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.? is is the theme of the fourteenth Triennial Con- ; cc to be held by the ASSOCIATED COUNTRY I EN OF THE WORLD in October. 1974 in . Australia. Every member of a Women’s Insti- . in Ontario is a member of ACWW and so is con- ed in this Conference. She may not be lucky I gh to be going to Australia herself to attend the t erence, but she will be represented there by her 1! and FWIC delegates and by the Officers of ‘. W who work for her at the international level. e WI’s of Ontario. with their proud history of 'pioneer part they played in the creation of this 1d-wide team of women, have associated them. es with the members of sister organizations of ntry Women all round the World to work together a to help each other to win a better life for them- » es. their families. and for all humankind. Because he work of ACWW and of its member societies 2 e are children who can see who would otherwise e been blind; there are women who can read and te who would have been illiterate; there are babies 0 had enough protein when they were weaned to e them from getting kwashiokor; there are families 't have learned to budget their instalment buying mitments so that they have not fallen hopelessly o debt; there are women who have learned the gm of designing their own handicrafts instead of ply copying commercial patterns; there are remote ages that are no longer isolated: there are commu- V'es that have for the first time a clean water supply: re are people who have come to understand someâ€" : g of the problems other people face and to feel for t- sympathy and friendship in place of suspicion (1 fear . . .The list could go on and on ofthe myriad all, personal changes that add up to the beginnings a quiet revolution in family life. in child care. in ucational opportunity, in the quality of the environ- em, in creative activity. and in international rela- ns. It is only a beginning, but working together and .lpirtg each other we can go on to build a better life erywhere if we have the courage. the imagination. d the determination. And determination is needed to find the time. to ‘ vote the thought and efl‘ort. and to mobilize the ma- rial means that are needed for our work with our far- ng neighbours. The organization of a conference of nt means, not only covering travel costs. but also inute care in working out a complex itinerary with 6: regard to programmes and hospitality arranged ; scattered hostesses. Representation at United Na- ons’ meetings that are of concern to our members cans detailed study of a mass of documents and '= reful briefing of our representatives so that they may e fully aware of our member societies’ views and ac- vities and needs in relation to the problems to be disâ€" ssed. Each of these facets of our work in ACWW o d. of course, our work on major ACWW projects. “A World to Share” By Dr. Irene Spry AREA VICE PRESIDENT â€" ACWW such as SAVE SIGHT. is possible only ifwe maintain a foundation of persistent and often humdrum work at the local and national levels among our member so» cieties and in. London at the central Office and in the Committees, Council. and Conference. To keep our London Office going, as the centre that links us together and the instrument we use in carrying on our international work. we have to have ofifice premises and staff â€"- which never grow as quickly as the work grows â€" and a group ofdedicated volunteers. There are difficulties in finding adequate personnel: costs go up with rapid inflation. there are shortages of ofiice supplies â€" a thousand problems that call for organizing ability of a high order and a great deal of steady. exacting work. ACWW can con- tinue to exist and to carry on the great work it is doing only if we can find enough womanâ€"power to do that work and sufficient funds to make it possible. This means that we need women here in Ontario i and everywhere else in the world where there are member societies â€"~ who are prepared to spend time and eflort and thought and money in co-operating with their colleagues on all the six continents. Our of- fice. with its devoted staff; the General Purposes Com- mittee and Standing Committees that do so much hard work in London: our Ofi‘icers and Council Rep- resentatives; our Conference Delegates: and our UN Representatives are all part of the pattern of our work as a world-wide team. which makes it possible for W] members here in Ontario to work with women in Les- otho (where the FWIC landrover carries the friendship of Canadians to scattered villages. with women. in Turkey (FWIO trained a young girl in midwifery). in Colombia, in Ceylon. and in many other countries. But to keep in touch with our team-mates all over the world means unremitting work and regular and expanding financial contributions. Funds are needed to keep the office in London going; to pay for contin- ually rising postal and travel bills: and to send our spokeswomen to UNESCO in Paris. FAO in Rome. UNICEF in New York. ECOSOC in Geneva. and other important UN gatherings. such as the World Population Conference recently held in Bucharest. All this is essential expense incurred in ACWW’S day-to- day work. quite apart from special projects â€" which could not be undertaken nor carried out without the basic organization of ACWW â€" projects such as the Current SAVE SIGHT campaign. the village training centres (many called after Canadian provinces) in Sri Lanka (Ceylon). the child care centre in Colombia. or the Lady Aberdeen Scholarship scheme. The more useful our work proves itselfto be the greater grow the costs in time. energy. and money! It is “Pennies for Friendship" (and more than pen- nies, for those of us that have the means to give more) that makes all this possible. Dues paid by member so- cieties are kept to a minimum; we know that in many countries the women have little enough income to feed their children properly. let alone money to spare for a 29