On Sunday, November 8th, Lorraine Dusky and Anthony Brandt hosted their third event for Women for Women International at their home in Sag Harbor, New York. They gathered some of their friends and together indulged in an extravagant brunch.

Lorraine currently sponsors three sisters in Afghanistan. As a way of representing the culture of her sisters, she wore an Afghani wedding dress decorated with an Afghan silver pin. She then spoke to her friends about why Women for Women International means so much to her. She read to the group letters from her sisters that have deeply affected her. She also showed our Women for Women International event promotional DVD and spoke more about the mission of Women for Women International.

Altogether, this event raised $1,460! This money was a donation from sixteen different donors. They are intending to use this money to sponsor 3 or 4 new women!

Thank you so much for your support Lorraine, Anthony, and all others who participated in this event! Your support is greatly appreciated and admired!

To find out how you can host an event like Lorraine and Anthony, please feel free to visit our events page on the Women for Women International website (http://www.womenforwomen.org/help-women/host-event-supporting-women-of-world.php) or contact me at jmorabito@womenforwomen.org.

On Sunday, October 18^th, a group of women gathered at The Canvas in Juneau, Alaska for an afternoon of conversation about the strength and perseverance of women around the world.This event was sponsored by Gather the Women.

Barbara Belknap, the Gather the Women Regional Coordinator in Juneau, and Darcy Lockhart brought together a number of women from around their community to spend the afternoon making cards for our Women for Women International sisters and having conversations about ways in which we can make the world a safer place for women and girls.

Women for Women International is very encouraged that conversations like these ones are being had. The more people talk about the issues that are occurring in our world, the greater the chances that real change will occur!

Many of those who attended this event also made donations to Women for Women International. Thank you so much for your support, women of Juneau! Your efforts are greatly appreciated and admired!

On Monday, October 26th, join Zainab Salbi and hundreds of other Women for Women International supporters from around the globe for a webchat. The converstation will be called “Our Blueprint for Peace: Safe Havens for Women”.

Through our Women’s Opportunity Centers (WOCs), for the first time in their lives, women survivors of war will have a place to call their own. The WOCs will be more than just buildings. They will be at the very heart of the community filled with women who are learning, growing, gaining new skills, and taking control of their lives.

We want to hear from you, so please feel free to enter in any of your thoughts, ideas, or questions.

Join us October 26th, 3:00pm ET/12:00pm PT. Talk to you then!

Women for Women International encourages you to come out and support the women of Congo by attending the “One Love” Artist open house on Saturday, October 24th.

Kadan & In the Flow Studies and Women for Women International invite you to join us in celebrating LOVE through ART. Our goal is to raise funds to help educate and train women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We hope to raise much more than money through this artistic collaboration, we hope to raise their spirits. We have a wide spectrum of artists with different styles and backgrounds, but they all have one thing in common – a belief that through their art they can reach out and touch the lives of those thousands of miles away. They believe in the resillience and the strength of their sisters in the Congo.

Show Features:
- Poetry, Musical and Dance Performances, Including Harp, Hip-Hop Dance, Acoustic Guitar, Atzec Dance, and Tahitian Drumming
- Paintings, Photography, Video, and Visual Art by Local Artists
- Martial Arts and Eskrima Demonstrations

100% of the ticket sales from this event will be donated to Women for Women International.

Doors Open at 1:00pm. We can’t wait to see you there!

For More Information:
- Call: (562) 556-4994
- E-mail: manakeeper@gmail.com or katheen.araneta@gmail.com
- Or Check Out the Web: http://web.me.com/auroraferrer/Arts_Open_House_Congo_Fundraiser/Welcome.html

On October 24th, 2009, Magnifique Photography will be hosting a charity photography day for Women for Women International. 100% of the profits from this day will be going to Women for Women International.

How the Day Works:
Each session is 30 minutes long and the minimum donation required is $150. You will receive all digital images on a disc from your session-copyright free. Time slots will be limited and are on a first come, first serve basis. There will be a morning session in downtown Ogden for a more urban feel and in the late afternoon/evening at Beus Pond in Ogden with fall leaves and the pond. These sessions can be for families up to 6 people, children, seniors, teens, bridals or even engagements.

As was mentioned before, 100% of the profits will go to Women for Women International. Magnifique Photography has a strong desire to give back to the community and they believe this is a great and effective way to do that!

Women for Women greatly appreciates and supports this initiative! Thank you Magnifique Photography for your kindness and generosity!

For more information contact:
Terra Cooper 801-628-7432
terra@magnifiquephotography.com

or Brandee Butler: 801-913-1828
info@philosophyphotos.com

or visit the Magnifique Photography webpage at http://blog.magnifiquephotography.com/2009/09/25/charity-photography-dayoctober-24th.aspx

Women for Women International wishes to invite you to join us for a panel discussion: “Breaking the Silence: Voices of Saudi, Iranian and Iraqi Women”. The DC Leadership Circle will be hosting this inaugural Author’s Circle panel discussion Wednesday, September 30th.

The panel discussion with be moderated by Margaret Warner, Senior Correspondent, PBS “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer”. Our other three panelists include Soheir Khashoggi, author of Mirage, Mosaic and Nadia’s Song, Azar Nafisi, Director of SAIS cultural conversations and author of Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books and Things I’ve been Silent About: Memories, and our very own Zainab Salbi, Founder and CEO of Women for Women International and author of Between Two Worlds and The Other Side of War.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear the stories of three extraordinary women who escaped cultural and political oppression, and who courageously speak out for the employment and equality of women all around the globe. We hope you will participate in this dynamic exchange of ideas as we explore the role women at the intersection of literature, politics and human rights in repressed societies.

The panel discussion begins at 7:30pm on Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 and goes until 9:00pm. The event will be held at:

SAIS – W. John Kenney Auditorium
1740 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036

If you wish to attend this event, please RSVP to Erika Cupples at 202-521-9607 or ecupples@womenforwomen.org.

We hope to see you there!

Lyric Thompson, Women for Women International’s policy analyst, is going to be the keynote speaker at the 14th International Conference on Violence, Abuse and Trauma in San Diego, California. This conference is put on by the Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma (IVAT), an international resource and training center at Alliant International University.

Lyric is going to be giving an overview of violence against women in war/conflict in all of the countries Women for Women International works in. She is also going to be discussing exactly what Women for Women is doing to help.

The conference is going to be held September 23-26. All registration for this event is on-site.

If you would like to learn more information or to view the conference schedule, visit the IVAT website: http://www.ivatcenters.org/

We just wanted to remind everyone about the upcoming fashion show, Fashion for Hope, hosted by Inner Expressions Event Planning! Inner Expressions is generously hosting this fashion show to benefit Women for Women International. Tickets are $25, and $5 of each ticket will be donated to Women for Women!

The event will be held in Washington, DC on Sunday, October 18th in the evening. We invite you and your friends to join us for an evening of fun as well as help us raise support for Women for Women International!

We again thank Inner Expressions for their incredible support!

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit Inner Expressions at www.innerexpressions.org.

Women for Women International sponsor Karen Taborn will host a presentation about her experiences as a sponsor of women in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the past two and a half years at the upcoming Women Inspire gathering in Bloomington, Indiana.

Karen invites you to join the group!

The event will be held Friday, September 18, 2009 at 6:00pm. It will be located at KRC Catering, 216 S. College St, Bloomington, Indiana.

For more information, visit the Women Inspire website at http://www.womeninspire.org.

Saturday, August 22nd, 2009 – 8pm

Atlas Performing Arts Center

1333 H Street NE

Washington, DC 20002

New York City welfare recipients wait endlessly for their number to be called.  In the welfare office they let go, all rules are off, and these citizens really tell what fare they would pay to be well.  Written and performed by Nia Orms and directed by Oz Scott, Please Take a Number is a collection of characters standing at the crossroads of passivity and leadership.  Find out what it means to fight for survival and individuality when you are told to Please Take a Number.

Nia Orms is an NAACP Award Winner for Best Actress in a Play.  Backstage West says, “Orms fully embodies these people… proves she has sharp skills as an actor and writer.”

Proceeds from Nia’s August 22, 2009 show will benefit Women for Women International.  For tickets to Please Take a Number, please visit www.atlasarts.org.  For more information on Nia, visit www.niaorms.com.