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Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 42, 20 February 1936, Page 11

Women In India. "We found that conditions for women in India are slowly improving,” said Miss Hazel Fountain, organising secretary of the Zenana Bible and Medical Mission, on her return to Auckland with Miss D. J. Dannefaerd, secretary. This was more apparent in the' cities than in the villages. Women were not as secluded, and the caste system not as bad as in the south as in the north. In the south they rarely saw a veiled purdah woman in the streets, but in the north they saw them in great numbers, especially in the United Provinces, Miss Fountain said. Wherever they went, into City Zenanas or isolated villages where a white face-was seldom seen, they received a warm welcome. The missionary was obviously their best friend, Miss Dannegaerd said, as she sought to help in their many difficulties. Christian missions had led the way in such improvements but there remained much to be done. Everywhere the cry was "Too few workers and too little money.” As a part of the Zenana Bible and Medical Mission has just' become amalgamated with the Church of England Zenana Mission, the New Zealand and Australian Auxiliaries were each taking over entire responsibility for various sections of the work, and were continuing to run them on the old inter-do-nominational lines. As a result of Miss Dannefaerd and Miss Fountain’s visit, the work in a part of. the Punjab is being taken over by New Zealand.