The life of a seafarer is full of challenges. Staying away from family for months together and working in hostile environmental conditions, difficulties that no one knows better than the seafarers themselves. Equally challenging is the role of the women which includes the mothers, sisters and the wives of the seafarers. Taking care of the family and facing the hurdles in the absence of the seafarer, these brave women deserve salutation & admiration from the family as well from the society.
National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI) to empower and to have increased participation of women in the activities of the union, formed a NUSI Women’s Committee. The NUSI Women’s Committee includes mothers, sisters and the wives of the seafarers in addition to women seafarers. The NUSI Women’s Committee also forms part of the NUSI Constitution.
As a part of the NUSI Women’s Committee programme, a three day residential, All India Women’s Conference for the women family members of the seafarers was organized from the 10th – 12th November, 2016 at NUSI Holiday Home & Sanatorium, Lonavala. More than 150 women coming from different parts of India which included mothers, sisters and wives of seafarers participated in the programme.
The three day residential programme included an interactive motivational workshop for women aiming to develop optimism and to enhance and effectively manage the challenges within their families and overall personality development in general. An engaging session on financial planning to successfully manage the finances and to prepare for a secure future was also conducted. Team building activities and exercises were also a part of the three day programme.
The women participants actively participated by engaging in healthy discussions and shared their experiences in the NUSI- ALL INDIA WOMEN’S CONFERENCE- 2016.