Women for Women International

Women for Women International was founded in 1993 to help women in war-torn regions rebuild their lives by providing financial and emotional support, job skills training, rights awareness and leadership education and access to business skills, capital and markets. Since its founding, WWI has served more than 55,000 women and distributed approximately $24 million in direct aid and microcredit loans. [1]

"The organization was honored with the Arab American Institute Foundation's Kahlil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Award." "In 2006 Women for Women International is the recipient of the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, the world’s largest humanitarian award." [2]

Sponsors

They list the National Endowment for Democracy as one of their funders. According to the NED's Project Database Women for Women International have only received one grant since 1990, and that granted in 2003 and was worth $30,050 to enable them: "To hold a two-day conference in Baghdad to enable Iraqi women to play an active role in the political, economic, and social reconstruction of Iraq, and to participate in the national dialogue."

For the full funding list which has hundreds of individuals and organisations on it, click here.

They note that "In 2005, 23,000 sponsors made it possible for us to distribute over $2 million in direct aid and $5.5 million in microcredit loans." [3]

Iraq

In July 2004 a USIP report noted that "WWI has received $1.4 million from the CPA for the establishment and operation of nine women’s centers in Baghdad for a period of 18 months. OTI has pledged an additional $800,000 for renovating and equipping the centers, each of which will offer a wide range of training opportunities and social services, including the following:

• vocational training in business and financial management, computer and practical skills, leadership, and career counseling;
• educational programs, including literacy, language, and health and nutrition programs;
• rights awareness, elections, campaigning, and general advocacy training;• microcredit program, income-generation projects, and small business development; and
• social service referral (legal and benefits counseling, referrals to police and shelter systems in cases of abuse, honor crimes, and so on)." [4]

Personnel

• Zainab Salbi President and Chief Executive Officer
• Karen Sherman Chief Operating Officer
• Quoc Nyugen Chief Financial Officer
• Bhartesh Tripathi Controller
• Dr. Patricia Morris Director of Programs
• Rebecca Milner Director of Institutional Advancement
• Erica Tavares Deputy Director of Development

Source

Directors

• Zainab Salbi President and CEO Women for Women International
• Mary Menell Zients Chair of the Board, Women for Women International, Executive Director, Urban Alliance Foundation
• Amjad Atallah President, Strategic Assessments Initiative
• Jan Brandt Vice Chair Emeritus, AOL
• Sharon Cohen Human Rights Activist
• Eva Haller Chair of the Board, Free the Children
• Emma Rahman Senior Financial Analyst, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
• Ambassador Nancy Rubin
• Lekha Singh Founder, Aidmatrix
• Susan Vitka Investor
• Anne B. Zill Founder and Director, Center for Ethics in Action

Source

Advisory Board

Accessed November 2008:

International Council of Advisors

• Karen Armstrong - Author focusing on religious affairs in several books including, "The Battle for God" (UK)
• Aloisea Inyumba - Governor of Kigali-Rural Prefect, Republic of Rwanda
• Alice Walker - Activist and author of several books including, "The Color Purple"
• Muhammad Yunus - Managing Director, Grameen Bank (Bangladesh)

Business Advisory Council

• Katherine Borsecnik - Chair and Board Liaison of the Business Advisory Council, Former Senior Vice President of America Online
• Tom Bird - Founder and President of Farm Capital Services, LLC
• Sarah Brokaw - Licensed Professional Therapist and Philanthropist
• Amber Chand - Entrepreneur Committed to Supporting Artisans Globally
• Jennifer Chapin - Business Coach and Consultant, Life Rocks
• Donna Gerstenfeld - Attorney, Corporate and Banking Legal Expert
• Len Middleton - Adjunct Professor, Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan
• Alfonso Montiel - Managing Director, Alsis Funds
• Laura Orlando - Executive Director, Resource Institute Low Entropy Systems
• Gerald Prolman - CEO, Organic Bouquet
• Grace Richardson - President of the Board, The YWCA of New York City
• Lesley Jane Seymour - Former Editor-in-Chief, Marie Claire Magazine
• Delany Steel - Principal, The Boston Consulting Group

Communications Advisory Council

• Lisa Witter - Chair of the CAC and General Manager, Executive Vice President of Fenton Communications
• Clara Bingham - Writer
• Linda Douglass - Senior Fellow, John Brademas Center for the Study of Congress, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service New York University; former Chief Capitol Hill Correspondent for ABC News
• Susan Friedman - Producer for NBC News
• Claudia Gonzalez - Head of Public Relations and Special Communities, Executive Chairman Office, World Economic Forum, Switzerland
• Heidi Schulman - Adjunct Professor of Journalism, Annenberg School for Communications, USC and a former NBC News correspondent.
• Carolyn Strauss - President of HBO Entertainment
• Susan Koch - Filmmaker
• Catherine Russell - Washington DC

Funds

Total Revenue in 2004: $7,532,316 [5]

Related SourceWatch

• Chris Seton Abele - former chair
• Brita Fernandez Schmidt - Director of Operations

Contact details

1850 'M' Street NW, Suite 1090
Washington, DC 20036
Email: general AT womenforwomen.org
Phone: 202.737.7705
Fax 202.737.7709
Web: http://www.womenforwomen.org/wWIIndex.do?g11n.enc=ISO-8859-1