To break up the monotony of the cold weather, enjoy the company of other women and make new friends, Saheli, Support and Friendship for South Asian Women has started a new women’s group. The first meeting is on January 21, 2009 in Burlington Public Library. The group will meet every third Wednesday of the month from 6:30 p.m.to 8:30 p.m.

The new group (does not have a name yet) will spend time discussing and offering guidance on work , finding it, and being good at it, balancing family and work , making time for fun and leisure,  working hard to improve current relationships and finding new ones. We shall engage in difficult conversations about many life issues facing immigrant women– caring for aging parents, supporting families in India with finances, pursuing women’s  dreams and passions while balancing family responsibilities, being single, divorced or widowed, and sharing domestic duties and child-care.  Dinner, trips to movies, book discussions and holiday shopping are also planned. Community service projects are also on the list.

Saheli invites all women to join the group regardless of age, linguistic background, religion and ethnicity. Saheli hopes that knowledge about the new group will spread by word of mouth throughout the Boston region and you can help by telling others about this new venture. This is a wonderful opportunity to make friends, share quality time with many good women. It will be a place to discuss personal and family issues, seek support and understanding from kind and caring volunteers. If you have special expertise in employment, handling money, relationships, or managing health, join us and lead a group discussion.

Saheli has been working in the South Asian community for thirteen years and has developed a variety of resources to help women and their families. Saheli volunteers receive training from state organization on maintaining client confidentiality and handling information responsibly.  The group, consisting of ten members in the executive committee, offers a wide variety of services. The core mission of the women’s group is to help women to survive domestic violence with safety, dignity and economic viability. In addition, the group offers free classes in English to speakers of other languages, computer literacy, volunteer opportunities, internships, and for those who qualify, a chance to lead the organization. For more information about the group you can go the organization’s website www.saheliboston.org, send email to sahelihelp@gmail.com or call Seema at 1-866-472-4354.

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