Collective huddle to make sense, build solidarity and hope for the future of the international development industry
2025-04-09 00:00 UTC
Dire pronouncements abound: international development is “crumbling,” “unraveling,” and facing “systemic shocks.”
But what is happening, really? And how can we make sense of it all, together? How can we build solidarity and support each other through this critical transition. Join peers in the global Giving Women community for a 90-minute interactive session to see and be seen, support and be supported, and explore provocative questions such as:
What are you seeing around you? What is most disorienting? What emotions are you struggling to process?
What are we willingly let go of from the old system? What do we need to protect and concerve?
Are there any inspirational actions, approaches or principles that can help guide our response to the crisis?
What can we each contribute to the imagining a new or emerging system?
The collective huddle will be facilitated by:
Katherine Milligan, University Lecturer and Advisor in Social Innovation & Impact
Elianna Sabbag Moquette, Director at if Foundation

Panel Conversation: US Foreign Aid Freeze: Where Do We Go From Here? Part 2 - Livelihoods
2025-04-10 00:00
Following our recent panel on the impact and opportunities arising from the recent funding cuts, including the shutdown of USAID and global reductions in development aid, Giving Women has organized a second panel focusing on the effects on the livelihoods of women in the most underserved communities. As we come to terms with the realities of these cuts, we aim to explore how we can shift dependency away from foreign aid and work towards a world where solutions are found within communities and countries themselves.
Through this panel, we will examine the implications of these cuts on livelihood creation and discuss what measures are in place and need to be implemented to mitigate the impact and ensure strong, positive outcomes. We will hear firsthand accounts from those on the front lines of this crisis and explore principles and approaches that could be leveraged to respond swiftly and build greater resilience into our systems.
The panel will be moderated by our member and Director, Bitesize Capital, Khani Bonnet. Our esteemed panelists will be:
Prapti Bhasin, Chief Operating Officer, Aavishkaar Center, India.
Danny Gotto, Founder & Director, of I4Dev, Uganda
Mary Ellen Iskenderian, President and CEO of Women’s World Banking
Pauline Koelbl, Founder & Managing Partner at ShEquity
Yasmina Zaidan, Chief Development and Partnerships Officer at Acumen
