Remembering Rita Raj (1944-2006)

Rita Raj, co-founder of ARROW, passed away on 23 November 2006 in Boston, Massachusetts. Rita, known for her courageousness, professionalism and refined and gentle nature, worked tirelessly throughout her life to further women’s health and rights in Malaysia and beyond. Rita founded ARROW in 1993 with Rashidah Abdullah and remained a director until 1996. Before ARROW, Rita worked for 10 years with the Malaysian Federation of Family Planning Associations where she helped to establish their evaluation system and later went on to work for the National Family Planning Board.

Rita joined the gender and development team at the Asian and Pacific Development Centre (APDC) in 1988 and soon afterwards teamed up with Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) to coordinate WAO’s path breaking national domestic violence research, which helped influence legislation on domestic violence in Malaysia. She was also, for a short period of time, the president of WAO. Rita was the Malaysian co-coordinator for the seven-country feminist research study of the International Research on Reproductive Rights and Action Group (IRRRAG) project, one of ARROW’s founding projects before receiving core funding in 1993. Rita also supported International Women’s Rights Action Watch (IWRAW) Asia Pacific and was a member of their Board of Directors, a position she maintained even after leaving Malaysia, as she remained committed and interested in IWRAW AP’s work.

After ARROW, Rita went on to study traditional Chinese medicine at the New England School of Acupuncture in Massachusetts, United States and became a New York-based licensed acupuncturist, fulfilling a life-long dream to become a healer. In the US, she was also able to continue her work in women’s health through her involvement with the Boston Women’s Health Collective, UNFPA and Rutgers University Center for Global Women’s Leadership. Throughout her life, Rita inspired many with her deep commitment to the inequities and injustices many women face, which she translated into action to improve women’s health and rights around the world. She will be missed.

ARROW's Memorial Service for Rita (December 19th, 2006)