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- By ICUUW Staff
We are looking for our next Executive Director. The position is available January 1, 2026 and will stay open until filled. Applications are reviewed continuously. Interested? Then send us your expression of interest to
Executive Director
International Convocation of Unitarian Universalist Women
The ICUUW is a global partnership of Unitarian*Universalists who work for all women’s and girls’ equity through Unitarian Universalist connections around the world. We connect women to advance women’s leadership and self-determination. We work together to end all forms of discrimination.
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- By Karen Kortsch ICUUW Executive Director
Beloved Members and Friends,
This year has been a time of great joy and challenges for our organization as well as for me. Changing roles and stepping into the position of Executive Director gave me an even greater appreciation for what Zsófi did for ICUUW. As we look ahead to next year, a new and exciting chapter begins.
This newsletter is a testament to all the ways that our members and staff are working hard to further our mission. Ending discrimination against women and girls around the world is a job that requires all of our hands, minds and hearts. It also requires your ongoing financial support. We are kicking off our year end fundraiser soon and I hope you will be inspired to give generously. As I transition out of this role and we welcome a new Executive Director, I thank you all for your love and support during this time. Let’s keep the love flowing. Think about what ICUUW means to you at this time of giving. Happy Holidays to you and yours.
Gratefully,
Karen Kortsch
ICUUW Executive Director
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- By Elgiva Shullai, India
Conducted by Seng Kynthei, UUNEI
The program Navchetna: a New Consciousness on Life Skills and Drug Education was designed for all Unitarian Schools and Sunday school children in India. It has many modules for training which has made it easier for trainers to plan their training schedule.
Although the program is focused on children of the ages between 10 and 18, we have included children of all age groups in our Sunday school curriculum as there are many things that the younger ones also need to learn.
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- By Szőcs Boróka
Boróka, originally from Transylvania, Romania, is a biologist and teacher, and the President of the Biomimicry Innovation and Education Association (Biomimicry Hungary). She has a strong background in community leadership and education. Her work focuses on fostering innovation and sustainability. Currently, she is on a world trip, exploring new perspectives and experiences. She sent this report from New Zealand.
There is a pink folder at the bottom of my closet – carefully stored. On the folder it says: Leadership 2014, Marosvásárhely. This was my first leadership training, at the age of just 16. The training had been organized by Nagy Gizella from UNOSZ, the Unitarian Women’s Organization in Romania, and ICUUW. Tina Huesing, current president of ICUUW, was one of the presenters. I remember the faces, the laughter, the confident voices – each of their stories shaped me in some way. Perhaps this was when I first began to truly understand the unique flow of women’s thinking and actions, and how it differs from the way men approach the world.
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- By Rev. Adél Nagy
Women's groups are the driving force behind the congregational activities in most Unitarian congregations in Transylvania. The organizational and operational life of UNOSZ has returned to normal after the pandemic and local women's groups have resumed their activities that span the church year. Women's work comprises different activities, such as celebrating Mardi Gras in February. Some groups organize costume parties, and they bake the traditional pánkó (doughnuts) or cook corn. Other activities during the year include Women's World Prayer Day in March, International Women's Day, and Easter activities, such as egg painting, as well as Mother's Day celebrations in May.
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- By Lee Boeke Burke
In November, Lee, Renee and Karen from ICUUW met on Zoom with Rev. Jessa, Coordinator of the UU Women’s Association (UUWA) Philippines, Prescila (Precy), President of the UUWA, and Rev. Arman, Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines (UUCP) Church Administrator.
The purpose of the call was to hear about UUWA activities and to explore ways we can develop our connections with each other. We were also concerned about the impact the recent Super Typhoon Tino on Negros Island congregations and their activities. We learned that several of the congregations in the northern part of Negros Island had been hard hit by the typhoon and congregants sustained property damage and damage to their crops, but no injuries were reported. For the most part the roads are now passable and should pose no problems for youth traveling to Dumaguete for the Youth Conference in the days before Christmas.
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- By Bartha Mária Zsuzsánna, President of MUNOSZ and Secretary of ICUUW
It is a joy to be together in person. After much correspondence, phone calls, and computer work, we were finally able to meet in person at our annual general meeting held on September 27. On this occasion, our Women's Association enjoyed the warm hospitality of the Budapest Unitarian Church. The male members of the local council cooked, and the young people served, in a charming manner. So we, the women, were able to meet peacefully in the sanctuary.
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- By ICUUW Membership Engagement Team
In this year of strategic reorganization, positioning ICUUW for even greater growth and impact, the Membership Engagement Team (previously known as the Membership Committee) has been focusing a lot of energy on creating warm and inspiring ways to invite our current and potential members into a deeper understanding of who we are as an organization and as individuals.
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- By Rev. Denise Tracy
In my younger middle school years, my English teacher asked us if we wanted to have a pen pal from another country. I did. I was paired with a girl my age, 13, from Australia. We wrote back and forth for several years. I learned about her life and she learned about mine. As high school approached both our lives got busy and we stopped writing. Since that time, I have wanted to have an international circle of friends. Like-minded women whom I might get to know. With whom I might exchange ideas and learn how we are alike and how we are different.
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- By Gail Sandlin
According to the latest report from the United Nations' report State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI 2025), an estimated 8.2 percent of the global population, about 673 million people, experienced hunger in 2024, marking a slight decline from previous years yet leaving millions still in urgent need. Nearly 60 percent of those affected are women and girls, who face systemic inequalities that increase their vulnerability to food insecurity. In many cultures, women eat last and least while bearing caregiving responsibilities, despite having limited access to resources and opportunities that could enhance household food security. Addressing this global crisis requires gender-responsive policies and empowering women as central agents in the fight to end hunger and malnutrition.
What Is Food Insecurity?
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- By Gail Sandlin
Mountains and glaciers: Water towers
The UN issued its latest report addressing solutions to help us simultaneously mitigate and adapt to rapid changes in our frozen water resources. The report highlights the urgent threats posed by glacier and snowpack retreat to women’s livelihoods, health and rights – especially to mountain and downstream communities. Some of the key findings in this report include: water collection burden, health and sanitation risks, food security threats and increased disaster vulnerability.
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- By Cindy Piester
Two and a half years ago the severity of the climate crisis was weighing heavily on me. I had recently returned from Egypt where I had been able to participate as a delegate-observer at COP 27, a trip made possible by the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. The Convention of the Parties (COP) and its international efforts were failing to meet even the most basic climate goals. I travelled to New York to meet with other ICUUW members, and meeting fellow ICUUW member Carmen from Bolivia, brought comfort and hope. Much younger than I, she, too, had recently returned from COP 27, and after a dozen or more UN Climate Conferences she kept showing up.