Friday, March 25, 2022

Feel Good Friday - Dress for Success

It’s the last Feel Good Friday of Women’s History Month so put on your fancy clothes and take a moment to celebrate Dress for Success

Founded in the basement of a church in Manhattan in 1996, Dress for Success is “a global not-for-profit organization that empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.” Their vision is “a world where women do not live in poverty; are treated with dignity and respect; and are strengthening their families and shaping their communities.” 

 

Dress for Success clients are women with job interviews who get referred by organizations such as homeless shelters, immigration services, job training programs, educational institutions, and domestic violence shelters. Once connected to a Dress for Success affiliate, these women have access to a variety of services. 

 

There are over 13,000 volunteer personal shoppers who work with women to select clothing for an interview, and later a new job. There are also workshops and career coaching on topics such as resume writing, interview prep, online job search tips and career planning. Many affiliates have an employment retention program for women seeking to network with other professionals and enhance their careers.

 

Since they began, Dress for Success has expanded to almost 150 cities in 25 countries and accepts referrals from over 5,000 organizations worldwide. More than 1.2 million women have taken steps towards economic independence with the help of Dress for Success. You can read personal success stories at this link or meet some clients in this 5-minute video

 

If you’d like to get help women become more self-sufficient there are many ways to get involved. Find your local affiliate and volunteer as a personal shopper, or donate a gift card, store credit, or cash. If you’re unsure of an appropriate donation amount, Dress for Success has a campaign encouraging people to give an hour of their pay and then tag it on social media with #YourHourHerPower. Speaking of social media, what a great way to let other people know about this work. Like the Dress for Success Facebook page and follow them on Twitter @dressforsuccess and Instagram @dressforsuccess.

 

 

Friday, March 18, 2022

Feel Good Friday - Womankind Worldwide

Women’s History Month is celebrated all around the world, and today’s Feel Good Friday is going to highlight a global organization, Womankind Worldwide.

Founded on International Women’s Day in 1989 and based in London, Womankind Worldwide is “a global women's rights organisation working in partnership with women’s rights movements to transform the lives of women and girls.” Their vision is “a just world where the rights of all women are respected, valued and realised.”
 
Some grim statistics from their website state that 1 in 3 women around the world experience violence; less than 15% of landholders worldwide are women; and women make up just 24% of parliamentarians worldwide.
 
Because of this, the work Womankind Worldwide does with partner organizations in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nepal, Uganda and Zimbabwe, focuses on three areas:

  • Ending all forms of violence against women and girls
  • Advancing women’s economic rights
  • Strengthening women’s influence and decision-making power
Specific projects in these areas include work to eliminate female genital mutilation and intimate partner violence, fighting to protect women’s land rights and advocating for full economic rights, and improving the representation of women in local leadership while working with communities to challenge and change attitudes towards women.


Since they began, Womankind Worldwide has worked with 282 partners across 37 countries to strengthen women’s movements internationally. In 2020 and 2021, projects with partners directly supported 25,125 individuals. You can read the stories of women realizing their own potential and power at this link


If you’re ready to help Womankind Worldwide fight for women’s rights there are many ways you can support them. Join a campaign to demand change, make a donation, and amplify their message on social media. Like their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter @woman_kind and Instagram @womankindworldwide.
 

Friday, March 11, 2022

Feel Good Friday - Girls Not Brides

For our next installment of Women’s History Month Feel Good Friday blogs, let’s talk about child marriage and a group that’s working to end the practice, Girls Not Brides. 


Founded in 2011 to focus attention on the harmful practices that hold girls and women back, Girls Not Brides is “a global partnership of 1500+ civil society organizations committed to ending child marriage and enabling girls to fulfil their potential.” Their vision is “a world without child marriage where girls and women enjoy equal status with boys and men and are able to achieve their full potential in all aspects of their lives.” Watch this 3-minute video for an 
overview of their work.

 

Child marriage is an issue that affects girls around the world. Each year 12 million girls are married before the age of 18. That’s 23 girls every minute. In addition to depriving young girls of their freedom to decide if, when and who to marry, child brides are at greater risk of leaving school early, living in poverty, dying in childbirth, and experiencing sexual and physical violence. More information can be found on the learning and resourcessection of the website.

 

Girls Not Brides is a platform for 1500 member organizations across 100 countries to connect, learn from each other and collaborate. Members’ work in health, education and human rights informs the strategy, activities and messaging of the global partnership. Girls Not Brides includes members in national, regional, and global campaigns and members can use the Girls Not Brides website to connect with the media and showcase their work. 

 

Because Girls Not Brides is funded through grants from governments, foundations, and multilateral sources, they do not seek donations from the general public. If you’d like to support their work you can donate to a member organizationsupport a specific campaign against child marriage, and amplify their message on social media. Like their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter @GirlsNotBrides and Instagram @girlsnotbrides_. #EndChildMarriage 

Friday, March 4, 2022

Feel Good Friday - Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights

It’s the first Feel Good Friday of Women’s History Month and the country of Ukraine is under attack. That’s why we’re profiling an organization supporting women in Ukraine, Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights


Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Alameda, California, Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights(UAF) is “a feminist fund that protects, strengthens and sustains women and transgender human rights defenders at critical moments.” They respond to requests for assistance within 24 hours and have funds of up to $8,000 USD on the ground within 1- 10 business days.

 

Right now, to support women, trans, and nonbinary activists in Ukraine, UAF is responding to requests from groups and individuals seeking:

  • Support with emergency evacuations and relocations
  • Legal, financial, and medical support
  • Security and disaster survival training
  • Increasing shelter capacities for children, women, and all other civilians
  • Access to alternative communication channels, mobile internet, power banks, VPNs, proxy, spare phones, and tablets


This rapid response grantmaking is one of the ways UAF supports women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and climate defenders. Another focus of UAF’s work is advocacy and alliance building. When they see that certain issues are trending, UAF “brings together grassroots activists, feminists, women’s human rights defenders, academics and policy-makers to design the best strategic response.” Solutions range from fundraising to policy change.

 

In order to better direct their grantmaking and fundraising efforts, UAF established autonomous, urgent action sister funds in Africa (2001), Latin America (2009) and Asia (2017). This global consortium has awarded over 2,000 grants to women’s human rights activists in 110 countries around the world. You can use this interactive map to see who has received grants in the last 10 years, and if you know anyone who would benefit from receiving funds, send them this link.

 

If you want to support the work of UAF, you can donate to the Urgent Response Fund: Ukraine, make general donation, or volunteer. You can also amplify the work of UAF on social media. Like their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter @UrgentAct and Instagram @urgentactionfund.