18 sisters and counting - the story of University of Warwick student society

Taking part in Women for Women International is a fantastic and rewarding experience for all us. Education is a necessity for everyone around the world and we have a passion to ensure that we raise enough money to sponsor as many sisters as possible in the countries WfWI works. Education is vital as it allows people to have a better understanding of the world around them and affords them the ability to succeed and make a living for themselves.

Throughout the year, we hold many different activities that serve to both raise money for the cause and educate students about the difficulties that many women face around the world with respect to education and a lack of equal rights. Every year, we hold a Discriminatory Bake Sale where we change the prices of the food for men and women every hour to show a form of inequality felt by many across the world. While fundraising can be fun, it is also important to hone in the real reasons why we are raising money for WfWI. Every year we hold ‘Insight’ events where members get together and discuss the current events that are creating an unsafe and discriminatory position for women and debate about the ways in which change can be made. We also write letters to our Sponsored Sisters, letting them now that there are many students at Warwick who are supporting their education and training and of how proud we are of their progress and development.

In March, we hold our successful ‘Women’s Week’, a series of events running up to International Women’s Day. During the week, we hold film screenings that prove to be very popular. Previous films have included ‘Girl Rising’ and ‘The Greatest Silence’, showing the plight of many young women around the world and the ways in which we can help them. The week ends with a sponsored 'Run for Congo', which has seen many people take part in the past with a lot of money raised, certainly a great way of rounding off the term!

The main thing that inspires us to continue to raise money for Women for Women International every year is seeing the amazing progress that our Sponsored Sisters are making all around the world. Every year, we are amazed to see how well everyone has developed and we are always eager to find out what they have gone on to do after graduating. Strong women make stronger communities, and each time we see another sister graduate, we think of the famous saying: 

"If you educate a man you simply educate an individual, but if you educate a woman, you educate a whole family.”
 
The University of Warwick Women for Women International Executive: Faizan Sadiq, Edita Alic, Trisha Bhattacharya, Iris Karaman, Trisha Harjani, Christina Aresti