Happy Hour With Zainab Salbi!

Zainab Salbi

Join us at a special Happy Hour event featuring Zainab Salbi, renowned author of Between Two Worlds and Founder and CEO of Women for Women International!

When: Tuesday, June 9^th, 6-8pm

Where: BLT Steak, 1625 I Street, NW, Washington, DC

Event is proudly sponsored by BLT Steak and the Meltzer Group.

RSVP to events@womenforwomen.org

Bring a Friend! There will also be a unique opportunity to become involved or introduce a friend to Women for Women International. For anyone that signs up to sponsor a woman at the event, we will waive the $30 one-time enrollment fee.

Light hors d’oeuvres will be served and a cash bar will be available. There is a $10 cover charge at the door. We hope to see you there!

In case of bad weather, the event will be rescheduled for July 8th.

If you have any questions, please contact us at events@womenforwomen.org.

For more information about Women for Women International, please click here.

Runner Raises Money for Women for Women International’s Run For Congo Women

 

Angela crosses the finish line! Photo courtesy of Angela Ferris.

Angela Ferris of Pittsburgh, PA recently completed the Pittsburgh Marathon and raised funds through the Run for Congo Women to support Women for Women International’s program in Congo. Angela raised more than $1500! Her donation will help improve the lives of women survivors of war in Congo. Angela also wrote a moving poem that beautifully captures the plight and inner strength of women living and surviving in war torn areas, and is featured below. Her dedication to empowering women is an inspiration to women everywhere and we are so grateful for her hard work. Thanks Angela!

 

BLESSED WOMAN

 

You know violence,

terror’s face;

suffer silence,

fear’s dark prison.

 

Blessed Woman

 

You are beautiful, strong.

Blessed Builder

Rebuilder

Blessed Giver

Survivor.

 

Blessed Woman

 

We stand with you.

for Peace,

hope reward;

Justice,

freedom voice;

for light,

your Power

to teach, love, grow

heal, change, dream

believe

laugh

Live.

 

Blessed Woman

 

Angela Ferris

5/14/2009

 

For more information about doing your own Run for Congo Women, please click here.

 

“The Stoning of Soraya M.”: Coming Soon To A Theater Near You!

A scene from the powerful new film, "The Stoning of Soraya M."

“The Stoning of Soraya M.” is a powerful new film that highlights the suffering and injustice experienced by many women around the world. Based on a true story, the film chronicles the life of a village woman, wrongly accused and convicted of a crime in a corrupt society. The different facets and subtle relationships of the village all come into play as one woman must fight for her freedom and her life. The film stars Academy-Award nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo and was the runner-up for the Audience Award at the Toronto 2008 Film Festival; it’s a must-see for anyone interested in gaining more information about a single example of the atrocities many women face every day.

 For more information about “The Stoning of Soraya M.,” please click here.

 For more information about Women for Women International, please click here.

Cross-Country Drive to Commemorate 100th Anniversary of Alice Ramsey’s Trip

Emily driving the renovated version of Alice's car.

In just a few short weeks Emily Anderson of Seattle, Washington will embark on a journey to commemorate the 100^th Anniversary of the first time a woman drove across the United States.  Alice Ramsay and three female friends set out from New York City in 1909 unsure of what their future held; they arrived in San Francisco fifty-nine days later, having completed the adventure of a lifetime. To commemorate the drive, which proved to be a significant event in the Women’s Suffrage Movement, Emily will follow Alice’s route in a renovated model of the car Alice drove. Emily has kindly decided to raise funds and awareness for Women for Women International! We are so grateful for her pledge and are excited to follow her progress as she makes her way across the country. Best of luck, Emily and we look forward to hearing more! Thank you for celebrating women everywhere!

 For more information about Emily’s drive and Alice Ramsay, please click here.

 For more information about getting involved with Women for Women International, please click here.

Zainab Salbi Featured on “Have Fun * Do Good” Blog

Zainab Salbi on the "Have Fun * Do Good" Blog

Zainab Salbi, founder and CEO of Women for Women International, was recently featured on Britt Bravo’s “Have Fun * Do Good” blog. In her interview, Zainab speaks about the work the organization does and why now, more than ever, it’s integral that we continue to support women worldwide. Zainab describes her inspiration for founding Women for Women International, as well as how the organization chooses and continues to support its beneficiaries; she highlights two very moving personal accounts of women that receive our support.  

 To read the entire interview transcript, please click here.

 For more information about Women for Women International, please click here.

Carondelet High School Raises Money to Support Women Worldwide

Carondelet High School in Concord, CA. Photo courtesy of Carondelet High School.

The community at Carondelet High School recently designated Women for Women International as the focal point of their annual Lenten alms project. Students, faculty and staff raised more than $6075 to benefit women survivors of war. Faculty at the school also reported that the project facilitated discussion of sexual violence and broadened students’ understanding of the consequences of wartime atrocities. A very sincere thank you to all of the members of the Carondelet High School Community! Your hard work and generosity are very much appreciated.

 For more information about Women for Women International, please click here.

 To learn more about hosting your own event, please click here.

George Mason University Students Raise Money Through Performance of Vagina Monologues

GMU students performing "The Vagina Monologues." Photo by Courtney Erland, Photography Manager, Student Media, George Mason University.

Students at George Mason University recently raised money for Women for Women International with their rendition of “The Vagina Monologues.” The play, which presents issues of female identity and sexuality, and highlights violence against women, was sponsored by the University Sexual Assault Services center. The students were able to raise $1750 to support Women for Women International’s program in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)! In addition to their donation, the students were able to increase awareness of the crisis in the DRC and the atrocities that happen there every day. We are so grateful to the participating students for their efforts to provide life-saving services to women in the DRC and for raising awareness about the situation for women there.

For more information about Women for Women International’s program in the DRC, please click here.

To learn more about hosting your own event, please click here.

Run for Congo Women at Carleton College

Samantha Ellerbeck, a sophomore at Carleton College, recently organized her own running event at her school. Samantha and her fellow students are a part of a group that runs awareness campaigns about womens’ struggles in the DRC at their school in Northfield, MN.

The run raised more than $100! Moreover, Samantha and her group’s event helped spread the word about Women for Women International and the women we support in the DRC. This event is a reminder of how we can all impact our community just by being a little proactive. We are so grateful for the support of Samantha and her friends. Keep up the amazing work!

For more information about Women for Women International’s Run for Congo event, please click here.

If you would like to find out how you can organize your own event, please click here.

Women for Women International on Mindful Mama Blog

Women for Women International featured on Mindful mama Blog

Bess Hochstein, a supported of Women for Women International, is a freelance writer who posts on the mother-themed blog “Mindful Mama.” Her most recent blog discusses how we can all go back to the roots of Mother’s Day – and honor our mothers in more creative, non-‘hallmark’ ways.

Bess highlights Women for Women International and our efforts to honor mothers through the gift of donation. She also lists other honorable causes and encourages everyone to get more involved with charity this Mother’s Day. Remember to spread the word about Women for Women International through your own blogs and networking sites! Together, we can celebrate both our own mothers and the women we serve. Thank you for your support Bess! 

Click here to read Bess’s blog post.

For more information on supporting the Women for Women International web community check us out here!

Women for Women International’s Afghanistan Country Director to Speak at Congressional Briefing – Wed. May 13th

Women for Women International’s Afghanistan Country Director Sweeta Noori will provide commentary on her work with women survivors of war in Afghanistan during a congressional briefing on Capitol Hill this Wednesday, May 13th, 2009. The panel discussion is part of the Congressional Progressive Caucus’s Seeking Global Security project’s six-part discussion series entitled “Afghanistan: A Road Map For Progress”. The forum, “Forging an International Diplomatic Strategy for Afghanistan,” will take place from 2:00pm – 3:30pm, in Room 210 of the Cannon House Office Building and is free and open to the public.

“Afghanistan: A Road Map For Progress” is part of an effort that seeks to broaden the collective understanding of today’s Afghanistan, examine and compare possible policy choices and include input from conventional and unconventional security policy communities as policymakers work to develop policy that will create a safer, more secure global community.

Sweeta Noori is the Country Director of the Afghanistan chapter of Women for Women International, which has been operational since 2002. In her work as Country Director she has assisted over 20,000 women in her country with financial assistance, rights education, and vocational skill straining. She was instrumental in launching one of Afghanistan’s first microcredit lending programs targeted to women, which has disbursed over $11.4 million to over 47,000 women. Under her leadership, WfWI-Afghanistan partnered with the Afghanistan Ministry of Women’s Affairs to register 2,000 women to vote in the historic 2004 presidential elections and 1,800 women in the 2005 parliamentary elections.

For more about Women for Women International’s work in Afghanistan and globally, visit our website at www.womenforwomen.org.

For additional information on the Congressional Progressive Caucus’s Afghanistan series, please visit the Caucus website a http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/.