If you happened upon the Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation (GWPF) website lately, and thought you were on the wrong site, you were indeed on the correct website. The organization is pleased to invite you to visit its new site at https://www.globalwomanpeacefoundation.org. After several years of hosting its readers on the old site while it grew, GWPF wants to share with the readers the work it has done over the years through images and text.
Established in 2010 GWPF has gone through several growth spurts. They began by offering services to survivors of female genital mutilation but they had a problem. There was no one to whom they could render their services. They wondered where they would find FGM survivors or women who required such services. The organization knew what they needed to do; they decided to get the word out that their services existed. Through the creation of the Global Woman Newsletter and the annual Walk To End FGM (#walk2endFGM), they found that women and girls did need their services. Many of the women were right in their midst. Their phones began to ring and emails came in with inquiries. Women sought their advice and assistance. They gained the trust of the women. They were suddenly reminded of the phrase from the movie, Field of Dreams; “If you build it they will come.” To date GWPF has a waiting list of women interested in undergoing the genital restorative surgery. There are new faces each month at their monthly support group workshop, and the phone continues to ring with inquiries about their services.
The organization shied away from getting involved in asylum and immigration cases for years. However they continued to be confronted with the subject. They realized that the women they served had needs far beyond genital restorative surgery and psychological counseling. Some of them needed to stay out of their native lands due to the safety of their lives. In order to successfully counsel and rehabilitate them, all of their needs had to be met. GWPF decided to establish a new service in addition to their other services, “Survivor Resettlement Program”. The women receive assistance in resume preparation, job search, character reference letters, obtaining asylum pro bono attorneys, housing applications, etc.
The organization saw the need for law enforcement in the United States to become knowledgeable on FGM. They created the “Kid Reach Shield Program”, their special law enforcement training. This program has been successful so far after training a number of law enforcement personnel of local county governments.
As GWPF looks forward to their fifth annual Walk To End FGM (#walk2endFGM) and their fourth Global Woman Awards this October, they have not only serviced women and girls; they have built a family of young women, who actually consider themselves sisters to each other. They all refer to Angela Peabody, the organization’s Executive Director as their Mum, a compliment Peabody accepts gracefully.
GWPF now invites you to take the tour through their new website. Visit each page and learn about how the organization has evolved over the years. https://www.globalwomanpeacefoundation.org. The organization thanks all of its supporters, sponsors, donors and volunteers for helping to make Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation what it is today.
Comments and questions to info@globalwomanpeacefoundation.org or call (703) 818-3787
