Comments on: International Women’s Day http://blog-aauw.org/2008/03/07/international-womens-day/ Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:00:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Eileen Menton http://blog-aauw.org/2008/03/07/international-womens-day/#comment-109 Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:49:32 +0000 http://blog-aauw.org/?p=64#comment-109 As the convener of the Project Grants Grants Committee of the Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund (www.vgif.org), I am inspired by the groups of women who have received grants from VGIF and by the women who donate funds to VGIF. In rural regions of Senegal where fewer than 15% of girls ever get to junior high school, after-school tutoring for girls is preparing them for grade-level exams, which they must pass in order to continue their education. The Hurnan Women’s Group in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya is building ferro-cement water tanks to ensure safe and accessible water for bathing, cooking, and drinking. In Taakija, Cameroon, women are receiving training in bee farming and given supplies to start their own beekeeping businesses. In rural Tamil Nadu, India, women and teen girls are attending literacy training and are learning to make soft toys and leather toys and garments. In Azerbaijan, a phone line called “The Hope Line” was created to provide psychological support to victims of domestic abuse and connect them to appropriate support services.

Many AAUW members and branches are donors to VGIF. They are providing the funds to empower women world-wide.

]]> By: Martha DiCicco http://blog-aauw.org/2008/03/07/international-womens-day/#comment-107 Sat, 08 Mar 2008 21:15:06 +0000 http://blog-aauw.org/?p=64#comment-107 This morning I attended an Nobel Peace Prize Conference at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. The , 2006 speaker was Muhammad Yunus, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. He opened his speech by saying how glad he was to be speaking on the International Women’s Day and went on to talk about how 97% of the 7 million micro-loans made by the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh are made to women. He elaborated on how women have a longer vision and helping women helps the entire family. Women who receive the loans are encouraged to send their children to school as well which many of them are doing. These children are doing very well in school and many are going on to college. Poverty is being reduced in Bangladesh and Millenial Goals are being reached. How wonderful to hear of this success on this day! You can get more information in his book “Banker to the Poor.” He would be a wonderful speaker at an AAUW national convention!

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