Please join us for our annual Holiday Party—Christmas Bash and White Elephant Trash—at a lovely location on the Alster on December 9. Let us eat, drink and be merry in the spirit of the season!  Please RSVP by Thursday, December 3. Contact Carol S at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

Leslie Collingridge, FAWCO 2nd Vice President, has produced an impressive video to inform us about FAWCO. She did a wonderful job and it is well worth taking 13 1/2 minutes to view the video "FAWCO in a Nutshell" on YouTube. What is FAWCO? What are the different facets of FAWCO? How can you get involved? What does FAWCO offer to its member clubs?

The United Nation’s Universal Children’s Day was established in 1954 and is celebrated on November 20th each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children's welfare. 

Every year, FAWCO asks you to use Universal Children's Day as an occasion to advocate for the US ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The CRC was the first legally binding international instrument which set standards for the civic, economic, social and political rights of children under the age of 18. It is the most widely ratified of all UN treaties with the US being the only member state of the UN that is not a party to CRC. The US signed this treaty in 1995 but has never ratified it.

Please write to your Senators asking for their support in getting the "most widely accepted human rights instrument in history" ratified at last in the United States Senate! On the  US page of the FAWCO website you'll find copies of the letters that FAWCO has sent to President Obama and others, some language you can borrow from them, and the website for finding your Senators

The theme of the Rutgers 16 Days Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign for 2015 is "From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Make Education Safe for All!". The campaign theme "recognizes the dire situation for millions of girls and boys, and young women and men, whose universal human right to education is daily impacted or cut short due to violence, lack of resources, and discrimination." 

The Campaign takes place over 16 days: November 25 to December 10. FAWCO encourages you to participate in the Campaign by learning more about the inspiring life and work of Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani teen who was shot for advocating for a girl's right to go to school, survived the attack and ultimately won the Nobel Peace Prize.

The AWCH Book Club read I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban. We encourage you to read this book and meet us for a discussion.
The Book Club also saw He Named Me Malala, a documentary about this courageous young woman premiered in Germany in November. Watch the trailer HERE, and if you're interested, we'll arrange for a discussion.

If Malala's story inspires you, we hope you will consider taking further action to address a girl's right to education.

One action you can take immediately to support education for girls is to sign Women Thrive's petition standing with the families in Chibok, Nigeria whose daughters are still missing after being kidnapped over a year ago for attending school. Sign the petition HERE.

Let's celebrate Thanksgiving as it is done best -  with lots of great food, friends and cheer!  

The AWCH will provide the turkeys & gravy, water, apple juice, coffee and teas. The delicious turkeys and gravy will be supplied again by members friend, caterer Gaby P.. Please bring a dish (to serve 6-8), and a bottle of wine or your favorite drink.

This Thanksgiving celebration is free for AWCH members and their family members. Guests are also welcome for a small charge and a dish for the potluck.

Please RSVP by Sunday, November 15. Contact Carol at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.