Abstract

PIP: Four Thai women relate how they became grassroots leaders and what they expect from the NGO (nongovernmental organization) Forum of the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women. Somboon Srikhumdokkhae's story began when her health began to fail at age 29 after 12 years of work in a textile factory. It took her four years of searching to find the proper diagnosis and treatment for her condition, which she learned was byssinosis, a lung disease caused by her occupation. Srikhumdokkhae soon found others suffering from byssinosis, and she joined with fellow employees to produce a newsletter telling other workers about the problem. This led to the formation of workers' groups and to demands for compensation. Srikhumdokkhae hopes that the WCW will contribute to national labor movement efforts to alleviate such problems. Ing Thawaisin's stance against a government relocation scheme that affected her village propelled her into grassroots environmental advocacy. The government wished to move low-income people dependent upon forests in order to plant eucalyptus trees. After successfully protesting the scheme, Thawaisin works with an organization dedicated to preserving and replanting the forest. Thawaisin believes that women have become involved in grassroots environmental advocacy because they look after their whole community as their family. Thawaisin hopes to exchange views with women from around the world and learn from their experiences during the NGO Forum of the WCW and to warn women in neighboring countries of the dangers of material development. Miya Hawa learned about the ecological value of sea grass and mangrove swamps from the Raindrop Association. By restoring the health of the sea, Hawa and her conservation group have attracted more fish to the area and have improved the quality of their lives. Hawa feels that attending the NGO Forum will empower her personally and will help her to understand the link between development and increased poverty. Dokmai Prueksamas, a dressmaker, suffered as a battered wife for seven years. Her association with a Women's Club led her to realize that she was not alone and that she could solve her problems without resorting to violence herself. Now she counsels other women. Prueksamas looks forward to the conference in Beijing as her first foray into the international arena.