Message of Solidarity from Our Sister Group in Iraq for International Women's Day

Tags:domestic violence, Grantee Partners, Iraq, Middle East/North Africa, Peace & Gender Violence, prison justice, trafficking

IWD2008_English_posterOur sisters in Iraq, from the Organization for Women’s Freedom, a Global Fund grantee sent us this moving and inspiring message on the occasion of International Women's Day:

To the strongest women of the world,

Your sisters did not quit the struggle for a better world in Iraq.

We are burdened with 5 years of military occupation, few years of religio-tribal government, and deteriorating life standards which are hard to endure or survive with dignity. A civil life where liberated women can speak out is unattainable or expected anytime soon.

The disappearance of women from the public realm in Iraq gives us more reason to celebrate March 8, the International Women's Day, acknowledging that we are part of billions of global women who struggle for a better life.

Please take a look at our attached IWD poster.

Happy International Women's Day to all of you. We hope you remember us in your events.

In Solidarity,

Yanar Mohammed
President
Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq

The Organization for Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI)  was formed in Baghdad in June 2003 to defend women's rights and works towards women's equality with men in Iraq. OWFI works on a range of issues against the backdrop of the ongoing occupation of Iraq, including focusing on the following areas: “women’s human rights inside prisons and detainment centers: the Women’s Prisons’ Watch Program, anti-trafficking and sex-industry watch, and different ways to shelter women including lone female survivors from sectarian clashes.”

OWFI operates women's shelters in Kirkuk and Baghdad that provide security and social support for victims of trauma. The group also organizes awareness raising meetings on issues like domestic abuse, sexual trafficking, and access to education, and also operates a feminist newspaper called Al-Mousawat (Equality).

 

Womens eNews recognizes Van Anh Nguyen

Tags:Activists, Asia Pacific, Grantee Partners, Vietnam
Van-AnhVan Anh Nguyen, who founded the first crisis counseling hotline for women in Hanoi, Vietnam, is one of seven inspiring women who will be recognized for her stellar work and leadership by Womens eNews.org, a NY-based independent news agency known for its pioneering work in reporting news from a gender perspective. 

Prior to founding the hotline, the Center for Applied Sciences in Gender (CSAGA),a Global Fund grantee, Van Anh was a radio journalist with Voices of Vietnam. Today, CSAGA has hotlines in 22 cities that respond to calls from over 5,000 women everyday. In Vietnam, CSAGA is considered a leader in the field of gender-based violence prevention and among the few that offers a “blame-free” environment for women survivors of gender-based violence.

Read Van Anh's profile on women's enews. Find out more about the upcoming gala in May and the other inspiring honorees!

Photo by photojournalist Paola Gianturco's book Women Who Light the Dark, published by powerhouse Books.
 

Kavita Ramdas in Nation.com on Leveraging the Power of Race and Gender

logo_nation Kavita Ramdas in Nation.com on Leveraging the Power of Race and Gender
Read Global Fund CEO and President Kavita Ramdas' piece in the Nation online on the issue of how race and gender can be powerfully leveraged in the 2008 presidential campaign. The Nation is a leading independent online and print magazine and is America's first weekly magazine. You can post your comments and feedback here.

 

 

Kavita Ramdas in Nation.com on Leveraging the Power of Race and Gender

logo_nation Read Global Fund CEO and President Kavita Ramdas' piece in the Nation online on the issue of how race and gender can be powerfully leveraged in the 2008 presidential campaign. The Nation is a leading independent online and print magazine and is America's first weekly magazine. You can post your comments and feedback here.

 

Global Fund's Board Member Mayan Villalba Wins Entrepreneurship Award

Tags:Asia Pacific, Board Members, Civic and Political Participation, migrant rights, Phillipines

MayanVillalbaMayan Villalba, one of our board members and director of Unlad Kabayan Migrant Services Foundation, a migrant rights advocacy organization, was named Social Entrepreneur for 2007 at the Phillipines Entrepreneur of the Year awards held this month.

Mayan won the award in the Social Entrepreneur category "for applying a practical, innovative, and market-oriented approach to her business through creation of products and services that address the challenges faced by communities, help solve complex social problems, and benefit the marginalized and the poor." Mayan was also lauded for "making critical linkages between the migration of overseas Filipino workers to local community development by harnessing migrants’ resources through credit programs and eventually investing these in local social enterprises or commercial businesses."

This year, 15 winners in different categories were chosen from different industries and sectors, from all over the Philippines. The Entrepreneur of the Year was founded in the United States by professional services firm Ernst & Young in 1986 to recognize the achievements of successful and innovative entrepreneurs. Learn more about Mayan Villalba

 
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