MILPITAS: "One woman can make a difference. But one empowered woman can change the world." This powerful quote that guided Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai to create sustainable change in Africa provided the same inspiration to 200 women in Milpitas on Saturday, June 21.

The Bochansanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) hosted its first Women's Conference themed "Investing in Women & Girls" as part of the United Nations International Women's Day celebrations held across the globe. The conference explored the impact of social, cultural, health, educational and spiritual investment in women and girls. Smita Patel, spoke on the importance of social investment, by talking about her experiences as the founder of Mountain Children's Forum, ("MCF"), a grass roots movement in Northern India. MCF organizes children in rural villages to set up their own "Bal Panchayats", or children's groups, to rally for issues such as eradicating addictions, improving cleanliness, and expanding education.

Gayathri Ramprasad, founder of ASHA International, an organization that promotes global mental health awareness, discussed the power of cultural investment, and specifically, embracing both Eastern and Western cultures to aid in recovery from mental illness.Dr Andrea Yao, MD of the Bay Area motivated the audience to make simple changes in diet and exercise to reverse the impact of diabetes. "You can be different from your grandmother by living longer," she empowered the audience.

"You hold the power to live, so live well."Dr Nzeera Ketter, an infectious disease specialist currently at Johnson & Johnson, discussed the critical need to invest in education for women. While working on HIV vaccination research, she learned that providing high school education for girls in Africa can reduce their chances of HIV infection by 50 percent. "Education is power," she said. It is better than any vaccination.

The final speaker who discussed spiritual investment was Nikshita Patel, a Senior Administrative Assistant at Comerica Bank and National Coordinator for BAPS Women's Programs. She spoke of spirituality as the internal force that gives individuals sustenance. She also talked about other ways to bring spirituality to one's life such as meditation or community service. Susan Estevez, wife of Milpitas Mayor Jose Estevez, who attended the event, found the program "very informative, and fantastic with excellent speakers."

She recognized BAPS for its efforts in driving transformational change in its community, and encouraged BAPS to continue developing conferences like these to drive awareness and celebration of women's accomplishments in society. All speakers infused the 200 participants with hope, power and inspiration. Smita Patel said, "This is an important event for appreciating women and what they contribute to society. There is a lot to be hopeful for, and it's because of all of you [audience]."

The conference left a lasting impact on many of the attendees. "My mother and I took away a lot," said one of the attendees. "We were discussing the ideas the entire way home and with our family." Deepa Patel, one of the lead organizers of the conference said, "At BAPS we recognize the power women have in shaping our community. Conferences like these offer our Bay Area community the opportunity to join collectively to share, discuss and recognize women's needs and celebrate our achievements."