Going to rural communities where there was desperate need and seeing women change their own lives for the better is a treasured experience of the Dubbo-based leader of a global organisation.
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Ruth Shanks AM spoke up for rural women on world stages in London and New York, but the grassroots level reinforced to her the importance of the work of the Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW).
It was on the ground that she could see funding from the organisation achieve its aims.
As she served the final days of six years - two terms - as president of the ACWW she told of moving moments.
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"The best thing about the job, and I've rubbed shoulders with queens and princesses and all of those sorts of people, politicians, but the best part actually is going to where the project money is delivered..." she said.
"But it's just the look in the eyes of the ladies when they say thank you, it's only a little bit of money, it might only be 8000 pounds, which is about $12,000, but it makes a difference in their lives.
"That's the best part."
The ACWW leader says it is the "ordinary everyday members" of the Country Women's Association (CWA) and similar groups in different countries that "raise the money for us to exist".
From her home in Dubbo she's overseen its global activities, with almost daily email communications to the central office in London.
"It's almost 24 hours a day that you are conscious of or aware of something that's going on within ACWW," Mrs Shanks said.
The wife, mother and grandmother, who has been a member of the CWA for 50 years, counts the ACWW increasing its presence at the United Nations "and the impact that we actually have there" as one of the organisation's achievements.
"It's giving rural women a voice, and that was one of the things out of the UN, they do a statement at the end, and two years in a row, we've actually been able to insert rural women as part of a clause," Mrs Shanks said.
"Rural women generally, in Australia as well as everywhere else, don't have a voice, so we're able to give them a voice."
The ACWW president contests there are three main issues facing women all across the world.
"One is their access to fresh water and there are so many women who don't have access to fresh water, so there's no wonder that there's disease and those sorts of things," Mrs Shanks said.
"Access for girls to education, that's still an issue in lots of countries.
"And of course domestic violence is an issue, it doesn't matter what country you go to in the world it is a huge issue."
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Faye Wheeler
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
