Competition

Monthly Competition and Pennies for Friendship

Each month Welland WI has a competition table with a theme connected to the programme for that month.
Members are challenged to come up with a creative, fun, not necessarily a crafty, interpretation of the theme. All the members then use the pennies in their purse to vote for their favourite exhibit. Points are awarded each month to the top three exhibits based on the value of the pennies that have been placed in front of them.

Each year, in January, a cup is awarded to the member with the most points from the preceding year.

The pennies used to determine the winners each month are put to good use by being donated to Associated Countrywomen of the World (ACWW) or referred to as Pennies for Friendship.
ACWW is the largest international organisation for rural women. It has a uniquely down-to-earth approach offering mutual support, friendship and practical help to its members. The organisation has a membership of nine million through 365 member societies in over 70 countries. Through projects in rural communities ACWW aims to improve the standard of living for all women and their families in health and nutrition, fresh water supplies, housing and literacy. It helps with small scale agricultural and income generating schemes and gives leadership training.

The subscriptions that societies pay to ACWW are kept low so that eligible societies are not prevented from belonging because of cost. To supplement the income, back in 1939 it was conceived that if every member of every society gave at least the smallest coin of their country every year, the essential work of ACWW could continue. Today nothing functions without these pennies – projects administration, United Nations links, conferences and the society’s magazine are all funded by Pennies for Friendship.

So, we ask that not only you participate in the competition but that you use the coppers in your purse to vote to make a difference to women’s lives somewhere in the world.