Yap Women's Association is a women's rights organisation in

Yap State Yap State, also known in the Yapese language as Nam nu Wa'ab (lit. "Island of Yap") or simply as Wa'ab, is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The other states are Kosrae State, Pohnpei State, and Chuuk State. ...

, in the

Federated States of Micronesia The Federated States of Micronesia (; abbreviated FSM) is an island country in Oceania. It consists of four states from west to east, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosraethat are spread across the western Pacific. Together, the states compri ...

. Founded in 1955 as a non-profit it works to provide resources for women in the state.

Background

The YAP Women's Association was founded in 1955 as a non-profit initiative to represent the women's groups in Yap State. One of its founders was nurse and activist

Anna Falgog Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221) ...

, who brought together women who worked in government to set up a women's group.

Programmes

The YWA acts as an intermediary between the national government and local groups. As reported in 1992, the YWA could provide catering and dancers for events targeted at tourists. In 1995 the YWA supported the

Pacific Islands Association of Libraries and Archives The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

Conference, represented by

Laura Tiningdad Laura may refer to: People * Laura (given name) * Laura, the British code name for the World War I Belgian spy Marthe Cnockaert Places Australia * Laura, Queensland, a town on the Cape York Peninsula * Laura, South Australia * Laura Bay, a bay o ...

. As of 2001, a member of the YWA served each year on the

Yap Day Yap Day is a legal holiday in Yap State, one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), held annually on March 1. It is a celebration of traditional Yapese people, Yapese culture. Common activities held during this time inclu ...

committee. In 2009 the association supported the creation of the

Neighboring Islands Women Association A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...

, to deliver services for the outer islands surrounding Yap, led by

Irene Futumai Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United States ...

. As of 2013, seventy-three groups were registered with the association. In 2017 the Chinese government gave the association a grant of $120,000 to fund the construction of new building. Between 2015 and 2019, murdered assistant attorney general,

Rachelle Bergeron Rachel ( he, רָחֵל, Modern: Raḥel, Tiberian: Rāḫēl, Rāḥēl), meaning " ewe", is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin, popularized by the biblical figure Rachel, the wife of Israelite patriarch Jacob. Ashkenazi Jewish matronymic ...

, worked closely with and updated the bye-laws of the YWA. In 2018 the YWA hosted

Baklai Temengil Baklai Temengil (born 23 October 1966) is a Palauan Cabinet member who is the current Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs. In 2017, she became a member of the International Olympic Committee and the first woman vice president of Oceania N ...

and

Jennifer Chieng Jennifer Dugwen Chieng (born April 29, 1986) is an American-born boxer and mixed martial artist who represents the Federated States of Micronesia in sports. She competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the women's boxing - lightweight event, in ...

in the run up to the 2018 MicroGames. As of 2020, the President of the YWA was

Laura Ngaden Laura may refer to: People * Laura (given name) * Laura, the British code name for the World War I Belgian spy Marthe Cnockaert Places Australia * Laura, Queensland, a town on the Cape York Peninsula * Laura, South Australia * Laura Bay, a bay o ...

. In 2013 she was the State Electoral Commissioner.

References

{{Authority control Women's rights organizations Organizations based in the Federated States of Micronesia