International Bulletin - August 1999
Early this spring, PPSEAWA was given an opportunity to network with an organization that we hadn't even known existed. I was contacted by the Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships, a non-profit, non-partisan organization founded to honor Dwight D. Eisenhower while he was President, and now continuing in his memory. Its purpose accords very well with PPSEAWA's: "to foster understanding, peace, and productivity through the exchange of information, ideas, and perspectives among leaders throughout the world." Each spring, they bring about two dozen people from as many different countries to the United States; in the fall, they send Americans abroad. Eisenhower Fellows are "men and women in mid-career who have already demonstrated outstanding achievement in their countries and professions", and who are "judged by their own countrymen to be of paramount importance to the country's future development". The Fellows spend two months travelling all around the US, visiting and consulting with Americans in their own fields. Of something over 1,200 Fellows, four have become heads of state, and 92 have gone on to hold cabinet-level posts.
PPSEAWA was asked to host the visit to the Chicago area of Dra. Suryani DF. Motik, MGA. She is 27 years old, married and mother of two, fluent in English, having studied at the University of Maryland, where she received a Master's Degree. She is the President of the Indonesian Business Women's Association (IWAPI), the largest group for business women in Indonesia. She is Founder and Director of two manufacturing companies and Commissioner of a third. She has published a textbook on human resources and is currently writing a book on women political leadership in Islamic societies.
She was with us for parts of four days, evening of April 19 to afternoon of April 22. We offered home hospitality, but the Fellowship organization has its people stay in hotels. I tried to bring in PPSEAWA business-women from other Chapters, but the only one who was free to come was Arlene Coco-Buscombe, who will be remembered from her participation in the workshop on women entrepreneurs held in conjunction with our Conference in Malaysia. Arlene has her own catering company in Duluth, Minnesota, and she volunteered to cook the most elegant dinner ever served in my house, I think. The guests were the Presidents of PPSEAWA-USA and PPSEAWA-Chicago, and business-women from PPSEAWEA-Chicago. The group was intentionally kept small, so that we could all sit around the dinner-table and talk with each other. The dinner was a great success, and was topped off by Royal Buscombe's marvelous chocolate cake.
During the first day our guest was with us, I drove her to a near-by community that has grown from a tiny cross-roads town with one general store and a tavern to a bustling business community, with charming stores in the old-fashioned houses, that attracts customers from the whole area of Chicago and suburbs. It was started by just a few women, who began an antique store in one old house, and is an example of VERY successful entrepreneurship by women. She was very interested in the village, and we went into nearly every store.
The second day of her visit was a disappointment, because she spent it trying to get an appointment to see a man who was an expert in finding funding for environmental programs, and had worked in Indonesia. He was very rude to her, and the day was not a success. That evening we went, by invitation, to a meeting of the local UNIFEM group. After coffee and dessert, we heard a program about prostitution and trafficking in women in Cuba and in Asia.
The last morning, we visited the Baha'i Temple before going to the airport. I hope Mrs. Motik enjoyed her visit as much as PPSEAWA did.
Last Modified: June 05, 2010