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The Women's Institute (WI) is a membership organisation for women in Britain.1 Organisation and membership
Individual Women's Institutes are self-governing and serve particular towns or districts. They are grouped into 70 county and island federations. Both the individual WIs and the regional federations are members of the National Federation of Women's Institutes. In 2003 approximately 220,000 women were members of the WI.
2 Activities
WI members take part in local programs that may include sport, drama, education, cooking and community projects, in addition to campaigning on matters of local, national and international importance including domestic violence, oil pollution, and Aids.
3 History
The WI was founded in Britain in 1915, due to World War I inspired by the Federated Women's Institutes of CanadaThe Federated Women's Institutes of Canada is an umbrella organization for Women's Institutes in Canada. The idea to form a national group was first considered in 1912. In 1914, however, when the war began the idea was abandoned. At the war's end, it was, and backed by the Government's Board of Agriculture , with the belief that the WI could play an important role in the countryside, particularly in domestic science and the production and preserving of foodFood is any substance normally eaten or drunk by living organisms. The term food also includes liquid drinks. Food is the main source of energy and of nutrition for animals, and is usually of animal or plant origin. The study of food is called food scienc. The first meeting of a British WI took place in Llanfairpwll, WalesFor alternate meanings, see Wales (disambiguation Wales ( Welsh: Cymru pronounced /"k@mrI/ SAMPA, km IPA, 'Kumree' approximate pronunciation) is one of the four nations comprising the United Kingdom (the other three being England, Scotland and Northern Ir, on Wednesday June 16, 1915Events January 12 The Rocky Mountain National Park is established by an act of Congress. January 12 United States House of Representatives rejects proposal to give women the right to vote. January 13 An earthquake (6. 8 in Richter scale) in Avezzano, Ital.
Encouraged by the Ministry of Agriculture, the WIs also played a similar role in the production of foods during World War IIWorld War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the world's nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. The war was fough. The reputation that the WI earned as makers of jam and the bottlers of fruit persists to the present day, though is now hardly typical.
4 Official anthem
The WI adopted Jerusalem as their official anthem in the 1920s.
5 External links
6 See also
ACWW
