising co-operative businesses
for a number of years, she resigned, acquired 3 acres of land and
began dairy farming despite societal resistance, this being a
traditionally male occupation.

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