Eikenhof Women’s Institute turns 65
Over the sixty-five years of its existence Eikenhof WI has seen members joining the group, retiring and of late, sadly some of its members have passed away. “We encourage more women to join our group and see what we are all about,” said Joy.
EIKENHOF Women’s Institute celebrated its 65th birthday on Wednesday, March 15 with Noleen Walker, President of the Federation of the Women’s Institute (WI), coming up especially to honour the WI members at this auspicious occasion.
“Thank you for the lovely invitation to attend this special birthday, it is indeed an honour to be here with you all,” said Noleen.
Joy Boswell, President of the Eikenhof WI, added, “This is a momentous day for us and we thank Noleen for making the trip from Natal.”
Over the sixty-five years of its existence Eikenhof WI has seen members joining the group, retiring and of late, sadly some of its members have passed away. “We encourage more women to join our group and see what we are all about,” said Joy.
Eikenhof Women’s Institute meets once a month and there is usually a speaker, demonstration or activity at every meeting for members to learn and develop a range of different skills. Craft has always played an important role in the WI and the organisation is also often associated with food, cooking and healthy eating, as food and cooking have formed an important part of the WI’s history.
The Women’s Institute movement is based on the ideals of fellowship, truth, tolerance and justice. All women are eligible to join and the movement is both non-political and non-sectarian. It gives all women the opportunity of working together through the Federation of Women’s Institutes and of putting into practice the objectives for which it stands. These are to improve and develop the conditions of our national and community life and to provide for the fuller education of women in all cultural activities.
The Federation of Women’s Institutes was founded in 1928, and institutes in towns and villages are linked together in geographical groups, forming the Federation of Women’s Institutes of South Africa.
The Eikenhof branch of the Women’s Institute joined the then Natal Federation of WI as it was the only English-speaking branch in the old Transvaal. Countrywide, the Federation has many projects that are both charitable and educational. It is affiliated to the South African Women’s Agricultural Union and falls under the umbrella of Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW), which has a voting representative in the United Nations forum.
Currently FWI has equivalent branches worldwide and on every continent. FWI South Africa regularly lobbies local and national government departments on matters of community health and well-being. Two major successes were the introduction of reflectors on bicycles and the use of one-way mirrors to enable rape victims to identify an attacker without having to touch the person in a line-up. Over nine million women are represented by the ACWW worldwide.
If you would like to learn more or attend a meeting, please phone Joy on 084 526 5857.
Also Read:
Eikenhof Women’s Institute goes to Malta
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