HIV/AIDS

Worldwide, about half the HIV-positive population is made up of women. In Sub-Saharan Africa 60 percent of those living with HIV are women in a region that accounts for 75 percent of AIDS deaths. Globally, women are more vulnerable to the virus due to sexual coercion, early marriage, cultural stigma and poverty. In the U.S., HIV is the third leading cause of death among African American women aged 25-44 compared with the fifth leading cause for all women. Low-income women suffer disproportionately: nearly two-thirds of HIV-positive women in the U.S. report annual incomes of under $10,000. Our network is active at the research, grassroots and public health levels, raising awareness about disparities and ensuring that prevention, testing and treatment are made more affordable and accessible.

Engendering Justice: Women, Prisons and Change

Submitted by jmumbey on Fri, 01/22/2010 - 4:24pm

In the last decade, we have witnessed the population of incarcerated women increase to 400 percent. Building on this development, Rebecca Haimowitz reflects on the interlinkage between incarceration and issues such as race, class, education, national identity, and gender conformity. 

Video URL: 
Member Organization: 
Barnard Center for Research on Women

CWGL Report: “Strengthening Resistance: Confronting Violence Against Women and HIV/AIDS,”

Submitted by admin on Mon, 01/04/2010 - 2:40pm

CWGL Report: "Strengthening Resistance: Confronting Violence Against Women and HIV/AIDS," Cynthia Rothschild, Mary Anne Reilly and Sara A. Nordstrom (2006).

URL: 
http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/globalcenter/publications/strengthening.pdf
Member Organization: 
Center for Women's Global Leadership

Institute for Research on Women and Gender

Contact

204 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1290
Ph. (734) 764-9537
Fx. (734) 764-9533
http://www.umich.edu/~irwg/
irwg@umich.edu


The Institute for Research on Women and Gender (IRWG) at the University of Michigan was established to promote and support gender-related research endeavors by faculty at the university. Specifically, IRWG aims to facilitate and monitor ongoing interdisciplinary research efforts, to offer support and coordination for these projects, and to heighten the presence and impact of the University of Michigan in the field of gender scholarship. The institute also supports study groups centered on topics of interest to a self-defined community of scholars.

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Employment Opportunities

Principal Staff

Carol Boyd, Director
E-mail: caroboyd@umich.edu

Deborah Keller-Cohen, Senior Associate Director
E-mail: dkc@umich.edu

Janet Malley, Associate Director
E-mail: jmalley@umich.edu

Debra M. Schwartz, Public Relations
E-mail: schwarde@umich.edu

Beverly Kissel, Financial & HR Specialist
E-mail: bkissel@umich.edu

Lisa Parker, Research Administrator
E-mail: wooliver@umich.edu

Patricia Smith, Business Administrator
E-mail: pssmith@umich.edu

Terri Torkko, Event Coordinator
E-mail: torkko@umich.edu

Tammy Culler, Computer Support Specialist
E-mail: tammy@umich.edu

Nicole Perry, Secretary to the Director
E-mail: msnicole@umich.edu






Areas of Expertise:

Access & Disparities, Advancing Women's Leadership, Body Image & Wellness, Globalization, Arts & Activism, Barriers & Opportunities, Diversity & Inclusion, Communications, Media & Gender, Culture & Identity, Educational Leadership of Women & People of Color, HIV/AIDS, International Organizations, Diversity & Inclusion, Higher Education, Mental Health, Older Women, Globalization, Sexuality & Gender, Women in History, Communications, Culture & Society, Globalization, Human Rights & Security, Health, Reproductive Rights & Sexuality

Member Experts:


Projects & Campaigns

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Reports & Resources

Adolescents and Girls

Children's Time with Fathers in Intact Families, Pamela Davis-Kearn.

Gender, Puberty, and Objectification, Karin Martin.

 

Arts

Tharp, Feminism, and Postmodern Dance, Sally Banes.

Art/Girl: Graffiti, Femininity, and the Career of Lady Pink, Kristina Milnor.

No Place for a Woman? Critical Narratives and Erotic Graffiti from Pompeii, Kristina Milnor.

Family Stories/Family Pictures: Mothers With Cameras, Joanne Leonard.

Representation of Women in Art History: An Overview, Patricia Simons.

 

Censorship

Studies in Gender Based Censorship: An Annotated Bibliography in Law, Abigail Carter.

Studies in Gender Based Censorship: An Annotated Bibliography in Sociology, Susannah Dolance.

Studies in Gender Based Censorship: An Annotated Bibliography in Literature, Leslie Dorfman Davis.

Studies in Gender Based Censorship: An Annotated Bibliography in Feminist Theory and Philosophy, Troy Gordon.

Studies in Gender Based Censorship: An Annotated Bibliography in Education, Edwina Hansbrough.

Studies in Gender Based Censorship: An Annotated Bibliography in the Mass Media, Edwina Hansbrough.

Studies in Gender Based Censorship: An Annotated Bibliography in Psychology, Zaje Harrell.

Studies in Gender Based Censorship: An Annotated Bibliography in Visual and Performing Arts, Libby Otto.

Studies in Gender Based Censorship: An Annotated Bibliography in Economics, Lucie Schmidt.

Studies in Gender Based Censorship: An Annotated Bibliography in American History, Chris Talbot.

 

 

 

Feminist Thought and Scholarship

Objectification Theory: Emotional Consequences of Sexual, Barbara Fredrickson.

Feminist Foundations: Practicing Feminism in the Community. A transcript of a panel at the conference, Feminists at Work: Multicultural, Feminist Influences on Practice, sponsored by the Interdisciplinary Program in Feminist Practice, The University of Michigan, October 16-17, 1998.

Giving It Up: Disrupting White 'Innocence,' Re-Educating White Feminism, Gail Griffin.

 

International Issues - Religion

The Home and Garden are a Small Paradise for Women: Men and Women Gendering Bosnjak Nationalism in Muslim Bosnia-Hercegovina, Elissa Helms (1997).

 

Health and Health Care

Dual Autobiography and AIDS Witnessing, Ross Chambers.

Improving Pregnancy Outcomes during Imprisonment

Initial Exposure to Nicotine in College-age Women smokers and Never-smokers, Cynthia Pomerlau.

Mental Illness and Substance abuse: Implications for Women's Health and Health Care Access, Beth Glover Reed and Carol Mowbray.

Representations of Women's Bodies and Birthing, Carolyn Sampselle.

Women and Stress, Elizabeth Young.

 

Mental Health

Rumination and Depression in Women, Susan Nolen-Hoeksema.

Serious Mental Illness: Women and Parenting, Carol Mowbray.

 

History

Telling An Untellable Story: White "Daughter" Black "Mother" After the Cuban Revolution, Ruth Behar.

Prison Discipline, Reform and Debate: Negotiating the Female Prisoner in Nineteenth-Century England, Susanna Calkins.

The Figure of the Adulteress in the Construction of the "Cult of True Womanhood" in the19th-Century American Moral Reform Literature, Lisa Cochran.

Remembering a Forgotten Past, or Why Have We Only Heard of Ballerinas, Lynn Garafola.

The Pasha's Prostitutes: Rethinking Women, the State, and Female Prostitution in Nineteenth Century Egypt, Mario Ruiz.

 

International Issues - Prostitution

Making A Spectacle: The Nightly Transformations of Egyptian Nightclub Performers in a Conservative Age, Katherine Zirbel.

Contraband Women, Immigration Tricks of the Sex Trade, and State Visions of Migrant Women Workers' Rights? The 1997 Toronto Massage Parlour Raids, Cheryl Harrison.

 

Politics

Institutional Gender Analysis: Running for the Russian Duma, Janet Johnson.

Visions of Citizenship: Questioning the Liberal Promise of Equality, Elizabeth Wingrove.

 

Reproductive Rights

Informed Consent Issues in Assisted Reproduction, Nancy Reame.

Recent Trends in Abortion Legislation in Central Europe, Eleonora Zielinska.

Rural Women - International Issues

The (Wo)man in the Cashew: Gender and Development in Rural Belize, Melissa Johnson.

 

Sexuality

Images of Fashion: Constructing the Visible Body, Olga Vainshtein.

 

Sports and Fitness

Your Hair is Caked, Your Limbs are Sore: Gender, "Roughing It," and Class in Early Yosemite Tourism, Stephanie Palmer.

Violence Against Women

Assessing Sexual Harassment among Latinas, Lilia Cortina.

Domestic Violence Against Women in Serbia, Zorica Mrsevic.

Offender Interventions to End Violence Against Women, Daniel Saunders.

 

Women of Color

Dis/Arming the Black Champ: Joe Louis and the Legacy of Racial Uplift in the Post-Civil Rights Movement, Marlon Ross.

 

Violence

Seng, Julia, and Mickey Sperlich. 2008. Survivor Moms: Women’s Stories of Birthing, Mothering, and Healing after Sexual Abuse.

 

IRWG Newsletter 

Click here to download the latest newsletter.

 

Center News

Opportunities, Grants & Fellowships

Visiting Scholar Program

The Institute for Research on Women and Gender invites applications for Visiting Scholar positions from post-doctoral scholars and researchers whose work focuses on women or gender. The goal of the Visiting Scholar program is to enhance disciplinary and interdisciplinary scholarship on women and gender at the University of Michigan. Visiting Scholars will have full access to the Institute’s community, and will be automatically affiliated with the Women’s Studies
Program.
 
 
The Institute encourages new scholarship by offering seed money for new research ventures, housing visiting scholars and encouraging the work of graduate students. Developing relations with the media contributes to the public discourse on important issues affecting women and gender.

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Ms. Foundation for Women

Contact

12 MetroTech Center
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Ph. 212/742-2300
Fx. 212/742-1653
http://www.ms.foundation.org
info@ms.foundation.org


The Ms. Foundation for Women is the leading national social justice foundation committed to building women’s power to ignite change. Every day, it helps over 150 grassroots organizations across the US fight for changes like good paying jobs, reproductive health, ending violence against women and girls, and the inclusion of women at decision-making tables.

 

Recently Posted

Employment Opportunities

Principal Staff

Executive Office:

Anika Rahman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Susan Wefald, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Beatrice Abreu, Executive Assistant to President and CEO, Sara K. Gould

Lulu Roller, Human Relations Generalist

Wendell Snipes, Operations Assistant


Development:

Ina Clark, Vice President, Development

Sandra Perez, Senior Development Officer

Adriana Londono, Director of Major Gifts

Leslie Mackrell, Senior Corporate and Foundation Relations Officer

Sunny Daly, Corporate and Foundation Relations Manager

Walid Haddad, Development Database Administrator

Irene Xanthoudakis, Writer/Researcher

Makeba Barrett, Development Assistant


Communications:

Barbara Becker, Interim Vice President, Communications

Irene Schneeweis, Senior Communications Manager

Rob Johnston, Manager of Online Communications and Marketing

Kasia Gladki, Communications Associate


Program:

Patricia Eng, Vice President, Program

Monique Hoeflinger, Senior Program Officer

Sangeeta Budhiraja, Program Officer

A. Caroline Hotaling, Program Officer

Ellen Liu, Program Officer

Mitsuko Ogawa, Grants Administrator

Natalie Sullivan, Program Associate

Elaine Hin, Program Associate

Brenna Lynch, Program Associate


Finance:

Michelle Holder, Director of Finance

Marlene Martinez, Accounting Manager

Areas of Expertise:

Advancing Women's Leadership, Domestic and Workplace Violence, Awareness & Education, Employment & Unemployment, Leadership in Civil Society, HIV/AIDS, Diversity & Inclusion, Inclusion, Entrepreneurship & Small Business Development, Legal Issues, Population & Reproductive Rights, Reproductive Health, Sexuality & Gender, Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship, Women's Movements, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Women's & Girls' Leadership

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Projects & Campaigns

The Ms. Foundation for Women is dedicated to building women's collective power to ignite change. We seek opportunities to both proactively and reactively inform public policy, and obtain policy wins at the local, state, tribal and national level, with the ultimate goal of transforming the systems that govern women's lives.

We also aim to change the language, beliefs and behaviors that continue to hold women's oppression in place-particularly at the intersection of race, class and gender-and to shift public debate on key issues so that the perspectives of, and impact on, low income women and women of color are visible and addressed.

We support both cross-issue organizing and organizing within four broad areas of impact:

Women's Health

Reproductive Justice organizing and advocacy
Sexuality education organizing and advocacy
Women and HIV/AIDS policy advocacy and organizational capacity building
Access to health care coverage

Ending Violence

Community-based strategies to prevent child sexual abuse and violence against women and LGBTQ people
Strategies to engage men and boys in ending violence
Public education and media literacy
Youth-driven strategies

Economic Security

Organizing for better wages and working conditions, especially in female dominated sectors
Paid leave (including paid sick days and paid family leave)
Affordable, accessible quality child care
Access to health care coverage

Building Democracy

Building the infrastructure of organizations working for a progressive vision of democracy
Amplifying the voices of women of color, with a special emphasis on the Gulf South
Voter/civic engagement
Just immigration and refugee policies
Criminal Justice reform
Media Justice

Examples of funding initiatives across these broad and interconnected issue areas include:

Katrina Women's Response Fund: The Ms. Foundation responded immediately to the destruction and massive displacement caused by Hurricane Katrina by creating the Katrina Women's Response Fund. The Fund provides strategic support to meet the immediate needs of women of color and low-income women in the Gulf Coast region and ensure that their leadership and priorities are central in both short and long-term recovery and rebuilding efforts. By making grants to organizations throughout the region, the Katrina Women's Response Fund invests in the crucial infrastructure that promotes the health, safety, and economic well-being of women, their families and communities.

The Women and AIDS Fund: The Ms. Foundation for Women created the Women and AIDS Fund (WAF)to support organizations that advocate for policies and services that meet the needs of women with HIV/AIDS. WAF remains the only national fund that supports advocacy and self-determination by and for women living with this disease. By providing grants, technical assistance and networking opportunities to community-based organizations led by and for women who are HIV-positive, we contribute to the development of model approaches for women's HIV/AIDS advocacy that can be shared across the country. Our work has also helped create a national network of HIV-positive infected and affected women, called the National Women and AIDS Collective (NWAC), who strive to influence the ways in which policies are determined at the federal level.

The Reproductive Rights Coalition and Organizing Fund: The Ms. Foundation for Women's Reproductive Rights Coalition and Organizing Fund (RRCOF) has been a strong, responsive resource for state reproductive rights organizations across the United States since 1989. RRCOF provides grantmaking, technical assistance, and networking activities to strengthen state-level infrastructures and build critical, broad-based support for reproductive rights. RRCOF aims to increase the capacity of state and local reproductive rights organizations so that they can: 1) expand and mobilize their base of support; 2) reach a broader and more diverse audience; 3) frame reproductive rights and health in a broader health and social justice context; and 4) more effectively advocate for positive - and avert restrictive - reproductive health policies and programs.

Join our movement for social justice and help to bring the experience and solutions of women and girls to the challenging issues that impact women and their communities most. Learn more about how you can show your support. 

Support Us
Events and Opportunities
The Gloria Awards: A National Salute to Women of Vision
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Reports & Resources

Stir It UP: Lessons in Community Organizing and Advocacy. Written by activist and trainer Rinku Sen, this publication examines the work of economic justice organizations funded by the Ms. Foundation and applies the lessons they learned to other community organizations. Sen also provides models and tools that any organization can use to successfully create social change and influence public policy.

Raise the Floor: Wages and Policies that Work for All of Us . Most Americans believe a job should keep you out of poverty, not keep you in it. Raise The Floor shows us how we can translate that belief into reality by raising the minimum wage. In addition to telling workers' stories, presenting original data, and proposing comprehensive policies, Raise The Floor spotlights businesses large and small that demonstrate how good wages are good business-in good economic times and bad.

Kitchen Table Entrepreneurs: How Eleven Women Escaped Poverty and Became Their Own Bosses. This publication tells the inspirational stories of eleven low-income women who have marshaled the creative energy, confidence, and capital necessary to start their own small businesses. These women, who have used their entrepreneurial skills as a route out of poverty, give an American face to an economic empowerment tool that has enjoyed great success in developing countries.

Ms. Foundation. 2009. Creating Connections, Igniting Change: Annual Report 2007-2008.

Ms. Foundation. 2009. Building Momentum to Sustain Social Change: Evaluation of the Katrina Women's Response Fund.  

 

 

 

 

Center News

Opportunities, Grants & Fellowships

Grants

The Ms. Foundation for Women invests in grassroots, Tribal, state and national organizations that are transforming policies and cultural beliefs across the U.S. Informed by decades of work in the field, we identify and support emerging and established groups poised to act when and where change is needed. Our grants -- paired with skills-building, networking and other strategic opportunties -- enable organizations to advance women's grassroots solutions across race and class and to build social movements within and across four areas: Building Democracy, Economic Justice, Ending Violence and Women's Health. 
 
Learn more about Our Approach, Our Work and Our Impacts
Learn more about Creating Connections: Strategies for Stronger Movements
 
If you are considering applying for a grant from Ms. Foundation for Women, you may find the answers to these commonly asked questions helpful.
 
Frequently Asked Questions for Grantseekers
  • How do I find out about the foundation's grantmaking cycles?
    From time to time, the Ms. Foundation will issue an open Request for Proposals inviting all those interested and eligible to submit proposals. There are other times when we request proposals by invitation only, in order to more specifically focus our grantmaking. All open invitations will be posted on our website for public access.  We will also announce open invitations by email. Sign up for email updates. ¶ The Foundation only processes solicited proposals and we are unable to respond to unsolicited proposals that are submitted.
  • Who is eligible to apply?
    The Ms. Foundation makes grants to nonprofit organizations (IRS determination of 501(c)(3) status) based in and working in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and U.S. territories. The foundation does not fund individuals, scholarships, capital or endowment requests, fundraising events, university-based research, or government agencies.
  • How do I apply?
    When responding to either an open request for proposal or a closed invitation, we will provide detailed instructions for completing the application process. The Ms. Foundation processes all grants through an online application system which typically consists of filling out our online application form and uploading a single PDF document that contains the actual proposal.
  • Can we apply for funding in more than one area?
    Organizations may submit only one application for each Request for Proposal (RFP) issued. In the event that multiple areas are covered under one RFP, we welcome proposals that make connections across issues, but groups are still limited to one application.  ¶ Current grantee groups are limited to one grant per year from the Foundation. Groups that already receive funding are not eligible to apply under an open RFP process until their grant cycle has ended.
  • What portion of grants are awarded to first-time applicants?
    There is no specific percentage of grants that we award to first time applicants, but we are always interested in strong proposals from new organizations, particularly from geographic areas that have more limited access to resources. That being said, only a small percentage of proposals are typically funded under an open RFP process due to the high volume of applications and the limited amount of funds available.
  • What are the requirements my organization must meet if our proposal is accepted for funding?
    Once an organization is selected for funding, the terms of the grant agreement include meeting the stated objectives in your original proposal, completing an interim and year end report, and participating with an external evaluator to learn about the impact of the grant. Grant checks are mailed upon receipt of an original countersigned grant agreement letter.
  • Does the Ms. Foundation provide general support grants? How should we choose between general support and project support? What is preferable for Ms. and most likely to be successful? What does the Ms. Foundation look for in "General Support" applications?
    The Ms. Foundation typically provides two types of grants: project specific or general support. Organizations can apply for a specific project or can instead apply for a grant that supports the organization's total efforts across all areas of that organization's work. While the Ms. Foundation is looking for concrete outcomes across all its grants, we do not prioritize one type over the other, but rather this is a decision that your organization needs to make based on its own situation and needs. If your organization applies for general support, you will need to provide clear information about the overall work of the organization and how it relates to the focus area you are applying to.
  • What if I can't submit my application by the stated deadline? Can I get an extension?
    The Ms. Foundation has tight timeframes because our goal is to distribute grant funds as quickly and efficiently as possible. To do this, we must strictly enforce our application deadlines. It is imperative that applicants follow all instructions in submitting a proposal and a contact person be available during the review period to answer any questions regarding their application.  ¶ With open requests for proposals, we expect large numbers of online applications. In order to avoid bottlenecks with the on-line system, we strongly encourage applicants to submit application materials well in advance of the deadline date. Please do not wait until the last minute to submit your application. The online application system automatically shuts down at a designated time, so this may mean that your application may not come through if you have not completely uploaded all documents by that time. We cannot accept applications that are delayed as a result of technical complications or other unforeseen complications. We strongly advise you to observe the application deadlines.  ¶ For those submitting renewal applications, it is your responsibility to take note of and adhere to submission deadlines. Renewal proposals are generally due on or soon after the deadline for submitting progress reports (that date is generally found in your grant agreement letter).
  • What is the Ms. Foundation's process for reviewing proposals?
    The proposal will be evaluated by a team of Ms. Foundation staff. Please bear in mind that we receive hundreds of proposals from eligible organizations, each doing very important work and bringing unique perspectives. We appreciate the time and effort that goes into putting a proposal together, and we always wish that we had more money to fund more groups. But, inevitably, we need to make hard choices, and so we want you to know that if your group is not selected, it is not because your group doesn't fit the guidelines or because it is not worthy. We evaluate the proposals as a pool, providing us with a docket or set of organizations whose work compliments one another across a variety of factors such as geography and scope of work.
  • How quickly will my full application be evaluated?
    All open RFP processes typically provide a date by which grants are announced. The full application review process usually takes about two months (but the Foundation reserves the right to change this as needed for any program).
  • Does the foundation provide feedback on proposals that are not selected for funding?
    Due to the high volume of grant proposals we receive, it is not possible for us to respond to requests for feedback from individual applicants. However, under certain circumstances, we may reach out to groups to provide specific feedback if we feel it would be useful for future applications.
 
We hope we have answered your questions and we look forward to receiving your proposal. Thank you.

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FAST FACT: Don’t Forget About Health in the Economic Storm

Submitted by ncrw on Thu, 03/12/2009 - 10:45am

March 12, 2009 posted by Kyla Bender-Baird This week is http://www.lgbthealth.net/awarenessweek09/ ">National LGBT Health Awareness week.  In honor of this important week, I wanted to share with you a stat I found from the Big Five Research: 50 percent of uninsured women have dependent children and half of them (54 percent) are employed. Even as much of our energy has been focused these past few months on the economy, I think it is vital we don’t forget about the importance of health!  Which is why the Council features both economic security and health as part of our Big Five Campaign.


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Who Cares?

Submitted by ncrw on Mon, 03/02/2009 - 10:02am

March 2, 2009 posted by admin The 53rd Commission on the Status of Women meetings start today at UN Headquarters in New York and will run until the 13th of March.  This year, the theme of the CSW is “The equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including caregiving in the context of HIV/AIDS.” During this year’s events, I will have the privilege of working with the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development’s (UNRISD) Gender and Development Programme. The Gender and Development Programme at UNRISD has been working on the Political and Social Economy of Care as one of its main research themes for several years now. [One of my favorite gender and development researchers, Maxine Molyneux, wrote the first paper in the series, titled Mothers at the Service of the State.]  As part of the project, UNRISD led gender experts from around the world in an exploration of care issues, with research conducted in eight countries drawn from four different regions.  Within its comparative approach, the project focused on the gender composition and dynamics of the multiple institutions of care – households and families, states, markets, and the not-for-profit sector – and their effects on poverty and social rights of citizenship.


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Queers Descend Upon Denver to Create Change

Submitted by ncrw on Thu, 02/05/2009 - 1:07pm

February 4, 2008 posted by Kyla Bender-Baird [caption id="attachment_1043" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="With Robyn Ochs and a fellow NYC Bi activist"][/caption] I spent this weekend in Denver, CO at the 21st Annual National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Conference for LGBT Equality (aka “Creating Change”).  As Kate Clinton warned, I am recovering from the shock of re-entry into the “real world” where, in fact, not everyone is queer—nor even an ally (bummer).  This was the second year I was able to attend this fabulous conference where thousands of LGBT activists gather to network, build coalitions, and share tips on how to create change.  And I gotta tell ya—I’m hooked! Since I skipped the day-long institutes, my first Creating Change event was Dolores Huerta: “We Have Arrived!”  Dolores Huerta co-founded United Farm Workers of American with Cesar Chavez.  She immediately caught my attention when she stated that the minimum wage should be no less than $25/hour.  Now that’s what I call a living wage!  Huerta further captured my heart when she said, “We need to educate ourselves about each other’s movements and organizations.”


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NEW YEAR'S FORUM: A Conversation with Kavita

Submitted by ncrw on Tue, 01/06/2009 - 8:06pm

January 6, 2009 posted by  Linda Basch As we start off with our New Year’s Resolutions for the nation, I begin with an inspiring conversation I recently had with Kavita Ramdas, President and CEO of the Global Fund for Women. We were musing about the future, particularly with regard to women’s human rights at this optimistic moment for the country, with a new administration about to take charge in Washington. But as Kavita pointed out, as we begin to look forward, we also need to be self reflective as a nation. We need to develop a sense of collective responsibility. A number of problems have grown up over the past several years that we can’t sweep away, that we must address as a country and hold ourselves accountable for. I couldn’t agree more. I love conversations that are as wide-ranging as this one was.  We covered a lot of ground.  Some highlights:  As someone who works on global women's rights, Kavita hopes that the new administration will place a high priority on advancing women's rights worldwide. This can only be achieved by the US decreasing its emphasis on militarism and violence as the primary means to resolve conflict and re-focusing its efforts away from the so called "war on terror" towards efforts to eradicate global poverty, inequality, and injustice. Yet, she insisted, that much of the US's ability to achieve such results globally will depend on the choices it makes inside its own borders. So, I asked Kavita what she would like to see in terms of change right here at home….


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Burning Questions at the AWID Conference

Submitted by ncrw on Wed, 12/03/2008 - 6:55pm

December 3, 2008 posted by admin We're pleased to bring you a report from the AWID conference in South Africa last month, from Sande Smith, Director of Public Education at the Global Fund for Women.  If you've attended a conference or event that you'd like to share with us, please email us at ncrw@ncrw.org. And now, here's Sande! During this, my first Association of Women’s Rights in Development forum,  I heeded the advice of colleagues on how to manage the conference without falling prey to overwhelm. And to their advice, I added my own insight: follow a thread.


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