Catholic Women’s Part In Hunger Campaign

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29851, 18 June 1962, Page 2

Catholic Women’s Part In Hunger Campaign

To the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations goes much of the credit for the idea of the Freedom-From-Hunger Campaign.

In its concern to relieve the “three hungers” of developing nations, the union’s board presented a plan to the Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome, setting out suggestions for helping these countries to supply their own food, said Mrs K. M. Burrow, a Sydney member of the board, in Christchurch yesterday.

From these initial suggestions the campaign was organised, she said. The union’s plan was part of its international programme to try to bring relief from spiritual hunger, hunger for food and hunger for education in developing countries, she added. The programme was carried out by the co-operation of national organisations, such as the Catholic Women’s League, working through the international union. Mrs Burrow is a member of the Federal Council of Catholic Women in Australia and was its delegate to the jubilee congress of the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations, held last year in Rome, where she was elected a board member. After leaving Rome Mrs Burrow travelled through Pakistan, India, Hong Kong and Thailand to see for herself the needs of such developing countries, and to be able to give first-hand reports of her experiences. More than ever she is convinced that the developing countries must be educated to help themselves. Awareness of Needs It was absolutely necessary to make the people of privileged countries aware of the others' dire needs and to encourage them to support gigantic appeals for relief such as the Freedom From Hunger Campaign, she said. “The pioneering instincts of Australia and New Zealand must now be channelled into remedial services to help the

developing countries,” she added. The spirit of the pioneers must now be changed in emphasis from establishing oneself to helping to establish others with fundamental needs. The World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations, in its far-reaching efforts for women and children, was particularly concerned with the welfare of refugees and immigrants, education, the status of women, health, labour conditions, youth work and housing. Effects of E.E.C.

“We are very interested in the E.E.C.,” she said. "In the Common Market countries the distribution at labour requirements will change in different areas and will change so rapidly that it could be very serious for the

women’s labour market in Europe.” In Australia and New Zealand, if Britain joined the E.E.C., women’s budgetary plans would be closely affected as exports were built up and labour conditions changed, she said. “It will be necessary to be able to adapt in an effective way to meet the many changes and the challenges they bring,” she said. While in New Zealand at the invitation of the Catholic Women’s League, Mrs Burrow will address league members in the four dioceses to stimulate interest in its international work. She will also address the National Council of Women and the Pan Pacific and South-east Asia Women’s Association at the international level. Mrs Burrow is accompanied on her New Zealand tour by Miss K. McKelvey, a member of the Catholic Women’s League in Sydney.