Giving Women

GW Panel: How girl and women survivors of human trafficking
2020-12-01 00:00 UTC
Check the event replay here.
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The truth about human trafficking, and four incredible women who are bringing light to survivors.
Human trafficking is a problem we hear about, we know it exists but many of us are not aware of the magnitude of the problem, nor that this is an issue that touches us all. According to the ILO’s most recent numbers: 40.3 million people globally are victims of human trafficking. Of those trafficked, 72% are girls and women.
Giving Women, as part of our awareness building pillar, has invited three women who are actively working to support, heal, and give back the lives of sex-trafficked women:
Somaly Mam and Chan Ratana from AFESIP based in Cambodia,
Trina Talukdar from Kranti an organisation working with girls and women in the red-light district of Mumbai
Taban Shoresh the founder of the Lotus Flower based in the refugee camps in Northern Iraq.
Each one has a story to tell and courageously works to support, heal, and fight for the rights of these girls and women.
We are also honoured to have Monique Villa, who was CEO of the Thomson Reuters Foundation for 11 years. She created TrustLaw, Trust Conference, and together with Anish Kappor created the Stop Slavery Awards to name just a few of her accomplishments. Monique Villa is also the author of Slaves Amongst us: The Hidden World of Human Trafficking. Her in-depth knowledge of the subject will enlighten us about this hidden reality and moderate the conversation.
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Human trafficking in numbers
• 51% of identified victims of trafficking are women, 28% children and 21% men
• 72% people exploited in the sex industry are women
• 63% of identified traffickers were men and 37% women
• 43% of victims are trafficked domestically within national borders
(Estimates by The United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC))
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This event is free but we welcome any donations you feel moved to make upon registration. Your donations support our work to make a meaningful difference in the lives of girls and women in need all over the world.
(Photo credit: Kranti performing at Giving Women’s 2019 AGM)
Bios
Somaly Mam
Somaly Mam is a survivor of sexual slavery and a current-day human rights activist.
Born into a tribal minority family in the Mondulkiri province of Cambodia, she was sold at age 12, and forced to work in a brothel along with other children for nearly a decade. She was brutally tortured and raped on a daily basis. One night, she was made to watch as her best friend was viciously murdered. Deciding then that she would no longer “keep her silence,” Somaly heroically escaped her captors and began to build a new life abroad. She vowed, however, never to forget those she left behind, and soon returned to Southeast Asia. She has dedicated her life’s work to saving victims, building shelters and programs for healing, and empowering survivors to become agents of change. Her holistic approach ensures they not only escape their plight for good, but have the emotional and economic strength to face the future with hope. Somaly estimates that she has touched the lives of over 7,000 victims to date, and she has been recognized as a CNN Hero, one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and one of Fortune Magazine’s Most Powerful Women, a Glamour Woman of the Year, recipient of the World Children’s Prize, and by the US Department of Homeland Security for her work. She has been a guest on the Tyra Banks show, Fox and Friends, America’s Most Wanted, and was featured on Oprah and CNN. She has participated in Davos activities and the DLD conference, the 2011 Newark Peace Summit (alongside the Dalai Lama) and conferences including Imagine Solutions, Womenetics, EG, and Crimes Against Children. Despite threats to her life and a complex political environment, she continues to live and work in Phnom Penh.
AFESIP Cambodia is a legally registered non-governmental, non-partisan, and non-religious organization that cares for and secures the rights of women and girls victimized by human trafficking, sex slavery and or at high risk of any of these forms of abuse. In 1996 Somaly Mam established AFESIP, a grass-roots organisation based in Cambodia. Somaly Mam herself a survivor of human-trafficking, created the organization to support the thousands of girls and women forced into exploitation in and across Cambodian borders.
To date, AFESIP Cambodia has helped the lives of over 7,000 young women and girls, who are victims of or at risk of being victims of sexual violence, trafficking, abuse or indentured slavery and exploitation, through AFESIP’s recovery centers. Several thousand women and girls in prostitution have received educational training messages on HIV/AIDs prevention, drug abuse, alcohol, negotiation, violence and rape, the new trafficking law, and general knowledge.
Chan Ratana
A survivor of sexual abuse who with the incredible support of AFESIP was able to get through her many challenges and pursue her education to become a psychologist in 2015. She is now full-time Psychologist at the center and works on the Economy Empowerment Program of AFESIP-Cambodia.
Trina Talukdar
Trina started working in Kalighat, one of Asia’s oldest and largest red light areas, at the age of 18. Her interaction with commercial sex workers spurred her passion to channel an immense strength and potential she saw in these women, towards becoming the best social change leaders of our times. As a result of her experience in Kalighat, she co-founded a non-profit named Kranti at the age of 22, in Mumbai. Kranti identifies the potential in girls who have been trafficked, to become agents of social change. These women have survived the worst social adversities, and have the passion and understanding to solve these social problems. After building Kranti for 3 years, Trina moved to Ashoka,where she was hired as the South Asia Director of Venture and Fellowship, and focused on building a social entrepreneurship ecosystem in India. During her time in Ashoka, Trina continued to work with Kranti from time to time. In 2019, after 6 years away,Trina made the decision to return to Kranti, and is employed full time with the non-profit organization.
Taban Shoresh
Former child genocide survivor, Taban Shoresh is the founder of The Lotus Flower, a non-profit for women and girls that currently supports survivors of conflict in Kurdistan, Northern Iraq and Germany. Taban first established The Lotus Flower in London in 2016, after witnessing ISIS committing genocide in her homeland, some three decades after she endured similar atrocity and devastation during Saddam Hussein’s reign. With a tight-knit community of colleagues and advocates, Taban enables women and girls to flourish safely and on their own terms. As a fledgling charity, they have little funding but are making a significant impact. A hardworking network of staff deliver a host of programmes on the ground in Kurdistan which drive wellbeing, social and economic change through projects such as the Women’s Business Incubator, Boxing Sisters, Sewing Sisters and Baking Sisters, which empower women to learn skills that they can use to earn a living. To date The Lotus Flower has helped more than 26,000 women and girls in under two years.
Monique Villa
Monique Villa is a global leader in the charity world, an esteemed journalist and specialist of press freedom and the author of ‘Slaves Among Us’. She has been ranked among the world’s 100 most influential people in Business Ethics by Ethisphere since 2014 and was fourth in the UK’s 2018 Top 100 Corporate Modern Slavery Influencers’ Index. Villa received the Champions for Change Award in 2015 for her vision and effort in the fight against human trafficking and modern slavery, and was the recipient of ECPAT-USA’s inaugural Freedom Award in 2017 in recognition of her leadership in the fight to end child trafficking. She is also a Champion of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Villa was the CEO of the Thomson Reuters Foundation from 2008 to 2019. During her tenure, she transformed the Foundation, creating a number of high-impact programmes including TrustLaw, the biggest global legal pro bono service that operates in 175 countries, and Trust Conference, a world-leading human rights forum. Villa is also the creator of the Stop Slavery Award, which she founded with the artist Anish Kapoor.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Villa was Managing Director of Reuters Media and Chairman of Action Images. A French national, she rose through the ranks of Agence France-Presse (AFP) where she held a number of senior journalistic and management positions. She reported for a number of years from Paris, Rome and London where she was Bureau Chief from 1991-1996. She then became Director of Strategy and Business Development at AFP Headquarters in Paris with responsibility for the agency’s major partnerships worldwide.

Panel: Education in the time of COVID-19: can tech keep girls in school?
2021-01-28 00:00
About this Event
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic NGOs have had to ensure the continuity of the education of children in developing countries while schools were closing. Particular effort was placed on girls who were particularly affected by this crisis. During our discussion we would like to raise awareness of the challenges faced by NGOs and how they can and have set up innovative solutions to reach those girls and their communities in different regions of the world.
We will hear the experiences from the field of three representatives of NGOs who will showcase the solutions they are implementing thanks to technology and the roll out in India, Afghanistan and other countries:
Safeena Husain, Founder of Educate Girls, a non-profit focused on mobilising communities for girls’ education in India’s rural and educationally backward areas.
Meagan Fallone, Director, Barefoot College International. Barefoot College is an organisation which has developed comprehensive programmes designed to improve village life from all angles, wherever poverty exists in 70 countries.
Valentina di Felice, Head of Impact and Learning, Womanity Foundation, which works to accelerate gender equality through innovative investments to create more inclusive societies.
The discussion will be moderated by longstanding Giving Women member, Linda Elzvik. Linda is with GreenLamp, a Swiss nonprofit that, through education in healthcare and the provision of technology, enables young women in rural Ethiopia to make positive behavior, social, and economic change in their communities.
Please see below the bios of our speakers and brief descriptions of the three organisations taking part in the panel.
PLEASE NOTE: ZOOM access details for the panel will be emailed out closer to the time of the event
Bios of our Panellists
Safeena Husain: A London School of Economics graduate, Safeena is the founder of Educate Girls, a non-profit organisation that partners with the Indian government to identify, enrol, and retain out-of-school girls and to improve foundational skills in literacy and numeracy for all children. Under her leadership, Educate Girls was announced as an Audacious Project at the TED2019 conference, where Safeena shared the audacious plan of empowering over a million girls to enter the classrooms by scaling Educate Girls’ model to 35,000 marginalized villages by 2024.
Meagan Fallone: Meagan is an entrepreneur, a designer and a passionate mountaineer. Bringing these diverse talents together as the Director of Barefoot College International and Chief Impact Officer at InnoTerra, she exemplifies exceptional vision and commitment to social leadership while advocating for strong professional practices within a Social Innovation context.
Her commitment to empowering illiterate and semi-literate rural women across the developing world through mastery of technology, unlocking rural girls’ creativity and confidence while leveraging the human potential embodied in poor rural communities; is an inspiring journey of risk-taking and respect for the knowledge and skills innately existent within poor communities.
Valentina di Felice: Valentina has over 14-years’ experience in roles focused on the strategic design, management, and monitoring & evaluation of international development programs in the areas of women’s and girls’ empowerment and media for development.
Working for the Womanity Foundation since 2010, Valentina is now the Head of Impact and Learning, responsible to overview the impact of the foundation and of its programs and to lead knowledge management and learning processes within the organization. Valentina also designed and heads the Girls Can Code program, a ground-breaking vocational training program in English, basic computer literacy, coding and web development for girls in four public high schools in Kabul.
MORE ABOUT THE ORGANISATIONS
EDUCATE GIRLS
Established in 2007, Educate Girls is a non-profit focused on mobilizing communities for girls education in India’s rural & educationally backward areas. Educate Girls operates in some of the most rural, remote, and underserved villages across states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. Educate Girls focus on the enrollment, retention, learning, and life-skills of the most marginalized girls. The organisation does this via village-based changemakers called Team Balika and a hyper-local field team using a combination of old school door to door surveys and community mobilization….and cutting edge machine learning and advanced analytics.
Currently, Educate Girls is operational across almost 20,000 villages across 20 districts in 3 states of India. The organization has over 1,600 FTEs and over 14,000 Team Balika volunteers. Its 5-year (2019-2024) goal is to enrol over 1.5 million out of school girls and improve the learning outcomes of over 900,000 children across 35,000 of India’s most educationally backward villages.
Educate Girls is supported by global partners like Skoll Foundation, CIFF, LGT VP, EAC, UNICEF, Cartier Philanthropy, Oracle, Fossil, Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives, Finastra, Jasmine Social, AKO Foundation etc.
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BAREFOOT COLLEGE INTERNATIONAL
For nearly 50 years, The Barefoot College has designed new ways to nurture and support a journey to empowerment, one village at a time, one woman at a time. We demystify and decentralise technology and put new tools in the hands of the underserved, with the objective to spread self-sufficiency and sustainability. With a geographic focus on the Least Developed Countries, we train women worldwide as solar engineers, entrepreneurs and educators, who then return to their villages to bring light and learning to their community.
Barefoot College International operates in over 2000 villages in 93 countries worldwide. The impact of direct training and services ripples out to impact more than 2 million people, giving communities access to clean water, lucrative livelihoods and safe, renewable energy. Their near 50-year journey has inspired us to learn and share the value of rural wisdom.
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WOMANITY FOUNDATION
Womanity is a private philanthropic Foundation established in 2005 in Switzerland and also registered in Afghanistan, United Kingdom and the USA. Its mission is to invest in audacious solutions that accelerate gender equality and challenge gender norms to create long-lasting sustainable social change in the Global South. The Womanity Foundation’s approach focuses on testing new ideas, adapting and developing pioneering programmes as well as supporting partners in building they institutional capacities to achieve growth and scale. Womanity works in a close collaboration with social entrepreneurs or entrepreneurial organizations and champions innovations in social change and in philanthropy.
Its four main programs today are:
Girls Can Code, teaching coding and computer literacy to Afghan girls, preparing them for careers in tech.
Womanity Award, adapting and scaling innovative programs focused on prevention of violence against women and girls across different countries in the Global South.
WomenChangeMakers, strengthening social ventures that benefit women and girls in India.
Leveraging the power of media to challenge gender stereotypes for a more inclusive society with different initiatives in the MENA region such as Radio Nisaa and Smi’touha Menni.
The Womanity Foundation believes that when women prosper, humanity thrives.

Member Lunch: Building resilience and positivity in these challenging times
2021-01-29 00:00
About this EventBuilding resilience and positivity in these challenging times
Please join us at the first informal members’ lunch of 2021. Megan Patterson-Brown, psychologist, and Frédérique Lambrakis-Haddad, a mental health therapist, will guide a conversation in which we can talk about what has been difficult and how we have stayed resilient and positive during the pandemic.
Bios
Frederique Lambrakis-Haddad is the lead practitioner of www.traumainform.com. Frederique is a mental health therapist who has worked both in the US and UK for over 20 years with adults and young people. She brings expertise in mental health, extensive experience working with trauma and its effects, but also a deep knowledge and experience of living and working internationally. In addition to Frederique’s personal family and background which are international, she also holds a Master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, from Tufts University in Boston. In the US and the UK, she worked in mental health clinics and a residential centres specialising in working with young people and adults who had experienced significant sexual, emotional and physical abuse and neglect. Frederique is a passionate and tenacious advocate for placing women and young peoples’ emotional and mental health needs at the centre of interventions and thinking.
Megan Paterson-Brown, MA, CMHC – MFT Psychotherapist; Adjunct faculty at Webster University, Psychology & Counseling Department.
With a specialized interest in the study of Eastern Traditions and Psychotherapy, Megan’s background in community therapy started in Berkeley, CA in 1994 and continued in Community Mental Health in Altamonte Springs, FL and Seattle, WA, where she also worked as an evaluator in the WA court system and on staff at Hall Health Mental Health Clinic at the University of Washington. Active in diverse private practices over the years, Megan has been teaching at Webster University in Geneva since 2001 in the graduate and undergraduate psychology & counseling programs. She is also engaged in facilitating informal creative arts therapies and Integrative Community Therapy support groups with local immigrant and refugee populations in Geneva via the Bateau de Genève. Megan lives in Vesenaz with her Scottish husband Willy, their son Finlay and warrior cat Xena. Silver linings of lockdown include new hobbies of ‘wild swimming’ in the lake, & zoom dance parties.

Imported Event
2022-06-25 15:30 - 17:00
EVENT DESCRIPTION

GW Zürich Friday Circle - Afterwork Drinks
2023-09-01 00:00
Registration at the Bottom of the Page 👇
Many of our members have said that they would like meet on a regular basis. We are therefore in the process of selecting a central location for our Giving Women Friday Circle.
To facilitate the organisation for the “Friday Circle” we have set up a WhatsApp group which you are welcome to join https://tinyurl.com/Friday-Circle and we will use it to connect regarding the planned meetings.
All future plans will also be communicated to everyone in the normal way via Giving Women.
We look forward to seeing you on Friday 1 September at Rathaus Cafe.

GW Workshop: SMART Indicators for effective Monitoring and Evaluation
2023-09-12 00:00
Please join us to delve into the pivotal role of SMART indicators in effective monitoring and evaluation. We will explore how indicators bring focus to our desired positive changes and a lens for continuous improvement. In this interactive session, we will master the craft of creating SMART indicators tailored to the outcomes of our own projects. We will also review how to use indicators to maximize our social impact.
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OUR FACILITATOR
Dr Tanya Murphy is a member of GW Excom, co-lead of the monitoring sub-committee, and a specialist in impact measurement and management. Tanya is a social entrepreneur and philanthropist. With a Ph.D. in social anthropology and 30 years of experience, she has worked in Europe, the Middle East, USA and Africa. Tanya specialises in social impact management for social enterprises and social development programs. Education is a particular passion and she founded and runs a small charity, the Zoe Sarojini Education Trust in memory of her late sister. She is an active member of Giving Women, helping to maintain and to increase our contribution to the well-being of women around the world, including ourselves.

Giving Women Member Lunch in Zurich
2023-09-13 00:00
This will be an informal lunch with our founder, Atalanti Moquette, attending along with some members of the Giving Women Executive Committee.
While this is an event largely for members, we welcome anyone who is interested in joining Giving Women to also attend.
We will meet at Afghan Anar from 12pm and kindly note that each participant will pay for their own lunch.

Giving Women Welcome Back Apero
2023-09-19 00:00
Register Now!
We look forward to seeing many of you in person at our offices for this apero.
We have invited Elise Buckle, co-founder of SHE Changes Climate,a global campaign enabling women in all diversity, to lead equitable climate action globally.
She will speak to us about the work of SHE Changes Climate that is focused on increasing female representation at all levels of climate decision making, by influencing key players, campaigning for public support, collaborating with counterparts and amplifying the overlooked. As our Annual Conference in 2024 will be on women in climate, we thought this would be an ideal opportunity to start the conversation.

Screening of "Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you are a girl)"
2023-09-21 00:00
In-person Space is Limited so Register Soon Below
Following the panel conversation we held back in April this year, where the founder of Skateistan was one of the panelists, we are delighted to be able to screen this Oscar and BAFTA award-winning documentary.
This short film/documentary follows a group of girls who are attending the ‘Back to School’ program at Skateistan to help them enter or rejoin formal education. Alongside winning an Academy Award, the film has also won a BAFTA and won Best Documentary Short at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Skateistan, founded in 2008 in Kabul, runs skateboarding and creative education programs in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa. Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl) is a moving account of a group of girls in Kabul and their progress through their classes at Skateistan. The Skate School is seen as a refuge from the dangers and insecurity of life outside its walls. We see the interaction between the girls and their female teachers, some of whom are former Skateistan students, and the bonds that are created between women and girls in challenging environments.
It’s fitting that the film was shot with an entirely female crew, on location in Kabul in 2017. Afghanistan is consistently ranked as one of the worst places in the world to be a girl, but the film shows another side to life and childhood in Kabul. We see the girls in the classroom at Skateistan, being guided by their teachers who encourage them to be brave by coming to the board. They tell stories to each other, joke around and clap for each other when they get things right. In the skatepark, they watch their educator in awe as she demonstrates her skills, before getting on the boards themselves and helping each other to balance.
The screening will be followed by a Q & A with the founder and executive director of Skateistan, Oliver Percovich.

GW Workshop: Monitoring and Evaluation Clinic for Project Circles
2023-10-05 00:00
This clinic is to help our Project Circles understand the importance of Monitoring & Evaluation as a tool for accountability and learning. After a quick dive into the key elements of the M&E framework, we will address challenges PCs might face in establishing their M&E system. We want this workshop to be as interactive and practically useful as possible.
*This workshop is open to all GW members, but please note it will be specifically targeting Project Circles.
**If you are a current Project Owner and were unable to register to the workshop, please contact us.
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OUR FACILITATORS
Elianna is an active giving women member and member of the executive committee. She has been working in the field of development for more than 15 years in direct programme implementation, and more recently as a grant maker. Elianna has conducted many evaluations for Giving Women projects and sat on several project circles.
Sophie is an active giving women member and also sits on the executive committee. Sophie spent a decade building her career in London’s financial sector, with expertise in Leveraged Finance later transitioning to private equity. Upon relocating to Switzerland, she engaged in local volunteering activities and competitive ski touring races while raising her four children. In 2020, Sophie Pelka co-founded the Give It Forward Trust (GIFT) with two partners. GIFT embodies her belief in the power of professionalized philanthropy to drive sustainable changes, especially for women and girls.

GW Workshop: Demystifying Governance
2023-10-12 00:00
This workshop proposes to focus on what we mean by governance, why good governance is important, the characteristics of a good governance framework and the roles and responsibilities of the different actors within that framework. We will touch on some of the practicalities of setting up and supporting a Board, including managing conflicts of interest. Participants are encouraged to submit questions in advance of the workshop, as well as suggestions for specific themes that they would like to see addressed.
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OUR FACILITATOR
Joanne Goetz is a member of GW and a corporate governance expert, having worked with boards, committees and management at a senior level in the fields of scientific cooperation and international development. She is currently Head of Governance in a Geneva-based international organisation which brings together both the public and private sector. In addition to her corporate governance experience, Joanne has worked in project management roles and as data protection officer.
* We also encourage you to watch one of our previous Panel on the topic of “Nonprofit Boards: How to make them more effective”, held in June 2023 and available on our Youtube Channel.

Panel Conversation: Funding Women-Led, Women-Focused Organisations
2023-10-24 00:00
Registration for this Online Panel at the Bottom of the Page 👇
The challenge of finding unrestricted funding is ubiquitous in every discussion with beneficiary organisations large and small. Is unrestricted funding the way to go? Why are funders finding this so difficult to do?
Join us for a conversation with a panel made up of directors of two grant-giving foundations, the director of a Giving Women project and Dr Dhananjayan (Danny) Sriskandarajah, the CEO of OXFAM to discuss the merits and impact of their Women’s Rights Fund (WRF) which supports women’s rights organisations (WROs) with flexible, multi-year funding to invest in their own priorities.
Katharina Samara-Wickrama, director of Issues Affecting Women Programme (IAWP) at Oak Foundation will be moderating the conversation
Our panelists will be:
Muriel Guigue, Head of Philanthropy, Cartier Philanthropy
Olivia Leland, Founder & CEO of Co-Impact
Amisa Rashid, Founder and Executive Director Nivishe Foundation
Dr Dhananjayan (Danny) Sriskandarajah,CEO, OXFAM
Bios to follow
Katharina Samara-Wickrama – Moderator
A lawyer by training, Katharina began her humanitarian career in the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) where she worked primarily on promoting gender equality and the rights of refugee women. Thereafter she set up the first joint NGO programme to prevent and address sexual exploitation and abuse of refugee women and girls, training staff on the issue and conducting investigations into allegations of abuse and exploitation. More recently she led the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership. Katharina is currently the Director of the Issues Affecting Women programme of Oak Foundation supporting initiatives that address violence against women, intra-familial violence and trafficking and exploitation of women. Katharina’s passion is to open spaces for the voices that most often go unheard. Otherwise you can find her dipping in the chilly waters of Lake Geneva or making music with a community of Afro-Brazilian Samba Reggae drummers. Her favourite vegetable is chocolate.
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Muriel Guigue
Before joining the Cartier Philanthropy in 2016, Muriel worked for the last 15 years within UN agencies (UNCTAD, UNOG, ITC) and Foundations (International Cocoa Initiative, Trafigura Foundation and Puma Energy Foundation), and has extensive experience of programme management, with a specific focus on monitoring and evaluation of projects in developing countries. Muriel holds a master’s degree in Political Science and Economics from the University of Grenoble and a diploma in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics.
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Olivia Leland
Olivia is the Founder and CEO of Co-Impact, a global philanthropic collaborative for equitable systems change at scale, focused on advancing gender equality and elevating women and girls’ power, agency and leadership at all levels. Olivia has more than two decades of international experience in philanthropy, government, and the non-profit sector. Prior to Co-Impact, Olivia was the founding director of the Giving Pledge – an effort launched by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, and Warren Buffett to help address society’s most pressing problems by encouraging increased philanthropy. Previously, Olivia worked in microfinance and financial inclusion, and in the areas of strategy development, multi-sector collaboration, and advancing gender equality.
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Amisa Rashid
Amisa Rashid is a counselling psychologist and a mediator specializing in peace building and Trauma Healingcentring her work on Trauma informed resilience for community building. Aiming at reducing conflict and violence in her community, Amisa is the Founder and Executive Director of Nivishe Foundation whose main objective is building community resilient using Trauma informed programs for peaceful social cohesion to her community by creating safe spaces and offering psychosocial support to victims of violence. Being an individual who values inclusivity she has pioneered Nivishe in offering Mental Health services through sign languages which since its commencement has managed to serve 200 individuals with hearing Aid challenges. To have a holistic approach in her field she is also a 2020 IPHRD (International Peace and Human Rights Development) Africa Fellow as a young woman Mediator Ambassador. She is the also the only Kenyan chosen among 10 participants globally to participate in the 2021 Orygen Global fellowship for young Mental Health Advocates.
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Dr Danny Sriskandarajah
Danny has been Chief Executive Officer of Oxfam Great Britain since January 2019. Prior to that he spent six years as Secretary General of CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance. He has previously been Director General of the Royal Commonwealth Society, Interim Director of the Commonwealth Foundation and held various posts at the Institute for Public Policy Research. From 2018 to 2019 he was a member of the UN Secretary General’s High Level Panel on Digital Cooperation, and from 2015 to 2016 a member of the High Level Panel on Humanitarian Finance. He has been a Trustee of the Baring Foundation, Comic Relief, and International Alert, and a member of the Lead Group of Scaling Up Nutrition.

New Member Autumn Onboarding Meeting
2023-11-02 00:00
For new Giving Women members,
We would like to offer you the opportunity to get to know Giving Women better by attending an onboarding meeting either in-person on 2 November at 13:00 CET at our office in Geneva or via Zoom (details upon registration). There may be some of our new members are not so new and may have missed a previous onboarding so this is also your chance to join us.
During the meeting, you will get more information about Giving Women and how you can get involved. This is also an opportunity to meet other new Giving Women members. The meeting will last 1 hour and you don’t need to prepare in any way. It will be quite informal with our operations manager, Kathleen, and Atalanti, our Founder, sharing about Giving Women and you will have the chance to ask questions.
We look forward to meeting you all.

GW Workshop: Crafting your organisation's key messages to inspire engagement
2023-11-07 00:00
Crafting compelling key messages is crucial for any nonprofit organization looking to create engagement and a lasting impact. In this workshop, we will delve into the art and science of developing effective key messages that resonate with your target audience. From defining your organization’s core values and messaging pillars to designing campaign messages that evoke emotion and inspire action, this workshop will provide you with the tools and strategies to align your communication efforts with your desired outcomes.
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OUR FACILITATOR
Kathleen Holmlund
Along with being the Operations and Communications Manager for Giving Women these past 4 years, Kathleen has worked in the communications field across various corporate and nonprofit sectors for over 20 years. These include consumer electronics, automotive electronics, human rights, climate, business ethics, health and food. She is a techie nerd at heart and loves trying out new tools that help amplify the reach of quality positive online content.
Sonia Martin- Nair
A native of Singapore, Sonia has been in the digital field for over 20 years, both in the corporate and consulting sectors. She has helped to build and strengthen brands both in the B2B and B2C sectors. She joined Giving Women 2 years ago and is an integral part of its Communications Team as being a highly valued member of our Project Circle Monitoring Committee. She has also advised a number of our Project Circles with their communications.

GW Conversation with GreenLamp and HelpMum: Innovative approaches in maternal and infant health in Africa
2023-11-22 00:00
REGISTER BELOW
Join us in Zurich for a compelling panel discussion featuring the remarkable work of HelpMum and GreenLamp, two organizations at the forefront of improving maternal and infant health in Africa. Discover their innovative strategies and collaborative efforts that are making a difference in the lives of mothers and children across the continent. Engage with the experts, delve into their challenges and successes, and explore how these initiatives are transforming healthcare, empowering women, benefiting local communities, and facilitating cultural changes.
The conversation will be moderated by Marie-Noëlle Jerschke, Associate Partner and board member at FairCapital and feature:
Corinne Namblard, Advisory Board Member of HelpMum
Christina Blecher, Board Member of GreenLamp
BIOS
Marie-Noëlle Jerschke
Marie-Noëlle is Associate Partner and board member at FairCapital, a mission-driven financial intermediary based in Switzerland, providing financing and consulting services to cooperative producers and other actors along the Fairtrade value chain. She is passionate about market-based sustainable solutions to global problems. With more than 20 years of international work experience in mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and business development, she has worked several years as an independent consultant and impact investor. Her former employers include JP Morgan in London and Paris, Groupe Danone in France and LOT Airlines in Poland. Marie-Noëlle graduated from HEC Paris with a Master in Management and complemented her education with a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Management at the University of St. Gallen.
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Christina Blecher
Christina Board Member and the inspiration behind GreenLamp. Christina draws on her wide network to build important relationships and lead vital fundraising. Christina has an overview on all GreenLamp activities and, driven by her passion for social justice, she leads with determination and an acute sense of responsibility for all that they do.
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Corinne Namblard
Corinne has been a Board member at HelpMum Nigeria since 2019.She first met with Dr Abiodun Adereni, the Founder of HelpMum in 2018 in Geneva as she was the member of an international jury for the first edition of the UNDP “Start-Ups for SDGs” award. Which HelpMum won. She brings to HelpMum her financial skills and expertise on strategy and governance as well as her international network of contacts.
Corinne currently sits on the Brussels Airport board, the Conseil Scientifique of TPM in Toulon as well as on the TAC Technical Advisory Committee of Geneva based Nature Based Infrastructure, an ISSD Think Tank. She is the former CEO of a Private Equity fund dedicated to infrastructure and has developed over her 40 years international financial career a portfolio of board and senior corporate and banking executive roles, government advisory and UN Senior Expert roles.

End of Year Sale - All Day!
2023-11-28 00:00
We look forward to welcoming many of you to our popular End of Year Sale.
On sale will be an array of unique gifts in time for the holiday season, courtesy of our projects and our members and friends! Some of these items include Pashmina and silk shawls, jewellery, clothes, bags, decorative pillows, paintings, jams, chocolate and olive oil. The list goes on with many amazing pieces of craftsmanship on offer.
No need to register, just come on over between 10:30 and 19:00

Giving Women Christmas Dinner in Zurich
2023-12-06 00:00
Join Giving Women members for a festive dinner at Restaurant Sham
This will be an informal opportunity to meet Giving Women members and learn more about the organisation.
Please RSVP by COB 5 December so we can make the appropriate reservation at the restaurant.

Project Circle New Year Gathering - Members Only
2024-01-22 00:00
Please join us either in-person or online to celebrate the amazing work our Project Circles (PCs) have been doing this year and to share experiences.
Project Circle Members – share, learn, inspire
This evening is about celebrating your engagement, commitment and successes. It is a unique occasion to meet with other PC members to share experiences, knowledge and learnings, as well as to give feedback and suggestions. You’ll also be hearing from some of our Project Circle Coordinators as well as from PCMS. In addition, PCMS will be onsite for one-on-one conversations.
Non-Project Circle Members – show your support, gain insights
This is a unique occasion to show your support to the PCs as active members of our Giving Women community. It is also an opportunity to get an inside look into the workings of the PCs and how they are helping many organisations reach their full potential.
In addition, please remember that even if the 2022/2023 Project Circles are off the ground, new members are always welcome, with new ideas and perspectives.
We look forward to seeing you at this special evening to kick start the Giving Women year!
Please fill out our PC Members Survey
As we prepare to start new project circles in the late Spring, and wish to also celebrate our current ones, we wanted to gauge the temperature of our PCs by putting together a quick survey. We ask all PC members to fill out the survey before the meeting on Monday.

Giving Women New Year Apero - Geneva
2024-01-30 00:00
Register Now
In 2024, Giving Women celebrates with great pride its 15th anniversary. We have seen our community steadily grow to over two hundred members, and beyond, with partners and projects globally.
To date, we have worked with over 65 projects on 5 continents. Each year we recognise the value that our community brings to projects working to improve the lives of women and girls.
So come and get to know other Giving Women members and the exciting work they are all doing, and be inspired over a light Apero at our offices.

Giving Women After-Work Drinks - Zurich
2024-01-31 00:00
Registration Now
In 2024, Giving Women celebrates with great pride its 15th anniversary. We have seen our community steadily grow to over two hundred members, and beyond, with partners and projects globally.
To date, we have worked with over 65 projects on 5 continents. Each year we recognise the value that our community brings to projects working to improve the lives of women and girls.
So come and get to know other Giving Women members and the exciting work they are all doing, and be inspired over drinks at Kraftwerk.

GW Workshop: How to build a Fundraising Strategy
2024-02-08 00:00
Join us for an interactive fundraising workshop. Non-profits without a strategic fundraising plan often face unpredictable revenues, missed opportunities, and limited long-term vision. This workshop guides you through a step-by-step process and encourages reflective discussions about the future of your organisation. The workshop will help you create a robust fundraising strategy that is consistent with your goals using a template provided (CANVA). Abena Lauber will address key elements, from analysing current activities to outlining a three-year budget and setting clear goals. Walk away not only with a way to build your strategy, but also how to formulate actionable and measurable steps to improve your fundraising results. Don’t miss this chance to elevate your fundraising game!
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OUR FACILITATOR
Abena Lauber
Abena Lauber worked for Human Rights Watch, notably organizing their annual gala and managing major donors. With 20 years of professional fundraising experience, she founded a.Community in 2017, providing tailored solutions to support organizations. Abena has trained over 300 participants worldwide through online and in-person fundraising workshops she designed and co-designed. a.Community has worked with more than 50 clients for diverse sectors both in Switzerland and abroad. She sits on the board of several Swiss non profit organizations, and she is a visiting lecturer at the Haute Ecole de Gestion in Geneva for the CAS in Fundraising.

Decolonising Philanthropy - Adjusting the Balance of Power for Good
2024-02-29 00:00
In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the need to challenge the colonial underpinnings of philanthropic practices and shift power dynamics towards those directly impacted by funding decisions. This imperative undertaking of decolonizing development, grant-making, and philanthropy is an ambitious task, and one that requires a great deal of sectoral reflection, awareness and willingness to effect change by listening to the needs and realities of the beneficiaries.
Decolonizing philanthropy entails reevaluating where decision-making power resides and ensuring that those who have benefited less from historical wealth creation are given agency/power to shape the programs and initiatives that affect them. It requires acknowledging and respecting the cultural realities and contexts within which these partnerships operate, moving away from top-down approaches that prioritize funder perspectives. As we seek to repair the damages of wealth creation and forge a more equitable path forward, it is crucial to learn from the experiences of both philanthropists and implementers in navigating and rebalancing power dynamics.
This panel hosted by Giving Women will bring together funders, local implementing partners and advisors, to unpack tangible examples and best practices around how we can all work together, to take actionable steps to make progress. This includes reflecting on what has worked well, as well as acknowledging failures and areas for improvement.
Takhani Bonnet, Giving Women member and independent consultant for private sector philanthropy and sustainable investing will moderate the conversation with:
Alishia Fernandez Miranda: Founder and Chair, I. G. Advisors
Dr. Abiodun Adereni: Founder & CEO, HelpMum Africa
GAURI MAHENDRA, CO-founder, UMEED
Susan Snider: Vice President of Strategy, Innovation and Impact, Equality Fund
BIOS
Takhani Bonnet
Giving Women member and independent consultant for private sector philanthropy and sustainable investing; most recently, with the United Nations, Edmond de Rothchild Banque Privee and the Blackstone Charitable Foundation.
Alisha Fernandez Miranda
Alisha has dedicated her career to fixing the resource flow to make social impact a more inclusive, efficient space. She serves as Chair and former CEO of I.G. Advisors, an award-winning global strategy consultancy specialising in social and environmental change, advising the world’s biggest nonprofits, foundations, and corporations on their philanthropy and social initiatives.
A graduate of Harvard University and the London School of Economics, her first book, My What If Year was released in 2023. She’s appeared on Good Morning America, CNN, MSNBC, NPR and many other outlets and her writing has been featured widely, including in Vogue, Insider, Marie Claire, and Huffington Post.
Originally from Miami, she currently lives in Scotland with her husband and children. Follow Alisha on Instagram @alishafmiranda and her website at www.alishafmiranda.com.
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Dr. Abiodun Adereni
HelpMum is a social enterprise birthed with the mission to reduce maternal and infant mortality in Nigeria. This is done through the distribution of affordable Clean Birth kits to pregnant women in deprived and underserved communities, registration of mothers on a proprietary vaccination tracking system, training of community birth attendants using an E-learning platform, and complete renovation of the highly unhygienic and deteriorated state of community birth attendant homes.
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Gauri Mahendra
Gauri (Co – founder & President, UMEED) is a Master’s in Human Resources and Knowledge Management from Lancaster University, UK and an alumnus of the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) by the U.S. Department of State. With over 14+ years of work experience her work spans across both the corporate and development space. Gauri is extremely passionate about creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for low- income communities. She brings in sharp people management skills and has a strong bent for operational excellence.
UMEED is a registered non- profit, founded in 2014, with a vision to holistically promote women’s empowerment. At UMEED we believe ‘An empowered woman is one who not only has the right to choose but also the right skill, mindset and exposure to make that choice and sustain it.’ With 9 years of experience on the ground working with women directly, Umeed launched FirstLeap, a job readiness and empowerment training program. FirstLeap is designed for women from marginalised sections in urban pockets. The program aims to make a meaningful and sustainable impact through a three – pronged approach of training women in monetizable skills, a strong confident mindset and the exposure to the world beyond their home.

New Member Onboarding Meeting
2024-03-04 00:00
For new Giving Women members,
We would like to offer you the opportunity to get to know Giving Women better by attending an onboarding meeting either in-person on 4 March at 13:00 CET at our office in Geneva or via Zoom (details upon registration). There may be some of our new members are not so new and may have missed a previous onboarding so this is also your chance to join us.
During the meeting, you will get more information about Giving Women and how you can get involved. This is also an opportunity to meet other new Giving Women members. The meeting will last 1 hour and you don’t need to prepare in any way. It will be quite informal with our operations manager, Kathleen, and Atalanti, our Founder, sharing about Giving Women and you will have the chance to ask questions.
We look forward to meeting you all.
If anyone who is not yet a member, but would like to join this meeting to learn more about the work of Giving Women, kindly send us an email at contactinfo@givingwomen.ch

Funding women-led social and economic enterprises in Africa
2024-03-05 00:00
The African Development Bank – Africa’s Premier Development Finance Institution, has established the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative to specifically address the issue of funding Women led social & economic enterprises in Africa. AFAWA aims to close the $42 billion financing gap for women entrepreneurs in Africa, unlock their entrepreneurial capacity, economic participation, and achieve maximum development impact through three (3) pillars: (i) Access to Finance for women entrepreneurs, (ii) Capacity Building to Financial Institutions and Women Small Medium Enterprises (WSMEs), and (iii) Ensuring an Enabling Environment for women entrepreneurs to strive.
Ms. Kamikazi will be discussing with us the work of AfDB as well as her own investment vehicle in hopes to provide more and required support to women entrepreneurs in Africa.
Our facilitator
Cynthia L. Kamikazi is the Chief – Partnerships Officer in the Gender, Women and Civil Society Department of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) leads the cooperation, policy dialogue, and resource mobilization efforts for the Bank’s gender agenda. She has successfully developed innovative strategies that led to successes such as the raising of more than $400Million for the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) program. In Addition, Ms. Kamikazi’s passion for and commitment to development and Human Rights issues led her to found ShEmpowers, an investment company by women, for women owned, led and sourced businesses. Ms. Kamikazi holds a master’s degree in the Theory and Practice of Human Rights from the University of Essex in Colchester, UK and bachelor’s degrees in Psychology, Business Management & French Literature from Luther College, US.

Giving Women Apero in Zurich for International Women's Day
2024-03-07 00:00
Join us for After-Work Drinks as we Celebrate IWD2024
2024’s theme for IWD is “Investing in Women: Accelerate Progress” and we have invited Francesca Krist, Global Head Brand, Marketing & Communications at Women’s World Banking talk a bit about their work in an informal setting. She will share her insights on gender lens investing and how they are empowering women through financial inclusion.

International Women's Day Breakfast
2024-03-08 00:00
Join us to celebrate International Women’s Day
2024’s theme for IWD is “Investing in Women: Accelerate Progress” so we have invited our member and founder of SEP, Roberta Ventura to speak about how she started up SEP and the impact this social enterprise has had in providing employment and dignity to women in refugee camps.
Roberta will also be joined by Cynthia Kamikazi who works for the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and also founded ShEmpowers, an investment company by women, for women owned, led and sourced businesses.
Join us for breakfast at the Giving Women offices in Geneva at 8am.
About Roberta
Roberta Ventura left her twenty-year career in Investment Banking and Asset Management in 2016, to run the Social Enterprise she founded, SEP, on a full-time basis with her husband Stefano.
SEP is a fashion and lifestyle brand, which blends Italian style with the finest Middle-Eastern craftsmanship, which she set up to bring back dignity and pride to refugee camps.
The SEP mission is to bring thousands of refugees above the poverty line, thanks to their own skill and talent, through employment.
Roberta is a strong believer and advocate of refugees’ right to employment, education and empowerment – the key instruments to reach confidence, determination and self-sufficiency.
Cynthia L. Kamikazi
Cynthia is the Chief – Partnerships Officer in the Gender, Women and Civil Society Department of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) leads the cooperation, policy dialogue, and resource mobilization efforts for the Bank’s gender agenda. She has successfully developed innovative strategies that led to successes such as the raising of more than $400Million for the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) program. In Addition, Ms. Kamikazi’s passion for and commitment to development and Human Rights issues led her to found ShEmpowers, an investment company by women, for women owned, led and sourced businesses. Ms. Kamikazi holds a master’s degree in the Theory and Practice of Human Rights from the University of Essex in Colchester, UK and bachelor’s degrees in Psychology, Business Management & French Literature from Luther College, US.

2024 Project Evening (Members Only)
2024-04-15 00:00
Registration below!
(This is a members-only event, however, if you are not a Giving Women member and wish to attend, please send an email to kathleen.holmlund@givingwomen.ch
Dear Giving Women,
We are delighted to invite you to our yearly: Giving Women 2024 Project Evening
This is your chance to get involved and actively support Giving Women projects!!! The Heart of what we do!
We look forward to seeing many of you in person at Atalanti’s home and online on Zoom (Access details will be provided when registration opens).
For members in the Zürich area, more details will follow about a venue where members can meet in person
We are putting together an exciting programme for the evening with presentations from our new projects: Uganda Village Project, Rwandan Organisation of Women with Disabilities, Innovations for Development, Let’s End Fistula Initiative, Afghan Rayan Educational and Development Organization and Shared Action Africa. We will also be presenting some additional projects that will be ideal for mentorship.

Fundraising across borders
2024-04-23 00:00
Register below
Fundraising from other countries can be hugely beneficial as it opens up a larger network of potential donors and supporters. It can also be a trap for the unwary and unprepared as it can use up time and funds which could better be placed in elevating local fundraising.
This workshop will help you evaluate whether fundraising abroad is viable for your organisation, what type of international fundraising you should contemplate, where you should look for funding, what steps are you need to take to make it happen and how to avoid costly mistakes. We will also look at some of the practical issues you will face such as tax and legal requirements and benefits to you and to donors; whether you need a separate legal entity abroad or whether an intermediary will work for you; and whether you need someone on the ground in the target country/ies.
Our facilitator
Nancy Bikson is the Managing Director of Chapel & York. She is a lawyer with over 40 years’
experience providing advice to private clients and charities worldwide. She has lived in the United
Kingdom, United States, Australia and France and has worked with and for organisations across the
world in both legal and fundraising capacities, specialising in cross-border work. She has a BA in
Late Mediaeval English History, a Juris Doctor degree and a LLM (Master of Laws Degree, Tax). She
is a member of the Richard III Society and lives in a house built in 1557.

The Use of Data for Impact: Value and Challenges
2024-04-25 00:00
Please join us on 25 April for a Giving Women online lunchtime panel conversation on “The importance of Data for impact: the value and the challenges”. Everyone, everywhere is madly collecting data, but is all data useful and relevant? How can data improve the way practitioners implement programmes on the ground? What are the challenges in gathering the right data, analysing it in a way that is useful to achieve greater impact and become more effective and efficient practitioners?
Beatrice Scarioni Founder and Partner at Dripstone Impact Consulting, will moderate this vibrant discussion with practitioners:
Prapti Bhasin: Chief Operation Officer at Aavishkaar
Helen Davies, Chief of Staff at Operation Fistula
Gauri Mahendra, Co-founder of UMEED

Understanding Yourself As An Effective Listener and Communicator
2024-05-16 00:00
In the dynamic landscape of global projects, the ability to truly listen and comprehend the needs of project owners is paramount. To achieve remarkable results we need to equip ourselves with skills to not just hear, but to deeply understand the needs of our project owners and to collaborate within our teams.
This workshop goes beyond the mere theory of active listening; it’s a hands-on journey into effective communication. Through insightful discussions, real-world examples extracted from ongoing projects and a look at your personal history with communication you’ll learn more about the art of active listening and empathetic understanding.
Understanding that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, we guide you to explore your unique style and provide personalized strategies for improvement. After all, the key to becoming an exceptional listener lies with understanding yourself and your strengths and challenges.
Our facilitators
Renate Hauser has over 40 years of experience as a clinical psychiatrist and psychotherapist. She has taught counselling skills to students at university level and communication skills to junior doctors.
Charlie Page is a Canadian trained teen and family psychotherapist and the founder of a youth and female empowerment FOPSE (for profit social enterprise) in Toronto.
Together they provide a fun and informative workshop specifically designed and geared toward Giving Women projects and the circles around them. They include Insights into their experiences of listening, being heard and connecting with others in their psychotherapeutic practises and beyond.
