The Non-government organization that our group wants to collaborate with is the Women and Gender

Institute or WAGI that is currently based in Miriam College. WAGI centers on women empowerment
and gender equality not only for women but for both sexes. This is Miriam College’s center for research
and development into the fields that are interlinked with social justice, values formation, and human
rights. Some of WAGI’s programs and advocacies focus on women participation in politics and
governance. They aim to educate people on women’s rights and make the government more sensitive to
gender equality.

WAGI also aims to have a gender fair educational system that is very evident at Miriam College. The
Institute wants to increase the awareness of its members towards issues on gender and women’s rights
that are incorporated in the school’s core curriculum. This is achieved through teacher-training seminars
and the use of non-sexist language and textbooks.

The Women and Gender Institute also wants to impart the feminist thinking in the fields of finance,
business, and international relations. This is achieved through programs like the Development
Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) which aim to mobilize the capabilities of women in the
fields where men are mostly dominant. They collaborate with other organizations and networks here
and abroad to accomplish their goals.

This advocacy center is also passionate on ensuring the safety and security of women most especially in
war stricken countries. They want to pattern their programs on international law on women, peace, and
security from the UN Security Council.

We chose to work with WAGI for the CITIGOV fair because most of the members of the group are girls
who see and experience objectification in our everyday lives. We believe that there is a wrong notion
when people hear the word “feminist”. Others claim that feminists perceive that they are far more
superior to men but they actually want equality for both sexes. In conclusion, we chose WAGI because
we share the same sentiment towards women’s rights and gender equality and we have the same
advocacy as the organization.