1. CSW67

A World We Women and Girls Want: Technology enabled Social and Economic Advancement

CSW67 side event was successfully held on 9th March 2023 and was hosted by All India Women’s Education Fund Association (AIWEFA) in partnership with the Permanent Mission of India (PMI) to the United Nations in New York.

The CSW67 side event, based on the priority theme ‘Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls’, focussed on the trifecta of entrepreneurship, education and health initiatives spawned by technological innovation in the digital age across countries. These support women in a variety of ways and influence the direction of developing resilient communities through paradigm shifts in beliefs, attitudes, and lifestyles. All these innovations and technology revolutions, impact gender equality and pertinent recommendations will allow for a more inclusive and equitable digital evolution. This will ensure meaningful connectivity for women and girls, beyond access, to meaningful access and use of digital technologies, and access to STEM education, and ways to address them, including barriers such as affordability, and social norms.

The speakers included

  • H.E. Smt. Smriti Irani, Hon’ble Minister of Women and Child Development, Government of India
  • H.E. Ms. Ruchira Kamboj, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations
  • H.E. Ms. Anita Bhatia, Assistant Secretary-General, and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women
  • H.E. Ms. Ilana Victorya Seid, Permanent Representative of Palau to the United Nations
  • H.E. Ms. Anna Karin Eneström, Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations
  • H.E. Ms. Inga Rhonda King, Permanent Mission of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Dr. Sangita Reddy Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited, India

The session was moderated by the Ms Rita Menon (Retd IAS), President of AIWEFA, and summing up was done by Ms Chitra Sarkar, Vice President, AIWEFA. A 5-minute film, with support from the PMI to the UN, will highlight examples of women-led movements In India in the fields of innovation and technological change and education in the digital age that have contributed towards gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in India.

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2. XIX Nina Sibal Memorial Award 2021

AIWEFA administers the Nina Sibal Memorial Award to an NGO working on disability, with the endowment made by Shri Kapil Sibal, then erstwhile Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Science & Technology & Earth Sciences, in memory of his late wife Smt. Nina Sibal. The award is to encourage organisations which are managing and educating disabled and disadvantaged children through innovative methods.

19th AIWEFA Nina Sibal Memorial Award-2021- Dr. N.S. Senthil Kumar, Executive Director, “Association of People with Disability (APD)”, Bengaluru, Karnataka, was awarded the "19th AIWEFA NINA SIBAL MEMORIAL AWARD" in recognition of the Association’s services to equip and empower children & adults in rural and urban Karnataka suffering from a range of disabilities.

3. CSW66

The sixty-sixth session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 66) was held virtually from 14 to 25 March 2022. In partnership with the Permanent Mission of India to the UN in New York, the All India Women’s Education Fund Association (AIWEFA) organised a virtual side event ‘A world we women and girls want: Lifestyle for the environment (LIFE)’ on 21st March 2022.
The event, takes forward the thoughts expressed by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN Women, Sima Bahous, in accordance with the CSW66 priority theme: Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes. The event consisted of a Panel Discussion with eminent representatives of UN bodies, Member States and the Government of India on policies and programmes that are gender-responsive, environmentally-safe and promote mindful lifestyles, while safe-guarding and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Each Member addressed the virtual gathering for 10-12 minutes. A 7-minute film, with support from the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, highlighted examples of women led movements that have embraced such lifestyles.

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4. Plantation Drive (March-April 2022)

AIWEFA together with Lady Irwin College and All India Women’s Conference (AIWC) organised a Plantation drive in the Asola Bird Sanctuary in the Aravali range with the relevant authorities. A group of 10 student members are visiting committedly to the site twice a week for a month for about 3 hours/day and support the plantation. The requisite training is being provided by the Bombay Museum of Natural History (BMNH) along with manual support of labourers for the actual planting. The primary objective of the project is increase green area in association with BNHS, Asola and join in their Plantation drive in Aravalli areas. Asola Bhatti Sanctuary is spread over an area of 2782 hectares and is a part of Southern Ridge of Delhi. The forest area is covered with invasive plants and trees which doesn’t support ground water preservation or he eco system. The idea is to bring back the native plants, shrubs and tree species into the area by removing the invasive plants and trees spread over the area.

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5. National Webinar Series on Dyslexia on Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) 9th April-30th April 2022

A series of five webinars were organised by AIWEFA together with Knowledge partners: Department of Education Lady Irwin College and Media Partners: Voice 4Ability

Webinar 1: Gift of ‘Dyslexia’: An Effective Brain with a difference
9th April 2022 (Time: 11.30 am to 1.00 pm)
Speaker 1: Prof. Anupam Ahuja , NCERT International Relations Division (IRD)
Speaker 2: Dr. Nandini Singh Chatterjee, UNESCO, MGIEP
Speaker 3: Dr. Jayanthi Narayan, Frm. Deputy Director of the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities, MSJE, GOI

Webinar 2 : Dyscalculia & Dyspraxia: Why can’t they understand me?
15th April 2022 (Time: 11.30 am to 1.00 pm)
Speaker 1: Dr. Anupama Sethi, Executive Director of Empower Kidz
Speaker 2: Prof. Ramaa Subbiah, Department of Education Regional Institute of Education, Mysuru, Karnataka, India

Webinar 3 : Dysgraphia & Dyslexia: Wish Humans had not created Reading and writing
16th April 2022 (Time: 11.30 am to 1.00 pm)
Speaker 1: Ms. Masarrat Khan, Chief Executive Officer, Maharashtra Dyslexia Association (MDA), Mumbai.
Speaker 2: Dr. Shyamala Dalvi, Head, Academic Development Academy for Global Education Services, Thane, Maharashtra
Speaker 3: Dr. Apoorva Panshikar, Dept. of Special Education SNDT Women’s University

Webinar 4 : The Assessment Tools: Towards constructive diagnosis
23rd April 2022 (Time: 11.30 am- 1.00 pm)
Speaker 1: Dr. Geet Oberoi, President, ORKIDS Foundation
Speaker 2: Dr. Lalita Ramanujan, Founder, Director of Alpha to Omega Learning Centre, Chennai.

Webinar 5 : Reflections: Voices from families, schools and the SLD
30th April 2022 (11.30 am - 1.00pm)
Speaker 1: Dr. Himangshu Dass, Director NIVH & IPH
Speaker 2: Mr. Arun Frenndez, Founder DLearners
Speaker 3: Dr. Anuradha Joshi Principal, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya
Speaker 4: Ms. Noopur Jhunjhunwala, Founder & Trustee, ChangeINKK

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6. 20th AIWEFA NINA SIBAL MEMORIAL AWARD

Dr Kuldeep Singh, Deputy Executive Director, Kiran Society, Madhopur, Varanasi, was awarded the 20th AIWEFA NINA SIBAL MEMORIAL AWARD in recognition of programmes to enable, equip and empower differently abled children along with their communities in rural and urban underprivileged societies. The All India Women's Education Fund Association (AIWEFA), one of India's pioneering NGOs established in 1929, is celebrating 93 years of service and commitment to the community, especially for women and youth. AIWEFA has also founded the prestigious Lady Irwin College, University of Delhi. (Details on www.aiwefa.org). AIWEFA is in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) with the United Nations and has Observer Status with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Instituted in 2003 the Award honours an organisation which works for children with special needs with a citation and a grant of Rs. 8.00 lakhs.