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A Message from WFI President Dr. Kent Davis-Packard:
Dear Friends & Colleagues,
This year, we take Women Forward International
to the next level.
We consolidated our twelve projects into three programs:
| Our new Executive Director, Dr. Julia Nesheiwat, brings her experience from the last four presidential administrations to strengthen our mission to advance women for the advancement of humanity. | We also welcome Development Strategist, Ms. Marta Chicano, who from Europe is building our partnerships to empower women refugees, and Global Programs Consultant, Ms. Adriana Fotino, who will explore with our Team of Consultants from our Student Programs the healing power of women's leadership and creativity in conflict zones. | |
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Ms. Marta Chicano
Director of Strategic Development
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Dr. Janice Koch
WFI Board Member
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Ms. Adriana Fotino
Global Programs Consultant
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Finally, we are expanding our Board of Directors, to include Dr. Janice Koch, award winning expert on STEM and STEAM education for girls.
Together we are transforming higher education to emerge a new generation of givers dedicated to
Unity, Collaboration, and Service.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Kent Davis-Packard
WFI Founder & President
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WFI Launches
Global Ambassadors Initiative
October 6 and 8, 2022
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WFI's Global Ambassadors' Initiative is a conglomeration of enlightened leaders dedicated to unity, collaboration, and service. We begin our work by empowering women in conflict zones through opportunities for gainful employment, to enable them to rebuild their lives and protect their cultural heritage and traditions. We will launch in Washington, DC this autumn. To learn more about this Initiative, follow WFI:
Follow Us: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
| Women Forward International is delighted to continue our partnership with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), which publishes our scholarly reports and engages in our presentations so that the international community can benefit directly from our templates for global action! | | | |
Women Forward International presented in partnership with the Aspen Institute of Mexico a panel on social policy and development issues in the U.S. with a focus on gender inequities to COPARMEX, the Employers Confederation of the Mexican Republic, for their #JuntasBinacionalales 2022. | |
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July 7, 2022
One Human Family
Harvard University, Stanford University, and University of California Berkeley
White Pony Express
Association of Vegan Entrepreneurs of Mexico
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WFI brought White Pony Express' (WPE) volunteer-powered food delivery service model to Mexico in May while empowering women entrepreneurs and serving victims of gender-based violence. In July, WFI brought the Association of Vegan Entrepreneurs of Mexico (EVM) to California to share its Mesa Redonda program in which restaurant goers can "pay it forward" by buying a meal for a family in need. This represents the first of many WFI supported cross-border exchanges of models for shared abundance! | |
Pro Mujer and WFI's team of scholars from TEC de Monterrey in Mexico stepped out of the box to bring out the hidden, yet, powerful potential of the "middle:" small and growing businesses in Latin America. Women play a major role in this missing middle, and in Latin America, small and growing businesses create 67% of jobs, but only receive 12% of capital. Together with Pro Mujer, WFI brought together economists and practitioners to seize an opportunity for both social equality and economic growth. Stay tuned for our video presentation! | |
May 12, 2022
Yale University
Cornell University
University of Louisville
Equal Origins and the Sustainable Food Trust
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How are women, against all odds, taking the lead in the coffee and cocoa sectors and in sustainable farming? WFI's student teams tackled this topic. | |
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“I love being a part of this project…being able to work with these two partners. I’m really grateful and I think it is going to shape a lot of what I do moving forward.”
Kayla Pucek, University of Louisville student
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May 12, 2022
Lynn University and Georgetown University with Diverse Partners in Afghanistan and the
Afghan Institute of Learning
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Our Georgetown team revealed the profound ways in which women's rights in Afghanistan can be broadened at this pivotal moment through a toolkit that has been translated into Farsi and Dari and used by USIP and government negotiators on women's rights in Islam. Our Lynn University team established a manual for an online curriculum that meets the needs of Afghan girls and women today and advances the building of a new women's university in Afghanistan. | |
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"This research only confirmed that we are capable and courageous enough to achieve what we want as women in the world.”
Heidi Kuhn, CEO of Roots of Peace
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April 8, 2022
Paris Institute of Political Studies with Nest
Blumera with the Turquoise Mountain Trust in Afghanistan Myanmar, and the Prince's Foundation
with The Rose Town Foundation in Jamaica
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Take a moment. Look at your clothes, the rug under your feet, the mug in your hands…Are you aware of the centuries of culture, traditions, and designs that have gone into creating these items or how much of the money and recognition is given to women artisans whose subsistence relies on selling their creations? As part of this year's Skoll World Forum EcoSystem Day, WFI hosted a discussion that brought together our partners from our sustainable fashion and artisanship programs. | |
“This project has given a face to the migrant women and artisans who have been working in these organizations. When we are researching, we only see them as figures and numbers. Being on the field…has been really enthralling and thoughtful. Thank you to WFI and Nest for this wonderful opportunity.”
Sreya Nath, Sciences Po student
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Sample WFI's Action-Oriented Research | | |
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September 2022
New York Fashion Week
New York, NY, In Person
Mehera Blum, Founder and Creative Director of Blumera, will present with WFI the first iteration of our partnership to empower women artisans in Myanmar, Jordan, and Afghanistan, during New York Fashion Week.
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Fall 2022
Hollywood & The New Humanity
Los Angeles, California, In Person
WFI will join Hollywood's stars who are dedicated to empowering women, especially refugees from Ukraine and Afghanistan. We will come together for an evening of music and feature the delights of artisanship from these countries while sharing our 2022 programs to provide gainful and dignified employment opportunities to refugee women globally.
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Announcing our 2023
Global Summit:
In Partnership with Roots of Peace
Napa Valley, California
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WFI is honored to partner with CEO Heidi Kuhn and Roots of Peace in California as together we bring forward the next generation of leaders for unity and peace. Stay tuned for more details about our global summit, convening world leaders, artists, and change makers in the beautiful Napa Valley! | |
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Launch of WFI High School Internship Program
Ignacio Valley High School
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This spring WFI welcomed our inaugural Internship class from Ygnacio Valley High School in California. Most of the students were "newcomers" to the U.S. | |
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WFI Extends our Warmest Gratitude to our Most Recent Donors:
Cordes Foundation
Donahue Charitable Foundation
World Centric
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“When humans are ranked instead of linked, everyone loses.”
― Gloria Steinem, My Life on the Road
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Join our Community of Leopards as we embrace a New Humanity. | | | | |
