• Conferences
• About PPSEAWA
• News
• Peace Ambassador
• International Bulletin
• Reports
  • Women, The Family And Health
    • Program of the Seminar
    • Participants
    • Buenos Aires Day 1, Friday April 7, 2000
    • Mrs. María Cristina de la Vega de Cincunegui
    • Elen Lopez
    • Dr. Sorosh Roshan
    • Welcome from Vera Rivers, President RCA
    • Papers submitted by Speakers at the Workshop
    • Mrs Gracia Burgardt de Roitman
    • Cecelia Fernandez de Pallini
    • Dr. Dosne de Pasqualini
    • April 7, morning session, Questions & Answers
    • Infectious Diseases in Family Health: A Challenge for Women, their Role in Care and Prevention by Valeria Prado, M.D.
    • Dr. Rosalinda Rubenstein
    • Food Safety: What can we do?
    • Questions & Answers, April 7, afternoon
    • Bueno Aires, Day 2, April 8, 2000
    • Brief History of the International Federation of Familial Support
    • Dr Ana Mon: Questions answers
    • Dr. Roshan Summary, April 8
    • Papers submitted by Participants at the Workshop
    • Maternal and infant health in Bolivia
    • Patricia Rustad
    • Women, health and work
    • Bringing Basic Health Care to Underserved and Unserved Populations
  • Children, The Family and Health: What it Takes to Give Children Long Life
  • Current Situation In The Cook Islands on Convention Against Discrimination In Education
  • A Life Worth Living: Teenagers, The Family, and Health
• Member Countries
• Related Sites

Women, The Family And Health

Bueno Aires, Day 2, April 8, 2000

April 8, 2000 Session. Left to right - Germaine Bosch, Shirley Munyan, Dr. Ana Mon, Sheila Cockey, Cristina de la Vega, Roxanna Salazar and Elizabeth Acar de Langre.

Introduction by Elena de la Vega:

Thanks to Shirley Munyan, Treasurer of ICW. Special appreciation to her for efforts and enthusiasm into yesterday’s meetings. Thanks to Elizabeth Acar de Langre, who made arrangements from Paris.

Yesterday’s meetings were very successful, thanks to all for their contributions.

Thanks to all representatives from other countries who have made a special effort to participate in this program, will they please stand?

At this point, 20 women stood.

Introduction of Dr. Ana Mon:

Honors accorded her:

• 1998 she was nominated for the Quaker Peace Prize
• 1999 she was nominated by the UN for the Nobel Peace Prize.
• A long list of acknowledgements locally
• ECOSOC – conference in NY
• 3 letters from Mother Theresa

Ana Mon originated from Australia. She is an Attorney who has five sons and a granddaughter.

Presentation by Dr. Ana Mon:

When I was 35, I was lining in La Plata, a suburb of Buenos Aires. It was then that I began to work with the poor children. In 1984, Casa de Ninos was founded. This consisted of daycare for poor children, funded by various foundations and the Catholic Church. The children served were ages 2 to 13 years. At thirteen, many children then enter the workforce. Part of the project was to improve their skills and to help them find jobs.

The larger goal is to try to get the entire family into the circle to support them all. The project helps the poorest of the poor. The children are fed breakfast and lunch. After school they receive help with homework and are given tutoring. HOPE was the first center that served the first 47 children.

We tried to use any items or services we could have donated rather than raise million dollars and buy something. If you want to establish one of these centers, look for persons who will work in each community within the leadership and resources of the community. Food, medicine, equipment and homes are donated as much as possible. Salaries are paid to staff. The cook, director, teacher and psychologist must be in place. The buildings and maintenance are donated, but the parents contribute some small fees back and take responsibility to help. Each separate home has an annual report and has tax exempt status.

Today there are 107 centers throughout Argentina. Now, the first national subsidies have been established.

In 1994 The Olympian Fund, Japanese based, gave support. With this, the project grew from 53 to 101 centers. National subsidies have provided for 40 more centers now in progress. That will bring us to 7,500 children being cared for. The great news is that between 1994 and 1999, I have spoken all over the world to spread the word about this program.

CIAF – An institution devoted to family support. We want to launch our idea in other countries and regions, using the local customs and leadership. The project is in many of the countries of South and Central America. The work is beginning in Africa and Asia also.

When I was studying law, I read that if you do something you will make mistakes, but learn something from those mistakes and your efforts will make life worth living.

This project is for children, families and women. It can spread across the world. We were first called dreamers, now called practical idealists.

Key points from the Video about the Project:

Thinking of others as if they were ourselves, an original idea.

In 1986 there were 4 homes

Red Cross gave early support.

Achieve the maximum with the minimum of resources.

The project added a farm and knitting and sewing projects. These projects have proved very successful.

Dignification and strengthening of the family is the goal.

The homes become a small community, organized like a family, preferable to a large institution.

There is family education included as well as medical, dental, and school support, addressing drug issues.

It is a program based upon family development principles.

We see each child as the starting point of a new, healthier family in the future.

The program improves school absenteeism, lowers the incidence of crime.

We can do something for others!

Last Modified: November 29, 2002