Messages from Sangat's alumnae, partners, friends

For me it was truly a great opportunity to be a part of this training and I know that the moments and time I spent there will never going to come back in my life.  That one month of the training I spent only for myself and I enjoyed only being myself. Taking care and pampering me was the thing I never did.  I felt as I am free to do anything and enjoyed every time of it. I enjoyed doing yoga, dancing, singing, and reading for one month, felt like I was in Sultana's dream. Session on self awareness and self growth helped me to understand myself.  

I learned so many things in this training. I acquired the skill of analyzing the situation of women in a family and society. I learned the methodology of training. The indicator of women empowerment is very important in the grassroots level where I work. It helps me to realize a sense of achievement through the work I do and also helped me to assume current situation of women in my working area. Each and every session of Sangat Course was very helpful and useful for me in my professional and in my day to day work. With the knowledge of this training in future I am planning to organise training, provide orientation on the range of topics and issues that I learnt there. I’ll focus mainly on the issues related to women and reproductive health, right to information and patriarchy and their impact on individuals, family, society and nation. ………………..Also the field visit at Blue Diamond Society was a new experience for me as all of us were surprised to meet gays, lesbians. After this visit we learnt about the behaviour of them which is natural but at the same time different. Now, we all are aware about human beings and their feelings. Every participant freely asked questions about sex and sexuality whichever they want to know and understand. It also helped me to find the solutions of some personal problem of my life. 

Sunita Gurung, Action Aid International, Nepal

Dear Kamala G, Aabha G, all other dearest resource persons and all my dearest sisters I am sorry for my late response on the group. I was so keen to share my feelings and experience about my one month stay with you all.........about learning's,  knowledge, confidence, love, frenship, happiness everything i gain during the course. But as i was rushing out with busy schedules, I couldn't share to you on time. I feel wonderful, fortunate and blessed to be in the training (Lady Land)...... meeting with each one of you all wonderful sisters (Butterflies) in the care of excellent guardians Kamala and Abaha..along with excellent resource persons Ambrin, Lubhna, Dipta, Dipa, Latamani, Azra, Sunila and all. It was really great to be with you in many aspects like capacity building, self, growth & awareness, getting knowing to the culture of other 8 countries and making a strong bond of sisterhood, love, peace and friendship.....freedom to share, express, dance laugh....everything and more than that it was a lady land where the queens of the land were nurturing their ladies with each and every needy things to make them strong, bold, smart and brilliant enough to carry the mission of women rights confidently. I have already share about all these things in my office.

I would also like to share you all happily that i have already conducted 3 days training on gender and patriarchy to the rural freed bonded labor women ( Freed Kamaiya women) immediately after i join my office and today when i was sharing the issues of women ........gender and patriarchy and its impact on women's life etc with a man who is a banker and is my friend too during tea talk........he is so convinced that he have requested me to come to his bank and give a session to his all staff on the same tomorrow.

I miss you all a lot.With lot n lot n lot n lots of luv

Sunita

Nepal

Setareh Mombaseki, Iran 

Hello my dear Sangaties

I hope you are all fine. Thanks a lot for the nice words on that prize nomination thing! It's nothing, really, and as Gita said beautifully we have already received our prize while doing the work, and especially working on it together- the two of us...

The course has been going on very well. All the participants loved Dr. Ambreen's sessions. In the last few days, a resource person called Lata Mani, came to talk about Secularism and Religion ( we had some of her writings in our reading materials, last year). She spoke of concepts and practices which are so bound to our everyday lives. The sessions were really tough! Every word that came out that woman's mouth made me and others think deeply about things we have always believed in. Her way of looking at things challenged many things and raised many questions. Now, she's gone... but the questions in us continue (I actually think that this was the main reason behind those sessions!)........... As I'm writing this email to you, Sunila is in the next room and the participants are enjoying her session on human rights. 

Love to all of you (one by one!)

Setareh

P.S. So, we know that women in the Sangat course experience many things for the first time, some sing for the first time, some dance for the first time... but last evening some experienced EARTH QUAKE for the first time! 

Hoda Aminian, Ofogh Padra Co, Iran 

Dear sisters,

Most of you left this beautiful place and now I can feel how we become close to each other through these 30 days. I hope all of you reach your home safe and sound.

Kamla and Abha, this course was a golden opportunity for me to broaden my mind and find new friends from different countries. Now I know that the obstacles which separate us from each other are not based on our different identities, they are made by so many structures that don't want to see our solidarity. I appreciate your attempt to show these structures and the way we can tackle them through organizing this course. I hope we use our learning in diverse aspect of our life practically.

And thank all of you for your caring, sharing and everything that made that brilliant moments for me. I am sure without you, this experience was impossible with this quality.

with Love

Hoda

Bader Jehan, Dan Church Aid, India 

Dear Kamla, Abha & all sisters,

I reached home safely and missing you all & Dhulikhel. I am very happy to have lots of friends and it is going to be my strength, because now I am not alone in my thrash about, I have many to share.

The moments I spent with you all will be precious asset in my store of memories. I am really lucky that I could be a part of this course learnt from Kamla, Abha & other stirring resource person; it has been very inspirational for me. The course was very helpful to intensify my understanding & clarity on various issues, concepts & theories also to sharpen my analytical skills. It has given me new perspective/lance to see the existing social structure and how it functions. The course also has been very useful for my own personal development as a human being, women, an activist and a feminist.

I liked design and methodology of this course and also concept, theme & content. It is a complete course for perspective building of women activists.     

I will try my level best to implement all learning’s in my life, work and also to spread further as I promised to myself.

I would like to thanks Kamla, Abha & Sangat team to organize it so nicely and beautifully.

With Love

Bader        

Thri Myat Htin, CEDC, Burma 

My Dear sisters, Kamlaje and Abhaje

We reached home 5th Oct , I miss all of my sisters, Kamlaje and Abhaje, Sangat training is valuable for my life and my current work.

i would like to request kamlaje please continue Sangat training  and nurture other feminists, for me i encourage UNFPA to send participant for next Sangat training. Now i am preparing  for sharing about my knowledge and experiences of Sangat training.

Kamlaje and Abhaje i hope we will be meet next year, and i hope next year your Sangat training will be doing in Myanmar.

with love 

Thiri

Naleefa, School of Social Work, Sri Lanka

My Dearest Kamla Di, Abha Di and my South Asian Sisters,

I am wishing u a prosperious New year that will probably bring a chang in women's life.

I am happy to say that I have now become a feminist writer to aware our people. I am these days translating 'Sultana's Dream' To Tamil and wrote an article to our Socil Work Jourmnal too.The most biggest work that I do is, I talk abpout GENDER concept among our all types of students. There are probation officers, Garama Niladaries, Teachers, undergraduates and many more from several fields.

One main question out some questions raised by those students is "Why do you have gender awareness courses only for women"I replyed that there are, but again I accepted that those are not enough.

Anyhow I understand that there is a possibility to have a change.

"Women United Will Never Be Defeated"

With love' 

Naleefa

Nini  (Nini Mehrotra is a Sangat alumna who now heads an NGO in Delhi)

I was overwhelmed by nostalgia when one of my friends from Sangat’s last month-long course wrote on our e-group that Sangat is now organising the next course. I attended Sangat’s 12th course (the last one) and I write to ask if those who have attended it can come again please?! 

All of us who attended the course could never know whether the Sangat course was the best thing or the worst thing that happened to us because we still want to go back to it. None of us have been able to recover!

 Shahana, AKRSP Gilgit, Pakistan

Hi !

I had shared my reflection on the training with my colleagues two weeks before. It is also been published in our news letter. I also send a letter of acknowledgment to the UN Women Pakistan for sponsorship. In that letter i described that how the course was unique for my learning. I also started forming a women group , uptill now threeyoung development professionals joined me to work for gender and young women's issues.And lastly i have joined a regional level peace movement as coordinator. I think i am going fast as i have done alot in short span of time. kamla di ,Abha di and all of you would b happy to know this.

With best wishes and love

Shahana