The Summit kicked off with a bang this morning.  About 200 leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean poured into our opening plenary session, where they were greeted by Summit Moderator and Former CNN International Anchor, Sonia Ruseler.

Throughout the course of the morning we heard from women leaders, including President Michelle Bachelet of Chile and Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton (pre-recorded), who reinforced the same message: empowering women will uplift nations and change the course of history.

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When I met Rebecca Lolosoli, I was immediately struck by her strength, perseverance, and her pride in her culture. Rebecca was one of the 20 women who participated in Vital Voices’ Women’s Leadership in Public Life program, held in Washington DC and New York in April 2008, and her aim was to increase the participation of Samburu women in Kenyan politics. Rebecca is Samburu, and throughout her time she wore her traditional dress and beaded necklaces with pride.

Rebecca shares everything she learns and gains with the Samburu women. After participating in our training program in the U.S., she returned and shared the information with others. She not only supports those in her own Umoja village, but women leaders from surrounding villages throughout the district as well. Her follow-up project was to organize trainings at Umoja and two surrounding villages, and our visit to Umoja was to provide trainings in leadership, advocacy, and artisan craft development. Continue Reading »

I’ve just returned from an amazing trip to Africa where I participated as a trainer in four incredible training programs focused on increasing the role of women in public life. These four programs were all developed in conjunction with African alumnae of past Vital Voices programs. All of them inspired me and reminded me of the very real power of women as agents of change.

Nigeria

I started my trip in Lagos, Nigeria, where two alumnae of the April 2008 Vital Voices Women’s Political Academy held in Washington, DC, Meeme Ekanem and Olutoyin Obaseki, planned and organized a 3 day training for 30 women who have told their political party that they want to be party backed candidates in the upcoming Lagos State Council election. These women were from different parties but shared the same objective of being elected to the Lagos State Council.

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Estelle Marilyn Nguemo Chime, an alumna of our Women’s Leadership in Public Life program, won an alumnae action plan grant to provide a 3-day leadership and project planning training for 26 young women, ages 19-32, from urban and rural areas. The Young Women’s Project Planning & Leadership Workshop was held in Douala, Cameroon from August 5-7, 2008. Marilyn, led the training herself, along with Stephenie Foster of American Legacy Foundation and Kah Walla, a City Council Representative and Director of STRATEGIES!

In Cameroon, 45% of the population is under the age of 15. Voter turnout is extremely low, with only 4% of registered voters actually voting in the last elections. There are few after-school or youth leadership organizations, and those that exist are church-based and are limited in the skills and activities they offer. Young people feel disillusioned, like their voices and concerns are not heard. There is very little accountability among public leaders, so social and economic concerns often go unresolved. There is a tremendous need for training that empowers young women to take action and be empowered to improve their own lives and communities. Continue Reading »

With hardly a moment to take breath as my colleagues and I organized a diverse spectrum of activities across Cameroon, a fascinating country where over 250 languages are spoken and the landscape ranges from the bustling congestion of the port city of Douala to the hilly rural areas spotted with homes adorned by spectacular tin-thatched roofs that reach up to the sky in a triangle shape. We were told that the more majestic the roof, the greater the status of the residents in terms of the village hierarchy.

We started our week with an introduction to the volunteer pilot committee and dedicated staff working on the AMA Market Women project, an initiative supported by Vital Voices Leadership and Advocacy Fund through a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The pilot committee is an impressive group of men and women, all market traders themselves, who have volunteered their time to see through the realization of the project’s objectives, which are to strengthen the voice of women market traders in the areas of tax administration, public health and sanitation, and commercial regulation.
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I have always wanted to visit Lagos, Nigeria. Nigeria is known for many things, positive and negative–from its rich culture and religious diversity, to its troubled history and hopeful future. I was glad to visit as part of the Vital Voices program, and to connect with and meet people who are leaders in their communities and who want to create change.

The program in Nigeria was a follow-up program to our Women’s Leadership in Public Life program. Our alumni there, Meeme Ekanem and Olutoyin Obaseki, received a follow-up grant to organize a political campaign workshop for women in Lagos running for State Council elections, which will be held on October 11th. They reached out to 30 of the 50 existing political parties (can you imagine?!) and invited them to send 2 women candidates each to the workshop—women who not just party members or leaders, but who were actively campaigning for the upcoming elections. There were a total of 43 women in attendance, including NGO leaders. Trainers Stephenie Foster of USA and Kah Walla of Cameroon led the workshops, along with local guest presenters Sylvia Shinaba Chairperson of Lagos State Chapter of FIDA (International Federation of Women Lawyers), and Ms. Bimbo Oloyede, Channel Media.

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The Women’s Leadership in Public Life training program in April 2008 in Washington, DC trained 20 women from 11 African countries in campaign planning and management, public policy, and gender policy. The women were tasked to develop action plans to outline how they would apply the information they learned in their countries, and they were also given the opportunity to apply for Action Plan Seed Grants to fund their projects. Projects from 7 countries were funded with grants from $3500 to $8000. The countries were Angola, Malawi, Nigeria, Cameroon, Kenya, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. These projects include workshops, voter education materials and campaigns, leadership training for young women, and training for newly elected women public officials in gender policy. Several of the trainings take place in July and August, and this blog series will share my experiences as I travel to several of these workshops.

April 24th marked the closing session of the 2-week training program, “African Women’s Leadership in Public Life” supported by ExxonMobil.

I had the good fortune of observing the conclusion of this program at American University in Washington DC.

When I arrived to the campus in mid afternoon, I was greeted by a group of women leaders and 2 aspiring youth who, together, represented every region throughout Africa.

The energy in the room was incredible- one sensed that the participants had forged a strong camaraderie throughout the course of the program. As the session progressed, however, it became apparent that these leaders had established far more than friendships—they had, in fact, been successful in building a collaborative working group dedicated to promoting women’s leadership in public life.

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Tonight Vital Voices honors women of stature, women of consequence, women of conviction, women of courage, and women of compassion. From different regions, sectors, and generations, the leaders chosen to accept Vital Voices’ prestigious Global Leadership Award are, in the deepest meaning of Maya Angelou’s timeless prose, phenomenal women.

Over delicious dinners, high-profile events, and informal roundtables, the honorees spoke articulately with Vital Voices staff, members of the international community, and the media, sharing their invaluable advice and insights on the impact of women around the world. Continue Reading »

It’s hard to believe it’s been TEN years since our Vital Voices Voyage set sail in Vienna. It seems much more recent especially when I saw so many of the women who gathered together in 1997—350 women from all the former Soviet Union countries met with women in Western Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States and Canada. Many of those same women came here to Kyiv. It’s amazing but their appearance has hardly changed a bit. I suspect it’s because they are doing what they love and it keeps them looking young and vibrant. Along with the returning crowd were a large group of newcomers and young women and girls. Continue Reading »