CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY!

On International Women’s Day, women around the world join together in celebration of the intelligence, strength, courage and beauty of women. Since 1908 this has been a day to celebrate the achievements of women around the world without regard to their national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political differences.

This year, we join together with our supporters to celebrate the economic and social achievements of women. We honor the women who work to overcome the food crisis in their communities and put food on the table for their families. These women are not waiting for a bailout but are instead learning the skills and techniques of sustainable organic farming to feed their families and support themselves.

Wondering how you can participate in International Women’s Day?

JOIN US FOR A GLOBAL TELECONFERENCE ON MARCH 5^th.

Global Program Executive Director Karen Sherman and Dr. Grace Fisiy, Agribusiness Specialist, will talk about what women in our program are doing to eradicate hunger in their countries. Click here for more details.

HOST AN EVENT. There are plenty of ways to celebrate International Women’s Day and to help empower women across the globe. Past events include house parties, book club meetings, art exhibits, and craft shows. Browse the Get Involved! Blog for more creative ideas on how to raise awareness about the global food crisis or download our Event Kit to get started!

For more information on International Women’s Day and Women for Women International, please click here.

NYC French Club raises support for Women for Women International!

Eva Anderson and her French Club in New York City set out to spread the word and raise awareness and support for Women for Women International! Together, they collected over $350 to support our Sponsorship Program. Their fundraising efforts engaged their schoolmates and will help provide the tools and resources necessary so that the women we serve will be able to bring stability and self-sufficiency to their own lives. Thank you Eva and members of the French Club, and keep up the good work!

Women for Women International theme on iGoogle

Show your support by adding the Women for Women International theme to your iGoogle home page. Add our theme to your iGoogle home page now!

Google has launched a Women for Women International “theme” on iGoogle as part of a collection called “Themes for Causes.” Women for Women International is one of a select group of nonprofit causes which includes an iGoogle header of photographs showcasing Women for Women International programs.

Women for Women International Country Directors visit Google

Today, we visited the Google campus in Mountain View, CA with Christine Karumba, Country Director for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ngozi Eze, Country Director for Nigeria.  We couldn’t take pictures in the buildings but grabbed this quick one by the sign.

 

Google sponsors talks like this often and makes the recordings available on YouTube.  As soon as the recording is posted, we’ll make it available on our web site.  In the meantime, I wanted you all the know about the kinds of questions Googlers had for Christine and Ngozi and the cool work that we do together already.  Ngozi and Christine both talked about the Men’s Leadership training courses that we offer in Nigeria and now the DRC and they were asked how men are enrolled for that program and what level of interest communities had in it given the state of women’s issues in their locations.  Ngozi told us about how she worked with local government and community leaders and asked them who they wanted to attend their training.  In this way, she had support of local leadership and the men who were chosen had some distinction in being asked as well.

 

Josh Mendelsohn, our host at Google, asked about how well we do or don’t work with the governments local and national where we work.  This gave Christine an opportunity to talk about the work her offices are doing with the Women’s Affairs Council of the government in the DRC.  She has worked hard to establish Women for Women’s leadership role in the country so that the government may look to us as a resource.  Ngozi talked about working at a very local level in each of the communities we work in and how the local support is key to bringing us into a community.  We also talked about how important having local leadership of our programs is to Women for Women International’s credibility on the ground and with the governments.

 

Tanya Keen, a sponsor who works at Google Earth was there so we got a chance to thank her in person for the Google Earth layer she created for Women for Women International. Look for more later when the video is posted.

 

Vagina Monologues in NYC at Rockefeller University.

The Vagina Monologues movement, originally conceived by Eve Ensler, is a community-based project aimed at increasing awareness of violence against women, and bringing this violence to an end. Proceeds from the performance at Rockefeller University will support Women for Women International. This fund raising effort will provide the women we serve with the tools and resources they need to rebuild their own lives after conflict.

The event will be held Friday, February 13^th, at 7pm at Rockefeller University, Weiss Building on the 17^th floor. This event will feature performances by Samantha Deka, Asia Drag, Ann Fisher, Suzette Freedman, Hannah Kim, Jessica Krause, Nitika Nadgar, Nina Padukone, Pia Padukone, Cathy Sun, and Ilona Wall. The Weiss Building is located at 1230 York Ave at 66^th Street.

Tickets are $15, cash only. You can reserve your seat by sending your name and number of tickets to vmon09@yahoo.com. Please consider your reservation confirmed unless you receive a reply.

Vagina Monologues at George Mason University

As part of the global V-Day Campaign to Stop Violence Against Women and Girls, George Mason University presents Vagina Monologues. The proceeds from these shows will benefit GMU Victims of Violence Fund and Women for Women International.

Tickets are available at the Mason Box Office and at http://www.tickets.com. For more information about the show,

click here.

Goods for Good Charity Art Sale

Artists Suzzane Rogge and Elisse Gabriel engaged their community by using their unique talents and creativity to raise awareness and support for Women for Women International. Suzzane, Elisse and a group of local artists recently hosted the Goods for Good Charity Art Sale. 14 artists and 6 children participated in the community event, selling handmade wares such as pottery, jewelry, photography, prints, hand-screened t-shirts, cards, and toys. Thank you Suzzane, Elisse, and your fellow artists for helping empower women across the world!

Suzanne Rogge and Elisse Gabriel at the Goods for Good Event.

Visit Women for Women International’s Get Involved page for tips on planning and hosting your own event and for other fun fundraising ideas. You can truly get your community involved in supporting women survivors of war.