Hay Feminists

This is a group that has been meeting for a little while now, mostly on Sundays at the Globe (that's usually the second Sunday of each month) - so that women with children can take part while their children are watching the free film. Over the weekend, though, I managed to make it to an evening meeting, over Mexican food and wine.
The idea of the evening was to try to find some way to help women in Timbuktu in this difficult time when Islamic fundamentalists are in charge of the city and are enforcing sharia law. It's very difficult to get in touch with anyone in Timbuktu at the moment, though, and the group here in Hay needs to find someone in Timbuktu to talk to so they can find out what the women and girls there actually need, and what we can do to help.
The Hay WI and Two Towns One World groups also want to do something, but it's hard to see what will be possible under the present circumstances.
Nearer to home, the group have been discussing government funding cuts (which affect women far more than men) and local problems with domestic violence. There's a website specifically for Wales about domestic violence and what can be done about it at www.livefearfree.org.uk
As well as the blog on the side bar, there is a Facebook page.