Giving Women

GW Workshop: Monitoring and Evaluation Clinic for Project Circles
2023-10-05 00:00 UTC
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.
___________________
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.

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.

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.

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.

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.
___________________
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.

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.

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

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.

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.
___________________________________
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.
___________________________________
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.

GW Panel: How girl and women survivors of human trafficking
2020-12-01 00:00
Check the event replay here.
———
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.
======================
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))
=======================
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.

Giving Women Autumn Project Evening
2020-11-16 00:00
Join us to learn all about the 4 new projects that Giving Women has selected to support
About this Event
Dear Giving Women members,
We are delighted to invite you to our: Giving Women Autumn Project Evening.
We have put together an exciting programme that includes: updates on existing project circles and the presentation of our 4 new projects Media Matters for Women, SA-HR, The Lotus Flower and The Thorn Tree Project.
This is your chance to get involved and actively support GW projects. Given the Covid-19 situation, we will hold the project evening as a big Zoom meeting and will send out the Zoom access details closer to the time. We look forward to seeing many of you there in your little rectangular boxes.
———————————
Programme for the Evening
18:00 – 18h15: Update on ongoing project circles
18:15 – 18h45: Presentation of “Media Matters for Women”
18:45 – 19:15: Presentation of “SA-HR”
19:15 – 19:45: Presentation of “The Lotus Flower”
19:45 – 20:00: Presentation of “The Thorn Tree Project”
We will share the Zoom details for the evening with those who register.

Giving Women 9th Annual Conference
2020-10-26 00:00
Join us for what promises to be a highly informative and engaging conference
About this Event
Join the Giving Women 9th Annual Conference online 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th October 2020
(By purchasing a ticket, you will have full access to our conference online from 26 to 29 October 2020 and unlimited access to the recordings of all our sessions after the conference.)
As we embrace the new normal and take our conference online we are extending our programme to four days, reaching across geographies, time zones and sectors. We invite a broad spectrum of stakeholders: experts, thought leaders, civil society and business actors to share insights, build collaborations and provide the tools to redesign our fragile food system with women at the centre of the change.
“Food: Women’s role in the struggle to feed the world”
The purpose of the conference is to look at the role of women as farmers, mothers, caregivers of children, the elderly and the sick, providers of food for their families, and to expose why malnutrition is so widespread and its direct consequences. We will look to reveal the issues, highlight solutions and invite key stakeholders to share their vision of what it will take to bring food rights to all and the role of women in achieving this.
The world has changed dramatically over the past 8 months, and sadly addressing the issues of food security has become urgent. Covid-19 and the measures taken by governments to reduce its spread have uncovered the fragility of food systems for the most vulnerable communities around the world. The problems that the conference sets out to discuss are more evident and more critical today as a result of this global pandemic.
Over the last 10 years, Giving Women has organised a yearly conference, which examines a theme that affects vulnerable girls and women. The Giving Women Annual conference has become an important platform for convening UN organisations, Civil Society, NGOs, business, academia, and private individuals to INFORM, REFLECT AND ACT on what we need to do together to bring dignity and agency to the lives of girls and women globally.
__________________________
26 October @5pm CET
“The role of Big Business in System Change”
A Conversation with Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director of Global Alliance for Impact Nutrition (GAIN) and Paul Polman, Founder of Imagine Foundation
Moderator: Atalanti Moquette, Founder of Giving Women
__________________________
27 October @5pm CET
“The impact of climate change, environmental change and access to land rights on the lives of rural women”
Panel discussion
Moderator: Dr. Patricia Mupeta Muyamwa, Africa Indigenous Landscape Strategy Director, The Nature Conservancy
Trina Moyles, Journalist and Author, Women Who Dig
Dr. Musonda Mumbba, Chief of Terrestrial Ecosystems, UNEP
__________________________
28 October @5pm CET
Film Screening: Kiss the Ground
Kiss the Ground is an inspiring and groundbreaking film that reveals the first viable solution to our climate crisis.
Learn more about the film and watch the trailer here
__________________________
29 October 2020 – ALL DAY
Check out full programme for 29 October 2020 HERE
__________________________
Meet our speakers
__________________________
Check out full programme
__________________________
Starts Mon Oct 26 2020

Giving Women Informal After-Work Drinks in Zurich
2020-10-16 00:00, 2020-09-10 00:00
Join us for some informal drinks and learn more about the work of Giving Women
About this Event
The Zurich Chapter of Giving Women invites you to our
Informal After-Work Drinks in Zurich
Come and get to know other Giving Women members and the exciting work they are all doing, and be inspired! Members are encouraged to invite their friends so they can learn how Giving Women works and join our community.
Please feel free to share this invitation with anyone who may be interested!

Giving Women Member Apero in Geneva
2020-10-13 00:00
Look forward to catching up in person
About this Event
Informal Members Apero at Atalanti’s House
It has been a long time since we all got to see each other in person. We wish to invite our members for Apero next Tuesday.
We will put in place the necessary precautions so that we can be phyisically distanced. While we would love to open this up to non-members, given the need to keep our numbers down, we ask that you not share this invitation publicly.
Starts Tue Oct 13 2020, 00:00 CET

Panel: The power of media to change lives of vulnerable women and girls
2020-09-24 00:00
Check the event replay here.
Join us for this special and inspiring event
About this Event
Media is a powerful tool which can change embedded norms which perpetuate gender inequality by reinforcing gender prejudices. It can, however, be the force which can provide girls and women with role models that inspire them to break with societal norms and have different choices. Media has the power to teach, inspire, connect and disrupt.
Giving Women has invited a panel of experts from philanthropic foundations, NGOs and representatives from media companies to talk about the underrepresentation of women in media and the need for powerful role models. The panellists will talk about how their organizations address gender inequality through media, speak about the impact of their programs, and also highlight successful media initiatives that are helping to disrupt these norms for the most vulnerable communities of women.
Our panellists will be:
• Heidi Basch-Harod, Executive Director at Women’s Voices Now, USA
• Sharon Bylenga, Founder of Media Matters for Women, Sierra Leone, Congo
• Rana Askoul, Chief Executive Officer of Womanity Foundation, Switzerland
• Suba Umathevan, CEO Plan International, Switzerland
The Panel will be moderated by Katharina Samara-Wickrama, Director of Issues Affecting Women Programme (IAWP) at Oak Foundation.
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.

The Vulnerability & Fragility of Maternal Health in the Context of COVID-19
2020-06-30 00:00
Giving Women invites you to Panel Discussion on:
The Vulnerability and Fragility of Maternal Health in the Context of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone globally, and this global crisis is particularly affecting segments of the population and social groups in the most vulnerable situations, including those living in poverty and without access to high quality preventive and curative health services. Evidence is showing that as health systems continue to prepare to address the first, and subsequent waves of the virus, health service delivery for other crucial health care needs may be impacted, as a result of shifting commitments and priorities – including maternal health services. The speakers on this panel will present interventions and models supported by their organizations in area of maternal health, how this programming has been impacted in the wake of the pandemic, and how they are adapting to continue to support maternal health for vulnerable populations. This panel will provide information and awareness to Giving Women Members, as well as information around how to support these organizations and interventions.
Our panelists will be:
Carina Barreto, Coordinator at Casa Angela
Emma France, Global Development and Strategic Engagement Director at Mothers2Mothers
Corinne Namblard, Advisory Board Member of HelpMum
Constance Theisen, Head of international Programmes at Médecins du Monde
The Panel will be moderated by Kelsi Kriitmaa, Executive Director at Philanthropy Advisors in Geneva and Giving Women member.
—————
Bios
Carina Barreto, Coordinator at Casa Angela
Carina is a Midwife and has Masters from the Nurse School São Paulo University. She has worked in different scenarios of maternal and child health care along with reproductive health. She has been a lecturer for the undergraduate midwifery course at São Paulo University and now works in activities at NUPEC-Casa Angela. In addition, she currently lecture undergraduate nursing and medicine in Faculdades das Americas.
Emma France, Global Development and Strategic Director at Mothers2Mothers
Emma established the European office of m2m in 2011. In her current role, she leads m2m’s global development and strategic engagement strategy, and takes responsibility for shaping our public engagement and advocacy. She holds day-to-day responsibility for m2m’s European and North American operations. Emma began her career as a project finance lawyer at Allen & Overy. She has served in various board roles in national and local charities, including as Vice-Chair of Amnesty International U.K. and as a trustee of the Amnesty International U.K. Charitable Trust. She currently sits on the Advisory Board for Gucci’s Chime for Change and is a Trustee for CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably). She has also served as a Visiting Fellow at Cass Business School.
Corinne Namblard, Advisory Board Member of Helpmum
Corinne recently joined the International Advisory Board of HelpMum based in Nigeria ensuring the UN 2030 Agenda and SDGs are met not only as a matter of good governance policies but as key metrics in the strategic development and funding of new businesses. Corinne also sits on the Board of VERGNET SA an international leader on sustainable renewable energy and is a Member of the Scientific Committee of TPM Toulon Provence Mediterranée on critical water management issues. Former Senior Expert for the United Nations in Geneva, she was a Jury member for UNDP / Impact Hub’s initial Social Good Summit 2016 as well as an advisor for UNCTAD’s Start Ups & Scale Ups for SDGs initiative 2018.
Corinne is the former CEO of a Luxemburg Private Equity Infrastructure Fund and a former Board member of Qantas Airlines in Australia. She also sat on a University Council UNISA as well as headed the Infrastructure Taskforce for the SA Economic Development Board. She was a Non Executive Director of the SA Heart Foundation. Given her experience as an international financier, Corinne has also advised many governments in Canada, Australia and France, on Private Public Partnerships and Infrastructure policies & projects.
Constance Thiesen, Head of International Programmes at Médecins du Monde
Constance joined Médecins du Monde Suisse in 2018 to helm its international and domestic programmes, after spending eight years managing humanitarian programmes for the French state and health programmes for Médecins sans Frontières. She has worked in several crisis and conflict settings, including the Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh, in Afghanistan, in the Central African Republic, in Iraq, in Nigeria’s State of Borno, in the occupied Palestinian territories, in Syria and in Yemen.

Feedback from Impact Surveys (May 2020) - What now?
2020-06-23 00:00
About this EventGiving Women members workshop: Feedback from Impact Surveys (May 2020) – What now?
This workshop will provide an opportunity for Giving Women members to review collectively the feedback from members, project owners and the wider network during the survey conducted in April-May 2020. A brief report on the key observations and suggestions from the survey will be shared ahead of time.
The workshop will be divided into three parts:
A short summary of the report will be presented by the Learning Team, the group responsible for analysing the survey responses (Nadir, Tanya, Noemi and Tamar)
Participants will meet in small breakout sessions to discuss suggestions received and brainstorm on additional ideas to address any issues raised during the survey
Each breakout session will report back to the group on their top-line recommendations.
After the workshop, the Learning Team will communicate the proposals made during the workshop and the survey to the Executive Committee for their consideration.
**************************Member-Only Event**************************
Date and Time
Tue, June 23, 2020
8:00 PM – 9:30 PM CEST

How to Operate Foundations Efficiently (Part2): Governance for Foundations
2020-06-16 00:00
Giving Women invites you to the second part of our online workshops on how to operate foundations efficiently:
About this Event
How to Operate Foundations Efficiently (Part2): Governance for Foundations
We will review the governance issues faced by foundations and their Board and provide you with practical recommendations to operate your foundation most efficiently and according to the best practices. Come with your questions and experiences and this interactive workshop will be your chance to get some answers and support you on your journey.
The workshop will be split in three parts:
Presentation on Governance by Julie Wynne, partner at FRORIEP
Panel discussion with Gisella Reina, Philanthropy and Partnership director for ActionAid (Switzerland) and Corinne Namblard, who sits on the International Advisory Board of Helpmum and the board of Vergnet.
Interactive and hands-on workshop with participants
PLEASE NOTE: Participants will receive access details to this online workshop on the day of the event. Participants will also receive the recording of the event along with supporting documentation like presentation slides.
______________________________________________________________________
BIOS
Julie Wynne
Partner at FRORIEP, Julie is a highly regarded social impact lawyer with a particular expertise in philanthropy, nonprofit organisations and mission-driven businesses. She advises philanthropists, non-profit organisations and mission-driven businesses with regards to their legal, tax and governance issues.
She is very involved in the promotion of philanthropy and the use of business as a force for good. She is a member of the Executive Committee of Giving Women, a Board member of ESELA – the Legal Network for Social Impact. She is also Co-Chair of STEP Philanthropy Advisors Steering Committee and a member of the Advisory Council of the Geneva Center for Business and Human Rights (GCBHR). She sits on various boards of Foundations.
Gisella Reina
Gisella is passionate about human rights and since 2014 has volunteered her free time on the board of HURIDOCS (now as president), an NGO that supports human rights organisations in the management of their information systems. She also serves on the board of of True Heroes Films, a media organisation that visualizes the work of human rights defenders through story telling. Prior to serving on these two boards, Gisella has been board member of many other organisations and associations in the past.
Gisella is the Philanthropy and Partnership Director for ActionAid (Switzerland) and previously worked in a similar position with Oxfam. Both are international organisations with a strong focus on social justice and on women. She also worked as development director for the International Commission of Jurists (a human rights organisation of lawyers and judges), Globethics (an organisation working to promote ethics in business and education) and, back in the nineties, with EuronAid, a humanitarian association bringing together 30+ humanitarian organisations working with the EU.
Corinne Namblard
Corinne recently joined the International Advisory Board of HelpMum Org based in Nigeria ensuring the UN 2030 Agenda and SDGs are met not only as a matter of good governance policies but as key metrics in the strategic development and funding of new businesses. Corinne also sits on the Board of VERGNET SA an international leader on sustainable renewable energy and is a Member of the Scientific Committee of TPM Toulon Provence Mediterranée on critical water management issues. Former Senior Expert for the United Nations in Geneva, she was a Jury member for UNDP / Impact Hub’s initial Social Good Summit 2016 as well as an advisor for UNCTAD’s Start Ups & Scale Ups for SDGs initiative 2018.
Corinne is the former CEO of a Luxemburg Private Equity Infrastructure Fund and a former Board member of Qantas Airlines in Australia. She also sat on a University Council UNISA as well as headed the Infrastructure Taskforce for the SA Economic Development Board. She was a Non Executive Director of the SA Heart Foundation. Given her experience as an international financier, Corinne has also advised many governments in Canada, Australia and France, on Private Public Partnerships and Infrastructure policies & projects.

Giving Women Annual General Meeting 2020
2020-06-09 00:00
Join us to celebrate the many accomplishments made by Giving Women this past year
About this Event
The Executive Committee of Giving Women is delighted invite our members to the
12th General Assembly
on Tuesday, 9 June 2020
18:00 – 20:00
(Zoom access details will be shared closer to the time)
The Giving Women’s General Assembly is the opportunity for all members to hear about the work of your association and to give input into our plans for 2020-2021.We are also very excited to have Tanya Murphy present the Giving Women 10 Year Impact Report that she has been working on with a team of helpers. We sincerely hope that you will be able to join us and look forward to seeing you online.
We will be closing off the meeting with two inspirational short films provided by our new PC, Women’s Voices Now, that focus on women’s projects in Nepal and Rwanda.
With warmest regards,
The Giving Women Executive Committee
Manuela BALMA, Philippine BARON, Sophie CHAPUISAT, Atalanti MOQUETTE, Noemi NAGY, Elianna SABBAG, Riswana SOUNDARDJEE, Ruth SZABO, Barbara WETSIG-LYNAM, Julie WYNNE.
PLEASE NOTE: This meeting is for Giving Women members only.

Screening and Panel Discussion: Serendipity (2019)
2020-06-03 00:00
Screening and Panel Discussion: Serendipity (2019)
Check the event replay here.
Join us for this moving and inspirational screening and panel discussion
About this Event
Serendipity, directed by French artist, Prune Nourry is about random coincidences that started to coalesce in her art and life, as she battled breast cancer. The film goes beyond an artist portrait to a universal story of femininity and aims to give hope to the many women going through the same journey.
Serendipity opens with medical images, as Prune documents her treatment as an active patient in the process of healing. Diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 31, Prune turns her medical odyssey into an epic artistic adventure as she discovers new meaning in her body of work and its curious relationship to her illness.
“I believe in happy chances and accidents. As a young artist, I have spent my working life exploring issues around the human body – creating projects concerning genetics, gender selection, imbalance, fertility and the very mystery of life. I believe in chance and intuition to bring me from one project to the next. I came to realize that filming was not only creative, it was a way for me to be proactive of my own illness – by saying “action” to myself while going through the treatments. I also made it because I hope it can inspire women going through the same journey to be creative and proactive with their illness.” – Prune Nourry
=============================================
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with 3 projects that can talk on the therapeutic nature of art and how the film relates to the work they are doing people living with traumas:
Lensational, Bonnie Chiu, Founder & CEO
SepJordan, Roberta Ventura, Founder
A Space Between, Tianna Dagher & Emily Halban, Co-Founders
The panel will be moderated by Antonella Notari Vischer, founding Executive Committee member of Giving Women and former Executive Director of Womanity Foundation.
=============================================
PLEASE NOTE: Eventbrite registrants will receive login details for Zoom and the StorySpaces Platform closer to the day.
All donations made will go directly to support the work of Giving Women (suggested donation: CHF10)
=============================================
BIOS
Antonella Notari Vischer
In 2018, Antonella radically changed her work – and her life – by moving to central Tuscany to manage the organic farm and guesthouse she and her husband restored and rehabilitated over the past few years. This after 7 ½ years as head of the Womanity Foundation, co-creating and directing support to innovative programs to advance women and girls’ empowerment and their rights.
Previously, she developed and implemented the first corporate communication strategy and action plan for BlueOrchard, a leading commercial microfinance investment management company. Before that, she managed sizeable multi-cultural teams in complex emergencies delivering aid and providing protection in armed conflicts in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Balkans for over ten years for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). She also led the ICRC’s public communication and media relations for over six years as chief spokesperson in charge of a wide-spread network of communicators based in the Geneva HQ and in nearly 80 countries world-wide. She is Swiss Italian, married to a wonderful man and living mostly in Italy and partly in Geneva.
Bonnie Chiu
Hong Kong-born Bonnie Chiu is the Founder and CEO of award-winning social enterprise Lensational, which equips marginalised women with photography training and digital skills. Since launching in 2013, the organisation – which has expanded to a team of 120 volunteers – has taught photography to 1,000 women across 23 countries, and established partnerships with corporates such as Getty Images, Standard Chartered Bank, and Colgate. Recognised as a champion for gender equality and a Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur, she also serves as a Forbes Senior Contributor.
Roberta Ventura
Roberta Ventura left her twenty-year career in Investment Banking and Asset Management in 2016, to run the Social Enterprise she founded, SEP Jordan, on a full-time basis. SEP Jordan is a fashion and lifestyle brand, which blends Italian style with the finest Middle-Eastern craftsmanship, with the aim of bringing back dignity and pride to refugee camps. 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.
Tianna Dagher
Following a Masters degree in Cultural & Creative Industries from King’s College London, Tianna worked for the BFI and Sony Pictures Television before segueing into travel. In 2008, she joined the Marketing team of travel startup, Black Tomato. But she was soon bit by the entrepreneurial bug and launched her own travel company, IAVRA, in 2010. Tianna was Marketing Director for the B2B villa rental platform until it was acquired in 2014. During this period she was diagnosed with stage 3 Breast Cancer. Nine years on and Tianna decided to share her health journey and experience online @KipUphealth. With years of experience navigating cancer with children, surrogacy, BRCA, forced menopause etc she wanted to inspire hope by sharing openly and honestly with those struggling. In February of 2019 Tianna’s cancer returned, this time in her bones. As before she has turned to the healing power of Art as a therapeutic tool in her own treatment and recovery and she remains committed to sharing the ups, the downs and all that she learns along the way.
Emily Halban
After graduating from Oxford University, Emily moved to London to follow a diploma in Asian Art at the British Museum. From here, she went on to develop an Art History after-school art programme for children aged 3-11. During this time, Emily wrote her first book, published by Random House (now Penguin) in 2007, a memoir of her battles with – and ultimate recovery from – anorexia. In 2008, Emily was invited to speak about her writing at the International Therapeutic Patient Education Congress [Budapest], to elaborate the healing role of the arts in the management of chronic illness. This experience was formative in deepening her understanding of patient-centred healthcare. She moved to Hong Kong for a year where she continued writing, before returning to London to work in a primary school art department. After a pause dedicated to raising her three children, the development of A Space Between marked the culmination of a passionate concern for mental health and holistic well-being coupled with a fervent belief in – and first hand experience of – the intrinsic therapeutic values of art in all forms, for all ages.

How to Operate Foundations Efficiently (Part 1) Risk Management
2020-05-26 00:00
Join us for this very informative and interactive online workshop
About this Event
Are you managing a foundation or sitting on a foundation board? Do you ask yourself how to operate it efficiently and mitigate risks? You probably know that this is a complex space!
Giving Women invites you to the first part of our online workshops on how to operate foundations efficiently (the second part on Governance for Foundations will follow in June):
How to Operate Foundations Efficiently
(Part 1): Risk Management and VAT
We are very honoured to have experts from ECHO SA help us understand the risks and develop strategies to mitigate them. Come with your questions, your concerns and this interactive workshop will be your chance to get some answers and support you on your journey.
Our friends at ECHO SA will share their expertise on the key issues and challenged faced by foundations in terms of accounting, audit and tax.
The workshop will be split in two parts:
Risk management introduced by Clémentine Largeteau and Christophe Masson (ECHO SA). In order to safeguard stakeholders’ interests, we will discuss the main risks and best practices to mitigate their potential impact.
Swiss VAT challenges introduced by Mathilde Granger (ECHO SA). We will discuss the main VAT topics of interest for foundations: VAT registration, acquisition tax, differences between donation, subvention and sponsoring, the VAT deduction right: there are many questions and the answers are not always straight-forward
PLEASE NOTE: All registrants will receive Zoom login details on the day of the event in an email from our Operations Manager, Kathleen Holmlund.
About our Presenters
Clémentine Largeteau
Clémentine is executive director. She joined ECHO in May 2016. She has 20 years of experience – mostly with a big four – leading audit of large and international companies as well as non-profit organisations, in accordance with Swiss and international standards. She holds two masters in Sciences and is a licensed audit expert. She has extensive experience serving Swiss and International entities with social impact as well as entrepreneurs.
Christophe Masson
Christophe is a Swiss certified auditor, with 7 years of experience. Before joining ECHO, he worked in a big four in Geneva, performing audits of large and international companies as well as non-profit organisations, in accordance with Swiss and international standards.
Mathilde Granger
Mathilde holds a Masters Degree in Business Law from Geneva University and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Project Management. She is a VAT specialist. She has considerable experience in Swiss VAT and customs law earned within several international consulting firms and a leading Geneva law firm. Prior to joining ECHO, she also worked 4 years for the Geneva Tax Administration as a tax jurist inside the General Direction. She took part in cantonal tax projects led by the Geneva Finance Department and led workshops at the federal level, including on matters related to philanthropy.

Giving Women Spring Project Evening
2020-05-18 00:00
Join us to learn all about the 3 new projects that Giving Women has selected to support
About this Event
Dear Giving Women members,
We are delighted to invite you to our: Giving Women Autumn Project Evening.
We have put together an exciting programme that includes: updates on existing project circles, including the presentation of our new projects She Guides, ESGRA and Women’s Voices Now as well as a presentation on what a project circle is.
This is your chance to get involved and actively support GW projects. Given the Covid-19 situation, we will hold the project evening as a big Zoom meeting and will send out the details on 18 May. We look forward to seeing many of you there.
———————————
Programme for the Evening
18:00 – 18h15: Update on ongoing project circles
18:15 – 18h45: Presentation of “She Guides”
18:45 – 19:15: Presentation of “ESGRA”
19:15 – 19:45: Presentation of “Women’s Voices Now”
19:45 – 20:00: What is a project circle?
Starts Mon May 18 2020

Giving Women Workshop: Crowdfunding for Impact
2020-05-12 00:00
Check the event replay here.
Join us for this informative and interactive workshop
About this Event
Are you thinking about running a crowdfunding campaign? and you don’t know where to start? Join us for a step by step guide to crownfunding to help you achieve your goals!
Crowdfunding is a great way to build community or client base, and to raise awareness and attract funding for your project or social business…. But will it work for you?
There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the funding sources of many humanitarian projects, NGOs and social businesses. Many are having to turn to new sources of potential funding… Could crowdfunding help your organisation bridge some of this funding gap? Find out what it takes to run a crowdfunding campaign like a pro.
WORKSHOP OUTLINE
In this interactive workshop, you will learn the basics of running a crowdfunding campaign from start to finish. We will demystify the world of crowdfunding and understand how it can be used as an alternative method to fund a project or social startup. Combined with real world examples from a variety of successful campaigns, this workshop will provide you with all the information and tools you will need to start building your campaign.
The webinar recording along with slides and supporting documentation will all be made available to registrants and Giving Women members after the workshops.
PLEASE NOTE: Login details for the webinar will be emailed out to registrants the day of the event.
YOUR PRESENTER: Kathleen Holmlund
Kathleen is Giving Women’s Operations & Communications manager. She has been working in the communications field across various corporate and non-profit sectors for over 18 years. These include consumer electronics, automotive electronics, human rights, climate, business ethics, health and food. She has worked on a number of crowdfunding campaigns particularly in her collaboration with Impact Hub Geneva and has presented on the subject on many occasions.

Special Screening & Discussion: "How can bicycles impact the last mile?"
2020-05-07 00:00
Join us for an inspiring viewing and insightful discussions
About this Event
Film Screenings & Discussion on “How can bicycles impact the last mile?”
(This will be an online event. You will receive the link to access the Zoom call once you register here)
Across the developing world, more than one billion people live in rural areas. In these communities, distance and challenges of moving freely from one place to another hinder people’s access to health services, food security, economic opportunity and education. This limits their ability to lift themselves out of poverty and become self-reliant. Women and girls continue to be disproportionally challenged by the lack of transportation.
World Bicycle Relief is addressing the challenge of distance and last mile mobility by building and distributing a rugged, specially-designed, locally-assembled bicycle to students, healthcare providers, entrepreneurs, and workers.
Join us for a screening of two short films, and learn about the transformative impact bicycles have on girls, women and their communities.
A Way Forward beautifully illustrates how Buffalo Bicycles help the girls get to school safely and on time, avoiding tiring walks to school or having to accept lifts from motorcycle drivers.
Seeing Brave is part of a documentary series of three courageous women, who are transforming lives around the globe through taking action. The co-founder of World Bicycle Relief, Leah Missbach Day, is portrayed in this episode and it touches on her inspiration, motivation, and leadership approach after founding the organization following the tsunami in Sri Lanka in 2004.
The film screening will be followed by a discussion with co-founder of World Bicycle Relief, Leah Missbach Day and World Bicycle Relief’s Global Director for Strategic Information and Innovation, Alisha Myers. The discussion will be moderated by Giving Women’s Founder, Atalanti Moquette.
_____________________________________________________________________________
BIO LEAH MISSBACH DAY
Leah Missbach Day is co-founder of World Bicycle Relief and a documentary photographer based in Chicago. Her images and storytelling often serve World Bicycle Relief’s campaigns and illustrate the power of bicycles to transform lives. Leah is profiled in Seeing Brave, a documentary that shares the stories of three women trailblazers inspiring the next generation of female leaders and as author of the foreword to National Geographic’s book Wheels of Change: How Women Rode to Freedom.
BIO ALISHA MYERS
Based in South Africa with regular field visits, Alisha provides strategic leadership, management, and oversight of WBR’s global M&E efforts, including digital platforms, field-based tools, analysis and learning, and data reporting. As an essential technical leader of the organization, Alisha identifies and addresses data collection and reporting requirements, initiatives, and challenges, as well as research study opportunities and new market analysis.
Alisha brings 16 years of experience to her role at WBR. From 2009 to 2014, Alisha served as Senior Technical Advisor for M&E at mothers2mothers, a global NGO based in South Africa, which seeks to improve maternal and newborn health and prevent mother to child transmission of HIV. Alisha spent the early years of her career at Catholic Relief Services in a series of research and analysis roles, including as M&E Technical Advisor for three years and as senior program manager in Sri Lanka. Alisha is a former Fulbright Fellow (1999), Congressional Hunger Center Fellow (2001 to 2003), and Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar (2005 to 2006). She has an undergraduate degree in Global Studies from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, and MSc in Social Policy and Planning from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Addressing Gender-based Violence (GBV) within the context of COVID-19
2020-05-05 00:00
Check the event replay here.
Join us for a film screening and panel discussion online
About this Event
Identifying, Addressing and Mitigating Gender-based Violence (GBV) within the context of COVID-19
Experience from past outbreaks, and also current anecdotal evidence, suggests that measures put in place to help control the COVID-19 pandemic may be exacerbating the risks of gender-based violence (GBV) for women and girls. Social distancing and quarantine measures limit the possibility for survivors to distance themselves from their abusers and also limit access to external support (e.g. social, legal, physical and mental health, etc.). It is crucial that all actors across the COVID-19 response incorporate GBV into their planning and programming. Together, actors can work to identify, address and mitigate GBV, and ensure vulnerable populations have access to information and services. The speakers on this panel will speak about interventions and models to support survivors of GBV across the spectrum of legal and psychosocial services, both in person and remotely.
The evening will commence with the first ever screening of “Eimai” which translates as “I am” from Greek. Eimai is a documentary by Action for Women capturing stories of three women whose journeys are marked by struggle, sacrifice and hope. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with speakers representing Action for Women , SAHR and Abaad. (Bios below)
The Panel will be moderated by Kelsi Kriitmaa, Executive Director at Philanthropy Advisors in Geneva and a Giving Women member.
PLEASE NOTE: Login details for the webinar will be emailed out to registrants the day of the event.
________________________________________________________________________
OUR PANELISTS
Gabrielle Tay – Founder, Action for Women
Gabrielle founded Action for Women in 2015. She has worked in emergency settings on the Balkan route, Italy and then Greece, where she spent 20 months on the aegean island of Chios. While working in the camps, she observed how women’s voices are unheard and needs specific to the gender are unmet in the biggest humanitarian crisis since World War 2.
She opened the Athena Centre for Women in July 2016 – the first all-women space outside of any official camp structures in Greece. The Athena Centre provided crucial services requested by the vulnerable women residents of the camps, in order to address the gaps in protection and incidents of gender based violence. Her vision to provide safety, support and hope for the women who are able to leave Chios onto the mainland, saw the birth of the Halcyon Days Project in Athens in August 2018.
Gabrielle graduated from the University of Exeter, UK’s law faculty with first class honours and has practiced in the United Kingdom and Singapore as an advocate and solicitor. This passionate advocate for women’s rights has dedicated countless pro-bono hours in various legal aid clinics and women shelters representing the underprivileged and marginalised women in civl and criminal matters.
___
Sara Bergamaschi – Strategic Advocacy for Human Rights, SAHR
As SAHR’s Executive Director, Sara leads SAHR’s advocacy and resource mobilization efforts to bring attention and funds to our sensitive and high-profile legal cases. She applies her unbridled energy and lust for life to ensure SAHR’s financial sustainability and develop long-lasting strategic partnerships. She also has pioneered SAHR’s trademark ‘Tales of Disobedience’, a unique event series at the crossroads of women’s rights and creative ARTivism.
Sara spearheads SAHR’s gender justice efforts with the UN, governments and other organizations. When deployed in complex emergency and forced displacement settings, Sara’s role is to protect the most vulnerable survivors and unlock barriers to justice by leveraging trustworthy relationships both at the local and at the highest levels, in the dance of compromise.
Previously, she worked for the Italian Embassy in Egypt, the German Development Agency (GIZ) in Morocco, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Iraq, UNOCHA in New York City and Jordan, as well as, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) at the Turkish-Syrian border and in Yemen in 2019.
___
Ghida Anani – Director, Abaad
Ghida is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Public Health at the Lebanese University. In 2008, she received the ‘’Excellence in Collaborative Teaching Award’’ from the American University of Beirut. As an expert in Gender-Based Violence and Child Protection, Anani has published a number of studies, articles, training kits and community educational materials on GBV & Child Sexual Abuse in Lebanon and the MENA region.
In June 2011, she founded and continues to manage ABAAD – Resource Centre for Gender Equality, which was awarded the Womanity Award. In 2014, Anani received the Women Leadership Achievement Award by The World Women Leadership Congress. She has led a number of public opinion campaigns, notably the latest #Undress522 which resulted in a historical parliamentary vote, repealing article 522 from the Lebanese Penal Code. The campaign received the “Women Rights Award” from the Beirut Bar Association and Avenir Liban and an honoring Award by the Lebanese Canadian University in March 2017. In 2019, the campaign received the first prize “UN SDG Action Award” for the most impactful campaign globally.
In 2018, Anani has been honored as part of the program “Icon of Pioneering” & “Leaders from the land of Cedars” beside a number of Lebanese leaders innovative in different sectors. She was also listed by the World Bank as one of 10 Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs Making a Difference across MENA and was featured in the Pioneers & Leaders HUB, launched by the Women as Partners in Progress (WPP) Project within the Gibran Chair for Values and Peace at the University of Maryland. Anani was among the handful of women leaders selected from the MENA region to participate in the Female Leadership Programme by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2019, she was also selected by the UN Solutions Summit organizers as one of the 10 extraordinary solution makers across the globe advancing the SDGs.
___
Esha Meher – Legal Associate, SAHR
Esha joined SAHR in 2020 and is our legal associate, working on the frontlines for our cases in Asia, Pacific and MENA region, supporting the Legal Director on advancing justice and accountability for survivors through strategic litigation. She is also an enthusiastic voice on the campaign-advocacy front and sometimes yields her pen for SAHR’s creative team.
A people’s person at heart, Esha is most comfortable making conversations with strangers across all ages on the most unrelated topics; her interests range from a critique of comedy in Iranian cinema to cat-sitting techniques and hacks. An avid reader and a struggling painter, she enjoys listening to Rostropovich’s cello on Friday evenings.
Besides appearing and assisting in multiple cases of constitutional importance in India, Esha has also been a regular part of teaching and civilian advocacy initiatives. She heads the legal team of the Gender Security Project (India), serves as the Founding director of Project DARYA, a London based storytelling initiative, and presides over a Massachusetts-based non-profit.

Giving Women Workshop: Theory of Change
2020-04-28 00:00
Join us for this informative and interactive workshop webinar
About this Event
Workshop Description
Theories of Change (TOCs) are roadmaps to impact. It expresses how an initiative expects to arrive at/produce the desired results. It is the foundation for impact management.
In this workshop, we will explore the logic behind TOCs and their main building blocks. Using practical examples, we will show how TOCs help organisations to better manage their impact for improved outcomes and communication.
About our presenter: Nadir Franca
Nadir is one of our Giving Women members in Zurich. She is a consultant and researcher in the fields of impact-driven entrepreneurship, impact management, and sustainable finance. She has worked for 10+ years with non-profit and for-profit social businesses and initiatives for the productive & financial inclusion of underserved populations. She is currently a Sustainable Finance Policy Fellow with Foraus, and a Consultant in impact management projects with Stone Soup Consulting. Nadir holds a Ph.D. (USP/Brazil) and an MSc (UFPE/Brazil) in Business Management.
The Webinar Workshop will be recorded and made available along with supporting documentation and resources to all those who register as a follow-up to the event.
PLEASE NOTE: The event will take place on Zoom webinar and along with receiving details from Eventbrite about accessing the Webinar, we will also send all people registered an email before the event.

Monthly Informal Lunch March, Geneva
2020-03-12 00:00
Come and learn all about Giving Women over a delicious lunch
About this Event
Our informal lunches are an ideal opportunity to network and meet like-minded women!
The lunch starts at 12h00
The menu includes a an amuse buche, main course, coffee or tea as well as petit-fours. Still water will be provided.
Please feel free to share this invitation with anyone who may be interested and bring a friend!
It is Giving Women policy that non-members are welcome to attend the Giving Women Informal Lunch up to two times as well as two other events (please register as non-members). If you would like to attend any additional events, we invite you to become a member.
Please sign up 3 days before the event at the latest due to limited seating.
Kindly note: Last minute registrations and arrivals cannot be guaranteed a spot at the main table and may have to sit at another table and order from the restaurant menu separately.

Zurich Informal Lunch, 12 March 2020
2020-03-12 00:00
Come and learn all about Giving Women over a delicious lunch
About this Event
Our informal lunches are an ideal opportunity to network and meet like-minded women! You will get to know other Giving Women members and the exciting work they are all doing, and be inspired!
The lunch starts at 12h00 and everyone will just order from the menu and pay separately. We just need you to register here so we can reserve a table.
Please feel free to share this invitation with anyone who may be interested and bring a friend!
We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Film Screening: The Biggest Little Farm
2020-02-27 00:00
Film Screening of The Biggest Little Farm
About this Event
Join us to watch this beautiful documentary, which tells the story of a young idealistic couples’ return to the land.
Guided by a wise mentor they buy a farm on land which was completely desiccated and discover the beauty, complexity, and harmony of the natural world as it regenerates into a productive farm.
At a time where the industrialised approaches to working the land have destroyed the biodiversity of nature this magnificently filmed documentary makes us realise there is still hope for our planet, if we all learn to respect it fully.
This will be an uplifting preparation on the theme of our 2020 Annual Conference on 19 March “Food: Women’s role in the struggle to feed the world
