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Spring 2011 Dear Friends, Spring is in the air ... and MWF is in full bloom. The Muslim Women's Fund has had many milestones in our first year of grant-making. We funded two of our four pilot projects, one in Pakistan and the other in Senegal. MWF is in the process of completing due diligence on the remaining two pilot projects and working on an MOU with Ashoka, supported by our pro bono legal team at White and Case, to co-fund, co-brand and co-select Ashoka/MWF fellows in the very near future. We've been on the go. Shahnaz returned from Egypt in January where she visited and facilitated in the due diligence of our third pilot project and has been busy fundraising out on the West Coast. On behalf of MWF, Sarwat was awarded the honor of "Women Making a Difference" on International Women's Day by the American Association of University Women. Nadia started the year with an interfaith luncheon in New York City, hosted by the Dobkin Family Foundation in friendship with the American Jewish World Service (AJWS). With the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day, March was particularly busy. Nadia represented MWF at the launch of UN Women, ECOCSOC's special event on Education at the UN, The Center on Philanthropy's Women Worldwide Leading Through Philanthropy Conference, The US Department of State's International Women of Courage Awards, The Daily Beast's Women in the World Summit and the International Women's Media Foundation Conference opening. This is an exciting new year for MWF - ripe with opportunity. Enjoy the updates below. Please do stay in touch ... you can do so by following us on and . There are 800 million Muslim women and girls in the world, imagine what could happen if they unleashed their potential.
With Peace, Shahnaz, Sarwat & Nadia The MWF Team The Muslim Women's Fund* A Special Project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Friend Us on Facebook *The Muslim Women's Fund, Inc is a Delaware corporation and is a federal tax exempt organization under section 501c3 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors serves as its fiscal agent. |
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MWF PILOT PROJECTS & NEWS
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NUMBER 1
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Photo Credit: ICRD
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EDUCATION ...
THE ROAD TO PEACE
In February 2011, MWF, in partnership with the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy (ICRD), facilitated a four-day training workshop for 35 female madrasa teachers and administrators in collaboration with a local girls' madrasa and the University of Peshawar. The workshop focused on educational psychology, high order thinking skills, the elimination of prejudices,
teaching methods, technical education and student development. This training program, the first of its kind devoted solely to engaging female madrasa leaders in a university level training, generated positive feedback from participants and requests for further training programs. Read more ...
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NUMBER 2
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Photo Credit: Tostan
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MICROCREDIT IN SENEGAL
MWF partnered with Tostan to offer a microcredit loan program in Dakar, Senegal. The goal of this program is to enable villagers, particularly women, to start small projects that improve their quality of life and general well-being. Administered by the local Tostan-trained Community Management Committees (CMC), the small loans range in size from $300-$1,000 per community and provide an average loan ranging from $20-30.
"All of the local women are participating in income-generating activities, selling spices and vegetables or raising chickens and goats. Before this program, it was unusual for women to work outside their homes, but now women are earning money and are able to buy things for their households. By donating some of our profits, we have also started a community savings account that can be used for medical emergencies or to finance community projects and have opened a 900,000 F CFA ($1,800) line of credit with FDEA (a Senegalese national microfinance organization)."
~ Mariama Seck, participant from Keur Sanou, Thiès, Senegal
Participants typically invest in activities such as agriculture, fabric dyeing, animal husbandry, soap making or small business ventures. Occasionally, loans are given to village groups that engage in larger-scale income generating activities such as starting a community vegetable garden or market, or purchasing a mill to grind grains. Read more ... |
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THE MUSLIM WORLD'S SIMON de BEAUVOIR
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Drs. Malik & El Saadawi
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DR. NAWAL EL SAADAWI
On March 18th, MWF's Dr. Sarwat Malik, interviewed Dr. Nawal El Saadawi, while in NYC during her recent visit to the United States. Dr. El Saadawi participated in various foras and was one of the featured guest speakers at the Daily Beast's 'Women in the World Summit'.
Dr. El Saadawi is an energetic and inspiring woman, an 80 year-old Egyptian activist, Medical doctor (Psychiatrist), prolific writer, great novelist and warrior with a mission. Because of her activism, she has been called the Simone de Beauvoir of the Muslim world. She has been jailed, exiled and fatwas have been issued against her for her revolutionary views (sometimes controversial) and challenges to traditional patriarchal customs and traditions in the Arab world, many of which belie the essence of Islam and are against inherent human equality across race, gender and class. Read more ...
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MWF DONORS SAPERSTEINS & LIBITZKYS CO-HOST BAY AREA EVENT
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Photo Credit: Matthias Bank
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COMMITTED TO PEACE
Jeanine and Guy Saperstein and Susan and Moses Libitzky co-hosted an elegant, spirited event for the Muslim Women's Fund at the Sapersteins' home on March 13 in Piedmont, California. Both Jeanine, MWF's first donor, and Susan have been part of MWF's Interfaith Donor Circle in the Bay Area since its inception in 2009. Read more ...
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CELEBRATING 100 YEARS, MARCH 2011
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INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
MWF celebrated the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day with a flurry of activities in Rochester, Washington DC, Chicago and New York City.
- On March 8th, MWF Co-Founder and Vice Chair, Dr. Sarwat Malik, was honored for her work with women and girls by the American Association of University Women.
- At the State Department's International Women of Courage Awards, First Lady Michelle Obama, Secretary Clinton and Ambassador Verveer reminded us once again that "women's rights are human rights and human rights are women's rights, " a reference to Secretary Clinton's historic speech as First Lady at the UN's Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, 1995.
- On March 11th, MWF Co-Founder, Nadia Malik, spoke at The Center on Philanthropy's Women Worldwide Leading Through Philanthropy Conference in Chicago. The session, "Creating a Borderless Community: Building Bridges to Peace," highlighted MWF's development and programs to date.
- The week ended with the Daily Beast's Women in the World Summit, here in New York City. A personal highlight was USG U.N. Women, Madame Bachelet's interview with Barbara Walters. The first female president of Chile told Barbara Walters how the U.N. hopes to bring about equality in some of the most oppressive countries in the world. Bachelet said bringing about economic equaity is crucial to empowerment, and that the best way to do that is to convince governments that women are smart investments.
Throughout the week, we were reminded of the challenges that women and girls face and the opportunity (and responsibility) we have to bring about transformational sustainable social change. There are positive changes happening in communities throughout the world. Data continues to show a favorable correlation between women, education and economic advancement. When women are empowered, given access to education, and become vocal leaders in their communities, those communities thrive.
A few weeks back at the National Press Club in Washington , DC MSNBC Foreign Correspondent Andrea Mitchell reminded us all that it was hardly 40 years ago that women journalists could not even sit in the main room at the Press Club. They were restricted to the galley space above. It was a friendly reminder that gender equality remains a global issue, with varying shades of gray, even here in the developed West ... progress, not perfection.
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Support MWF !
Volunteer your time and skills, host a fundraiser OR
Make An Online Donation.
Embrace life's journey with all it's challenges, unleash your potential creativity and break away from the chains of limiting self beliefs or those beliefs wrongly imposed by prevailing cultures, customs, society or in the name of religion.
Be passionate and determined to make the acquisition and pursuit of knowledge with a focus on service to humanity. Change starts with YOU!
There are 800 million Muslim women and girls in the world, imagine what could happen if they unleashed their potential.
In Friendship,
The MWF Team
A Special Project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
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Strengthens Women & Girls.Benefits Families and Communities.Builds Bridges to Peace.
 
The Muslim Women's Fund, Inc is a Delaware corporation and is a federal tax exempt organization under section 501c3 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. RPA serves as its fiscal agent.
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COMMITTEE OF 99
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SARA ABASSI * SALEHA M. ABEDIN, PH.D. * MUNA ABUSULAYMAN * LOREEN ARBUS * AMBASSADOR WENDY J. CHAMBERLIN * AMIR A. DOSSAL * BILL DRAYTON * LEAH HUNT HENDRIX * VIRGINIA GRAY HENRY * NICOLLA HEWITT * HELEN LAKELLY HUNT, PH.D. * BARBARA IBRAHIM, PH.D. * AMBASSADOR JAMAL A. KHOKHAR * SHAISTA MAHMOOD * EBOO PATEL, PH.D. * CARL POPE * DR. NAFIS SADIK * GLORIA STEINEM * JANE WALES * SAKENA YACOOBI, PH.D. |
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