women women
cover story
cover story
helping women
women
A
G l o b a l
P e r sp e ct i v e
•
B y
A nn e
S i mmons - B e nton
' 7 4
I would like to introduce you to a small sampling of the women and organizations that inspire me daily. Their spirit of Serviam focuses on other women, and is played out around the world. There are countless opportunities for Ursuline girls and alumnae to become involved in these efforts worldwide, as well as closer to home.
My story — and how I met these women
A Rwandan woman with an infant tied to her back and her toddler at her side sells her woven baskets by the side of the road to the few cars that drive by.
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URSULINE ACADEMY OF DALLAS
I have been very blessed to have had a great education at Ursuline and many women have inspired me there. In addition to the superior academic preparation, there were the underlying teachings of Serviam, equality, innovation, and justice — doing what’s right. I count many classmates as well as teachers among that number and continue to find other women in my work who inspire me. I was lucky to be able to continue my educational pursuits with an international affairs degree at Georgetown School of Foreign Service and then law school. This, and my work background, prepared me for an incredible opportunity over the last three years to support the economic empowerment of women in developing countries. In 2008, I approached the U.S. Agency
for International Development (USAID) with an idea to create a diagnostic tool that would analyze impediments and design solutions for women to start and grow a business. USAID provided funding to create the tool, pilot it in two countries (Rwanda and Vietnam) and then to provide followup assistance. For the pilot programs, I assembled a team composed of a federal judge, a banker, lawyers, and a businesswoman and gender expert. In September 2010, I conducted workshops in four cities in Rwanda to teach women how to be successful entrepreneurs. Why Rwanda? Rwanda presents a unique opportunity to work with women due to the history of the genocide, the number of women in leadership (the highest in the world — 56 percent of Parliamentarians are women), and its continuing and unique
stability in Africa. Why is this important? In many countries, women have constraints that men don’t face. These vary from country to country and include an inability to own title to any property (land, cars, and intangible property), to sign a contract, to apply for a job, to travel alone, or to make decisions. At the same time women are burdened with the primary responsibility for raising children and caring for the elderly; gathering firewood for light, heating, and cooking; and collecting water for bathing and cooking. The amount of water and firewood that they collect is based on their ability to carry, either in a basket on their head or in their arms. In Rwanda, women spend a large portion of the day climbing the “Land of a Thousand Hills” in search of water and firewood for their families and carrying it home.
URSULINE ACADEMY OF DALLAS
19
cover story
If Rwanda, with its high proportion of women leaders, can continue to succeed as a stable country with increasing economic growth and the economic empowerment of women, then it can be a beacon for the rest of Africa and other countries. What about the men? Economic empowerment of women is not about the exclusion of men. Studies have shown that every extra dollar invested in women results in investment in the health, nutrition, and education of their children. Men need to be engaged to ensure that they understand why girls and boys need to be educated and why allowing everyone to contribute to society, regardless of gender, is important. The diagnostic tool, called GenderCLIR*, has been used in Vietnam, Rwanda, and the West Bank to analyze impediments to women in business, and has been adapted to agriculture and used in Uganda and Tanzania, since most of the developing world’s farmers are women. I have met a number of amazing women who are working to help women around the world. Ursuline graduates Melinda French Gates ’82 and Dina Habib Powell ’91 are two who have contributed immensely to this effort. Here, I’d like to highlight the work of several other outstanding women and organizations making life better for women worldwide.
The Khalandia Camp in West Bank, where women who are displaced from their homes due to the conflict learn different skills such as embroidery, sewing, and design of clothing and household goods.
A Vietnamese woman sells poultry and eggs at the market.
Shirley Randell
Susanne E. Jalbert, Ph.D. Dr. Susanne E. Jalbert has been working to develop local business and entrepreneurship among enterprising Iraqis, most particularly women. She is a member of the “braintrust” of women who have helped to develop GenderCLIR. An economic activist for 25 years, Susanne Jalbert’s overarching goal is investing resources equitably in both social and business change through economic empowerment. Her true passion lies in development and helping local people develop their own business practices. Dr. Jalbert contributes to USAID-sponsored private sector development projects and has assisted more than 30 international contractors on 87 assignments in 45 countries including Nepal, Thailand, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and most recently Iraq. Recognized as an architect and champion of the Iraqi Small Business Development Centers program (www. sbdc-iraq.com), Susanne Jalbert has influenced nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and women’s business association capacity-building worldwide. She publishes and speaks frequently on the role of business associations, women entrepreneurs, the trafficking of women and children, and entrepreneurial expansion programs.
Rwanda and Vietnam to pilot the new methodology on analyzing women’s economic empowerment. “What Womenable is all about is helping to build the roads and bridges of support,” she explains. “Empowering women’s enterprise development must be a blend of the quantitative and the qualitative, of fostering a genderaware enterprise policy, and taking women business owners seriously by listening to their challenges and celebrating their successes.” With the rare ability to translate data and complex information into clear, concise, and actionable knowledge, Julie Weeks has been personally responsible for much of the extant information on the state of women business owners and their enterprises in the United States. Additionally, she has led, coordinated, or consulted on research projects focused on women business owners and their enterprises in more than a dozen other countries.
Women in East Africa carrying their wares to market.
There is a poem by Emily Dickinson she has carried with her for more than 20 years. If I can ease one life the aching, or cool one pain, or help one fainting robin unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain. “And while I grandiosely think I am making changes worldwide or nationwide or community wide,” says Susanne, “the poem reminds me to step back and always remember the individual.”
Julie Weeks Julie Weeks is president and CEO of Womenable, a research, program, and policy development consultancy enabling women’s entrepreneurship worldwide (www.women able.com). One of the world’s leading experts in the field of women’s entrepreneurship, she has experience in both the private and public sectors in the areas of research, public policy, and program management. Also a member of the “braintrust,” Julie helped to work on the GenderCLIR indicators and traveled with me to
Professor Shirley Randell was born in Perth, Australia. She started teaching Aboriginal children in isolated schools in Western Australia prior to beginning a 15-year career in the Commonwealth Public Service and then a life dedicated to gender and human rights for women. A leading expert in public sector and institutional reform in developing countries and in gender mainstreaming and human rights for women, Shirley has provided technical assistance to governments in the Asia Pacific Region and in Africa over the last 15 years. “Men generally have no shortage of mentors,” she says, “but in my opinion it is especially important to recognize young women with potential to be managers and directors, given the inequalities still existing in management and board representation in every country.” Shirley has been very involved in the International Federation of University Women in a number of leadership roles, and founded both the Vanuatu and Rwandan branches. She is now in the process of building the new Centre for Gender, Culture and Development Studies at the Kigali Institute of Education, (www.kie.ac.rw) very appropriately situated in Rwanda.
Melanne Verveer Melanne Verveer is Ambassador-at-Large at the U.S. Department of State for Global Women’s Issues, appointed to that new position by President Barack Obama. The President’s decision to create such a position is unprecedented. Ambassador Verveer coordinates foreign policy issues and
*To read the USAID report, Rwanda: Investing in the Empowerment of Women in Business, visit http://bizclir.com/galleries/country-assessments/Rwanda_GenderCLIR.pdf
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URSULINE ACADEMY OF DALLAS
21
Women in a Vietnamese marketplace. The lack of available jobs in rural areas often leads to trafficking in women. Economic empowerment means having a job so women can stay at home and not be sold.
cover story
Women for Women www.womenforwomen.org Since its creation, Women for Women International has empowered more than 250,000 women survivors of war to move toward economic self-sufficiency with a year-long program of direct aid, rights education, job skills training, and small business development. As a result of war and conflict, women and girls often lose everything that ever mattered to them, including their sense of self. Participation in this one-year program launches women on a journey from victim to survivor to active citizen. Since 1993, Women for Women International has mobilized more than 125,000 women and men in 105 countries worldwide to reach out and support women survivors of war — one woman at a time. Women for Women identifies services to support graduates of the program as they continue to strive for greater social, economic, and political participation in their communities.
activities relating to the political, economic, and social advancement of women around the world. Melanne Verveer mobilizes concrete support for women’s rights and political and economic empowerment. Her key initiatives and programs are designed to increase women’s and girls’ access to education and health care, combat vio-
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” –Margaret Mead
lence against women and girls in all its forms, and ensure that women’s rights are fully integrated with human rights in the development of U.S. foreign policy. Ambassador Verveer most recently served as Chair and Co-CEO of Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international nonprofit she co-founded. During the Clinton administration, she led the effort to establish the President’s Interagency Council on Women. Prior to her time in the White House, Ambassador Verveer served in leadership roles with various public policy groups and as Coordinator for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs for the U.S. Catholic Conference. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Women’s Foreign Policy Group, and numerous other organizations.
Organizations Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women (IEEW) www.ieew.org The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women, led by Dr. Terry Neese, accomplishes its mission through domestic and international training for women business owners in the area of public policy and entrepreneurial education. One IEEW program, Peace Though Business, empowers women entrepreneurs in developing countries to achieve their dream of financial independence and community involvement. Since its creation in 2007, the program has trained more than 150 women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan and Rwanda. While the Institute is located in Oklahoma, much of the training goes on at Northwood University in Dallas, offering opportunities to get involved in the Dallas area.
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URSULINE ACADEMY OF DALLAS
Anne Simmons-Benton ’74 (center, in white dress) at a meeting with the Business Association of An Giang, a rural city outside of Can Tho, Vietnam.
Women Thrive Worldwide www.womenthriveworldwide.com Women Thrive Worldwide develops, shapes, and advocates policies that foster economic opportunity for women living in poverty. The organization focuses on encouraging U.S. international assistance and trade programs to prioritize women. It brings together a diverse coalition of more than 50 organizations and 40,000 individuals united in the belief that women are the key to ending global poverty, and empowering them is not only right, it’s also the most effective longterm solution to world poverty.
What You Can Do Vital Voices Global Partnership www.vitalvoices.org The nonprofit Vital Voices Global Partnership grew out of the U.S. Government’s successful Vital Voices Democracy Initiative, established in 1997 by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Madeleine Albright. Following the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, the initiative was designed to promote the advancement of women as a U.S. foreign policy goal. In partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank, the United Nations, the World Bank, the Nordic Council of Ministers, the European Union and other governments, the U.S. Government coordinated Vital Voices conferences throughout the world, bringing together thousands of emerging women leaders from more than 80 countries. These conferences launched regional Vital Voices initiatives that continue to give women the skills and resources
they need to lift themselves, their communities, and their countries. The overwhelmingly positive response to these efforts led to the creation of Vital Voices Global Partnership as a nonprofit non-governmental organization (NGO) in June 2000. From working to increase women’s political participation in Latin America to promoting women’s entrepreneurship in the Middle East, Vital Voices is advancing the economic, political and social status of women around the world, providing skills, networking, and other essential support. In March 2010, Melinda French Gates ’82 received one of the Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards called the Global Trailblazer Award. This organization has been very supportive of the GenderCLIR work and has a number of Ursuline supporters, including Dina Habib Powell ’91, Julie Lenzer Kirk ’84, and Amy Little Thomas ’91, either serving on the board or giving pro-bono support.
There are many opportunities to contribute “beyond our borders” through organizations that support women and other good causes that help women and their families. These include internships as well as employment at many of the organizations highlighted in this article. And, if there is a particular need that you feel is underserved, you can always look to create a new solution — that is the Ursuline way! Anne Simmons-Benton ’74, an attorney who has specialized in international law for developing economies, is a consultant with the firm of Booz Allen Hamilton. Her work focuses on legal and commercial interests facing developing countries in order for them to encourage economic growth and alleviate poverty. Prior to joining Booz Allen Hamilton, Anne served as the U.S. Delegate to the World Trade Organization’s Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance to Least-Developed Countries.
To learn how you can get involved, visit www.ursulinedallas.org/LOGOS.
URSULINE ACADEMY OF DALLAS
23
cover story
helping women
women
A
G l o b a l
P e r sp e ct i v e
•
B y
A nn e
S i mmons - B e nton
' 7 4
I would like to introduce you to a small sampling of the women and organizations that inspire me daily. Their spirit of Serviam focuses on other women, and is played out around the world. There are countless opportunities for Ursuline girls and alumnae to become involved in these efforts worldwide, as well as closer to home.
My story — and how I met these women
A Rwandan woman with an infant tied to her back and her toddler at her side sells her woven baskets by the side of the road to the few cars that drive by.
18
URSULINE ACADEMY OF DALLAS
I have been very blessed to have had a great education at Ursuline and many women have inspired me there. In addition to the superior academic preparation, there were the underlying teachings of Serviam, equality, innovation, and justice — doing what’s right. I count many classmates as well as teachers among that number and continue to find other women in my work who inspire me. I was lucky to be able to continue my educational pursuits with an international affairs degree at Georgetown School of Foreign Service and then law school. This, and my work background, prepared me for an incredible opportunity over the last three years to support the economic empowerment of women in developing countries. In 2008, I approached the U.S. Agency
for International Development (USAID) with an idea to create a diagnostic tool that would analyze impediments and design solutions for women to start and grow a business. USAID provided funding to create the tool, pilot it in two countries (Rwanda and Vietnam) and then to provide followup assistance. For the pilot programs, I assembled a team composed of a federal judge, a banker, lawyers, and a businesswoman and gender expert. In September 2010, I conducted workshops in four cities in Rwanda to teach women how to be successful entrepreneurs. Why Rwanda? Rwanda presents a unique opportunity to work with women due to the history of the genocide, the number of women in leadership (the highest in the world — 56 percent of Parliamentarians are women), and its continuing and unique
stability in Africa. Why is this important? In many countries, women have constraints that men don’t face. These vary from country to country and include an inability to own title to any property (land, cars, and intangible property), to sign a contract, to apply for a job, to travel alone, or to make decisions. At the same time women are burdened with the primary responsibility for raising children and caring for the elderly; gathering firewood for light, heating, and cooking; and collecting water for bathing and cooking. The amount of water and firewood that they collect is based on their ability to carry, either in a basket on their head or in their arms. In Rwanda, women spend a large portion of the day climbing the “Land of a Thousand Hills” in search of water and firewood for their families and carrying it home.
URSULINE ACADEMY OF DALLAS
19
cover story
If Rwanda, with its high proportion of women leaders, can continue to succeed as a stable country with increasing economic growth and the economic empowerment of women, then it can be a beacon for the rest of Africa and other countries. What about the men? Economic empowerment of women is not about the exclusion of men. Studies have shown that every extra dollar invested in women results in investment in the health, nutrition, and education of their children. Men need to be engaged to ensure that they understand why girls and boys need to be educated and why allowing everyone to contribute to society, regardless of gender, is important. The diagnostic tool, called GenderCLIR*, has been used in Vietnam, Rwanda, and the West Bank to analyze impediments to women in business, and has been adapted to agriculture and used in Uganda and Tanzania, since most of the developing world’s farmers are women. I have met a number of amazing women who are working to help women around the world. Ursuline graduates Melinda French Gates ’82 and Dina Habib Powell ’91 are two who have contributed immensely to this effort. Here, I’d like to highlight the work of several other outstanding women and organizations making life better for women worldwide.
The Khalandia Camp in West Bank, where women who are displaced from their homes due to the conflict learn different skills such as embroidery, sewing, and design of clothing and household goods.
A Vietnamese woman sells poultry and eggs at the market.
Shirley Randell
Susanne E. Jalbert, Ph.D. Dr. Susanne E. Jalbert has been working to develop local business and entrepreneurship among enterprising Iraqis, most particularly women. She is a member of the “braintrust” of women who have helped to develop GenderCLIR. An economic activist for 25 years, Susanne Jalbert’s overarching goal is investing resources equitably in both social and business change through economic empowerment. Her true passion lies in development and helping local people develop their own business practices. Dr. Jalbert contributes to USAID-sponsored private sector development projects and has assisted more than 30 international contractors on 87 assignments in 45 countries including Nepal, Thailand, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and most recently Iraq. Recognized as an architect and champion of the Iraqi Small Business Development Centers program (www. sbdc-iraq.com), Susanne Jalbert has influenced nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and women’s business association capacity-building worldwide. She publishes and speaks frequently on the role of business associations, women entrepreneurs, the trafficking of women and children, and entrepreneurial expansion programs.
Rwanda and Vietnam to pilot the new methodology on analyzing women’s economic empowerment. “What Womenable is all about is helping to build the roads and bridges of support,” she explains. “Empowering women’s enterprise development must be a blend of the quantitative and the qualitative, of fostering a genderaware enterprise policy, and taking women business owners seriously by listening to their challenges and celebrating their successes.” With the rare ability to translate data and complex information into clear, concise, and actionable knowledge, Julie Weeks has been personally responsible for much of the extant information on the state of women business owners and their enterprises in the United States. Additionally, she has led, coordinated, or consulted on research projects focused on women business owners and their enterprises in more than a dozen other countries.
Women in East Africa carrying their wares to market.
There is a poem by Emily Dickinson she has carried with her for more than 20 years. If I can ease one life the aching, or cool one pain, or help one fainting robin unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain. “And while I grandiosely think I am making changes worldwide or nationwide or community wide,” says Susanne, “the poem reminds me to step back and always remember the individual.”
Julie Weeks Julie Weeks is president and CEO of Womenable, a research, program, and policy development consultancy enabling women’s entrepreneurship worldwide (www.women able.com). One of the world’s leading experts in the field of women’s entrepreneurship, she has experience in both the private and public sectors in the areas of research, public policy, and program management. Also a member of the “braintrust,” Julie helped to work on the GenderCLIR indicators and traveled with me to
Professor Shirley Randell was born in Perth, Australia. She started teaching Aboriginal children in isolated schools in Western Australia prior to beginning a 15-year career in the Commonwealth Public Service and then a life dedicated to gender and human rights for women. A leading expert in public sector and institutional reform in developing countries and in gender mainstreaming and human rights for women, Shirley has provided technical assistance to governments in the Asia Pacific Region and in Africa over the last 15 years. “Men generally have no shortage of mentors,” she says, “but in my opinion it is especially important to recognize young women with potential to be managers and directors, given the inequalities still existing in management and board representation in every country.” Shirley has been very involved in the International Federation of University Women in a number of leadership roles, and founded both the Vanuatu and Rwandan branches. She is now in the process of building the new Centre for Gender, Culture and Development Studies at the Kigali Institute of Education, (www.kie.ac.rw) very appropriately situated in Rwanda.
Melanne Verveer Melanne Verveer is Ambassador-at-Large at the U.S. Department of State for Global Women’s Issues, appointed to that new position by President Barack Obama. The President’s decision to create such a position is unprecedented. Ambassador Verveer coordinates foreign policy issues and
*To read the USAID report, Rwanda: Investing in the Empowerment of Women in Business, visit http://bizclir.com/galleries/country-assessments/Rwanda_GenderCLIR.pdf
20
URSULINE ACADEMY OF DALLAS
URSULINE ACADEMY OF DALLAS
21
Women in a Vietnamese marketplace. The lack of available jobs in rural areas often leads to trafficking in women. Economic empowerment means having a job so women can stay at home and not be sold.
cover story
Women for Women www.womenforwomen.org Since its creation, Women for Women International has empowered more than 250,000 women survivors of war to move toward economic self-sufficiency with a year-long program of direct aid, rights education, job skills training, and small business development. As a result of war and conflict, women and girls often lose everything that ever mattered to them, including their sense of self. Participation in this one-year program launches women on a journey from victim to survivor to active citizen. Since 1993, Women for Women International has mobilized more than 125,000 women and men in 105 countries worldwide to reach out and support women survivors of war — one woman at a time. Women for Women identifies services to support graduates of the program as they continue to strive for greater social, economic, and political participation in their communities.
activities relating to the political, economic, and social advancement of women around the world. Melanne Verveer mobilizes concrete support for women’s rights and political and economic empowerment. Her key initiatives and programs are designed to increase women’s and girls’ access to education and health care, combat vio-
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” –Margaret Mead
lence against women and girls in all its forms, and ensure that women’s rights are fully integrated with human rights in the development of U.S. foreign policy. Ambassador Verveer most recently served as Chair and Co-CEO of Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international nonprofit she co-founded. During the Clinton administration, she led the effort to establish the President’s Interagency Council on Women. Prior to her time in the White House, Ambassador Verveer served in leadership roles with various public policy groups and as Coordinator for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs for the U.S. Catholic Conference. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Women’s Foreign Policy Group, and numerous other organizations.
Organizations Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women (IEEW) www.ieew.org The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women, led by Dr. Terry Neese, accomplishes its mission through domestic and international training for women business owners in the area of public policy and entrepreneurial education. One IEEW program, Peace Though Business, empowers women entrepreneurs in developing countries to achieve their dream of financial independence and community involvement. Since its creation in 2007, the program has trained more than 150 women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan and Rwanda. While the Institute is located in Oklahoma, much of the training goes on at Northwood University in Dallas, offering opportunities to get involved in the Dallas area.
22
URSULINE ACADEMY OF DALLAS
Anne Simmons-Benton ’74 (center, in white dress) at a meeting with the Business Association of An Giang, a rural city outside of Can Tho, Vietnam.
Women Thrive Worldwide www.womenthriveworldwide.com Women Thrive Worldwide develops, shapes, and advocates policies that foster economic opportunity for women living in poverty. The organization focuses on encouraging U.S. international assistance and trade programs to prioritize women. It brings together a diverse coalition of more than 50 organizations and 40,000 individuals united in the belief that women are the key to ending global poverty, and empowering them is not only right, it’s also the most effective longterm solution to world poverty.
What You Can Do Vital Voices Global Partnership www.vitalvoices.org The nonprofit Vital Voices Global Partnership grew out of the U.S. Government’s successful Vital Voices Democracy Initiative, established in 1997 by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Madeleine Albright. Following the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, the initiative was designed to promote the advancement of women as a U.S. foreign policy goal. In partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank, the United Nations, the World Bank, the Nordic Council of Ministers, the European Union and other governments, the U.S. Government coordinated Vital Voices conferences throughout the world, bringing together thousands of emerging women leaders from more than 80 countries. These conferences launched regional Vital Voices initiatives that continue to give women the skills and resources
they need to lift themselves, their communities, and their countries. The overwhelmingly positive response to these efforts led to the creation of Vital Voices Global Partnership as a nonprofit non-governmental organization (NGO) in June 2000. From working to increase women’s political participation in Latin America to promoting women’s entrepreneurship in the Middle East, Vital Voices is advancing the economic, political and social status of women around the world, providing skills, networking, and other essential support. In March 2010, Melinda French Gates ’82 received one of the Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards called the Global Trailblazer Award. This organization has been very supportive of the GenderCLIR work and has a number of Ursuline supporters, including Dina Habib Powell ’91, Julie Lenzer Kirk ’84, and Amy Little Thomas ’91, either serving on the board or giving pro-bono support.
There are many opportunities to contribute “beyond our borders” through organizations that support women and other good causes that help women and their families. These include internships as well as employment at many of the organizations highlighted in this article. And, if there is a particular need that you feel is underserved, you can always look to create a new solution — that is the Ursuline way! Anne Simmons-Benton ’74, an attorney who has specialized in international law for developing economies, is a consultant with the firm of Booz Allen Hamilton. Her work focuses on legal and commercial interests facing developing countries in order for them to encourage economic growth and alleviate poverty. Prior to joining Booz Allen Hamilton, Anne served as the U.S. Delegate to the World Trade Organization’s Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance to Least-Developed Countries.
To learn how you can get involved, visit www.ursulinedallas.org/LOGOS.
URSULINE ACADEMY OF DALLAS
23
