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- By Karen Kortsch, USA
Our Marketing Director, Gretchen Ohmann, and I traveled to Baltimore to attend the UUA General Assembly as exhibitors for ICUUW. Our organization rented a booth in the exhibit hall, and with the help of several of our dedicated volunteers, spread the word about what ICUUW is doing to make life better for women and girls around the world.
Thanks to Beth, Julie, Vicki, and Geri for being our ambassadors. We made a lot of new contacts and had many people sign up for our newsletter. Many thanks to Gretchen, who designed our banner and other promotional materials along with setting up a raffle and doing the publicity around that. We made the most of our time at GA as there will not be another in-person assembly until 2027.
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- By Tina Huesing, Germany/USA
ICUUW member Siro Wildah Kwamboka, a women's ministry leader in Nairobi, Kenya, is working in her local community on a food sustainability project. She shared a presentation and a video with us that we shared with the larger UU community at our stand in the exhibit hall of the UUA General Assembly in Baltimore. Siro and her minister Justine Magara also provided us with beautiful objects from Kenya that we raffled off. (ICUUW Raffle at GA)
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- By Tina Huesing, Germany/USA
Over forty members from eleven countries took time to attend our annual meeting in June. That was a great showing for a business meeting. Thank you to each and every one of you who attended and with your attendance expressed your interest in our organization. Annual business meetings are just dry business with reports and elections, aren’t they? Well, this one wasn’t!
First, we heard from Reverend Rosemary Newberry who shared with us why she became a sustaining member in our organization. She attended our fourth convocation last year and realized “how much immense good was being done” by us through our members. And even though she currently doesn’t have the time to become an active volunteer, she supports us with a monthly donation so we can continue the good work we are doing. Reverend Rosemary summarized it well when she said our organization needs members with time to do the work, talent to do it well, and money to work on our goal of connecting women to advance women’s leadership and self-determination.
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- By Geri Kennedy, USA
Geri shares her goals for our organization. She writes:
I am honored to be re-elected to the ICUUWomen’s Board as Treasurer and am starting my seventh year. During that time, it has been a pleasure to watch as the organization has grown with more connections worldwide.
My main goals for this term are to establish a solid Finance Committee and to mentor a future Treasurer. The committee would support the Treasurer in oversight, investment and fundraising opportunities, budgeting and exploring better ways to accomplish our goals. It would meet monthly at the most, but most likely quarterly. Members do not have to be accountants or financial analysts, but just be interested in the long term success of ICUUWomen. Let me know if you are interested or have questions. (
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- By Vicki Roberts Gassler, USA
As the global pandemic cut off most avenues for socialization, our former Executive Director, Zsófia Sztranyiczki, had the wonderful idea of establishing a regular Zoom call, where women around the world associated with ICUUW could meet informally and – just chat. Initially we got together every week, but as restrictions eased we went to a schedule we’ve kept until now. Every second and fourth Tuesday of the month sees us looking at those little squares of happy faces for an hour or so of relaxed discussion.
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- By Gail Sandlin
In recent years, the mounting threat of plastic pollution has galvanized international attention. Oceans, rivers, and landscapes across the globe are littered with plastic debris, and microplastics have been detected everywhere from the deepest ocean trenches to the most remote mountain peaks. Recognizing the urgent need for coordinated global action, world leaders, scientists, and activists have pushed for a comprehensive solution that transcends national borders and addresses the root causes of the crisis.
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- By Bruce Knotts
Bruce Knotts was able to attend the Helsinki +50 Conference in Finland. For his explanation and impressions, read more.
I was invited together with another lucky person to attend the Helsinki +50 Conference in Finland by Ahti Tolvanen. I have known Ahti for many years. He’s a UU, and I first met him at a UU conference in Thunder Bay in Canada. Ahti is a duel national Canadian and a citizen of Finland.