Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with The Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty.   Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.

The day before Thanksgiving, as thoughts are turning to time with family and friends and, of course, holiday meals, it seems an appropriate time to reflect on the work of Through the Kitchen Door, a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation that teaches culinary skills to low-income youth and adults as a pathway to better careers and nutrition in their lives.

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 a summary of recent research on issues of economic security and financial independence for women and their families.

When I saw Philip Rucker’s piece, "Economy Slices into Internship Programs," in the Washington Post, it really hit home for me.  I’m currently an intern with Urban Alliance (also a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation), and I saw the impact of the economic downturn on the program firsthand.

Yesterday, Washington Post reporter Robert Pierre’s story, "Anti-Prostitution Initiative Taken to D.C. Schools," explains how children in D.C. are being coerced into prostitution and sex trafficking, and how agencies throughout the area are working together to stop this phenomenon.

Two of the organizations involved in this work are Grantee Partners of The Women’s Foundation: Fair Fund and Polaris Project.

All the jurisdictions in the region are in the midst of budget cuts to fill huge budget shortfalls.  All around us is gloom and doom news about funding.

Yet, to my delightful surprise – the chair of the D.C. City Council, Vincent Gray, wrote an OP-ED piece in the Washington Informer highlighting the sound investment in Pre-Kindergarten education as a way to invest in children, families and the city overall.

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with The Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty.

Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.

Here are this week’s top stories on women and poverty:

When I lived in Africa and worked on girls’ education and HIV/AIDS prevention issues, I encountered what was known as the Sugar Daddy phenomenon.

CBS Evening News aired a story last week about a mother of three in Washington state who is rebuilding her life after leaving a domestic violence situation.

One of the tools that helped her is an IDA (Individual Development Account) matched savings account, which she used to buy a car, a computer and a home. The three-minute video is on Capital Area Asset Builder’s Web site.

This afternoon, I had the pleasure of attending the 2008 Catalogue for Philanthropy awards ceremony, where we got a chance to hear from a number of past awardees about what recognition in the Catalogue has meant for them.