Global Fund joins gay rights allies and activists worldwide as the Delhi High Court  overturned 48 year old law making homosexuality a crime.

The Delhi Court ruled that a statute in Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which defined homosexual action as “carnal intercourse against the order of nature.” was the “antithesis of  the right to equality”

We applaud our grantee partners and allies for their hard work on this issue and  their ongoing creative strategies advancing justice for LGBTI people in India. To date GFW has supported eight groups working exclusively for LBT rights and advocacy in India.

More info:

Common Ground

Read the Human Rights Watch Report

BBC

The Hindu

I just finished watching the new NBC show, The Philanthropist. I couldn’t not watch it. After all, I’ve worked at the Global Fund for six years, and I know a lot about philanthropy. And to be honest, this highly dramatic and emotionally riveting fiction is hard to turn off. (You can watch it online).

So while I found much to criticize, in its overwrought way, the show actually hints at why being a philanthropist is so hard. In the first episode, our playboy billionaire, Teddy Wrist, battles corrupt government officials, gun-toting rebels, flesh-cutting  vines, (and his own internal demons), to get a package of cholera vaccine to a village north of the capital. Along the way he pays bribes, gives up his fancy satellite phone, and generally takes a beating.

The truth is, getting money into the hands of daring and courageous women’s groups does require overcoming a host of very real obstacles every single day. Last year alone, we raised and gave away $8.6 million in grants (ranging in amount from $1,000 - $30,000), while incurring the cost of doing that grantmaking in 167 very different countries. Different laws, different levels of infrastructure such as road and telecom, different governments and many, many languages. Very few funders are willing to do this.

Global Fund grantees deal directly with corrupt governments, poor roads, entrenched ideas of women's roles, and other barriers that keep lasting change out of their reach. So we have to go beyond just making a grant. For example, since the Global Fund accepts proposals in any language, we incur translation costs. Some of the women’s groups are in rural areas where travel is arduous, and internet communication is unreliable on a good day. Our due diligence must include our program team's journeys to meet personally  with grantees, (or eyeball to eyeball as Teddy calls it) hold strategic grantee convenings, and maintain our advisory council (which connects with women and organizations that we can’t reach directly). In addition, we pay bank fees and money transfer charges for sending and receiving money in various countries. One less cost for grantees.

Plus, we willingly incur the costs of raising awareness. Women have the answers to the problems they face, but that's not widely promoted. So we collaborate with other funders and individuals. We share women's stories, concerns, challenges and accomplishments – whether on our website, print publications, through op-eds, or other articles in the mainstream media and alternative press. We want people to know about the work that women are doing  to change laws so that they can own the land they work, protect themselves from sexual violence, actively participate in governing their communities and countries -- and get the cholera vaccines when they need it!

And who knows? One day, maybe we too will produce a TV show where the adventures of courageous women who are saving their communities are projected front and center!

Sande Smith is the Director of Public Education at the Global Fund for Women.

In honor of many of our grantees around the world that celebrate Pride this weekend, we are excited to share an instance of how even in a country like Sri Lanka where many civilians are enduring enormous hardship amid ongoing crisis, we have groups working for gay rights and to decriminalize homosexuality - a reality in many countries including Sri Lanka.

Equal Ground, a GFW grantee since 2005, is committed to fighting the widespread homophobia prevalent in Sri Lankan society. To date, the Global Fund has supported Equal Ground with grants totaling $55,000.

The 5th annual Colombo Pride kicks off this weekend with much fanfare and festivities. Check out Equal Ground's blog for more information about events planned this weekend!

Cool Links:

Equal Ground's web site and blog

I watched Barack Obama’s speech “to the Muslim world” with a lot of interest, and I must say that, as a person who comes from that “world”, I was very pleasantly surprised. I understand some of my fellow Muslims’ dissatisfaction, and tendency to remain skeptical, due in large to decades of bluntly biased, aggressive, and unjust U.S policy towards the Middle East, but I believe that Obama’s speech needs, first and foremost, to be seen as it was intended to be, and as it was: The first paragraph of a “potential” new chapter, and a first step to highlight the new U.S administration’s willingness to break away from its predecessors’ policy towards Muslim countries, in the Middle East particularly.

Yes, the speech was broad. Yes, Obama talked about the Muslim world as if it was one single compact entity (which is a debatable concept even amongst Muslims themselves), but how much more could he possibly say in 55 minutes really? And most importantly: Can you name one single Western head of state, in the last 100 years, who did a better job publicly addressing a Muslim audience? Think about it. So why not, instead, focus on the positive sides of his speech? For example, the change of tone towards Israel, and the absence of the traditional U.S rhetoric of unconditional support to this latter. The use of the meaningful word “Palestine”, and the strong condemnation of Israeli occupation. The emphasis (although broad) on education and economic empowerment as means to effectively enhance women’s rights in the Muslim world. The sight of a U.S president who actually tries to relate to Muslims, one who did his research about their religion, read one thing or two about the history of the Middle East, and “gives a damn” to actually talk honestly to Muslims and take political risks by doing it. Those are all good points that should not be taken for granted or ignored, considering not only where we come from (yes, eight years of Bush), but also, the general atmosphere of Islamophobia that has been quite widespread around the world for many years now.

So while waiting for more updates, and concrete plans from “Abu Hussein” and his administration: I choose to look at the bright side, and I choose to believe. I really do want our two “worlds” to get along…

Assalamu Alaikum.

Mehdi Boubiya is a Program Associate for the Global Fund for Women's Middle East North Africa program.

Art is powerful; art heals, catalyzes and transforms. I have witnessed art that brings communities together, speaks truth to power, and expresses the unspeakable realities of human existence.  

In 2007, I produced an exhibition of my own multimedia artwork as part of my master’s thesis project.  I had the opportunity to share my intimate life stories, from my experience with abortion ten years ago to my ever-changing relationship with religion and spirituality, in a way that words alone simply could not convey. The ripple effect of my creative disclosure was profound; my vulnerability and willingness to visually express my truth gave women who experienced my exhibit permission to share their own stories - with me, with each other, with their families, in community.  

My own exhibit showed me how powerful art could be, for both its creators and its witnesses.  I began to wonder what it might look like to harness this power on a larger scale.  The Global Fund for Women’s grantee partner, Art Works for Change (AWFC), a nonprofit project of the Tides Center, is harnessing this power and using the universal language of art as a catalyst for positive social change.  

AWFC’s “Off the Beaten Path: Violence, Women and Art,” is a new, international exhibition that brings together artworks by 17 artists from 14 countries to explore gender-based violence from a global perspective.  The exhibit “utilizes artworks to promote awareness and behavioral choices; inspire the belief that communities can change a culture of violence; empower girls and women with respect to domestic violence, exploitation and discrimination; and address systems for social change.”

I recently had the privilege of meeting the Executive Director of Art Works for Change, Randy Jayne Rosenberg.  I was inspired by her obvious passion and dedication to her work, which shines through in the way she thoughtfully curates and narrates AWFC’s exhibitions for social change.

“Off the Beaten Path” opens on June 20 at the Stenersen Museum in Oslo, Norway.  However, with the goal of reaching millions of individuals with the important message to eliminate violence against women and girls globally, Art Works for Change has also opened a virtual exhibit.  Click here to bear witness, be transformed, and learn what you can do about gender-based violence.

When I traveled to Burma in 2000, I met with Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and some of the leadership of the National League for Democracy (NLD). The message that Aung San Suu Kyi wanted me to carry back to the world outside: never forget the suffering of the Burmese people. 

In 1990, Suu Kyi and the NLD swept the polls, capturing a majority of parliamentary seats.  But the military junta refused to recognize the results and since then, Suu Kyi and NLD leadership have been jailed for most of the past 19 years. Suu Kyi is currently on trial for violating the terms of her house arrest after allowing an American man stay at her home after swimming there uninvited in May. She faces five  years in prison if convicted.

Suu Kyi’s plea to never forget the suffering of the Burmese people is grounded in history and resonates today.

Since achieving independence from the British in 1948, the people of Burma have suffered under the brutal rule of a military dictatorship (in 1990 the name was changed to “Myanmar” by the junta that rules Burma).

For nearly five decades, the military junta of Burma has, with impunity, perpetrated large-scale violations of the rights of its people, particularly the ethnic groups such as the Chin.  One thing about the junta, they are equal opportunity persecutors. Women, children and even the elderly are subjected to forced labor, mass displacement, and high taxation of agricultural goods, often leading to chronic hunger and poverty. The International Labor Organization, ILO, estimates that 800,000 Burmese are forced into labor each year. In addition, with the country run as a police state, there is absolutely no tolerance of political expression, so neighbors inform on each other.  

The plight of the Chin, that our grantee the Women’s Foundation of Chinland works to address, is illustrative of the violations suffered by nearly every ethnic group in Burma.  Nearly a million Chin have fled the racial discrimination and religious persecution committed by the Burmese military regime.  In refugee populations, domestic violence and vulnerability to all forms of abuse become magnified.  This makes the work of the Women’s Foundation of Chinland and the Women’s League of Burma that much more critical, ensuring that women’s rights are not only protected, but that women develop the leadership skills to become effective advocates for change.

Aung San Suu Kyi turns 64 today in a Myanmar prison.  To leave a message of support for the imprisoned democracy leader, go to http://www.64forsuu.org/

I am the mom of two rambunctious toddlers––twin boys. Recently, in parent conversations at their playgroups, the topic has begun to turn to preschool. Around sand boxes and over snacks of Cheerios and peas, the questions bubble up. Which philosophy of education is best––Montessori or Waldorf? Play-based or academic? Part-day or full-day? Shouldn’t they already be on at least a couple of waiting lists?  It’s easy to get caught up in this and for a moment I catch myself wondering if I missed the boat. I can just picture my little guys at the “last preschool on the list” –– some place out of  Charles Dickens with all the requisite bleakness and thin gruel.

But then I remember Sakena Yacoobi and the stories she told us during her last visit to the Global Fund for Women. Sakena has dedicated her life to ensuring that girls in Afghanistan have the opportunity to go to school. She and her staff at the Afghan Institute of Learning endure threats to their lives to educate over 25,000 children annually, mostly girls who otherwise would have no opportunity to go to school. When you add in their health services, teacher training and adult education programs, they are reaching 350,000 Afghan women and children each year.

And I think about the parents in Afghanistan. Afghan girls have been attacked with acid and poison gas on their way to school by a fundamentalist movement committed to denying them more than just access to education. I think about the parents of these girls, who each morning must decide whether to send their daughter to school, and risk her life, or whether to keep her home, and throw away her future. My heart breaks for any parent who must make that choice. The choices that I have to make about preschool are so small and inconsequential in comparison. In fact, the choices that I have are the choices that I wish all parents had.

It doesn’t matter where my boys go to preschool, it matters that they go. And for the girls that Sakena works with, it matters whether or not they can go to school ––for their own future and for my sons’ future. Because the world they inherit will be a better one for us all if girls in every country have the same right to education in a safe environment as their brothers.

Since 1993, the Global Fund for Women has channeled nearly $1 million in grants to support 28 women-led organizations working inside Afghanistan and in Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan.

Lost in the flurry over North Korea’s detention of Laura Ling and Euna Lee is the story they sought: the plight of North Korean women refugees in China.

Approximately 80 percent of recent defectors in China are women who fled North Korea in search of a better life, only to discover that they had been sold as brides. According to The Washington Post, “North Korean defectors are mostly women from working-class and farm backgrounds who fled because of hunger and poverty, not political oppression.” In 2004, the South Korean Ministry of Unification conducted a survey of over 4,000 defectors in South Korea, and found that 75% left North Korea for economic reasons or to join their families in the south, and only 9% left because of political repression.

What the media fails to explain are the root causes of North Korea’s famine and poverty. In the mid-1990s, over 600,000 North Koreans died from famine caused by the worst natural floods and droughts and the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the socialist trading-bloc. North Korea’s ability to rebuild its economy has suffered under the weight of U.S. sanctions, which have been in place since the Korean War. According to Zathi Zellweger of the Swiss Development Corporation, despite North Korea’s efforts to liberalize, “No investor is interested in North Korea as long as there are sanctions.”

As tensions escalate between North Korea and the U.S., what is salient is that the Korean War is not over. Although fighting temporarily ceased with the 1953 armistice, the Cold War lives on, emboldening regimes in South and North Korea to repress dissent and militarize the peninsula. The way forward to end the war and to free the journalists would be as Laura Ling told her sister Lisa, “if our two countries communicate.”
 
Christine Ahn is Communications Research Analyst at the Global Fund for Women and also Korea policy expert and peace activist.

Driving home after hearing that the California Supreme Court upheld the ban on same sex marriage, I trailed a car that bore one of those simple but poignant bumper stickers: “Sometimes there’s justice; Sometimes there’s just us.”

How true.

As the middle child in an Irish-Catholic family of seven, I participated in and honored my siblings’ rites of passage: baptisms, first dates, and graduations.  .  . and eventually “holy matrimony.”  With each wedding, my mother gently inquired if there was a special man in my life.

At the ripe age of 38, I finally had the courage to acknowledge my lesbianism. I also realized marriage wasn’t an option. Since I hadn’t yet dated a woman, I wasn’t troubled. All of that changed in 2007, when I fell hopelessly in love with my wife, Christine.

The following year, the California Supreme Court ruled the State constitution accorded the full rights and privileges of marriage to both heterosexual and same sex couples; a civil rights victory!  My time to pledge my respect, devotion and love to the woman who brought so much joy and meaning to my life had come.

October 17, 2008 dawned bright and warm in Santa Cruz, where friends gathered as the sun rose over Natural Bridges State Park. Floating on a bubble of pure elation, I listened intently as Peter, my dear 75 year-old friend and former Catholic priest said:  “We have been invited here today to celebrate a sacred ritual and honor a legal right: the joining of two lives and hearts in marriage.”

Now, the same court that validated my right to marry Christine is upholding California voters’ decision to deny other same sex couples what they said was an “equal right” under the law. There is something seriously wrong with this picture. As Kate Kendall, the Executive Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights noted on May 26, “No minority group should have to defend its right to equality at the ballot.”

Indeed, all of us must be part of the modern-day movement that ensures equality for all. All of us must help to push the margins of discrimination out a little further, widening the circles of human freedom, mutual respect and equality.

Cool Resources: 

"Out for Justice" Read an article co-written by Caitlin Brune in the latest Global Fund newsletter

Watch an inspiring video by the Courage Campaign as part of raising awareness about Prop 8.

Caitlin Brune is a Development Officer at the Global Fund for Women.
Photo accompanying blog is courtesy Joop Rubens.

Global Fund is proud to celebrate Leymah Gbowee, leader of Women in Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET), a Liberian grantee, for winning the 2009 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.

Leymah was honored on May 18, for organizing a multi-faith group of women to help end Liberia's civil war. The award was presented by Caroline Kennedy at a ceremony at Boston's John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

"If you're hungry, keep walking. If you're thirsty, keep walking. If you want a taste of freedom, keep walking. For us women of Liberia, this award is a call that we will keep walking until peace, justice and the rights of women is not a dream, but a thing of the present," said Leymah. Watch the inspiring video of Leymah's speech at the award ceremony. Find out more about Leymah and her work.

YES! It is another sign. Just today we are putting the final touches on a discussion paper that I have been working on for a very long time with the National Council for Research on Women looking at reasons and solutions for why there are so few women managing money. We pull the lens back on the issue in to a more general context on the lack of women in positions of leadership and power at financial services firms more generally and issue a "Call to Action."

One of our calls if for responsible institutions to adopt a voluntary "Critical Mass Principle", which sets as a goal 30% women on their boards and in senior leadership roles. The Financial Times issued the same call in an OPED published today. We see the time as now to boldly move forward and are launching the paper on June 24 th at Bloomberg. As far as we know it is the most comprehensive work ever done on the topic and we hope it will get lots of media attention.

According to the FT - "If there is ever a time for women to make a decisive breakthrough in corporate boardrooms, it is surely now. Many boards, especially in financial services, are in flux after the testosterone-fueled excesses that led to financial disaster. There is a desperate need to rebuild trust, more easily achieved if boards better reflect customers and the public."

Amen. Amen. Amen.

We are still looking for partners to assist in the launch of this important discussion paper so if you are interested please contact me orTeresa Bagly at the National Council for Research on Women.

I already crafted a response to the editor and I hope you will too! To send a letter to the editor This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .

Jacki Zehner is a frequent media commentator on women’s leadership and success in the workplace, and their relationship to wealth, investing, and social change. She was the youngest woman, and first female trader, to be invited into the partnership of Goldman Sachs. After leaving the firm in 2002, she became a Founding Partner of Circle Financial Group, a private wealth management operation

Transmissions via the Internet, coverage of events for peace and against violence against women in Guatemala, participation in panels and special forums about the theme, and the organization of a Virtual Observatory in internet all form part of the activities of FIRE in Guatemala during the week of May 10-15 in accompaniment of the actions by organizations of women that share the preoccupation about the escalating violence and impunity that reigns in this situation.

Currently Guatemala shares with countries such as Colombia and Mexico one of the most alarming situations regarding the systematic and extensive violations of the human rights of women including femicide (murder of women for being women) and other types of violence.  In 2001, more than 2,500 cases of murder of women were reported to the police in Guatemala, but as of 2006, just 14 had led to a conviction of the perpetrator.
 
The statistics of violence against women show that also in 2006, there were 825 reports of women who were raped and more than 10,000 women who suffered physical aggression, according to the Red de No Violence Contra la Mujer *Network of No Violence against a Woman).  The most recent case of blatant abuse of the rights of women took place in March, 2009 with the abduction and torture of the professor and champion of human rights, Gladys Monterroso.

The global women’s community has organized a series of parallel actions to place this horrendous situation of women in Guatemala in the global agenda and to contribute to ensuring women and their social organizations, as well as human rights agencies working on this issue that they are not alone in their demand to put an end to the impunity of such violation.  The global community also wants to provide solidarity for the right of women to a dignified life and an inclusive democracy.
 
FIRE will participate in this series of initiatives that will take place May 10-15 in this Mesoamerican country. From May 10-12 in Antigua, FIRE will organize live transmissions and special coverage of the international conference, “Women Redefining Democracy for Peace, Justice and Equality,” which is being organized by the Nobel Women’s Initiative for Peace. 

More than 100 women will participate in the event, coming from public politics, along with activists, specialized agencies, journalists and communicators, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureates among others.  They will share their visions, actions and challenges to support efforts to increase representation of women and their ability to exercise their rights and participate in a significant manner in the decisions that affect their lives, all as part of a reconceptualization of democracy for all in our societies.

In this same event, FIRE will participate in the panel, “The media and communications as tools of democratization for women,” along with panelists from Guatemala, Zimbabwe and the United States.  All the panelists agree that when women are absent in the media or they only appear as victims, and not as active change agents or actors for peace, all of society loses.  The panelists will emphasize the role of the media in the hands of the women as an important strategy to recover that loss.

During this time and also in Antigua, FIRE will cover the meeting of the Plataforma Artística (Artists’ Platform) against gender violence, a Spanish initiative that will hold its own conference as part of its tour in Guatemala that has included meetings with the national government, with city halls and organizations of human rights and of women.  They are also producing public concerts with the intention to strengthen and provide solidarity for agencies and organizations that work against the violence that women suffer, especially femicides as an extreme form of violence.

Also from May 13-15, FIRE will organize a Virtual Observatory of Feminist Transgressions as part of the Mission and Observation of International Denouncement against Violence toward Women in Guatemala, in Guatemala City.  This event is organized by Petateras of Guatemala, in coordination with Synergia Noj, The Cord, UNAM-G, Associates by the Just thing (JASS) and our radio.  Sinergia Noj, La Cuerda, UNAM-G, Just Associates (JASS) and FIRE radio.

The Virtual Observatory is designed to document what has happened to women in Guatemala, and to express solidarity with their struggles to eliminate the structural scourge of violence against women within a framework of the escalation of all forms of violence in a country that recently signed Peace Accords.   in 1994, The participants in the Virtual Observatory are going to coordinate initiatives at the local, regional, continental and global levels to denounce and develop actions to put pressure to end the impunity regarding actual cases that women have denounced.

The actions of this Mission will be covered by FIRE collaboration with CIMAC, La Cuerda, and other local and international media, and will include launching an international pronouncement against violence toward women in Guatemala; a Forum Against Violence toward Women in Guatemala; a meeting to design alternatives to protect human rights activists; and the presentation of the play, “The Labyrinth Of the Butterflies” in the Theater of Fine Arts on May 12th for the general public.

For more information regarding possible virtual or actual participation, access to the information and ways to multiply it in the media, visit Fire's web site in English or Spanish or email us at: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

News Coverage:

The Guatemala Times

Nobel Women Meet In Guatemala

Upon learning that Mu Sochua could face arrest due to her advocacy for women’s rights, justice and the well-being of the Cambodian people, Vital Voices joined forces with several other leading human rights and women’s organizations to form a coalition to fight for Mu Sochua. Members of this coalition began a campaign to raise awareness of her plight and the unjust threats and actions of the Cambodian government. This campaign generated overwhelming support from our supporters and the international community.

Your commitment to Sochua’s cause and assistance with spreading the word about her situation made this possible!

As a result of these efforts, Hun Sen and the Cambodian Government seem to have acted more cautiously in their dealings with Sochua than anticipated. The consensus is that having the eyes of the world trained on him and his government has truly altered Hun Sen’s usual course of conduct.

We are happy to report that at this time, it does not appear that Sochua is at risk of being arrested.

This morning members of the coalition spoke with Sochua, and she wanted to share several thoughts with her supporters. First, she wants you to know that she is very grateful for the overwhelming support that she has received; every action and message of support has been a gift and so very helpful and effective. Second, she is very concerned for the wellbeing of the Cambodian people who continue to suffer. She wants to remain focused on their health, welfare and desire to live in a democratic country where justice prevails. Third, she is exploring ways to reach out to Hun Sen to mutually cease all legal activity between all parties including their lawyers so that the Cambodian people and the issues of the country remain the focus. She is seeking the guidance of her party on this course of action.

Vital Voices along with other coalition members will continue to monitor Sochua’s situation and will keep you informed about late-breaking news and her wellbeing.

Many, many thanks for your hard work, your concern, and your support for our beloved friend, colleague and mentor who is dedicated to improving the world that we live in.

Over 2,000 innocent Cambodian women die every year of childbirth, at least one million Cambodian children go to bed hungry every night, hundreds of thousands Cambodian children and female youth are ruined in brothels, over 200,000 families have been brutally forced of their land and homes, and over 75% of Cambodia’s forests have now been destroyed. Innocent lives of my people could be saved if justice were served, if top leaders of my broken nation were less greedy, if development were meant for all.

I left Cambodia as an innocent young adolescent because the Vietnam war was approaching and hundreds and thousands of sick, wounded and hungry families were already telling us that Cambodia was lost. I returned home 18 years later with two young children, to a nation in ruins. A new beginning gave us hope when the UN came to help Cambodia organize its first democratic election in 1993. It cost the world community 2 billion dollars. I became a leader in the women’s movement, moving communities and walking the peace walk in city streets and dirt roads to pray for non-violence. I joined politics and became the first woman to lead the women’s ministry that was lead by a man, campaigned nationwide to put an end to human trafficking, authored the draft law on domestic violence, signed treaties with neighboring countries to protect our women and children from being prosecuted as illegal migrants but to receive proper treatment as victims of sex slavery.

I witness violence not as a victim but I listen to hundreds and thousands of women and children speak of the shame, the violation, the soul that is taken away when violence is afflicted on their bodies and on their minds. As a politician I always try to take action, to walk to the villages where life seems to have stopped for centuries, I challenge the top leadership of the government — I question international aid.

Today, I am faced with the real possibility of going to jail because as self-defense I dare to sue the prime minister of Cambodia, a man who has ruled this nation for 30 years. Having been assaulted to the point where I stood half exposed in front of men, by a general I caught using a state car to campaign for the party of the prime minister, I found myself assaulted again, this time verbally by the prime minister who compares me to a woman hustler who grabbed men for attention.

Within days my parliamentary immunity will be lifted so the court can “investigate” my case. This is normal procedure for politicians from the opposition party or human rights activists or the poor who cannot bribe court officials.  I will be detained in the notorious prison of “Prey Sar” for as long as the courts wish to take.

Many of my colleagues in the opposition, including my party leader have faced this fate for speaking out.

Cambodia receives close to a billion dollars in 2009 from the international community, the USA contributing close to 60 million. Is the world still watching in silence while Cambodia is now ruled by one man? Is the world afraid to say that its aid is actually taking Cambodia backwards?

Let no Cambodian children go to bed hungry anymore. Let no Cambodian woman be sold anymore.

We must walk tall despite being people bent from the trauma of the Khmer Rouge, which is still a part of us. Let us not let our leaders and the world-community use this trauma to give us justice by the teaspoon.

Let there be real justice.

Mu Sochua
Elected Member of Parliament
Sam Rainsy Party

For more Information, visit our media center.

Walking through the dimly lit hall of a crowded bar into the sounds of amplified guitars and drums, I wasn't too sure what to expect.  I was in Hoboken, New Jersey.  What got me off the island of Manhattan was a birthday benefit show for Nelson Pla, founder of the band Clueless. 

I was glad I made the trek because the energy was electric and the cause was inspiring!  I was excited to hear a familiar 80s favorite from Ted Mason of Modern English, with the catchy tune of, "I'll stop the world and melt with you...."  There were many other special guests including Steve Holley, drummer for the Paul McCartney Band, Wings.

There were over 100 people packed into the music hall at Maxwell's.  Over $800 was raised and like the host, Nelson said, "It's more than I can afford as an individual and I can't think of a better thing to do on my birthday."  Indeed Nelson!  Thanks for the rockin' show and for sharing your passion for women's human rights!  "Women's rights are human rights and if you don't understand this, you're clueless!" Check out more pictures from the party!

Find out about how you can host a house party benefiting the Global Fund for Women. Visit our house party section.

Jenifer Wanous is GFW's events officer. 

Betty Makoni, leader of the Girl Child Network, Zimbabwe, shared with us this moving note from a student, on the occasion of its 10th anniversary:

"Hello Betty,

I was at Tsindi Secondary School in Rusape, Manicaland in 2006. I just want to say a big thank you to you and the Girl Child Network Trust Zimbabwe. You helped me a lot not financially but with the sweeet and advising words you said when you came to our School. Now I have grown knowing my rights, knowing I have to speak up and always view the sky as the limit.

Me being brought up in our small village and we did not have enough opportunities to do what other girls where doing, I used to look at myself like I am nothing and whenever we had sports and gatherings, I used to feel like I do not exist. Thanks to you I finally saw the potential which was inside myself, right now as I write to you I am studying Nursing and Paramedic and I will be going to university in September which is amazing. I will be going to Oxford university by the way and I give all the thanks to you because you made me realise I can do anything.I hope the GCNT is still going on nomatter what happened or what happens back home.    

Thank you very much and god bless!!! I hope Mai Mvududu is still chearful as she used to be.  Love you and take care."

Betty also shared this poem that she wrote in honor of this student: 

Visit GCN's web site: Girl Child Network

Muadi Mukenge is the Regional Director for Sub Saharan Africa at the Global Fund for Women. 

One of the annual high points for me of Women’s History Month is the Madame CJ Walker Luncheon hosted by the Coalition of 100 Black Women. This March, Faye Wattleton, former head of Planned Parenthood, spoke at the event.  More than 1100 African American women and their allies came together to celebrate African American women’s accomplishments in health, business and women’s rights. But the luncheon represented more than an opportunity for celebration. It was also a call to influence and leverage our unique positions, whether in the non-profit, government or corporate sector, for the betterment and uplift of African American women and girls now and in the future. The Global Fund for Women was honored to host a table at the event, attended by donors, peers and staff.

A tall and regal woman, Ms. Wattleton spoke eloquently about her upbringing as well as her long-standing commitment to ensuring that women of all incomes and ages had a chance to live healthy lives. She began her talk by describing her mother’s gifts to her, which included the determination to not bend to the will of another and a long-standing commitment to the fundamental dignity of every human being.

Faye’s mother was a minister of a fundamentalist church, and raised her daughter to adhere to strict rules of conduct, which included no dancing, drinking, staying out late, and more. Of her mother’s stern dictates, Faye said, “I didn’t know where my mother stopped and God began.”

Faye attended nursing school in her home state of Ohio, then went on to get a masters in maternal health and child care at Columbia University. As a young nurse, she was exposed to the harsh effects of grinding poverty and its impact on women’s health, as well as the horrifying effects of botched abortions.
 
It was these experiences, Faye said, that informed her passions – her life-long passion and commitment to uphold reproductive choice for all women, regardless of age, race or income level.  “My patients didn’t need my moral values,” she said. "They needed patience, tolerance and understanding."
 
When I asked Faye about the links she saw between the struggles of for reproductive choice and for women around the world, she said, “We learn from one another because our struggles have a great deal of universal commonality,” she said. She made the point that around the world, women’s value in society is still undermined. And this struggle is not confined to national boundaries. In fact, she emphasized that the mindset that holds that what goes on in one country only affects that country presents a huge barrier to women enjoying lives of dignity and value.
 
Furthermore, the policies that are passed and implemented in the United States resound throughout the rest of the world. When women lose rights in the United States, that backsliding has a ripple effect on the struggle for women’s equality around the world. Certainly the Global Gag rule (which denied US funding to health organizations that even mentioned abortion as an option), is a concrete reminder that the United States routinely implements policies that affect women all over. Faye reminded us that even though Obama is taking actions to prove himself a champion of women, with the revoking of the Global Gag rule and the creation of the White House Council on Women and Girls, we cannot rest.

For the “true promise of the constitution for our gender and race has yet to be fulfilled,” she said. In fact, she  pointed out that right her in the US there are conditions as severe as those faced by women in developing nations. We cannot afford to sit on the sidelines. We all have a responsibility to help others to live lives of dignity and value.

Most recently, Faye is engaged in making sure that women’s realities and priorities are documented and brought front and center in the national media. She is the co-founder and president of the Center for the Advancement of Women

Sande Smith is the Director of Public Education at the Global Fund for Women.

Last week, I participated in the XI Latin American and Caribbean Feminist Encuentro. The central theme of this year’s Encuentro was “Challenging Fundamentalisms.” Despite the deteriorating situation affecting women in the region, many historical opportunities for women to organize themselves have surfaced in the past twenty years.

Feminists and women’s organizations have contributed tremendously to giving voice to those women who have been silenced. Since the the 1980s, Latin American feminists have been building networks of advocacy and activism, weaving political linkages and constructing regional identities and forms of solidarity through the Latin American and Caribbean Feminist Encuentros. This year's Feminist Encuentro was particularly crucial to the growth and sustainability of the Latin American and Caribbean feminist movement as a whole. Women’s movements in Latin America have made great strides since their emergence decades ago, but many of those gains are being threatened in recent years because of regional and global shifts toward conservative political ideologies, religious fundamentalism, economic neo-liberal policies and cultural norms that attack women’s human rights. The feminist movement itself is at risk of losing some of its strength and impact because of conflicts within and between movements. I hope the XI Encuentro will enable feminist activists and women’s rights defenders to strategize together to overcome some of the most pressing challenges facing women in the region.

Visit the official web site of the XI Latin American and Caribbean Feminist Encuentro (Spanish)

Erika Guevara Rosas is the Global Fund Program Officer for the Americas

As water poured from the skies, a group of 30-40 hardy souls gathered at Stanford University to watch a screening of the documentary Where the Water Meets the Sky.

Narrated by Academy Award-winning actor and patron of girls’ education, Morgan Freeman, this film tells the story of a group of women in the Zambian town of Samfya who come together to learn filmmaking, tell their stories, and produce a film about the impact of HIV/AIDs on a young woman. Hosted by the Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford, the event also included a panel discussion of the film. I had the honor of serving on this panel, which was moderated by the Global Fund for Women’s founder, Anne Firth Murray, and also featured Brooke Hutchinson, US Director of CAMFED, the organization that produced the film and which supports girls’ education in Sub-Saharan Africa, and Jeremy Goldhaber-Fiebert, a professor and health policy researcher at Stanford.

Conversation following the film picked up on the themes that the Samfya Women Filmmakers raised themselves: the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on women in Southern Africa, property rights and the experience of widows, the role of education, and women’s right to bodily integrity. Within this we discussed the struggle by women to increase their personal power within intimate relationships, not merely to access more information about AIDS. This struggle is illustrated by a 2002 UNFPA study in Zambia, which found that just 11% of women interviewed felt that it would be okay to request that their husbands use a condom, even if they knew their husbands had recently visited a prostitute and could have been exposed to HIV.

On a hopeful note, women and girls are making strides in some areas in Zambia. Maternal mortality rates are down over the past five years, girls’ education rates are up and women’s rights activists have succeeded in securing some changes in laws and policies that attempt to rectify discrimination against women. However, these laws, particularly around property rights, often are not enforced. Implementation is the next step for many women’s groups. As Marsha Moyo, the UN MDG Advocate in Zambia recently stated, “we must go beyond goodwill and start to act.

Visit the film's web site: http://www.watermeetssky.com/

Nearly 200 Lebanese gay men and lesbians took to the streets last month in the capital city of Beirut to protest violence and homophobic discrimination against minorities. Co-organized by one of our grantees Helem, the protest was well covered by various local and international media. Check out media and other updates about this protest.

Dear All,

Kavita Ramdas is the President and CEO of the Global Fund for Women.

Global Fund Board member from Afghanistan, Sakena Yacoobi, President and Executive Director of the Afghan Institute for Learning (AIL) will receive the fourth annual Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership. 

Founded in 2006, the Kravis Prize carries a $250,000 award designated to the honoree’s organization, in recognition of extraordinary leadership in the nonprofit sector. Dr. Yacoobi was selected for her outstanding accomplishment of providing over 350,000 Afghan women and children with education and health care each year. The Kravis Prize will be presented to Dr. Yacoobi on March 31st  in New York City. Founded in 2006, the prize recognizes and celebrates extraordinary accomplishment and bold, visionary leadership in the nonprofit sector.
“It is important to understand that entrepreneurial spirit and leadership are just as vital to achievement in the not-for-profit world as they are in the private sector,” said Mr. Kravis. “We are pleased and proud to recognize and celebrate the significant and inspirational work being done by Dr. Yacoobi and the Afghan Institute of Learning.” Past recipients of The Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership are Roy Prosterman, the inaugural recipient (2006), founder of the Rural Development Institute; Fazle Abed (2007), founder of BRAC in Bangladesh; and the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) (2008).

She will also be in San Francisco next week on February 10th at a luncheon hosted by Americans for UNFPA, an organization dedicated to building American support for the work of UNFPA and torestoring the United States’ moral and financial contribution to theorganization. 

Useful links:

Kravis Prize

Americans for UNFPA

Watch a YouTube Video about the Afghan Institute of Learning

The situation of Nobel peace laureate and human rights defender Shirin Ebadi continues to be intensely critical. In the course of the last two weeks, the organization she heads, Defenders of Human Rights Center, was shut down under the pretexts of false accusations of tax evasion perpetuated by the media. Her private law offices were raided and confidential case files were seized, and on January 1st, a mob of 150 demonstrated in front of her house in an orchestrated attempt to connect her to the Israeli actions in Gaza.

Protestors began kicking the door to her home and vandalized the exterior of her property in an attempt to further intimidate her.

We condemn the Iranian government's campaign against the country's most prominent human rights activist, and demand that they guarantee Shirin Ebadi's safety and her civil and political rights. Join the over eighty human rights organizations and activists who have expressed grave concern for Ms. Ebadi's safety and human rights. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also issued a statement expression concern.

Sign The Petition!

Information Courtesy: Women's Learning Partnership
Photo Credit: 2005 Global Fund file photo of Shirin Ebadi

The IWC further appeals to the Quartet, and in particular to the incoming US Administration, to press for immediate resumption of peace negotiations based on the Arab Peace Initiative as the only way of bringing an end to the occupation and achieving sustainable peace between Israel and Palestine, and in the region.

On behalf of IWC Members:

Palestinian Steering Committee
Wafa' Abdel-Rahman
Maha Abu-Dayyeh Shamas
Samia Bamieh
Lama Hourani

Israeli Steering Committee
Naomi Chazan
Galia Golan
Anat Saragusti
Aida Touma-Sliman

International Steering Committee
Sylvia Borren
Luisa Morgantini
Jessica Neuwirth
Simone Susskind

The International Women's Commission for a Just and Sustainable Palestinian–Israeli Peace (IWC) comprises Palestinian, Israeli and international women leaders. It was established in 2005 under the auspices of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) as part of efforts to implement UN Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security.

For more information:

* UNIFEM IWC International Coordinator: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it Tel: +32 2 213-1444.Fax: +32 2 213-1449.
* IWC Israeli Coordinator: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it   Tel: +972 54 225-6633. Fax: +972 2 563-7633. 
* IWC Palestinian Coordinator: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it : +972 2 297-4650

Shalini Nataraj, Global Fund’s Vice-President Of Programs reflects on her recent experience at the historic AWID Forum that brought together several constituents of our network – donors, grantees, board and advisors.

Last month a team of us from the Global Fund participated in the largest gathering of women rights activists, women’s organizations, academics, donors and opinion leaders -  the triennial Association of Women’s Rights In Development Forum, “The Power of Movements”, in Cape Town, South Africa. It has been really exciting and interesting to come to South Africa at this time – with Obama as President-elect and South African politics posing severe difficulties to the women’s movement here if Jacob Zuma, President of the African National Congress, is elected President.

To be in a place where the indefatigable spirit of resistance to brutal oppression finally triumphed, was a tremendously moving experience for most of us who were visiting this country for the first time. However, the loss of the iconic Miriam Makeba, who helped bring the South African struggle to the world stage with her music, was deeply felt, and one of the highlights of the AWID experience was an impromptu memorial to her legacy.  Another highlight that vividly illustrated the power of women coming together, was a march of women from all over the world with their South African sisters, to demand an end to violence against women in South Africa. Perhaps the most interesting development of all might be the catalyzing of the idea of a women’s party in South Africa to implement a feminist alternative to the failing, scandle-ridden political system in that country.
 
The AWID forum was also a vital opportunity for us to meet face-to-face with local grantees and other members of our network. Together with some of my colleagues, I visited grantees in Johannesburg before arriving in Cape Town, where we had pre-forum discussions and consultations on a range of issues such as feminist leadership with our grantee partners and peer organizations. On the eve of the forum, we celebrated the anniversaries of several women’s funds at a grand reception held at the African Gold Museum. The event, with amazing music and great food, was attended by over 250 people including all 28 women’s funds of the world, and Lynn Brown, the Mayor of Cape Town.

The AWID Forum brought together over 2,000 women. A well organized forum, it was however overwhelming to wrap one’s head around information from a plethora of panels on every conceivable subject related to women’s issues and rights.

The most valuable and energizing part of the conference was the networking, meeting with grantees and peer women’s rights organizations that were only names in e-mails before, and catching up with others we know well to catch up and share where we are with our organizations’ evolution. To know that the Global Fund for Women has played such a big role in the lives of so many women and organizations to find solidarity and build collective action through the forum, is truly gratifying.

After the conference, together with Muadi Mukenge, Regional Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, I traveled to Zimbabwe.  We felt that it was very important to show solidarity with our sisters in Zimbabwe who are facing unimaginable challenges that threaten to completely undo every gain for women’s rights since Zimbabwe’s independence.  We had an amazingly inspiring visit with the Girl Child Network, where the intelligence and courage of the young girls who are members of GCN’s girl’s clubs left us filled with hope for the future of the country.  We also met a range of grantees who attended a day-long meeting to share challenges, opportunities and strategies to deal with the continuing and new threats to women’s rights.

In the coming weeks, we will continue to update you through our web site with the strategies and plans of actions that emerge from GFW’s participation in this ground-breaking gathering of women’s rights activists and supporters.  The input we have received and the information we have gathered during the Forum and in our meetings with grantees will shape how we do our grantmaking not just for the rest of this year but for the implementation of our new strategic plan over the next few years.  We look forward to sharing what we’ve learned with all of you.

Shalini Nataraj
Vice-President of Programs

Photos Courtesy: Rucha Tadwalkar

We hope you will be inspired by our annual report celebrating 20 years of advancing women’s rights globally. We thank you, our partners, for making our work possible. We are delighted to share this report with you on the 60th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights, which was signed in San Francisco, December 10th, 1948.

This holiday season we find ourselves at a very unique moment of history, one that is both sobering yet full of potential. We are at the end of a year in which violence and terror was inflicted on innocent civilians as well as combatants – by national armies as well as by rebels and militias. No part of the world was spared – from the attacks in Mumbai, to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Gaza, Colombia, Haiti, Darfur, Georgia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and of course Iraq. Women paid a particularly horrendous price as rape and sexual assault became commonplace. It is painfully clear that, to date, the “war on terror” has served only to exacerbate hostilities.

Rising food and petroleum prices, followed by the rapid collapse of the global financial system have also raised anxieties around the world. Despite immediate responses including so-called bailouts from governments and multi-lateral institutions, it appears that a worldwide recession is well underway.

And yet, in 2008, we also witnessed a sea change in the United States, as America elected its first ever African American President, Barack Obama. Though faced with myriad problems, the new President has a mandate and an opportunity to demonstrate resolve and imagination in managing the end of two wars, an economic crisis, climate change, and regaining credibility for the United States in the global community.

Similarly, while growing militarism, violence against women, and the financial crises pose major challenges for the Global Fund for Women, we see this as a time to lead with courage and conviction. We are committed to keeping a tight check on our expenses, while diversifying our funding base so that we can continue to be a steady source of support for women and girls. They, after all, are hardest hit by current events. Now more than ever, it is imperative that women’s voices and perspectives be at the forefront of change. With your support, we will continue to be there for them – for we know that the only guarantee of human security is to end global inequality and injustice by advancing human rights for all. [Download Annual Report as Pdf]

In peace and solidarity,

Kavita N.Ramdas
President & CEO

Last month, Zung Che from the Taiwanese grantee group Collective of Sex Workers And Supporters (COSWAS) visited the Global Fund’s offices. COSWAS is a dynamic coalition of women’s groups working to protect and promote the rights of sex workers in Taiwan, and to press for the decriminalization of their work.

Every year, the capital city of Taipei continues to draw thousands of migrant sex workers from China, Vietnam and south-east Asian countries. Zung shared his insights on the challenges of organizing sex workers in current Taiwanese society where the challenges of economic liberalization are an increasing reality and are additionally disempowering marginalized communities like sex workers, who are additionally exploited since sex work was criminalized in 1997. 

COSWAS’ coalitions and activities provide a strong labor rights framework to organize and fight for the rights of sex workers. It is also one of the few groups in the country also including LGBTIQ rights in their organizing framework.While on a conference here in the US, Zung, a translator with COSWAS, was also was engaged in discussions with community activists and organizations working on Proposition K in San Francisco, a measure on the election ballot that seeks to decriminalize sex work.

A sunny Saturday morning at Stanford drew together an illustrious panel of global leaders to discuss and re-evaluate conventional notions of leadership in the 21st century. Moderated by noted journalist Tom Brokaw, the panel included Kavita Ramdas, President and CEO of the Global Fund, Jeff Raikes, CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, and Congressman Xavier Becerra among others. The discussion sought to examine the models of leadership we need in a 21st century plagued by wars and conflict; and economic and ecological catastrophes. 

Widely attended by Stanford alumni and students, the roundtable quickly gathered high interest and momentum when Kavita made a strong point in her introduction, in favor of collective leadership over conventional western models of individual leadership. “We need to recognize that we lead as collectives, and we need to detach the notion of a hero from a leader,” emphasized Kavita. Be it in the favelas of Brazil or inner neighborhoods of Chicago, there are extraordinary leaders everywhere, she noted. But they are extraordinary because they follow a collaborative, and a partnership model of leadership.

Watch the entire round table for an inspiring and a thought-provoking discussion of how we as a society need to re-evaluate and re-consider conventional notions of leadership. Also check out blogs by inspired members of the audience who walked away with much food for thought on leadership:

http://human-strategies.blogspot.com/2008/10/we-dont-need-another-hero.html

http://www.saketvora.com/2008/10/11/the-2008-stanford-roundtable/

http://valerievillarreal.blogspot.com/2008/10/californiahow-sweet-sound-and-question.html

Watch the roundtable

Women also are using the power of their purses to influence this election. On average, women earn 60 percent more than they did three decades ago, and, despite a gender gap in pay equity, tripled their giving to political candidates from 2000 to 2008. In this election alone, women have given a total of $429 million to presidential candidates.

Political candidates aren't the only ones benefiting from women's increased financial clout. According to U.S. News & World Report, in 2005 women surpassed men in their “civic generosity” by giving $21.7 billion in donations and philanthropic contributions compared with $16.8 billion given by men.

As president of the world's largest women's fund that has quadrupled in size over the past eight years, I've witnessed firsthand how women worldwide are choosing to invest in social change. At the Global Fund for Women, we hear from articulate and competent women from every continent who represent a wide political spectrum. We support women's organizations working on issues of economic development, education and health but also those crafting new definitions of power based on collaboration, community and inclusion.

According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, women's presence in parliaments and in ministerial positions significantly increases investments in social welfare and legal protection, as well as transparency in government and business. Last week, Rwandan women won 56 percent of contested parliamentary seats, setting a new precedent in Africa and for the world. In the United States, where women occupy a mere 16 percent of congressional seats, studies show that both Republican and Democratic women are more likely than their male counterparts to advocate for policies that champion social justice, protect the environment, advocate for children and families, and promote nonviolent conflict resolution.

What would power look like if all women – not just a handful – shared decision-making in their homes, in their lives, and in defining the political and economic futures of their countries? Imagine the transformation that could occur in U.S. economic policy, health care and foreign policy if more women held positions in Congress.

But this is not just an issue of numbers. The question for women in the United States and around the world is not whether we can be effective candidates or make a difference in terms of our votes or dollars. Rather, it is whether we are able and willing to face the world's current challenges with a new approach to power and leadership. Can we, in other words, dare to do more than simply outdo men in business as usual?

The daunting scale of world problems, from fast-moving health epidemics and climate change, to food insecurities and the current collapse of the global financial system, require major structural changes for their solution. It is not enough for women to aspire to have the same rights and access to power as men. Instead of simply demanding a place at the table, women must have the courage and imagination to chart a wholly different way of organizing economic and political systems grounded in principles of egalitarianism, human rights and ecological sustainability.

Pundits from both parties believe that women will determine the outcome of this November's election. Our task is to use our experiences and talents to envision new ways of leadership and new definitions of power in which women have voice, real choices and are able to contribute fully to the creation of a world that is secure and sustainable.

As leaders from business, media and civil society gather in San Diego this week for Fortune magazine's Most Powerful Women Summit, there is no more urgent time to reflect upon how women choose to express their power.

This piece was published in the San Diego Union Tribune on October 2nd, 2008. 

Dear friends,
 
We have just returned from a very emotional final vote in the full session of the Supreme Court, where eight of 11 justices declared the Mexico City law constitutional! We are absolutely thrilled! On this monumental day in Mexican history, we want our supporters to be the first to know about the triumph, in which the Pro-Choice Alliance undeniably played a role.
 
A large number of the justices based their votes on the concept that although the right to life is protected in the constitution, it does not supersede other human rights, including a woman’s rights to life, health protection, equality, freedom from discrimination, self-determination, sexual and reproductive freedom, bodily integrity, and privacy. Several justices mentioned the social aspects of abortion, but the strongest arguments were those based strictly on the Mexican constitution and law.
 
Two of the justices who voted against the law’s constitutionality made infuriatingly misogynistic remarks during their arguments. The Chief Justice based his arguments on the claim that women have access to contraception; implying that those who face unwanted pregnancy have no one to blame but themselves. At one point, he stated that forced maternity does not exist. Another claimed that pregnancy and motherhood is only a “light” imposition on women!
 
The legal importance of this decision cannot be underestimated, especially given the proportion of the majority. As we wrote yesterday, four votes would have meant that the law is not unconstitutional. Six votes guaranteed the law’s constitutionality. Although eight votes were secured, legal jurisprudence was not established given a technicality in one justice’s vote.
 
These legal subtleties will be extremely important as we move into the Mexican states to expand abortion rights. With this vote, there is no constitutional reason for Mexican states not to include the decriminalization of abortion in their penal codes. In fact, the Supreme Court validated local congresses’ legitimacy to do so. We will carry out an in-depth legal analysis of the ruling’s implications to inform our upcoming work and we will also analyze it further when the official sentence is released in a few weeks.
 
Much work remains to be done. We are galvanized by this strong legal recognition of women’s human rights to life and health by the highest court in the nation, and are ready for the fight that awaits us to ensure this right for all Mexican women. We know, and want you to know as well, that this would not have been possible without the Alliance, and the Alliance would not exist without strong donor backing. Thank you for your invaluable past and present support. It is bearing wonderful fruit!
 
Today is truly a dream come true; one that we and thousands of Mexican women have waited years and even decades for.
 
In resounding victory!
 
María Consuelo Mejía, María Eugencia Romero, María Luisa Sánchez Fuentes, Raffaela Schiavon, Sandy García, Gillian Fawcett, Emily Barcklow, Jennifer Paine, Elsa Pérez, Sandy Poire and the rest of the staff at the Pro-Choice Alliance organizations
 

Last week, Mauritanian President Abdallahi, the country's first democratically elected leader, was overthrown in a military coup. Read a statement issued by The Association des Femmes Chefs de Famille [Association of Women Heads of Household] (AFCF), a Global Fund grantee.  Published by the Women’s Learning Partnership, this statement condemns the coup d'état and makes crucial demands for the return of democracy. Read their statement below:

WLP Partner in Mauritania, AFCF, Condemns the Coup d'état and Calls for Restoration of Constitutional Government in Mauritania
August 7, 2008

WLP Partner in Mauritania, L'Association des Femmes Chefs de Famille (AFCF) strongly condemns the coup d'état that took place in Mauritania on Wednesday August 6, 2008 in contempt of the democratic choices expressed by the people of Mauritania after a long period of dictatorship and instability.
AFCF:

• Demands a return to constitutional legality and the reinstatement of the democratically-elected president and his government;   
  
• Calls on all human rights institutions, activists and personalities to resolutely reject this coup d'état and to defend Mauritania's democratic constitutional order; and   
  
• Appeals to international institutions, notably the European Union, to use their influence to re-establish constitutionalism in Mauritania.

L'Association des Femmes Chefs de Famille (AFCF) is a non-governmental organization whose mission is to promote human rights and defend the rights of women and children. AFCF promotes the legal, social, and economic empowerment of women, especially those in rural locations.The organization advocates for the improvement of the 2001 Personal Status Law and strives to ensure that protections under the current law are accessible to women in Mauritania.

AFCF supports the participation of female heads of households in action for social change through training activities and provides services to women in crisis situations. Since 2005 WLP and AFCF have been working together to expand skills-building and leadership training to enhance women's participation in decision-making in the family, community, and in politics. 

The last weekend of June found LGBTIQ communities around the world celebrating pride with the enthusiasm that has marked pride marches historically. We are excited to share that at this year’s pride march in San Francisco, two of our grantee partners from the Serbian group Autonomous Women's Center participated and spoke at the Dyke March attended by several thousand members of the bay area’s queer community along with numerous allies.

Tijana Popivoda and Lepa Mladjenovic from the Serbian chapter of AWC, a Global Fund grantee in Serbia that works to end violence against women, inspired the audience with their moving speeches. They drew vital attention to the widespread homophobia that persists in several countries of the world, and especially in countries in Eastern Europe. “The question of visibility is a question of our lesbian existence. In the country where I live, Serbia, as well as in most other places in the world, visibility can mean that we risk our lives,” remarked Tijana.  They reminded the audience of the homophobia that lesbians in different countries of the world from India to Kyrgyzstan, continue to endure and resist fearlessly. Full transcripts of Tijana and Lepa’s speeches are available online.

Meanwhile, our grantee partner Queer Zagreb, part of the Zagreb Pride organizing committee, shared exciting updates about how the LGBTIQ community celebrated pride in Zagreb, Croatia. In an email, they highlighted how representatives from four parliamentary parties and a member of the European Parliament, in a historic showing of political support, participated in the ceremonies. In addition to Queer Zagreb, several other Global Fund grantees along with hundreds of people participated in the march from all over the Balkans. Check out clips from the rally online  and visit Zagreb Pride’s web site.

You can also visit Zagreb Pride's community on Facebook.

Seventh-grade students from Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School in Palo Alto recently joined a growing and thriving community of a younger generation who come together, despite busy schedules, to raise money for the Global Fund.  As we recognize the efforts of students around the country collectively learning about and practicing philanthropy in their schools, we'd like to acknowledge and thank the students of Gideon Hausner for joining in these efforts to benefit our grantees worldwide!

Seventh-graders from the Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School in Palo Alto received a hands-on lesson in philanthropy over the course of several months. Students researched nonprofit organizations and learnt how philanthropists choose the organizations they support, then worked together to pool their own contributions for these causes, generously sourced from Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations and activities such as baby-sitting and letter writing.

Their philanthropic project, which began in September, culminated a few weeks ago during their celebration of Tzedakah ceremony. At the ceremony, students presented a total of $57,000 to 46 groups, and among them was the Global Fund for Women. 

At the Global Fund, such remarkable initiatives inspire and make us additionally grateful to be doing this work. We commend this emerging young generation of philanthropists.  To read more about students giving to the Global Fund, please visit our May archive (link to blog archive).

"For all of us who get to be leaders, it is an incredible opportunity to do one's best. Everything shall be judged by history," shared Dr.Vaira Vike-Freiberga, in conversation with veteran journalist Sydnie Kohara of CBS News San Francisco. Dr. Vike-Freiberga was President of the Republic of Latvia from 1999 to 2007.

Last month, I had the opportunity to attend an event hosted by the San Francisco-based International Museum of Women (IMOW). It was the first of its Speaker Series with a talk by Dr.Vaira Vike-Freiberga, former President of Latvia, and the first woman head of state in post-communist Europe. The audience of several Global Fund donors, and Bay Area community members also included a delightfully surprising number of people of Latvian origin.

In the light-hearted but profound discussion, Dr.Freiberga shared stories from her extraordinary life of fleeing from Latvia as a child during the Soviet occupation and her life and work as a prolific scholar in Montreal, Canada. She also shared her passion for Latvian folklore called dainas, about which she has also written many books.

In addition to supporting IMOW, Global Fund has  also supported five groups in Latvia to the tune of almost $42,000. One example is the Latvian Young Women's Association, based in the Latvian capital Riga, working to increase minority women's political and civic participation in Latvian society.

In his op-ed “The Weapon of Rape” (NYT 6/15/08), Nicholas Kristof justly described sexual atrocities against women in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Darfur as “terrorism.”This strong language is overdue in a context where the use of rape for political gain and territorial expansion has continued unabated for 10 years in both these countries with almost no reaction from world leaders, especially in the case of DRC. Read more.

Kristof uses this week’s UN Security Council session on sexual violence, which will be led by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, as the hook to remind the world of its negligence when it comes to women’s human rights. The world has been silent in spite of the UN’s own condemning 2001 report on the exploitation of mineral resources as a driving force of the war in eastern Congo – the most violent since World War II and responsible for almost 5 million deaths. The world remained silent following Human Rights Watch’s 2002 detailed documentation of sexual violence as a regular feature of the conflict. 2007 and 2008 have finally seen the emergence of interest in the rights of violated African women – we’ve seen more media reports, more donor interest, more visits to the region by international NGOs. The Congolese activists and NGOs that have been ardently calling on the world to pay attention for the past decade must ask themselves why it took so long. These groups raised awareness about the overflow of weapons in Congo, Burundi, and Rwanda, which made it easy for armed groups to terrorize communities, making farming a dangerous endeavor for women who must grow their food, and subjecting women and girls to unspeakable acts of violence and humiliation. These groups also insisted that violence against women must be considered as crimes against humanity, and were critical to the passage of UN Resolution 1325 and the recognition of rape as a crime against humanity by the International Criminal Court. These courageous activists insisted that these crimes not be relegated to “internal matters” of sovereign states – immune from scrutiny by world leaders and international human rights procedures. The same groups are helping victims of rape access medical treatment and support systems to become economically independent.  In keeping with its mission and commitment to listening to women's voices on the ground, the Global Fund for Women has been proud to be able to provide both financial support and to stand in moral solidarity with some of these remarkable activists as they carry out their important work.

Is it a coincidence that as the end of the Bush administration approaches, Condoleeza Rice, the Secretary of State, a woman, leads the debate on sexual violence? Is it a coincidence that it took this long for this administration to prioritize or think about tens of thousands of women being traumatized as they were brutally raped, and, adding insult to injury, often in the presence of their families and neighbors? Over 70 Congolese women’s rights organizations sent a letter to the UN Security Council this week appealing that significant, meaningful steps be taken to end sexual violence. The world has repeatedly stated “never again” when it comes to brutal violence, genocide, and mass atrocities. However, when it comes to women's bodies being used as weapons of war, the pattern has continued, from Liberia, to Bosnia, Serbia, Rwanda, DRC, and Darfur – making “never again” seem like a farce rather than a forceful commitment of the international community. We don’t know where the next atrocities will take place, but we hope that the response of the world community will be much swifter and unequivocal so that thousands of women don’t again sacrifice their dignity and well-being for the sake of politics and greed.

Read Nick Kristof's article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/opinion/15kristof.html?hp=&pagewanted=print

Read More...     

During the past couple of months, the Global Fund has received several gifts generated by students, including a generous lump of pennies in the amount of $609 from students' coin drive at King Phillip Middle School in Connecticut and over $2,000 from the proceeds of a multicultural show put on by the Stanford undergraduate South Asian student group, Sanskriti. 

From students organizing conferences on women's rights - such as Stanford students' recent ThinkBig conference - to middle schoolers becoming practicing philanthropists even before their teenage years, students from coast to coast in the US are mobilizing both passion and resources to contribute to advancing international women's rights.Sanskriti, which in Hindi/Sanskrit means "culture," is an undergraduate South Asian cultural student group founded in 1989. Since then, it has grown to include over 600 members. 

By exploring South Asian history and tradition and promoting its performances to the rest of the Stanford community, Sanskriti seeks to strengthen campus awareness of South Asian culture. Each winter, Sanskriti organizes an annual multicultural show called Rhythms, the proceeds of which go to a different charity of their choice each year. Check out Sanskriti's trailer video for the show.

This year, in celebration of the concurrent student-led conference on women's rights, Think Big, Sanskriti generously donated the proceeds of its annual show to the Global Fund for Women. ThinkBig, is Stanford's annual conference run entirely by enthusiastic undergraduate students, focused on international women's health and rights issues. ThinkBIG, held this year at Stanford from February 1-3, aimed to inspire students to action by critically looking at the health situation of women and girls in poorer countries.

The conference engaged hundreds of students and community members through speeches, films, student group performances, such as Sanskriti's Rhythms, and information panels featuring guests such as Former UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa Stephen Lewis, Former Minister of Health of Ghana Dr. Eunice Brookman Amissah, and Fiona Muchembere of The Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED), a Global Fund grantee.

ThinkBig writes, "The ultimate goal is to mobilize our generation-- from the diplomat to the doctor to the 'check-writer of tomorrow'-- to step up to the challenges of the future and work to improve the situation of women throughout the developing world.  You can download and view each of the conference panel's stirring opening videos, produced by Potentia Media. Download file (size 347 MB)

Examples of student-led activism and mobilization such as these abound across the country.  The Global Fund is honored to be the recipient of these recent student-led initiatives and delighted to be part of the philanthropic education of our youth.  For more information about how your school can get involved, contact Annie Wilkinson, Development Associate of Philanthropic Partnerships at annie [AT] globalfundforwomen [DOT] org.

By Annie Wilkinson, Development Associate for Philanthropic Partnerships

Read an article by Zeina Zataari, Senior Program Officer for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), on the ongoing war in Iraq and its enormous implications and consequences for Iraqi women. The article was first published in Project Syndicate last month:

BAGHDAD – Iraqi women’s organizations and international observers point to an escalating war against women in Iraq, aided by the widespread chaos and lawlessness under the US occupation. In addition to violence by US troops inside and outside of prisons, women in Iraq face daily violence from militants under the guise of religion and “liberation.”

In Iraq’s second largest city, Basra, a stronghold of conservative Shia groups, as many as 133 women were killed last year for violating “Islamic teachings” and in so-called “honor killings,” according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The methods are brutal evidence of a backlash by previously subdued tribal forces that have been unleashed by the occupation: women strangled and beheaded, and their hands, arms and legs chopped off.

With US forces in Iraq now funding both Sunni and Shia tribal leaders in an effort to stabilize the country, conditions for women grow deadlier by the day. Islamist leaders have imposed new restrictions on women, including prohibitions on work, bans on travel without a muhram (male guardian), and compulsory veiling.

According to the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), formed in Baghdad in 2003, women are harassed if they appear in the streets of most Iraqi cities and towns, educational institutions, or work places. Now there are even “no woman zones” in some southern cities controlled by Islamist parties and tribal leaders.

Honor killings of Iraqi women are justified by alleged promiscuity or adultery. In fact, the practice targets holders of PhD’s, professionals, political activists, and office workers. “Politically active women, those who did not follow a strict dress code, and women human rights defenders were increasingly at risk of abuse, including by armed groups and religious extremists,” Amnesty International said in its 2007 report.

Indeed, a top police official in Basra reported that as many as 15 women are killed every month in the city. Ambulance drivers in Basra, paid to “clean the streets” before people go to work, pick up many more bodies of women every morning.

Ironically, the forces leading this assault on women had little or no power under Saddam Hussein. But, following the US-led invasion in 2003, southern Iraq was opened to forces known as Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (PVPV) – militant gangs and individuals committed to archaic Islamic rule and suppression of women’s rights.

Some members of these groups now serve in government, others in militias or as self-appointed vigilantes or hired guns. The goal of the PVPV is to confine women to the domestic realm and end all female participation in public and political life.

To date, Iraqi officials have not been willing to deal with this escalating violence against women, or even to discuss it. But, as elected representatives, they are obligated to address these crimes. So must the US. Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, the responsibility for protecting civilian populations in an occupied country belongs to the occupying forces, which, in this case, are clearly failing to protect Iraqi women.

Two measures are urgently needed. First, the Iraqi government must immediately establish “Protection of Women” security patrols in Iraq’s southern cities. These patrols must receive gender-sensitive training and prioritize women’s security over tribal or fundamentalist religious values.

Second, pursuant to its obligations under the Geneva Convention, the US must immediately take steps to protect the lives and freedoms of Iraqi civilians. Unless the US does so, it must withdraw from Iraq, because the occupation would merely continue to sustain a breeding ground for violence against women.

The timetable for action is not subject to debate. It must begin today.

Josie Hadden, a Global Fund donor and an avid supporter of our work, attended the recently concluded GFW-AWID conference in Marrakech, Morocco and blogged about her experience of meeting with our Moroccoan grantees and learning about the important work they do:

The Global Fund for Women-AWID conference in Marrakech ended. All the hugs and cheek kisses from new friends and sisters had been shared and good-bys made. The next phase of our trip would be site visits. 

But first, we spent a day in Marrakech doing a little sightseeing and exploring the Medina, the old city with its maze of alleyways, souks (shops), and crush of people, and emerging at Jamaa al Fna (the large market square) in the late afternoon to the chaotic, fascinating scene of produce venders, outdoor grills, monkeys, snake charmers (be sure to look down. I almost walked right through the middle of the snakes at one point), drummers, dancers, motor scooters and more people.

For the next week we visited Global Fund grantees in Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Rabat and Fez. We met with groups who are explaining the new, more liberal Family Code (Mudawana) to women all over the country. They use van caravans to reach remote villages to present skits demonstrating women’s rights under the new law, and working to get the new rights implemented. Others work at the advocacy level trying to get the police and judges to actually operate by the Mudawana, lobbying for broader coverage without restrictions, evoking CEDAW. Having rights codified is an essential first step, but society and culture do not change easily. Some groups use media and professional theater to effect change.

Other groups offer school for unregistered children, others provide literacy and vocational training for the women. Almost everyone provided “listening centers” where women who are victims of violence can talk about their experience and work through their feelings. One group is working with other gorups to build a 200 bed women’s center with a full range of services including longer term shelter.

I had made this trip with the Global Fund because I wanted to verify my positive impressions about the work the Fund does. I wanted to see how their peers reacted to them at the conference and to see how their grantees interacted with them. My instincts were completely validated. I support the Global Fund wholeheartedly and am delighted to be a dedicated and enthusiastic donor.

One of the conference participants, Nadeen, from Lebanon shared her thoughts about the recently concluded AWID-GFW Conference in Morocco:

When I first got to Morocco for the AWID/GFW conference on resource mobilization in the MENA region, I had prepared myself to be quiet on a lot of feminist issues. I even asked that my name and work on sexual rights be kept confidential. It’s the MENA region, after all, I thought, and the discourse would be old and stiff and boring. So the organizers somehow had this genius idea of gathering the young women participants for a pre-conference workshop, and I’ve been overwhelmingly impressed by the feminisms represented by these beautiful, strong, young women.

There was no ice to break. We bonded immediately, overcoming barriers in language, religions, and backgrounds, and what has been fostered in the days to follow has given me the greatest of hope towards real and radical change in our region.

Having this youth-only day had its visible effects on the rest of the conference (in which I am sitting now). Young women felt empowered, they found their voices and each other, they formed an alliance that stood strong on many issues raised in the workshops by the older generations of women’s activists. And yes, we raised sexual and bodily rights at the bigger conference.

Activism is boiling here, and we are all committed to carrying it through. Ours is a young feminism, an unwavering feminism, a radical feminism, and a vibrant feminism!