Nashauna Drummond, Acting Lifestyle Coordinator

For the next four years the World YWCA, which has national associations in 107 countries and works with over 25 million women and girls, will be guided by the new world board comprised of 20 women from around the world. The team will be led by new world president Susan Brennan (fourth left) of Australia. - photo by Nashauna Drummond

The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), has received a complete overhaul. Theassociation has a new constitution, a new world president, a new general secretary and a new world board.

This was the end result of the 26th World Council that was held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, July 1-11.

Australian Susan Brennan and Zimbabwean Nyaradzai Gumbonzvando, will serve as world president and general secretary, respectively, until the 2011 world council in Zurich, Switzerland.

Youngest president

Thirty-seven year-old Susan Brennan is the youngest president ever elected by the 152-year-old organisation. Brennan is a barrister practising in administrative, town planning and environmental law in Melbourne and former president of the YWCA of Australia.She was also a member of the task force set up at the last world council that worked on the revised constitution that was unanimously accepted.

Nyaradzai is lawyer and United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) director for Africa. The 39-year-old who grew up in rural Zimbabwe, noted that she looked forward to serving the world YWCA. She said she was looking forward to learning about the issues that affect the different regions and working together on those issues.

"Coming to the YWCA is about those things we hold dear. We have to make a difference that is forever grounded on service and volunteerism," she said, as she was officially ratified as the new general secretary.

She continued, "Hold my hand, pray with me, I need your guidance your wisdom. I promise to serve this organisation based on my Christian basis."

Leadership

Fifty-five per cent of the new world board are young women (under age of 30). In the amended constitution that was adopted during the extraordinary world council, all national associations are required to have 25 per cent of all leadership roles held by young women.

This move was endorsed by Brennan in her first presidential address. "The YWCA movement is very committed to women's leadership. If the YWCA didn't stress young women's leadership it would have taken me another 20 years to become president of the World YWCA."

The World YWCA world council also featured the first ever global conference on women and HIV and AIDS.