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the wacettes
April 24, 2008
the wacettes — called so because they are the twenty-something gorgeously smart, beautiful and impassioned women of the Womyn’s Agenda for Change or WAC. atypical cambodian girls, they are the taking-no-shit-from-anyone variety, challenging an unjust order, constantly occupied with such formidable issues as unfair trade, debt, globalization, violence against women, sex workers’ and women’s rights. they have organized speak-outs and learning sessions among garment workers and sex workers, crafted information and awareness raising materials, engaged in international fora, dialogued with parliamentarians and such big potatoes in the country with the zeal and commitment that would put to shame their Cambodian elders - program technocrats of mainstream development organizations.
the wacettes are also in for exciting times.
in an earlier post i have written of the pains that WAC has been undergoing in the last couple of years and the decision to close it down, prompted not just because of internal management issues, but just as much as the Board’s (particularly Ro and I) recognition that WAC’s original goals have been reached. WAC sought to stimulate the creation of rights-based people’s movements, and these are now in place.
certainly not all are due to WAC’s sole efforts. its contribution are with the setting up of the WNU - a network of empowered sex workers or ""entertainment service providers " ( a term coined to appease conservative anti-prostitution donors), the Messenger Band - a group of garment workers who compose and use music and lyrics to educate and raise awareness, and the group of garment worker acitivists who seek to "genderise" the agenda of trade unions.
this july-august, the last of the current three-year strategic plan, the wacettes will cease to be WAC staff. rather, they will be placed in and be accountable to these movements where they can better explore and exercise their creativity to push the people’s agenda. in so doing, they will be freed from the super structure that has bogged them down. i am sure that they will shine brighter than they ever did.
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