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Dear Friends,
It seems hard to believe that we are preparing for our May board meeting and a year of strategic planning while bidding farewell to a key member of the Global Fund family, our dear colleague and the Vice President for Development and Communications, Nicky McIntyre.
Ten years ago Nicky joined our staff as the Global Fund's first Director of Development and Communications. She had been inspired by Founding President Anne Firth Murray’s vision of a world where women are free and equal participants in all aspects of society. Her participation at the 1995 Beijing UN Conference on Women marked a turning point in her desire to serve the global women’s movement.
Over the past ten years we have worked to carry on Anne's vision, and it has been our good fortune to do so with the wise counsel, good humor and excellent management skills of Nicky McIntyre.
As anyone who has worked with this down-to-earth Scottish woman knows, fundraising is but a tiny part of what Nicky does so well. She has nurtured a team of caring, compassionate and competitive feminist fundraisers. She has been part of the management team at the Global Fund, overseeing our strategic direction and helping to strengthen our core infrastructure. She has given tirelessly of herself to the global women’s movement, leading trainings, sharing lessons, serving on boards and educating peers in the field of philanthropy. As one of our program officers puts it, “We may be paid by our foundation, but we all know we really work for Nicky McIntyre!” She represents that most special of Global Fund qualities – someone who blurs the line between activist, donor, staff member, friend, guide and mentor.
We have always been proud of the alumni of the Global Fund – they leave us to carry our vision of advancing women’s human rights into their new institutions and communities. We know that our sister fund in the Netherlands, Mama Cash, is a recipient of a very special and loving gift from the Global Fund for Women. We are excited about the opportunity to deepen our collaborative working relationship and we wish Nicky and her new colleagues all the best in their new adventure together.
We are so grateful for the ten years of service that Nicky shared with our community, and we are delighted that she will continue to serve the women of the world with clarity, passion and extraordinary competence in her new role at Mama Cash.
In Solidarity,
Kavita N. Ramdas
President and CEO
Global Fund for Women
Women in the Gulf
 Last month Middle East and North Africa Program Officer Zeina Zaatari, and Program Associate Bessma Mourad traveled to Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates to learn about issues facing women in the region. While the region is well known for its resources and wealth, very little is directed towards women’s rights work. Our grantmaking in the Gulf region has been limited to a few grants in Iraq and Yemen. In 2005, we made our first grant to the Bahrain Women’s Society. Since then, we have been networking and researching current issues, women’s groups and ways to do effective grantmaking.
Read more about Bessma and Zeina's trip to the Gulf 
Honoring Mother's Day
On Mother's Day we invite you to support the Global Fund with donations in honor of your mother. Donate to the Global Fund directly or buy flowers and chocolates in support of the Global Fund.
Cacao Anasa is a San Francisco-based company making handcrafted artisan truffles and confections. Fifteen percent of all proceeds bought through the Global Fund will support our international grantmaking. When buying online, list "Global Fund for Women" in the special instructions field of the checkout page to ensure that your purchase benefits the Global Fund.
Organic Bouquet is the Internet's first eco-florist featuring organic and green label flowers and gifts. Ten percent of each vase of Asiatic Sunset Lilies bought through the Global Fund will be donated in support of our work.
Newsletter Redesigned
We hope you like our new look!
Our redesign not only gives us an updated look, but is easier to read and saves money. Our paper edition is printed on newsprint made of 40 percent post-consumer waste and each costs only 17 cents to print! You can download the newsletter to read our discussion of Islamic feminism, see reports from our International Women's Day campaign, read good news from Africa and learn about women's media in Central America.
Legalizing Abortion in Mexico
On April 24, Mexico City's opposition legislators of the left-leaning Democratic Revolutionary Party and the centrist Institutional Revolutionary Party, and smaller parties such as Alternativa, PT and Convergencia, will vote to fully legalize abortion in the first 12 weeks of a woman's pregnancy.
Read Kavita Ramdas and Maria Luisa Sanchez's op-ed on Alternet.
Un artículo de opinión sobre la reforma legislativa a favor del aborto en la Ciudad de México fue publicado en El Diario de Nueva York.
Global Day for Darfur
The San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition is presenting two main events for the 2007 Global Day for Darfur on April 29. A Day of Learning event will be followed by a rally at the San Francisco Civic Center in the late afternoon.
Day of Learning
10:30 am - 3:00 pm
Rally
4 pm - 7 pm Visit Globe for Darfur for information on other April 29th events across the United States and around the world.
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