UNANIMA : Update August 2016

August 3, 2016

INTERN REFLECTIONS

UNANIMA was lucky to have two excellent helpers for a while this summer. Intern Nonata Bezerra SND (left) and volunteer Alex (Jennie) Satterfield (right), a student from Brescia University are shown here with Executive Assistant Tori Larson (center). Here they reflect on their time with us:

Nonata felt very welcomed by the entire NGO community at the UN, and by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, with whom she lived in New York. She said that her time with UI showed her the importance of belonging to an NGO which acts in defense of those living in poverty, and illustrated the value of working in partnership with other NGOs, committees, civil society organizations and others for a single cause: to build a better, more just, and more humane world. Her internship also taught her the value of the unique feminine spirit that UNANIMA brings to the UN. She saw how UI is active across many committees and working groups, and often is integral to their influence and reputation.

One of her most important activities was participating in the Permanent Forum of Indigenous Peoples, (theme: conflict, peace, and resolution). There, she saw clearly how the focus of her Congregation, the Sisters of Notre Dame (on women, children, and elderly persons, immigration and human trafficking, and the integrity of creation) is very interconnected with UNANIMA’s focus, and with many UN commissions and meetings. She was able to draw connections between the different organizations and UN meetings, understanding the integration of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation. She reflected that she is very grateful that her Congregation is a part of UNANIMA, and for her time spent in New York—learning the impressive cultural diversity and cultural riches the city has to offer. –Nonata Bezerra