Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697795419040.pdf (Dominica)
IS work!'

Is it some thing we do in an office?

Do we need special clothes to do it?

Is it only work if we get a paycheck?

I'm raising these questions because when I ask some women - what do you do?

I often get the response don't work".

"Nothing, Incredibly, this is what women say despite having 4 small chil dren, maintaining a backyard garden, belonging to 2 communi ty groups and helping out on their partners fann on banana day!
I _ mcreasmg the risk disagreements which can eventu ally lead to abuse of one kind or other.

I n this issue of 'Lets Talk' we take the time to highlight a number of interesting issues in the life of women.

relating Matters to healthy lifestyle as they are advised to eat right, to exercise and to control their stress levels.

Also they were provided with information regard ing their spiritual as well as their economic well being.

When, and if this happens, the women need not endure all of this stress.
They can seek help from their various institutions referred to in this issue of "Let's Talk", who provide counselling and other forms of assistance.

The interviews with three strong community women, highlights some of the very important func tions undertaken by our women folk which are often over looked as contributing to the country's economic development.
Contained in this are a wide range of important information for all our readers interested in learning more about the situation of women and gender issues.

However there is a concern which you can help us address.

In these interviews we were able to capture the concept of Women's Work in the reproductive, eco nomic social/community spheres.

This bring to life some of the real challenges that women encounter in joggling these three dimensions of work.
and It is no wonder that in the absence of support from their partners , situation can become unbearable, This being the third publication of "Lets Talk", we would like to see more involvement of you women out there.

Here is another oppor tunity to express your concern.

Let your voices be heard in this medium.

Send in your contribu tion for inclusion in the next issue.

It was intended for you.

UNTIL THEN, HAPPY READING.


L~:T"S TALK uuutu..:;<~, as in lures, we have quite specific ideas about what is 'women's work'.

In our society most of us would agree that women are gen erally expected to be responsible for rearing children, and taking care of the home.

It's not that many women do not go out to work, earn salaries, or run their little business and bring home bread.

It's not that they don't take in ironing or sell vegetables that they grow - anything to make a buck.
They're expected to do all that in addition to cook ing cleaning and caring (the 3 C's I call them).

Yet, by and large if we don't have a nine-to-five-job our society tends to say - we don't work!

Why is this?

is designated In any society, it is quite normal for the people to share out who does what.

Women do certain things.

Men do certain things.

There is nothing wrong with par titioning work.


The real prob typically, lem arises because as whatever women's work to he ignored or undervalued, espe cially if it is done in the home setting.

You see it all the time.

People big up Motherhood but I don't know one woman who gets paid for the honor.

In fact, except for a sudden (and might I say short-lived) outpouring on Mothers Day, the sacred profes- tends __ ·I SIOn largely work it entails goes unrecognized.
Strangely enough, we pay to put our children in day-care or nursery, but if their mother does it at home the same work suddenly loses any eco nomic value.

Feminists have come to realize that women experience the world of work differently from men.

Traditional approaches to look ing at work tend to sideline women's involvement in develop ment.

Therefore, they have pro posed a new system for examin ing the working life of women; using three major eategories of work:- 1.
Reproductive Work- all activity relating to childcare, care of the family, or home chores.

2.

Economic Work - all activity for which financial pay ment is received.

3.

Community work- all activity that directly benefits the larger community.

This new system of evaluating work is more equitable for assessing women and men's work quotas.
The traditional method of defining work as primarily an economic activity, excludes the huge workload that women carry in the reproductive and commu nity spheres, and negates their real contribution to their coun try's development.

The new 3- way analysis (reproductive, eco nomic and community), high lights the fact that women are active and working in all aspects nf their lives.
To give you a practical example of how women juggle all three areas of work, we have inter viewed Each three women worked in the reproductive, eco nomic and community sphere, hut we have chosen to highlight one of these areas in each life story.

We thank these women for agreeing to talk to the Women's Bureau about their experiences.

Adaline Ambrose Laurent - Reproductive by Donille Blackmoore Adaline Milda Laurent nee Ambrose affectionately known as Ada was horn on June 26, 1932 in the viJlage of Mahaut.
Her eleven (11) children (including two sets of twins) range from age 50 to 29 years old.

Ada is also blessed with 24 grand children.

At present 3 children, 4 grand children and 2 great grand chil dren live with her at her resi dence in Mahaut.

The rest of her children, grand children and great grand children reside over seas.

It was not very easy raising the children as a single mother.

She was 46 years when she married her husband Mr Edward Laurent, with whom she has 2 children.
So, for most of her childbearing life, Ada had to play the two roles of Mother and Father.

In order to provide for her children, she did several jobs.

Ada used to carry bananas for various farmers including the well-known Mr Alvin Armantrading.

At that time there was no field packing and people used to have to carry the whole bunch of hananas on their She al~o did domestic head.

as a paid worker.

Ada worked really hard, hut she remained very family-centered and attached to her children.
Once, she got the opportunity to go to St. Croix.

Her friend encouraged her to leave to try to make things better for her chil dren, reassuring her that she could send for them later down.

But when Ada looked at her chil dren she could not hear to leave them (her daughter, Royette, remembers this dearly).

Through all the hardships, Ada's parents were unable to help out in raising her children.

Ada's father had died when she was a year and a half.
At the time, her mother also had young children of her own to take care of.

However, with her own hard work, God's grace, advice from her friends, assistance from her brother and sister in England, help from organizations like the Belgian nuns and the Soeial League, the "Mother·'s League" who taught women useful tips like how to cook food without meat, and later on, her bus hand's help, Ada managed to feed and clothe her children.

Housing was also a serious con sideration.


At the start, she used to have to rent a place for her family to live.

They often had to move from one spot to another throughout Mahaut, and it was always difficuJt to meet the pay ments.

Once, when her mothe1· went overseas, Ada was able to move into the empty howse and dur·ing that time she managed to save a little money as she was not paying rent.

Then in 1972, she built her own two-room house.


The Timber Company, DOM CAN, was still in operation in Canefield.

Ada got the pieces of wood that they used to throw away, and used that to build her house.

She and her children moved into their new home in Mahaut two weeks before her mother returned.

The new house didn't have electricity or running water and there were a lot of trees around the area.
One of Ada's daughter's remembers that peo ple used to say "Ada take her children to live in the forest", but as Ada explained, "that was where I got to build my house".

She now lives in a beautiful wall house that her husband built after Hurricane David.

raising her Nonetheless, Ada always knew that children required more than just provid ing food and a roof over their heads (though this was also very important).

Their education and religious upbringing was also very important.
As a young girl, Ada attained· a primary level education but was unable to attend school regularly be<;ause of a bad leg she suffered from and having to look after her younger brothers and sisters.

So she made every effort to ensure that all her children got an edu cation and are all literate.

Mrs Laurent always believed in the importance of prayer and religion.

ln the night Ada con tinues to pray for all her chil- children.
and grand dren Though a raised she was Catholic, her children were raised in the Pentecostal Church where she thought they would receive the best Christian grooming to prepare them for life.

At present, Mrs I~aurent and her husband worship at the Berean Church.

Ada's caring role didn't stop at just her children.

She used to provide board and lodge to chil dren from her husband's village, Good Hope, and now still takes care of three of her grandchil dren.
And even though she and her mother had their problems and tensions, Ada still looked after her in her old age.

Now Ada prepares food for an old man (no relation) out of the goodness of her heart.

Ada has no regrets for the rough times she went through with rais ing her children and the sacri fices she made.

She is well loved and respected and has a wonder ful relationship with her chil dren, grand children and great grand children.

When asked how do you feel today?


She responded, "I did it all by trust ing in God.

I feel like 40 years, I am relaxed and I am always on the move."

Laurent, at a musical concert in Las Vegas.

She has also been to St. Thomas and Guadeloupe.

Ada has these few words of encouragement to mothers who are experiencing similar rough times raising their children; "Take patience and trust in God.

Do what you can and send your children to school.".
She ended with this beautiful biblical verse; "But they who wait on the Lord, shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 40:31 "Ma Wens ley" Economic, by Lucien & Carla Francille Esprit Myrtle Harris Pascal Mrs. Francille Esprit, also known as 'Ma Wensley' was born in 1921 in Castle Bruce.
Her mother had 14 children, so in 1935 when the offer of work in another village arose, the 14- year old young girl moved to the village of Belles to start her working life.

Seven (7) years later, Francille married her husband, Mr. Wensley Esprit.

Ma Wensley still remembers her marriage date (December 1942 ).

Her original marriage certificate is specially framed in a place of honor, on the dresser in the front room.

Now, she lives like a queen.


She has visited the United States of America on four occasions.

Whilst there, she attended her grand daughter's graduation and also had the opportunity to sec her song star son, Barenton Family life was always very important to Ma Wensley.

Even when there were opportunities overseas Ma Wensley didn't take them up.

As she puts it "I wasn't going anywhere when I had small children".
Now her chil- II k d d II to rna e gar en an dren live all over the world; 5 are in Dominica ( 4 in Belles, l in Castle Bruce), others are in St Thomas, England and America.

To make a living during that period of her life, Ma Wensley d • contmue work with her husband on his land.

The work was hard but it had the advantage of allowing her to be close-by to her young children and also provided food directly for the large family.
Today Mrs. Esprit has the satis faction of having many grand children and even great-grand children.

The first son of her eldest recently child was ordained as a priest.

Mter Hurricane David, when her childr·en were already starte(l grown, Ma Wensley working in the huckstering busi ness.

She was encouraged by her mother-in-law who resided in Guadeloupe, as well as all the other women who used to buy provisions from her and would tell her about the opportunities to trade.
It was a very busy job - always on the move -every week, but Ma Wensley says "[ liked huckstering when it was going good".

to Guadeloupe, St Martin and Barbados for business, having family contacts in each country facilitated the business.

traveled She In addition to her hectic sched ule of huckstering, Ma Wensley also continued to maintain her own garden.

Sometimes she sup plemented her own produce with a little plantain from Castle Bruce or yam from Good Hope, most came from her own place.
This put her in a good position to hucksters who compared relied on others for their supply.

Things went well for a while and Hhe was able to purchase her own transport for her business, and was able to use mainly produce form her own garden and her husband's farm to sell overseas.

Unfortunately, about 5 years ago, after more than 20 years of huckstering, Ma Wensley had to give up huckstering because her husband fell sick, hut huckster ing had also started to slowdown too according to Ma Wensley.
Having given up huckster·ing, Ma Wensley looked to the local mar ket as a "wyvendeze".

But she stopped because things were really slow and the market was saturated, there was so much competition.

The next thing Ma Wensley tried was a little home stall, just on the side of the road, in front of the house.

She says, "sometimes you can make a quick sale".


Luckily, Ma Wensley had kept her garden while her children were growing up, maintained it during the huckstering period and still manages to do gardening up to today.

She plants dashecn and watercress regularly and sells limes, breadnut, and some other fruits like barbadinc.

She also keeps some sheep for home use, and to sell when the need arises, as well as fowls that supply eggs and occasionally, meat for the pot.
In her community, Ma Wensley usc to help decorate the church (especially when the church used the school).

in to be held Actually, when the Catholic priest secured the land on which the new church stands, it was l\la Wensley and her friend Mrs Lewis {now deceased) who first took their cutlasses and started clearing the land.

People used to pass and laugh and tell them "Ou ka bat homm", but she always took her community obligations seriously.
Despite having lived in Belles for over 64 years, Ma Wensley thinks that people still some times see her as an outsider.

She encourages all Dominicans not to be closed-minded and selfish.

We have to help each other and ourselves, "You cannot want the day to open for you and to close for somebody else" says Mrs Franeille Esprit.

And she is right.

We need to work together and as Dominican women Dominicans generally, to build a better place for ourselves.
Africa by Myld Mabel Watty C ommun it y, Plenderleith Mabel Watty Mrica was born in Portsmouth 1924, the 2nd of l l children.

Her father was a Head Teacher/Principal and her moth er was a housewife.

Though she started her primary education at the Portsmouth government school, at age 9 she migrated with her aunt to St Kitts, where she continued her primary educa tion.
Her Aunt was married to an Inspector of Police, and at that time, Dominica was part of the Leeward colonies with a Governor based in Antigua and an AdminiHtrator in each of the time, it was com mon place for police officers, teachers, doctors, nurses and lawyers to he transferred among the islands.

Mabel's music career formally began in St Kitts where she start ed music lessons to learn to read music and to play the organ.

They later lived for some years in St Kitts and then in Nevis.
In L 936, Mabel to Dominica and lived in her home town of Portsmouth from the age of 14 until she turned 17.

By that time she was proficient enough at the organ to play for the Portsmouth Methodist church and choir.

returned Later she moved to Marigot where she learned to manage the telephone system, as well as learning how to sew and to crotchet.

It was while in Marigot that Ms Watty as she was then called, applied and was accepted to do nursing.
That meant a move to Roseau, where she qual ified as a SRN (State Registered Nurse).

She was then trans ferred hack to Marigot as a District Nurse and midwife.

However, at that time, there was ah·eady someone else playing for Marigot.

Not wanting to lose her musical skilJs.

She bought her self a keyboard so that she could keep pr·acticing.

Eventually, in 1969, Mabel Watty Africa (Mrs. Africa is married and a mother of 6, was asked to play for the Wesley Methodist church.
And in 1973, after the death of the organist, she began playing the Marigot Methodist church where she plays to this day.

for Throughout her professional career as a nurse, Mabel Africa has continued to contribute to the community through music.

Mrs. Africa describes her musi cal talent this way; "During the years I have tried my best not to have and hold my musical skill for myself only".
She used to give music classes, and taught her children to play; she has a son who plays in the Music Lovers hand, while her daughter plays for her own pleasure.

One of the students that she taught is is presently teaching music Now retired, Mrs .. Africa continues to play fur the church and to teach hoth theory and practical music.

in Guyana and there.

LETS TALK ~ ce Theophile is the coun the Welfare lor with epartment, Ministry of Community Development and She has a first Women's Affairs.
degree in General Psychology and a post-graduate degree in Clinical Psychology.

Her office is at the Government Headquarters, on the 1st Hoor.

Who are your main clients?

Who do you counsel?

The Welfare Department's counsel ing program is primarily targeted at children/youth-at-risk, (and their families).

Most are within the 6 to 17 age range.

The younger children the often are to schools, who Department by observe certain symptoms and make referred a recommendation that the seen by the psychologist.
What sort of behavioral problems do the schools look for?

The child may sometimes (but not always) exhibit violent behavior.

Equally, the child may also be over ly withdrawn.

Their school work may suffer.

Sometimes they don't form associations with other chil dren.

But when children appear to have behavioral problems at school, it is generally a sign that something deeper is wrong, often coming from the home environment.

So what causes children/youth to react this way?


Often times there's no one single factor causing the problems.

It's not usually possible to identifY any one single cause of disruptive or troubled children.

It is usually a mix of factors that keep coming up including; single parenting, lack of proper supervision of children, sex ual abuse, poverty, and unresolved grief issues (e.g.

when children lose parents).

About 10-15 o/o of the cases are child sexual abuse cases.
However, many sexually abused children are not generally disrup tive.

They tend to have deeper-seat ed emotional problems.

If the younger sexually abused chil dren are not obviously disruptive, then how is it possible to know there s a problem?

Who reports it?

In other (non-sexual abuse) cases, it is sometimes the parents who bring the child in boking for help.

But when it comes to sexual abuse it may also be a concerned person in the community who has certain information.
As for incest, the par ents are often the last people to say anything.

Adults are very uncom fortable dealing with these issues and because it occurs in the home where they are responsible for their they usually feel very children threatened or very guilty.

women against People tend to think of domestic vio lence and child/youth abuse as two separate problems.

But there is evidence that the two are linked?


Many of the women who come in for counseling for domestic violence at the WOmen$ Bureau have children - doesn't it affect them too?

Yes there is a link, after all domestic violence and child abuse often (but not always) occur in the same space - the home.

Where domestic vio lence occurs in a household, there may also be some level of child abuse too.

Parents may take out their frustrations on their children.
Bur even when children/youth are not directly abused in the home, they can still be affected by the vio lence against their mother.

This is called vicarious abuse and this often manifests as disruptive behavior.

We also know that many people who are abusers were abused themselves as children.

And we must remem ber that child/youth abuse is not only about physical beating and , sexual abuse, it's also about neglect and deprivation, verbal, psychologi cal and emotional abuse.
Even at the level of policy we need to think about making the connections.

For example within the Ministry of Community Development and the Welfare Women's Affairs, Department and the Women's Bureau work in the area of child welfare and violence against women respectively, bur we may need to work more closely together if we are to offer a more holistic approach to problems in families and homes, for women and children and families generally.
We've just mentioned domestic vio lence, there$ something that many people don't understand and that is - why do women stay in abusive relationships?

Is it the same reason why children and young people who are abused tend not to tell anyone about their abuse?

Well in the society that we live, abuse, especially sexual and physical abuse is seen as a very shaming thing.

To come out publicly and seek help is not an easy step for abused victims whether they are women, young persons (or even men).
Many times in the case of the woman, after a violent conflict, her partner will be very apologetic and try his utmost to say how sorry he is and attempt to make up, he will be so disarming that the woman will believe him.

After repeated attacks, it somehow becomes almost rou tine.

The woman becomes psycho logically affected.

Her self-esteem often drops very low and there seems no way out.
Especially if there economic children, dependence can also be a major rea son why women tend co remain in abusive relationships.

are For children, obviously, the ques tion is slightly different.

They are often being ill-treated in the very place that most of us associate with safety, love and care.

It's very con fusing, for them.

Depending on their age, they may not even have the words to explain what is hap pening to them.
Counseling is generally oJJered to the victims of abuse and violence, but is anything done with the perpe trators of these crimes?

It can be very difficult to even get the perpetrator to admit that there is a problem, and they don't want to accept responsibility.

You hear responses like "she was asking for it" or "the children made me do that".

Men seldom come in voluntarily - many times it would be only if a court order insists that they do.
However, the Welfare Department's focus at this time is on the victim of abuse.

Nowadays you hear so much about various people and groups offering counseling, can anybody counsel?

Counseling is a serious activity; dealing with people who are often at a very fragile point in their lives.

A lot of damage can be done by peo ple who are untrained.

Even when one has the theoretical knowledge, theories are not foolproof, so it is necessary to use the knowledge gained from experience too.
But the problem is that there are not yet any ethical guidelines or legal prin ciples at this time in Dominica that would guide the provision of coun seling services.

Finally, what about this thing that's seems to be growing ever more pop ular - ''peer counseling?

Peer counseling is when young per sons talk to their friends about their problems and try to work out a solution.

It's a first step.

Just to start talking about it.

There are cir cumstances where children can help their friends.
Peer counseling can be a positive experience for young persons because it teaches them to develop sensitivity to o and helps develop their communi cation skills.

What they must be cautioned to realize is that there are times when their friend's problems are larger than them.

Then, they need to find an adult who can process Young people need friends their age and they need advise from more experienced adults who have their best interests at heart.
Counseling can be a productive process LET'S TALK Where to get help.

Welfare Department, Ministry of Community Development & Women's Affairs, Government Headquarters, Roseau.

Tel: 448 2401 Ext.

3019 Women's Bureau, The Globe Building, Queen Mary Street, Tel: 448 2401 Ext 3344.

D omestic violence is the most prevalent form of violence against women.
The [UN] defines United Nations 'violence that domestic violence as occurs within the private sphere, gen emlly betu)een individuals who are refttted through intimacy, blood or law.

Despite the apparent neutmlity of the term, domestic violence is near !y always a gender-specific crime, per petmted by men against women.'

One of the most common mis- $.Ci conceptions is that domestic vio lence is caused by factors such as stress, alcohol and other illegal drug abuse, or socio-economic deprivation (i.e.
poverty, lack of education etc.).

However, these are NOT the root, causes of domestic violence.

Though there is no universal agreement on what exactly causes domestic vio lence, many experts agree and Characteristics of Unhealthy, Abusive Relationships ----r--· ///Coercion I II' jj' & l ~-~se --~{· / / -----~.

icJafV..n ,./' UVI ' / ·<- I I Emotional ' , Threats /' E .

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most victims testifY that domes tic violence boils down to power and control.
What is common to most cases of domestic violence, is the exercise of power and con trol over women, children ( espe cially girl children) and the elder ly, all of whom are seen as weak er, vulnerable or less powerful.

Things such as alcohol or stress do NOT cause domestic violence Instead we can of themselves.

consider them as triggers that under certain conditions, may set off a violent incident.

So what are the conditions that tend to lead to domestic violence?
According to the Inter-American Consultation on Women, "Violence against women in rela tionships is an issue of control and dominance [by the man] on the one hand, and dependence and vulnerability [of the woman] on the other".

In Dominica, as in the rest of the Caribbean, there is an additional aspect to violence and unequal power dif ferentials which can be directly linked to the legacy of slavery and the plantation system.
It has had the effect of normalizing ownership-type human rela tions, where power is seen as equivalent to control of another human being.

This has become embedded in the society's psy che, thus legitimizing violence as a tool for control and a confir mation of power.

The Dultuh wheel shown left is a model that illustrates the charac~ teristics of healthy and unbalanced relationships.
·-~, LETS 'L\LK T he Women's Bureau held a 3 day workshop on Gender Sensitization from the 29th June to 1st July 1999, in collabora tion with the Center for Gender and Development Studies [CGDS], Cavehill Campus, UWI, and the CARICOM Women's Secretariat.

The Workshop targeted a mix of persons from the public and private sector including Parliamentarians.

The main presenter was Dr Eudine Barriteau of the CGDS.
Dr Barriteua stressed that gender was not the same thing as a person's bio logical description as male or female.

Gender referred to the "social relations of gender" which analyses how men and women expe rience the world in different ways, and that women nearly always the world over tend to be in positions of It is subordination vis-a-vis men.

hoped that this gender sensitization w:omen's health is critical for the entire family.
During pregnancy and breast-feeding, maternal health directly affects the well being of the child.

However, because women tend to be the ones with the main responsibility for caring for the fam ily, if she is ill, then that will impair her ability to provide the nurturing and attention that families need.

Health is not just about disease.

It covers many aspects of our lives including things such as; eating right, exercise, reducing stress and spiritual health.
EAT RIGHT by Donille Blackmoore Health should be a pnonty Item.

But we sometimes lose track of this fact and eat the foods that taste workshop will be the start of many as people become more aware of the need to plan differently for men and women and to develop specific poli cies to address the needs of women.

LET'S TALK 2.

30 good, look good and do more harm than good to our bodies.
We should eat what is best for us, and what our bodies are really designed for- that is little or no meat, plen ty fish, and a varied diet of raw and cooked natural plant foods, fruits, nuts, grains and vegetables.

1.

Eat Less Sugar - Sugary foods are bad for your teeth and can ruin your appetite for nutritious foods.

If you eat too many sweet things in your diet, it is likely that you will gain weight and be susceptible to other health risks.
Stay away from sweets, cakes, puddings, jams, ice cream and tinned fruit.

Eat Less Fat - Your general health requires that you reduce the total intake of all fats, particularly animal fats.

Stay away from fried foods, pastry, cakes, cream biscuits, chocolates, salami, meat, cheese and fatty foods.

Grill instead of frying.

Use skimmed milk, and make a special effort to prepare low fat recipes.

A high fat low fiber diet may be the main cause of colon cancer and heart attacks.
Eat More Fiber -A high fiber diet offers you protec tion from a number of digestive diseases.

Eat plenty fruir, vegetables, and break fast cere a Is made from whole grain or brown bread.

5.

Eat More Fruit an Vegetables - They provide vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Try to have some fruit and vegetables twice or three times a day.

Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water per day- The nervous sys tem cannot function prop erly without sufhcient fluids.
It is also good for the kid neys and to get rid of toxins from the body.

Take none or little alcoholic beverages - no beer no wine.

Remember- you are what you eat!

Exercise by Carla Harris Pascal Being physically fir enhances the quality and length of our lives, bur most of us can't seem to find the time to exercise.

Some people even resist exercise - as far as they are concerned our grandparents didn't go to the gym and they didn't go jogging but they lived long, healthy lives.

So why should we worry?


Well our grandparents didn't take the bus, sit in an office all day or lie down in front of a TV for hours on end.

And they certainly didn't eat all that bread and processed food either.

Their lives were generally more physically demanding and they ate more natural foods.

Our sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits (including overeating), forces us to pay more attention to fitness.
Fitness is a combination of body composition (how much fat to mus cle you have), and cardiovascular fitness (how efficiently your heart and lungs work}.

Cardiovascular important especially fitness because it decreases your risk of hcut disea'>t\ stroke, high blood is pressure and other major life-threat ening diseases.

When you heart muscle is well conditioned (like any other muscle in your body), it becomes more efficient, it has to go through less stress to pump oxygen around your body for energy.
If the heart muscle is not fit, it becomes increasingly harder on it to pump and keep you alive and breathing.

You can improve your heart muscle fitness through any aerobic activity.

Aerobic exercise is anything that raises your heart rate and causes you to be just a little out of breath.

Just 30 minutes of sustained activity 3 times a week can have significant improvement for your overall health.

To make it easier to get the exercise you need, try taking a tip from your grandparent's lifestyle - .

.
.

Incorporate exercise mto your nor- mal everyday routines.

.

• • • • • Take a 20-minute walk dur ing your lunch hour.

Don't drive your car or take the bus if you're going short distances (anywhere that rakes you less than 10 min utes to drive to is near enough to walk to).

Hand deliver messages when possible rather than using the phone.

Change your social activity from going for a drink with friends to playing a game or exercising with a group.

If you must look at TV, don't use the remote con trol.
Each time you want to change the channel, get up and do it manually.

You'd be surprised at the workout you will gee Everyone has experienced stress.

It's part of life and can come in many shapes and forms- from work, fam ily and social activities.

But up to a certain point, stress can be good and keep us stimulated, and productive.

What is not good is "distress".

This factor called distress is what we feel when there is too much stress or not enough to stimulate us in our daily lives.
Here are a few tips to help you on your way to a better and healthier lifestyle.
If you are getting too little stimula tion, you may become Bored • Listless and tired • Prone to illness • The way to alleviate this problem is to • Learn something new, take a class Meet new friends Do something different from the routine • • If you are becoming over-stressed or distressed you may feel • • • Burned out or exhausted Overwhelmed Irritable To overcome this problem • • Cut back on social events Get in touch with what you really want to achieve Make time for yourself Limit your chores • • Getting a balance is what that counts and will help give you a more productive lifestyle!
HEALTH by Myld Riviere Plenderleith Women in the Caribbean are work ing toward their educational, social and economic development, but there appears to be one aspect of our lives that many of us are forgetting and that is our Spiritual develop ment.

Human beings all have some part of their existence that is not just phys ical.

Our spiritual side forces us to recognize that we are part of a big ger picture.
That we are linked to everyone God or through Nature or whatever form you want to describe this spe cial relationship.

We can use many different methods to put ourselves in touch with our spiritual side - things like prayer, meditation and fasting all help to focus on the non-physical side of our life.

Often we use soft inspira tional music, soft light (candles) or soothing scents (incense) to help set the atmosphere and mood, so that it is easier to achieve the process of reaching out by looking in.
As we get more in touch with our spmtu al side, we get closer to our creator, It is a the maker of the universe.

positive experience and the effect can be felt in our lives, in our fami lies and in the community.

Nowadays, as women take on more and more onto their plate, fighting for our rights and achieving greater heights, let us not forget to take the Spiritual food that will guide us to take positive decisions and to love ourselves and to stand up for what is good for us and our kin.
LET'S TALK D id you know that Coconut Water, which is drank local ly in Dominica, will soon be appearing bottled and sold as a health drink in supermarkets in Japan, Canada and the United It seems that a Coconut a States.

day, keeps the doctor away!

Did you know that Thyme (the sea soning), if prepared as a tea is used locally for spasmodic coughing, and for pain due to uterine disorders and kidney stones?

Oil of thyme has a powerful antiseptic called thyme and it is used in mouthwashes and toothpaste.
However, it is thought that excessive use can lead to over stimulation of the thyroid gland.

Did you know that Koplia can be an effective supplement in the control of hypertension (high blood pres sure).

Users should not suddenly discard tablets, but regular intake is observed to improve the health.

LET'S TALK by Myld Riviere Plewnderleith 4 large uncooked green plantains, grated oz.

tomato paste 1 medium eggplant diced small 3 medium carrots diced small 2 medium green peppers diced small 4 oz.
smooth peanut butter Grease a bakin~ dish approximately 8" x 11 " Put all the ingredients into a mixing bowl, aJJ salt to taste, and mix thoroughly.

Pour the butter into a baking dish and place in a medium heated oven to bake until brown.

Serve cold.

( 6) portions.

Printed at the Govenment Printery, Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica