For some fun Friday reading, the World Economic Forum  has just released its report on the 2007 Global Gender Gap.  Feministing is hosting a dialogue in comments about the strengths and shortcomings of the report.

For a take on a more local picture of the gender outlook, check out our Portrait Project, the only comprehensive study of many of the same topics–health, education and economics–specific to women and girls in the Washington metropolitan area.

Whatever your Friday Fun Reading, enjoy your weekend!

At The Women’s Foundation, we have a phrase for men who support our mission.  We call them guys who get it.

We’re lucky to have many wonderful, supportive men in our camp here in our local area, including Leroy Pingho, Ralph Boyd, Jr. and Frederic L. Ballard, Jr.

This past Sunday’s Washington Post has a wonderful and thoughtful article in the Outlook section written by the Dalai Lama, titled, "My Vision of a Compassionate Future. "

He writes so eloquently about how we, as a global community, can and must bring about a more peaceful world through non-violent, pro-active approaches to social change. He tells us that we need to instill a sense of caring for others, to tap our compassion, and to teach our children to develop their brains and their hearts.

He goes on to write: "To promote greater compassion, we must pay special attention to the role of women. Given that mothers carry the fetus for months within their own bodies, from a biological point of view women in general may possess greater sensitivity of heart and capacity for empathy. My first teacher of love and compassion was my own mother, who provided me with maximum love. I do not mean to reinforce in any way the traditional view that a woman’s place is confined to the home. I believe that the time has come for women to take more active roles in all domains of human society, in an age in which education and the capacities of the mind, not physical strength, define leadership. This could help create a more equitable and compassionate society."

This paragraph nearly jumped off the page for me. The Dalai Lama speaks of something that we at The Women’s Foundation have known for a long time: that the world would be a much better place if women were given equitable opportunities and a chance to reach their full potential.

The Dalai Lama is definitely a guy who gets it.

Jennifer Cortner is president of EFX Media and serves on The Women’s Foundation’s board of directors and as the chair of the communications committee.  Our committees are just one of many ways that you can get involved in our work and making sure the women of our region get a chance to reach their full potential.  There’s a place for everyone at The Women’s Foundation.  Find yours today.

Dear Friends of Washington Area Women’s Foundation, 

Thank you for inviting me to join you as a speaker, along with Ambassador Swanee Hunt, at your upcoming Leadership Luncheon. I was honored to be asked to step in for Sheila Johnson because it is always a pleasure for me to share the company of like-minded women and men who understand the benefit and value of investing in women and girls as a means to make our communities healthier, stronger, more vibrant places to live and work.

As president and CEO of CARE, an international humanitarian organization fighting global poverty, and a public health advocate and researcher, I know firsthand that making communities healthier, wealthier and wiser begins with women. That when a woman gains power, she, her husband, her children and her extended family benefit for a lifetime. Women are one of the greatest untapped natural resource in fighting global poverty.

I am very much looking forward to joining your ongoing conversation around how investing in women and girls is an investment in better communities—and to sharing my experience in applying this approach on a global scale.

Sincerely,

Helene D. Gayle MD, MPH
President and Chief Executive Officer
CARE

Don’t miss Dr. Helene Gayle’s conversation with Ambassador Swanee Hunt on October 10, 2007.  Purchase your tickets or sponsorship today!

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s International Humanitarian Symposium and awards ceremony.  The event this year was themed, "The Changing Face of Philanthropy: Evolution or Revolution?"

I couldn’t help but be pleased to note that throughout the symposium and dinner discussions–formal and informal–that there was an important subtext. 

That it seems that practitioners of community development, of philanthropy, of effective giving and nonprofit work are coming around to the idea that yes, philanthropy and development are evolving, and that women are very much at the heart of this evolution.

And that they’re talking about it no longer like it’s new, or different or a maybe-this-is-something-to-think-about sort of idea on the margins.

That they’re talking about it like an accepted tenet, a truth, that has finally arrived. 

That the revolution will, most likely, begin with women.

Rock on.

Just  a few tidbits and examples to get hopeful about:

The winner of this year’s Hilton prize was Tostan, an NGO working throughout Africa to promote human rights, and by extension women’s rights, and is revolutionizing issues around early marriage and female genital mutilation and changing the way women, and people throughout Africa, think about themselves.

Dr. Helene Gayle, president and CEO of CARE, spoke earlier in the day about CARE’s new I am Powerful campaign, and its acknowledgement of the role of women in building stronger communities around the world.  And about how CARE has restructured its work to place women and girls front and center in their efforts.  Because they know that empowering women and girls works to empower entire communities.

The keynote speaker, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, addressed the role of women in development, citing them as a backbone of their communities, as the force of change.  His exact words will be available here, soon.

Indeed, the revolution–to reduce poverty and improve our communities and the lives of its children–will begin with women.

It already has.  

And this isn’t just true in Africa or Asia or the Middle East.  It’s true here, too.  To find out how we’re bringing the revolution home, just Ask Us How.  Because for nearly 10 years, we’ve been improving the Washington metropolitan area by investing in women and girls. 

Because whether in Angola or Anacostia, Sri Lanka or Silver Spring, the revolution, and true change, will, inevitably, begin with women.

Join us to help bring the revolution home.

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.

So, how was I going to pick the place? Well, I closed my eyes and placed my finger on my huge wall map. When I opened my eyes, my index finger was on Tanzania, between Mozambique and Kenya. I made way for the Internet to do some quick, surface research on the status of women in Tanzania, to evaluate female leadership roles and their health and safety.

What I found (at the risk of sounding naïve) disappointed me. Admittedly, I’ve never read or learned much about Tanzania up to this point, so I was a little optimistic that as other parts of the world are making pretty significant strides in terms of the rights and position of women, Tanzania was too. Alas, my Google search turned up numerous articles- none hinting at a large number of empowered, healthy women.

As for health, a 1993 study by The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations highlighted the rising number of female headed households that suffer from lacking farming systems, malnutrition and unhealthy laborious conditions with little income. While this data is quite outdated, 13 years isn’t that long ago. The farming situation that adversely affects women has continued to worsen.

Pauline Kisanga’s paper, principal nutritionist at the Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre, explains that while women are responsible for 70 percent of food crop production, they have no say in the decision-making process for how resources are allocated (far from the leadership roles I was looking for). If they had a voice, they could provide input on better technology to advance from the traditional hand hoe, debate how to use income, etc.

Instead, women aren’t eating enough, eating well, or feeling well.

When our bodies are deprived of something as simple as Vitamin A, our eye-sight and immune systems are at risk of failure. Children face a greater risk of blindness, malaria, diarrhea, and measles. The 1993 FAO study showed that 6.1 percent of the population suffered from Vitamin A deficiency, with more women than men suffering because they tended to eat less than men in times of need. I can only imagine that this number has increased.

Water proved a significant barrier also. Babies died because water was unsanitary. Women were not delivering under hygienic conditions. Thankfully, water conditions are improving.

Childbirth and pregnancy complications have continued to be worsening problems. In 1990, the maternal mortality rate was 770 per 100,000 live births, and 8,700 women died from pregnancy complications. In 2000, for every 100,000 babies, about 1,500 women died. Future leaders don’t have much of a chance- they are dying at birth or early childhood.

Not to mention the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS on women. United Planet re-visits the issue of victims of HIV/AIDS entering prostitution in order to make money. Of course, this does nothing to help with the disease or aid in the prevention of it.

Why the deteriorating health conditions? Well for one thing, there isn’t enough education on safe births. Many women don’t trust hospitals; they’re scared they will face some sort of operation and opt to give natural birth in their homes. There aren’t enough health care professionals, and there isn’t enough money invested in public health initiatives.

As for safety, I was surprised to see that as recent as 1997, while I was living my safe, life filled with the typical teenage perils, Amnesty International was criticizing Tanzania for failing to try derailing the persecutions occurring against women accused of witch craft. I thought the witch-hunts ended at some point in the 18^th century, but am now learning of “modern” witch-hunts in Tanzania.

Women are allowed to partake in government activities and positions, but their numbers are low.

One good, or better, thing noted was the progress in laws impacting women’s safety. In 1971, the Law of Marriage Act unified laws of marriage and divorce and mandated that wives in polygamous marriages are notified of such, divorces be formally concluded and registered, and that “wife-beating” be prohibited. Of course, these issues are still a problem, as a law is just mere writing in a book without actual action put behind it. Still, it was good to see something somewhat positive. How the status of women’s safety in marriage is now, I’m not sure, but my guess is that it’s not too positive.

These are preventative diseases and deaths that are plaguing the people, particularly women, of Tanzania.

So what can I do? What’s next?

Well for one thing, I can learn more about nonprofit agencies that do work in support of increasing advocacy and direct service to Tanzania. I can strategically invest in these organizations. I can get involved in advocacy efforts about these issues.

A good thing about working at The Women’s Foundation is that you really do learn ways to help, instead of just learning what’s going on. I know how to take the next step instead of just reading some news and feeling bad. I target areas that I’m especially interested in seeing improve, and I invest in them.

In an effort to become more aware of issues such as these, little map projects like this can be done all the time! It takes so little time to pull up some research and helpful books to check out.

And it works for issues here, too…it’s amazing to me sometimes how there can be all of these realities going on in varying areas of Washington, or our region, that I don’t always think about because my life is concentrated only in certain areas. The Portrait Project has helped me get a grasp on that, and on ways to help locally.

And provided a model for looking at women’s lives and realities and the best way to invest in a way that really enables true understanding and a needs-based approach.

So that when we’re investing in women, we’re not just throwing a pin at a map–we’re really doing what works and making our community better.