Category: 030717

Tomorrow, March 8^th is International Women’s Day.  This day has been designated for the observance of women worldwide, especially those who work toward creating a better world in which all humankind may live.

According to Wikipedia, International Women’s Day was originally referred to as International Working Women’s Day.  It was intended to be a celebration to show appreciation, respect and love towards women for their economic, political and social achievements.  As early as the year 1909, this day was celebrated in New York City.  In 1975, the Icelandic women’s strike made it effective in Iceland, and it helped pave the way for the election of the first woman President in the world, Iceland’s Vigdis Finnbogadottir.

More than a century since the women in New York City celebrated this day, women around the world will observe International Women’s Day in some form or fashion to celebrate what began long before any of them existed.  In some parts of the world tomorrow, women will march for peace, in other parts, they will march for equal pay, while others will hold various programs and celebrate this special day set aside, just for women.

One organization is observing tomorrow by the planting of a special garden for peace in Washington, D.C.  International Women’s Peace Group (IWPG) tomorrow will host their 2017 “Ban FGM” at Mississippi Avenue and 13^th Street, S.E. in Washington, D.C.  The garden, called “Mother’s Peace Garden” is to uphold the dignity of women and girls worldwide, according to a representative from IWPG-DC.  “We will be planting a garden for peace to commemorate and represent those affected by this global human rights issue”, said Jeannie V., the lead organizer of this event.  IWPG believes that the practice of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is rooted in gender inequality and that it attempts to control a woman’s purity, since it targets young women and violates their rights to health, security, and physical integrity.

Headquartered in South Korea, International Women’s Peace Group (IWPG) was founded by Maria Nam-Hee Kim.  A woman with a motherly heart, Maria Kim believes that peace begins with oneself.  She said, “As individuals, we must first share our happiness and the value of life with others, and by doing this we can start to take small steps toward our goal.  These small changes will improve our own lives and the lives of neighbors, until eventually the world will become peaceful.” This peace-loving mother has traveled the world, spreading her message of peace to countries such as Costa Rica, Uruguay, Peru, Uganda, Finland, Germany, Austria, Spain, Romania, Slovakia, South Africa, the U.S. and many others.

According to organizer, Jeannie V, IWPG plans to upkeep the Mother’s Peace Garden and will revisit the commemorative celebration annually.  To join in this year’s celebration, stop by the Garden at 10:00am at the corner of Mississippi Avenue and 13^th Street in Southeast Washington tomorrow, and be a part of this historic event.

By John Jordan

One woman in Haiti embodies the progress women can make under even the most challenging circumstances.

Meladette Dalphinis has been a member of the Movement of Bayonnais Farmers (MBF) for some years.   This group is supported by World Neighbors, a small NGO based in Oklahoma City that relies primarily on private support.

Hurricane Matthew heavily damaged Dalphinis’s hot pepper and leek fields.  MBF and World Neighbors gave her a loan of about Fifty U.S. Dollars ($50) to replant her fields. She also used the loan to dig and stock a small fishpond.   Fish are fed household food waste in Haiti.  Water from the pond, enriched with fish waste, is used to help irrigate her fields—cutting down on fertilizer and its costs.  Once mature, her family will have a steady source of protein.   Surplus will be sold in a local market, which will benefit other families.

Finally, Dalphinis invested a small part of the Fifty Dollars ($50) in an earthworm system.  The worms produced fertilizer for her crops, reducing the need for chemical fertilizer, along with their financial costs and health risks.   The worms produced so much fertilizer, Dalphinis was able to sell it to her neighbors.  This past January, she sold a bag for about Seven U.S. Dollars ($7.25).   Dalphinis used this innovative method of fertilizer and eventually the profits from the fish, to repay the loan.   Dalphinis plans to use future profits to send her adopted son to school and further increase production of produce, livestock and fish.

With a small investment, technical assistance and determination to improve her family’s chances in life, Dalphinis has come through the hurricane more productively and financially secured than before.

Dalphinis embodies the promise of International Women’s Day and illustrates how international development organizations can them people realize it.

To learn more about Meladette Dalphinis, please contact John Jordan at jjordan737@yahoo.com.

 

Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation congratulates and honors all women today, and in memory of the first woman President, we list the current top women leaders of the world below:

Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Prime Minister of Denmark

Yingluck Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand

Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President of Argentina

Dilma Rousseff, President of Brazil

Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia

Sheik Hasina Wajed, Prime Minister of Bangladesh

Johanna Sigurdardottir, Prime Minister of Iceland

Laura Chinchilla, President of Costa Rica

Tarja Halonen, President of Finland

Dalia Grybauskaite, President of Lithuania

Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago

Save-these-Dates

• International Women’s Day / IWPG “Ban FGM” Mother Garden – March 8th
• 25^th Annual Children’s Justice Conference – April 11^th through 12^th
• Support/Focus Group Meeting – April
• Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) – April 13^th through 21^st
• 11^th Annual Dr. Julianne Malveaux Women’s History Luncheon/Awards – April 23rd
• Walk To End FGM registration begins – May
• Vacances San Excision (Summer without Cutting) Camp – August
• Walk To End FGM on October 21^st
• Giving Tuesday – November 28^th

We will update this calendar as the year progresses.  Please mark your calendars, as we work toward a prosperous 2017.

Make Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation Your Favorite Charity in 2017

When you shop during the year at Amazon, please select Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation as your charity of choice.

In your charitable contributions and donations in 2017, please consider Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation by either through the DONATE BUTTON below or by sending a check to Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation, 14001A Grumble Jones Court, Centreville, Virginia 20121.  Your generous donations are tax deductible.  Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.

Do you have an announcement you would like to place in this section of the newsletter?  Here are the guidelines below:

The guidelines to submit an announcement are to appear in this newsletter:

• The length of announcement must be no more than a paragraph of 6 lines.
• Your announcement is free of any charges.
• Your announcement should be something that pertains to women, girls or students, such as events, walk-a-thons, conferences, etc.
• If there is an accompanying image, it must be no less than 72 dpi, preferably in jpeg.
• Your announcement must be received no later than the Thursday 5:00pm prior to the following Tuesday publication.
• Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation reserves the right to deny a submission if it is not within our guidelines.

Do you enjoy playing with words?  This is a fun way to see how well you can unscramble the following words.  We will reveal the unscrambled words in next week’s edition of the newsletter.  If you enjoyed this, write and give us your feedback to info@globalwomanpeacefoundation.org.

Can you unscramble the following five words?

This Week’s Scrambled Words

TILIFEREZR

NATIONALERTIN

OWMEN

CANEHURIR

CAPEE

 

Last Week’s Scrambled Words                               Last Week’s Unscrambled Words

RALENEG SSAMEBLY                                                      GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LILB SESADP                                                                      BILL PASSED

TURENAGIS                                                                        SIGNATURE

NORERVOG                                                                        GOVERNOR

ENO AREY                                                                           ONE YEAR

 

We give you five scrambled words each week.  We hope you enjoy playing.

Here are some of the ways you can help and support our programs in 2016:

• Donations (including in-kind donations) globalwomanpeacefoundation.org
• Partnering (collaborating in one of our programs and/or events)
• Joining our Internship or Student-Ambassadorship Program
• Volunteering
• Donate through employer payroll deduction (through Your Cause, United Way or the government employee giving program)

Support Group will resume sessions on Saturday, March 4th.  We invite you to join us at 3920 Alton Place, NW, Washington, D.C. 20016 at 12:00pm.  Our Counselor on site is Willa Jones, and Amie Jallah is now in charge of the support group.  For one-on-one meetings, contact us for appointments at info@globalwomanpeacefoundation.org or call 703-818-3787.

Important Contacts in the Washington, D.C. Metro Area to Keep Handy

Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation               703-818-3787

National Child Abuse Hotline                              800-422-4453

Fairfax County Office for Women                       703-324-5730

Virginia Crime Victim Assistance                        888-887-3418

Montgomery County Abused Persons Program   240-777-4673 (24 hours)

Prince Georges County Sexual Assault                301-618-3154

Prince Georges County Child Advocacy Center  301-909-2089

Baltimore City Child Abuse Center                     410-396-6147

Frederick County Child Advocacy Center           301-600-1758

Howard County Listening Place                           410-313-2630

Washington County Child Advocacy Center       240-420-4308

District of Columbia Metropolitan Police            202-727-9099

Alexandria Victim/Witness Program                    703-746-4100

Arlington County Victim/Witness Program         703-228-7273

Loudon County Victim Witness Program             703-777-0417

Prince William County Victim/Witness               703-392-7083

Attention: The U.S. government opposes FGM/C, no matter the type, degree, or severity, and no matter what the motivation for performing it. The U.S. government considers FGM/C to be a serious human rights abuse, gender-based violence, and, when done to children, a form of child abuse. It is against the law to perform FGM/C in the United States on a girl under the age of 18 or to send or attempt to send her outside the United States so FGM/C can be performed. People who violate this law can face prison time and significant immigration consequences. Additionally, anyone who performs FGM/C on a woman 18 years old or older without her consent may be charged with a crime under other laws.  If someone performed FGM/C on you, you have not violated any U.S. laws and are not at fault, call 1-800-994-9662.