As you may know, Lisa Shannon, the founder of Run For Congo Women, was recently on Oprah promoting Women for Women International and Run for Congo Women. The response to the show was huge and now Oprah is interested in doing a follow up show based on A Thousand Sisters, a novel Lisa has written based upon her experiences in the Congo.

The show would also like to feature stories of Women for Women International sponsors and their sisters. Oprah wants to hear how you have been impacted by the sponsorship experience. We need you to tell your stories! We encourage you to click on this link (https://www.oprah.com/plugform.jsp?plugId=3031371&referer=http://www.oprah.com/pluglist.jsp?teamTypeName=TOWS) and share the story of both you and your sister with Oprah!

Liz Breen became involved with Women for Women International in 2007, and is currently sponsoring her third sister. She decided to host an event in her home to share her experience as a sponsor, and to show her friends and family how Women for Women International’s work helps women survivors of war become active citizens. Liz held a low-key event at her home, shared a Nigerian participant’s story of hope, and promoted dialogue about the challenges that women survivors of war face. Liz even encouraged three women to become sponsors themselves. Thanks for your dedication and support Liz!

Joanne Bagshaw and Tina Annibell of Bellport, New York invite you to a night of philanthropy, ethnic food and beverages, and raffles. The One World Celebration Dinner will support Women for Women International, as we engage women victims of war as they move to become active citizens.

The One World Celebration dinner will be held Friday June 5, 2009 from 7 to 10pm at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Bellport. The event is being catered by Nourished Living, Cornucopia and The Grey Horse Tavern.

Tickets are $40 per person and will support Women for Women International.

Please contact Joanne Bagshaw at joanne@joannebagshaw.com or Tina Annibell at tina@nourishedliving.net for more information.

Neama Alamri and other 15 students came together to form Students Making a Difference in their high school. Though the girls came from different grades, different social circles, and had different interests, they united over a common goal: supporting people around the world who are in need.

This year, members committed to raising awareness about the challenges that women survivors of war are facing, especially in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their efforts promoted empowerment of these women by supporting Women for Women International’s programs.

Students Making a Difference is proof that a group of dedicated individuals can make a great impact both in their community and in the lives of women from all over the world. Neama and her classmates are truly an inspiration. Keep up the great work!

In celebration of the 200 million member mark on Facebook, they’ve created virtual gifts to support global charities and advocacy groups. Women for Women International is one of 16 charities selected to participate!  

Show your support by purchasing a Women for Women International gift and sending it to a friend or family member today!

We are very excited and encourage you to spread the word! You can find the gift by clicking on this link and selecting the purple woven basket or the blue and orange one: http://www.facebook.com/giftshop.php?&ref=sb

Here are some things you can do:  

- Update your status on your Facebook Page  

- Post your gift as photos to your Page

- Add a message in your email signature

- Send the link to your friends!

These gifts are only available for a limited time so get the word out there quickly!

If you’re not already a fan of Women for Women International on Facebook, become one and show your support: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=7822598&ref=name#/womenforwomen

Nabila Parvez, a junior at Richard Montgomery High School learned about Women for Women International’s mission when she began volunteering at our DC office in summer 2007. She was moved by the courage and resilience of the women participating in our programs. Nabila wanted to make her classmates more aware of the challenges women survivors of war face and help support them as they re-build their lives. Nabila was determined to engage her school and her community – so she embraced her love of soccer to host a Charity Soccer Tournament that would support Women for Women International. Nabila encourages other teenagers to support non-profit organizations like Women for Women International because it is “empowering to feel like you’re fighting back against the horrors of war.” Thank you Nabila for all of your hard work!

To learn more about how you can host your own event at your school, with your team, or elsewhere in your community, visit our Get Involved Page!

When Kate Lillie first learned about the situation facing Rwandan women back in 2005, she was distraught by the violence and poverty these women were facing. But she was determined to help. She began to host pot-luck dinners at her ceramic studio, Your Plate or Mine in Muskegon Michigan. “Here’s to good women,” she wrote on her invitation to a March 24 potluck. “May we know them … May we be them … May we raise them.” Each woman brought a dish to pass around and donated the money they would have spent going out to dinner to Women for Women International. Kate’s potlucks have made such an impact that Columnist Susan Harrison Wolffis wrote the article, “It’s what good women do”,  published in Muskegon Opinion to highlight Kate’s efforts.

Kate says, “A group of good women armed with good hopes and a little money can make a difference. That is what good women do.”

You can read more about Women for Women International’s work in Rwanda here.

Learn how you can host your own pot-luck dinner or event to help support Women for Women International by visiting our Get Involved! Page.

Donna and Caroline’s Gazelle Truck with WfWI logo

Last year, Donna DeWick and Caroline Boyes, of London, UK trained extensively and participated in The Rallye Aicha des Gazelles (Rally of the Gazelles), a two week, all-women rally through the landscapes and deserts of Morocco. Donna and Caroline used this opportunity to support women survivors of war and raised over $2000 for Women for Women International’s programs. Read more about Donna and Caroline’s amazing journey here.

ESPN recently highlighted this two week competition and celebration of women’s strength and resilience in ESPN Magazine. You can watch the video about the rally on ESPN’s website.

This year’s Rally of the Gazelles 2009 is underway now. Visit their website for clips and updates about the 100 teams of women that are trekking across Morocco in this intense competition

Who: Women for Women International Staff and Participants in Afghanistan

What: PBS’s The NewsHour

When: Friday, March 20 at 7pm ET (check local listings)

PBS The NewsHour correspondent Margaret Warner visited our offices in Afghanistan to view first hand the status of women in Afghanistan and how women in war-torn regions are rebuilding their lives. 

Afghan women are facing enormous obstacles.

• 85.1% of women have no formal education
• 74% of girls drop out of school by 5th grade
• Only 1% of girls in rural communities attends school
• Nearly 79% of women are illiterate
• The average salary is just 48 cents a day
• On average, Afghan women give birth to 7 children
• 1 out of 8 women die from causes related to pregnancy or child birth

But since Women for Women International began working in Afghanistan in 2002, more than 38,000 women have received training to help them reclaim and rebuild their lives. As attitudes towards women and gender roles shift, women can claim equal partnership and responsibility for the future of their country

Join us in viewing this powerful The NewsHour on Friday March 20 at 7pm ET or check your local listings.

Learn more about Women for Women International’s work in Afghanistan.

Emma on her Bat Mitzvah day

To spread awareness and support for women in war-torn regions among her family and friends, Emma Youcha chose to share her Bat Mitzvah with Women for Women International. She suggested donations to Women for Women International in lieu of traditional gifts, and raised more than $900!

Thank you Emma for your dedication to empowering women survivors of war! Your fundraising efforts will help Women for Women International provide the women we serve with the tools they need to re-build their lives and become active citizens in their communities.

You can share your big day with Women for Women International – suggest donations on your behalf for your wedding, bat mitzvah, birthday, anniversary, or holiday celebration. To learn more about how your next celebration can make an impact on the lives of women across the world, email events@womenforwomen.org.