Building Human Solidarity: The Voices of Women

A Global Interfaith Series 2022-23

Marita Grudzen – Kenya Chapter

The Voices of Women series brings together women who speak to the issues of solidarity and survival in today’s world. Available live or on YouTube, it is organized and moderated by Marita Grudzen.

These interactive presentations will also be explored at the February 2023 global interfaith conference, "Walking Together in the Spirit of Laudato Si’ and Fratelli Tutti."

Four entities—Global Ministries University, the Institute for Interreligious Dialogue and Islamic Studies at Tangaza University, Harmony Institute of Kenya, and the Tevere Institute—co-sponsored these bimonthly, hour-long sessions offered from March through September. (See www.youtube.com/c/International ConferenceonFratelliTutti.) Each features a woman leader from the USA and one from Africa, from different religious traditions, each distinguished in her field by her experience, expertise, insights, and world view. 

Who are these women and what are they bringing to us?  Our first two speakers set the stage for the dynamic presentations that followed:

Nihal Saran, a computer engineer with degrees in computer science and theology, combines teaching at Santa Clara University with community activism in the areas of women’s rights and social justice. She presented, “Development of Programs for Refugee and Immigrant women: Addressing Issues of Their Gender and Social Status.”

Nantando Hadebe, a theologian and international coordinator for ‘Side by Side,’ a faith movement for gender justice, is a member of The Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians. She spoke on, “How the 3 Cs of Culture, Constitution, and Christianity Shape Women’s Lives.”

The next two inspiring talks were presented by Maftah and Milazzo.

Munira Faraj Maftah, prominent interfaith leader and public human rights activist with paralegal training in Kenya, describes a program in which she championed girls living on the very edges of their community with no sense of identity, belonging, or purpose and vulnerable to recruitment by extremists. Munira leads us through the process in which these girls, over the course of a year, are transformed into young women with an identity of personhood, a capacity for decision making and financial planning, and the means to become productive members of their community.

Rosemarie Milazzo, MM, a Maryknoll Sister who also worked with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), stuns us with detailed stories of women in Tanzania, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kurdistan, Iraq, and refugee camps in Greece. Women in Tennessee demonstrated with CPT against Aerojet Ordinance, a uranium company. Also, at the US Southern Border and in Mexico, she worked with women who exhibited extraordinary faith, courage, and commitment.

Rosemarie closed by saying:

I believe the only really valid thing that can be accomplished in the direction of world peace and unity at the moment is the preparation of the way by … people like the women I mentioned. These women are signs of peace. They do much to open up the minds of their contemporaries to receive new seeds of thought. They are pioneers, preparing the human family for new possibilities.

At a crowning presentation for the series, Azza Karam, Secretary General of Religions for Peace, will speak on the Voices of Women, bridging to the upcoming global interfaith conference—Walking Together in the Light of Laudato Si and Fratelli Tutti, which takes place February 2-4th, 2023. Karam’s presentation will also be broadcast on the YouTube channel, on January 18th. (see www.youtube.com/c/InternationalConference onFratelliTutti).