Spring greetings,

I am deeply honored to be chairing the board of the Global Fund for Women during this exciting time of transition and opportunity. I have witnessed the incredible growth and collective energy of the Global Fund since joining as an advisor in 1997 while based in Egypt and researching women’s rights in religious and cultural traditions. After becoming a member of the board in 2006, I worked to strengthen our ability to fund women’s groups in my motherland of Algeria and North Africa.

Momentous events have captivated us over the past several months. In Egypt, scenes of young women and men standing shoulder-to-shoulder demanding regime change and a new way of doing the people’s business mesmerized us. Among the crowds on Tahrir Square were hundreds of our grantee partners, advisors and our board member Hoda Elsadda. The world is watching now as the hard work of creating a new government – one that respects the rights of all – is underway.

This joy was followed by immense grief over the devastating earthquake and tsunami in northern Japan. The after effects of that tragedy have given us pause to once again seriously consider the very real environmental implications of nuclear power.

Yet I am heartened, because while substantive, transformative change takes time, it does happen. Our “Top 10 Wins for Women’s Movements” are a testament to that. The seemingly impossible – from domestic workers’ rights to the creation of UN Women – were achieved just in the past year thanks to years of solidarity and support!

Thanks to you, our staff, grantee partners, advisors and supporters, I continue to be energized and inspired by the values-based grant making, feminist-networking and powerful vision of the Global Fund for Women.

Warmly,

Leila Hessini
Board Chair