Education - Together Women Rise

When DFW member Eileen Rogers celebrated a big birthday, she used it to impact the world.

In 2009, Eileen, along with friend and fellow activist Debbie Hill, launched “The Big Wish”, their fundraising initiative to build and outfit a school in Mali. The pair wanted to turn their “big birthdays” into something significant beyond themselves. They had the support of friends and colleagues who spread the word about the goal. The project was a resounding success, raising nearly $80,000, almost twice the original estimate. Details

Together Women Rise

Connections, Education, Impact Areas, Safety and Security, Together Women Rise

Afghanistan, Book, George W. Bush Institute, Lynn O’Connell, We Are Afghan Women: Voices of Hope

Afghan Women Are Impacting Communities and Culture

By Lynn O’Connell, DFW Member

We Are Afghan Women: Voices of Hope is the title of the book released just last month from the George W. Bush Institute. I had an opportunity to attend an event announcing the book’s publication in Washington, DC, hosted by the United States Institute of Peace which featured a discussion by Laura Bush, former U.S. First Lady, and Mina Sherzoy, a Council member of the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council. Details

Marsha Wallace

2015, Education, Gender Equality, Together Women Rise

find me unafraid, grantee, Kibera, Shining Hope for Communities, SHOFCO

Find Me Fascinated

The first time I talked with Jessica Posner, co-founder of Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), was June 2011. Shining Hope for Communities was Dining for Women’s featured grantee, and I had asked her to Skype with my chapter. It was about 2:00 a.m. in Kenya! We were riveted as she described the school and the vision that she and Kennedy, her life partner and SHOFCO co-founder, have for their organization. We were hooked by the vision but also by the story of Jessica and Kennedy, drawn together in life and in work. Jessica is from Denver, Colorado. Kennedy was born and raised in the slums of Kibera, in Nairobi, Kenya. Together they’ve established a thriving nonprofit that is changing the lives of precious girl students and also their community in Kibera. Details

Together Women Rise

2015, Economic Sustainability, Education, Gender Equality, Leadership, Reserve Program, Together Women Rise

EDUCATE, Mercado Global, Reserve Grantees, Visions Global Empowerment

Three Reserve Grants Awarded

Thanks to the generous support of our members and donors in 2015, DFW has awarded three reserve grants. These grants are awarded when excess funds are accumulated in our grant reserve fund. Reserve grantees are named alternates in previous grant cycles which means they were thoroughly vetted and met all of our rigorous criteria. These organizations were also required to submit updated information and budgets for evaluation prior to being awarded a reserve grant. The three reserve grantees for 2015 are:

Visions Global Empowerment (Ethiopia) — $46,728

Mercado Global (Guatemala) — $28,061.99

EDUCATE! (Uganda) — $15,000

Details

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Dec, 2015

Together Women Rise

2016, Education, Fair Trade, Health, Safety and Security, Together Women Rise

Anchal Project, Fair Trade, Hand-stitched goods, l, textiles

Our Sustained Funding Grantee: Anchal Project | Designing Change, Stitch by Stitch

The mission of Anchal – our sustained funding grantee for January — is to address the exploitation of women around the world by using design thinking to create employment opportunities, services and products that support empowerment. This mission statement truly comes to life when you hear the stories of Nita and Nasine:

Nita is a senior artisan and project assistant with Anchal Project. She was married at a young age and left her husband after years of abuse. Because of her limited education and lack of transferable skills, Nita joined the commercial sex trade. Nita has now been with Anchal Project for four years where she has excelled in design training and created beautiful, marketable pieces. She has taken advantage of Anchal’s workshops in financial planning and saved enough money to move out of the slum and purchase a home in a new neighborhood where she is no longer stigmatized for her previous life as a sex worker. Details

Beth Ellen Holimon, President & CEO

2015, Education, Health, Leadership, Programs, Safety and Security

Collateral Repair Project (CRP), Jordan, Syria, Syrian refugees

Syrian Refugee Crisis: A Firsthand Perspective

It is devastating to see and read about the Syrian refugee families, and I find myself searching constantly for more information, more perspective. Dining for Women’s featured program in January was the Collateral Repair Project (CRP), which helps refugees living in Jordan. Our $37,000 grant is being used to provide psychosocial and wellness programs as well as leadership training for refugee women, many of whom have escaped from the conflict in Syria. I wanted to loop back with CRP to dig a little deeper into the perspective of the refugees and the future. Details

Together Women Rise

2015, Education, Health

family planning, infant health, muditar, Myanmar, Reproductive Health

A conversation with Muditar

We spoke with Tricia Karpfen and Amy Hartenstine from the Muditar Foundation about how Dining For Women’s sponsorship will help provide maternal and infant care for the women in the Pa-O tribal villages in Southern Shan State, Myanmar. Muditar has worked hard to create a Maternal and Infant Health program that empowers women to make healthy reproductive choices reducing maternal and infant mortality and raise healthy children.
Details

Together Women Rise

Economic Sustainability, Education, Programs, Together Women Rise

artisans, Education, Rwanda

A conversation with Indego Africa

We spoke with Karen Yelick, CEO of Indego Africa, about the program’s history and plans for expansion. Indego Africa partners with cooperatives of female artisans to support them through economic empowerment and education. Listen with us as Karen shares success stories and displays the artisan’s beautifully handcrafted products.