100th Anniversary of International Women's Day
Women, Water & the World

Wednesday, March 16, 7-9pm

This event underscores the message that water access is a universal human right. As women play a central role in water provision and management, women must be central in planning for the future. We explore how the inclusion of women in the management of local, regional, and global water resources would improve the social, economic and environmental results. We explore issues around water access and women’s bodies, particularly in terms of menstrual health and access to education.

7:00 Reception Meet & Greet:Women's Caucus for Art, Philadelphia Chapter

7:25Welcome: Anastasia Shown, Assistant Director African Studies Center & Board Member, United Nations Association of Greater Philadelphia

7:30 Performance:Anna Crusis Women's Choir


7:45 Panel:Smita Gupta, Marni Sommer, Andrew Lamas, Moderator: Felicity Paxton, Director Penn Women’s Center

Water @ Penn

Provost Office: Year of Water

Philadelphia Global Water Initiative

Penn Engineers without Borders

Penn Women’s Center

Middle EastCenter

SouthAsiaCenter

Center for East Asian Studies

AfricanStudiesCenter

The Anna Crusis Women's Choir is recognized as both an agent of social change and a premier performing arts group in the greater Philadelphia region. The Choir is committed to reaching diverse audiences, including people who have little access to the arts, and it supports the work of other progressive social justice organizations by singing at benefits and fundraisers.Much has changed since Anna’s founding in the 70’s, when one of its primary objectives was to provide a safe haven for both gay and straight women to find their voices. Anna grew out of the grass roots feminist movement characterized by the local group “Wine, Women and Song. ” Formed by songwriters/musicians, Judith Palmer (who still sings with Anna) and Wendy Caplan, they composed much of their own music since little about women’s lives - from a feminist perspective - was available. By 1975 Anna Crusis was a full-fledged choir, founded by Dr. Catherine Roma, who also served as music director. Over its 35 years, Anna Crusis has had only three artistic directors; Cathy Roma was succeeded by Jane Hulting, who led the choir for over twenty years. Anna Crusis is currently under the direction of Jacqueline Coren, who earned a BA in Music from the University of California at Berkeley and a Masters in Music/Choral Conducting from WestminsterChoirCollege in Princeton.Anna Crusis Women's Choir - women who strive for musical excellence, singing to celebrate women and to promote equal opportunity for all.

The Women's Caucus for Art, founded in 1972 in connection with the College Art Association (CAA), is a national member organization unique in its multi-disciplinary, multicultural membership of artists, art historians, students/educators, and museum professionals.The Philadelphia Chapter is the oldest chapter of the Women’s Caucus for Art. For more information about the Philadelphia Chapter ofthe Women's Caucus for Art, please email .

Founded in 1910, International House Philadelphia (IHP) is an independent, non-profit organization housing nearly 400 students, scholars and interns from over 65 countries. IHP offers modern living, and a wide range of innovative cultural programs including foreign language courses, a diverse array of art, film, and music events, and social activities. The International House of Philadelphia works to provide its residents, and the surrounding community of Philadelphia with fresh and fun events, while promoting cultural awareness, diversity and cooperation.

The UNA-GP is a chapter of the United Nations Association of the United States of America. With over 175 chapters and 150 affiliated national organizations, UNA-USA is our nation’s largest grassroots foreign policy organization building public support for the United Nations. We are dedicated to educating, inspiring and mobilizing our residents and political leaders to support the visions behind the principles and vital work of the United Nations. We seek to establish a citizenry that is cosmopolitan in thinking, universal in action and will celebrate the local diversity of tongues, fashions, cultural expressions and inter-ethnic explorations. We work towards a global Philadelphia, a city that stands as a beacon of reason around issues that touch the core existence of humanity, from energy issues, demographic tensions, sustainability, and un-acceptable living conditions. Fulfillment of our mission will enable the USA, and other nations, to redirect billions from spending on weapons and conflict handling to programs promoting conflict prevention, making peace, serving the needs of all human beings and enhancing the creative potential of each. We see the United Nations as an essential tool for these purposes and will work tirelessly towards its popular support. We encourage you to get involved in our work.

Smita Gupta is simultaneously a Senior Economist at the Institute for Human Development, New Delhi since 2000 and a Gender Analyst at the IndianSchool of Women’s Studies and Development, New Delhi since 2006. Her main areas of research are political economy, employment, public finance, decentralization, agriculture, natural resource economics, gender studies and tribal issues. She worked on a comparative study of seven states on Empowering Local Governments and has completed a Study on Gender Issues in the People’s Plan Campaign in Kerala. She undertook two studies for the Planning Commission on Water Policy in Chhattisgarh and the Manipur State Development Report. She has a number of articles on the nature of Federalism and Fiscal Policy, the Agrarian Crisis, The Tribal Question, etc. She has worked on pro-people policy and legislations with mass organizations and Parliamentarians. She is a part of the Left movement and is currently engaged in a large survey on the resurgence of the putting out system and on microfinance.

Marni Sommer, DrPH, MSN, RN, has been working in global health and development on issues ranging from improving access to essential medicines to humanitarian relief in conflict settings. Dr. Sommer's particular areas of expertise include conducting participatory research with adolescents, understanding and promoting healthy transitions to adulthood, the intersection of public health and education, gender and sexual health, and the implementation and evaluation of multi-level interventions. Her doctoral research explored girls' experiences of menstruation, puberty and schooling in Tanzania, and the ways in which the onset of puberty might be disrupting girls' academic performance and healthy transition to adulthood. Dr. Sommer's current research focuses on the intersections of gender, health and education for girls transitioning to adulthood in sub-Saharan Africa.

Andrew Lamas's scholarship focuses on the theoretical and practical dimensions, as well as the philosophical and religious bases, of social justice and economic democracy in the context of urbanization. He was a founding member of the Center for Community Self-Help, which provides financing for for small businesses, nonprofits and homebuyers in North Carolina, especially to low-wealth minorities and women; and the Reinvestment Fund, which provides financing for affordable housing and community development in the Greater Philadelphia area. He is also currently involved in the Bread & Roses Community Fund, and several other organizations. Andrew Lamas teaches at the University of Pennsylvania, in the Urban Studies Program. He also lectures in other schools and programs at Penn, including the WhartonSchool and the School of Social Policy & Practice, where he teaches courses for students pursuing degrees and careers in economic development, community development finance, NGO/non-profit leadership, and related fields.