On almost any street in D.C., you will probably encounter people sleeping on the sidewalk or asking for money, and the majority will probably be men.  Such encounters with homelessness have generated the idea that it primarily affects the male population.  (And, as was mentioned earlier on this blog, so have some films and the media.)

The "Mommy Wars," as they’re known, are heating up again, but there are key players missing from the field, it would seem. 

In an idle moment, a new idea popped into my head, which was to randomly select any area of the world, and profile the status of women in that particular region (in relation to women’s leadership and health and safety), sort of like a mini Portrait Project. This was a quick, fun way to see what’s going on with women outside of my home, and it’s fitting as The Women’s Foundation is in the process of reviewing Leadership Awards, which focuses on health and safety this round.

A new national poll has found that women are delaying having children because of the high cost of child care and preschool–which can run about $10,000 annually (more than my college tuition not that long ago).

Sometimes a handshake is returned with a hug. Not always, but sometimes.

This was my experience walking into Friends of Guest House–one of our Grantee Partners–for the first time this past weekend. When the director introduced me to a young woman–a fifth grader who was there visiting her mom–my outstretched hand was summarily discarded in favor of a hug.

Wanna lose weight or get healthy in the cheapest, most easily accessible way possible? 

Many sources will tell you to walk.  Roads are free, after all.  (Minus a small taxpayer contribution.) 

But what if can’t walk in your neighborhood because the streets aren’t safe from harassment, or worse forms of violence?  What if they’re deteriorated or don’t have maintained sidewalks? 

Imagine that you are are a single mother raising a little girl. Joy is what everyone wants you to feel, but you are depressed at best, angry most of the time. You know this situation has grown beyond your control and that you have to do something, but even if you had insurance for a doctor, everyone around you would call you weak or even crazy if you admitted to what you were feeling and fearing.

As part of our ongoing commitment–in partnership with The Urban Institute–to providing information and resources related to the goals of Stepping Stones, please find below summary of recent research on issues of economic security and financial independence for women and their families.

The coaches on The Biggest Loser might help people burn fat and shed pounds.  I do something similar, only I help them shave off unnecessary, unhealthy debt.

This year, I’ve coached 234 women through the rough work of shaving off a total of $115,050 in debt through my work at the Marshall Heights Community Development Organization, Inc. (MHCDO), which is a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation’s Stepping Stones initiative.