Help end the silence with a special screening of HBO’s The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo.

Laurel Marks, in collaboration with The Unitarian Universalist Community of the Mountains, presents a screening of the HBO Documentary The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo.

When: Sunday, April 26, 2009 from 7 to 9 PM.

Where: Unitarian Universalist Community of the Mountains, 246 South Church Street, Grass Valley, California

Director Lisa Jackson delves into the psychological dark roots of this ten-year war in the Congo. Sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo affects not only the women and girls, but also tears apart families and communities.

 Since the release of the film, dozens of countries have screened the documentary and have raised awareness, support, and hope for the women victims of this brutal war.

All proceeds of this screening will be donated to support Women for Women International’s programs in the Congo.

Please share this with friend and join Laurel and the Unitarian Universalist Community of the Mountains to help break the silence.

Please call (530) 274-1547 for more information.

Run for Congo Women Registration now open for Colorado, Oregon, and Arizona!

It’s time again for Run for Congo Women, an inspirational run, walk, or hike that supports Women for Women International’s work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In only a few years, it has blossomed into a global movement with a very simple message: Congolese lives matter. The lives of Congolese women are significant. The lives of Congolese children are precious. They have waited far too long. They are worth our effort. We are running to help.

To learn more about the Run for Congo Women, visit the official website at www.runforcongowomen.org or watch this video.

Run for Congo Women: Morrison, CO. 5K and 10K (Run/Walk)September 19, 2009. Run begins at 8 AM at Bear Creek Lake Park REGISTER TODAY!

Run for Congo Women: Portland, OR. 3 or 9 Mile Run/Walk Saturday, September 19, 2009. Run begins at 8:30 AM. Join us at Lower Macleay Park, NW 29th & Upshur, and show your support for Congolese women survivors of war                                          REGISTER TODAY!

Run for Congo Women, Tempe, AZ. 5k Run/Walk                  

Saturday, September 27, 2009. Run Begins at 8AM. Come run in Kiwanis Park and send a message of hope and support to Congolese Women! REGISTER TODAY!

 If you are unable to participate, please consider making a donation to our work in DR Congo.

Show your support by becoming a fan of Run for Congo Women’s Facebook Page.

You’re invited! A Day of Fun and Fashion at Face Reality Clinic

Join Face Reality Acne & Skin Care Clinic in San Leandro, California on Sunday, April 19 for a Designer Clothing Sample Show and Jewelry Trunk Show. The event will be held from 12 to 5pm at Face Reality Acne Clinic, 155 Callan Avenue in San Leandro.

 

Designer Giselle Shepatin of San Francisco, will be selling her creative, whimsical, and flattering designs at fabulous prices! To preview Giselle’s collections, visit http://www.giselleshepatin.com .

 

This event will also feature original jewelry created by Face Reality’s co-owner Laura Cooksey. The trunk show will include necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and key chains. Click here to preview some of this unique jewelry,

 

10% of the proceeds from this sale will be donated to Women for Women International.

 

Bring a friend and stop in on April 19 for a day of fun, fashion, refreshments and maybe get great gifts for yourself or for Mother’s Day! 

 

For more information, e-mail Laura at llcooksey@yahoo.com

 

Lisa Shannon joins the Enough Project and STAND for On the Road Speakers Tour

 

On March 3, the On the Road Speakers Tour stopped by UC Berkeley to educate students about the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The panel included actress and activist Robin Wright Penn, Jimmie Briggs, an award-winning journalist and author, Candice Knezevic from the Enough Project, Francisca Thelin, and Lisa Shannon, founder of Run for Congo Women. The On the Road tour visited UC Berkeley after holding a discussion at also Oregon State University the day before.

 

The On the Road Speakers tour builds awareness and presents a message of hope to engage individuals and groups to advocate for the protection and empowerment of Congolese Women and girls. The panel presented information about the conflict in the Congo and the resulting epidemic of sexual violence against women and girls. Francisca Thelin, a Congolese-American, shared first-hand accounts of the challenges facing Congolese women.

 

YOU can show your support for Congolese women and children. Join the movement of activists who can advocate effectively for change by visiting http://www.raisehopeforcongo.org/. 

 

Students can join STAND as they seek to unite students around the world in a permanent anti-genocide constituency by checking out http://www.standnow.org/.

 

Zainab Salbi Speaking on March 5th – You Are Invited!

You are invited to hear Zainab Salbi speak on Thursday, March 5^th in San Francisco. Zainab will be the featured speaker at the Spark Speaker Series.

 

Spark seeks to build a community of young, global citizens who are invested in changing patterns of inequality that impact women throughout the world. Spark is based out of San Francisco, California and engages individuals and groups through community building, education, advocacy, and grant-making.

 

The Spark Speaker Series will be held Thursday March 5^th, from 6:30 to 9:30 PM. The event will be held at Hotel Vitale on San Francisco’s Embarcadero Waterfront.

 

We’ll hope you’ll join us for this inspiring event. Tickets available on Spark’s website and can be purchased here. Space is limited so reserve your ticket today.

 

To learn more about Zainab Salbi’s experiences as a survivor of war and her tremendous work as advocate for women in post-conflict area, click here.

 

Visit Spark’s website for more information about their mission: http://www.sparksf.org/about.html

Women for Women International’s Country Directors go to California

On Thursday February 12, Women for Women International held an event in Pasadena, California at the Western Justice Center. The event was co-hosted by Andrea Capachietti and Lisa Rico. Country Directors Christine Karumba from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ngozi Eze from Nigeria each spoke about their experiences working and living in the Congo and Nigeria, as well as the strength, resilience, and courage of the women who participate in these programs.

The turn-out for the event was wonderful, and the exchange between the supporters and the Country Directors provided meaningful insight into the tremendous amount of work that Ngozi and Christine do in order to support Women for Women International’s mission. 

Thank you Ngozi, Christine, Andrea, and Lisa for helping Women for Women International put on an inspirational and educational event!

To learn more about Women for Women International’s Country Directors, please click here.

Ngozi Eze, Country Director for Nigeria and Christine Karumba, Country Director for Democratic Republic of Congo

The Huntington Hotel and Nob Hill Spa Celebrate International Women’s Day

On March 10 and 11th, The Huntington Hotel and Nob Hill Spa in San Francisco, California will celebrate International Women’s Day by hosting speakers, showcasing four female designers in their Spa Boutique, and offering 10% discount on spa treatments.

At The Huntington Hotel and Nob Hill Spa, guests can enjoy massages, facials, nail services, body treatments, and wellness activities, all while showing their support for Women for Women International. The Hotel and Spa will donate a portion of their proceeds from treatments and retail March 10-11 to support Women for Women International.

The celebration will also include two presentations hosted at the Hotel and Spa:

March 10 at 6 p.m.: Dr. Daphne Miller, The Jungle Effect: A Doctor Discovers the Healthiest Diets From Around the World – Why They Work and How to Bring Them Home.

March 11 at 6 p.m.: Christine Switzer, Development Director, International Museum of Women

Thank you so much to Kellie James and The Huntington Hotel and Nob Hill Spa for showing your dedication to raising awareness and support for Women for Women International!

Learn more about how to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8th by clicking here.

If you’re interested in dedicating a day to support Women for Women International at your business or place of employment, contact us at events@womenforwomen.org

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.

 

Goddess2U Bellydance and 1078 Gallery’s Presents Whirled

Event: Join Goddess2U Bellydance in Chico, CA for a beautiful evening of dancing from around the world.  The 1078 Gallery and Goddess2U have collaborated to host the “Whirled” Dance Event to raise support and awareness for Women for Women International. Enjoy performances by local belly dancers and world dance performers. The line-up for the night will feature many talented local dance troupes including Origin, Parvati, Modern Gypsy, Goddess2U and more!  Proceeds will go towards helping women survivors of war regain their hope and rebuild their lives; tickets are now available at 1078 Gallery. Visit www.1078gallery.org to learn more!

 

When: Friday, September 5^th, 7PM

 

Where: 1078 Gallery, 820 Broadway, Chico, California

 

PDX Dance Party for Women

Joanne Alai and Pete Pavenick invite you to join them and The Goose Creek Band for an evening of music, dancing and fun, while raising money to help women survivors of war. Check out the event website for details: www.pdxforwomen.com.

All proceeds for this event go support Women for Women International. This is a small step, but will make a huge impact!

Event: PDX for Women Dance Party – a fund raising event in support of women survivors of war

• Live Musical performance by The Goose Creek Band
• Silent Auction
• Appetizer buffet and no-host bar (beer and wine only)
• Fun for the whole family
• An opportunity to make a difference in the world

When: Saturday, October 18, 2008, 7pm-11:30pm

Where: Oaks Park Dance Pavilion, 1 SE Spokane St., Portland Oregon

Space is limited and tickets must be reserved in advance (cost is tax deductable). Make your reservations from our website www.pdxforwomen.com or by emailing Joanne at joannealai@yahoo.com.