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Dear Friends,
On July 7th more than 25 million people watched the Live Earth concerts on television, the Internet and at 11 festivals held around the world. Millions pledged to change their lifestyles and take action against global warming.
Tens of millions of people face life-threatening conditions every day as a result of the pollution of their environments. The basic right to clean air, water and access to life-sustaining resources is being taken away. Globally, women perform much of a community's vital work and are often most affected by environmental degradation. When women are forced to walk miles each day to fetch water because local wells are polluted, social progress in inhibited. When a young girl has to give up her schooling to collect firewood because the land surrounding her village has been ravaged, she loses the opportunity to grow into an educated women with the skills to tackle the challenges in her community.
Despite these challenges, Global Fund grantees are taking action to protect the environment and their natural resources. In China environmental pollution caused by improperly disposed toxic waste has caused tens of thousands of women and men to contract life-threatening diseases. EcoWomen, a grantee in the Yunan Province, has been organizing and educating women farmers about the dangers of improper pesticide use, and using data about cancer rates in the rural areas to lobby the government to protect the environment.
In Andhra Pradesh, India over 1,700 fishing boats were lost in the South Asian tsunami of 2004. Global Fund grantee, the Center for Environment and Development, is working to protect fisher women against gender and labor exploitation. As a result of its programs, women's participation in local governance has increased to 33 percent.
Since 1987 the Global Fund has provided more than $11 million in grants to 783 groups in 126 countries working to protect the environment and support women's stewardship of the earth. Women are organizing, lobbying and developing local solutions to address environmental degradation and the impact of environmental disasters. The Live Earth festival encouraged all of us to make the small changes required to reduce our environmental footprint. Global Fund grantees often face life and death issues in their work. We urge you to support women who are working to protect and preserve our collective home.
In Solidarity,
Shalini Nataraj
Vice President of Programs and Evaluation
Women Who Light the Dark
The Global Fund for Women has teamed up with acclaimed photojournalist Paola Gianturco to bring you Women Who Light the Dark, an exquisite expression of the many ways women are improving the world.
 Paola Gianturco has independently visited social entrepreneurs from 15 countries, including Global Fund grantee groups, to tell their stories. She is donating 100 percent of the royalties from the book to support the Global Fund for Women's international grantmaking.
This September Paola and the Global Fund will begin a national tour to bring you the stories of how local women are helping one another tackle the problems that darken their lives. Presentations and book signings will be held in Seattle, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles. Visit our website to find out about the book tour or pre-order a copy of Paola's book online.
1.5 Million in July Grants
The Global Fund is proud to announce our summer grants of $1.5 million to 120 groups in 58 countries.
In Africa we are funding women's networks tackling the HIV/AIDS epidemic and environmental degradation caused by foreign exploitation of natural resources.
In the Americas we are supporting women's organizations contributing to the public debate on globalization and its effect on the well-being of communities.
In Asia and Oceania we have awarded grants to groups working with women directly impacted by war and militarization in Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.
In Europe and the Former Soviet States expanding political participation is one of this summer's foci. Our grantee, Women for Women, encourages participation in civic and political processes following Armenia's first truly democratic election in May 2007.
In the Middle East and North Africa, the predominant area of grantmaking this quarter is supporting "minority" or "marginalized" women and women's groups in Israel, Turkey and Iraq.
Voyage to the Pacific
Last month Program Officer for Asia and Oceania, Dechen Tsering, returned from the Global Fund's first outreach trip to the Pacific region. During her two and a half week trip Dechen attended the 10th Triennial Conference on Pacific Women in Noumea, New Caledonia, as well as visited advisers and grantees in New Zealand and Fiji.
 In Fiji grantees discussed the repercussions faced by NGOs following the country's most recent military coup in 2006. Several members of the Global Fund community have faced abuse at the hands of police for speaking out against the interim government.
The good news is that in the midst of all the many challenges women in the Pacific face, Dechen met with many strong and brave women committed to overcoming the barriers to advancing women's status. A longer report on Dechen's trip to the Pacific will appear in the Global Fund's August newsletter.
Vote for the Global Fund!
Are you a Working Assets customer? It's time to vote for how Working Assets should distribute their annual donations. In 2005 your votes helped us secure an additional $70,000 for the global women's movement. Vote for the Global Fund by August 31st.
Leave a Legacy
Planned gifts enable you to support the causes you care about now and in the future. Choosing to include the Global Fund for Women in your estate plans is an extraordinary commitment to advancing the rights of women and girls around the world. When you make this important decision, you join other visionary supporters like yourself as a member of our Anne Firth Murray Circle.
There are a variety of planned giving options to choose from and we encourage you to contact your financial advisor or attorney to discuss the benefits of including the Global Fund for Women in your plans.
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