Join us for a presentation and discussion in the Parish Hall (12 W. 11th St.) on Thursday, October 22nd from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. with Helen Grace Wangusa, the Anglican Communion Observer at the U.N.

According to the Web site for the office of the U.N. Anglican Observer:

A lay woman from Uganda, Hellen Grace Wangusa holds a BA (Hons), Diploma Ed (Hons) and an MA in Modern Letters. Her undergraduate studies were taken at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, where she worked as a teaching assistant and later as a lecturer for the Literature Department. After leaving this post, Wangusa worked as the National Women's coordinator for the Anglican Church of Uganda and was responsible for developing national programs, fundraising and managing a staff of 27 women. She was also the national link person for the global Mothers' Union movement and the Anglican Communion.

From 1997-2004, Wangusa worked as coordinator of African Women's Economic Policy Network (AWEPON), a faith based women's organization in Africa that also co-ordinates the UN's Millennium Campaign for Eastern Africa. In this role, she advocated for policies that meet the needs of women, children and those from marginalized groups, and ensured that those most affected were central in influencing economic decision making.

Wangusa is one of the founding members of AWEPON, as well as Gender and Economic Research in Africa (GERA), and the Council for Economic Empowerment of Women in Africa (CEEWA). She successfully reactivated two organizations that had been closed: The Joint Mothers' Union and Women's office in the Province of the Church of Uganda and AWEPON.

With her experience as a representative to the United Nations for the World Council of Churches (WCC), Wangusa said she will be able to deepen her contribution to the Anglican Communion as a key player in promoting International Relations at the UN through Peace, Dialogue and Diplomacy.