Panmela Castro with Estelle as Diane von Furstenberg looks on.

Tonight at the DVF Studio in New York, all eyes were on Panmela Castro–in a vivid green dress from the back rooms of a yet unseen collection, she stood out in the crowd gathered to celebrate International Women’s Day–not in the least because her hands were covered in dark fuchsia spray paint. Panmela is one of the six incredible women we’re honoring at the 2010 Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards on Wednesday; a graffiti artist from Brazil, she brings the message of women’s rights to the favelas of Rio de Janeiro through art that informs women of their rights under the nation’s only domestic violence law, passed four years ago.

In just two hours, she created a striking painting using only spray paint to send out a very significant message: women have power. Her take on a painting of a warrior who symbolized power and conquest, Panmela replaced the masculine with the feminine–now a woman would be the image of power. Mixing dark colors with bright yellow and fuchsia splashes, she quickly turned a white canvas into an evocative statement.

Before signing the back of the canvas, Panmela added something that distinguishes her work from any other: with a black paint marker, she writes a string of words that hold no meaning in any language–they signify the unspoken words of every woman who has ever been silenced or abused. To see her as she writes this message, a message she intends for all women, is to understand why she does what she does.

Our host, Vital Voices Board Member Diane von Furstenberg, arrived just off the plane from LA, and embraced Panmela while admiring her work. Addressing the crowd gathered, she said that everyday, and especially today, “we should all be proud that we are women.”

She went on to say that we are all inspired by women, and must support one another, that we can “build a chain of love and strength” that stretches the world-over.

Furstenberg shared her love for Vital Voices and said she wanted to do something very special this year, which is why 12 remarkable female artists have been brought together through her vision to create a benefit compilation CD, Proud to be Woman, which will support our work at Vital Voices. Estelle, one of the artists featured on the CD, was in the Studio DJing tonight. Today also marks the first day in a weeklong promotion across all DVF stores and online: 10 percent of every purchase benefits Vital Voices.

Our President and CEO, Alyse Nelson, spoke after Diane, introducing Panmela and describing the importance of her work. Alyse said that Panmela is innovatively using “culture to fight culture,” shaping a different world, one that reflects the equality she portrays in her art. At a time when violence against women is growing worse around the world, Panmela is a powerful and beautiful force for change.

Today was an inspiring start to the week, and we were proud to join so many NGOs and nonprofits around the world in sharing our support and celebrating women internationally. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, co-chaired by one of our 2010 Vital Voices Global Leadership Award honorees, Melinda French Gates, dedicated their website to IWD, check it out.

Tomorrow we continue this amazing week of events as we go over to the New York Stock Exchange to ring the opening bell, launching Women Can and Do, an exciting media campaign in collaboration with Diane von Furstenberg and founding partners Standard Chartered Bank, Avon, and Time Inc. Tomorrow is also the first day of the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Women, a summit hosted by Vital Voices and the Avon Foundation for Women at the State Department. We’re so excited to be partnering with the Avon Foundation for Women, be sure to visit the Avon Products Inc. page on Facebook and become a fan of this great organization supporting women around the world.

Today, March 8, we celebrate International Women’s Day, joining with advocates and leaders around the world to recognize the progress made and obstacles that remain in advancing women’s equality. In a video address, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that this year “marks an anniversary very close to my heart,” referencing the 15-year anniversary of the UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China.

“The message from that conference rang loudly and clearly, and still echoes across cultures and continents: Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights.”

Secretary Clinton went on to say that much work remains: “Women are still the majority of the world’s poor, unhealthy, underfed, and uneducated. They rarely cause violent conflicts but too often bear their consequences. Women are absent from negotiations about peace and security to end those conflicts.”

Throughout the week, Secretary Clinton will be commemorating International Women’s Day, and will present Melinda French Gates the Global Trailblazer award at the 2010 Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards on March 10.

Today marks the start of an exciting week for Vital Voices. This evening, Board Member Diane von Furstenberg will host a reception for Panmela Castro, our Human Rights Award honoree. Panmela is a graffiti artist from Brazil who brings the message of women’s rights to the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, informing women of their right to live free of violence under Brazil’s domestic violence law. During the day, Panmela will be creating a mural at the DVF Studio in New York City.

Other events this week include:

March 9

Launch of Women Can and Do media campaign with the ringing of the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. 2010 honorees will join past honoree Danielle Saint-Lot of Haiti to introduce this exciting collaboration with Diane von Furstenberg and founding partners Standard Chartered Bank, Avon, and Time Inc.

Day one of a three-day summit hosted by the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Women, a collaboration between Vital Voices and the Avon Foundation for Women at the State Department. Delegates from around the world will gather at the State Department for dialogue and working sessions on ending violence against women. An evening reception will honor Men’s Voices to End Violence Against Women.

March 10

2010 Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards at the Kennedy Center. We will honor six remarkable women for their contributions in the fields of human rights, economic empowerment, and political and social activism.

March 12

Opening night of The Daily Beast’s Women in the World: Stories & Solutions summit at the Hudson Theatre in New York. Vital Voices’ play SEVEN will be performed by actresses including Meryl Streep, Shohreh Aghdashloo.

March 13

Inaugural DVF Awards at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Four outstanding women will be recognized for their contributions to their communities, including Vital Voices Global Network members Danielle Saint-Lot and Sadiqa Basiri.

Visit our site to learn about the many exciting events of the week!

Women | Tools | Technology: Building Opportunities and Economic Power
Ashoka’s Changemakers, ExxonMobil, and The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) have issued a global challenge for innovations which enable women to access and use the power of tools and technology to expand their opportunities for economic advancement. See Women | Tools | Technology for competition details and deadlines.

Women ONE2ONE
Women ONE2ONE is a growing voice made up of people who know that maternal health, girls’ education, economic opportunity and women’s empowerment are key to fighting poverty and preventable disease for everyone. This campaign recognizes women as change-makers, community-builders and peace builders. Harness your power to connect, take action and shape the future. Learn more about Women ONE2ONE.

Women for Women International
Join Me on the Bridge
To honor the resilience of millions of women survivors of war around the world, Women for Women International is hosting a global campaign called Join Me on the Bridge on International Women’s Day: March 8, 2010. Women from Rwanda and Congo will come together in peace on a bridge between their countries to demand an end to war and to demonstrate that women can build the bridges to peace and development. At the same time and in solidarity, women (and men!) will come together on bridges throughout the world, creating a truly global movement that says NO! to war and YES! to peace and hope. Learn more about Join Women on the Bridge.

The Daily Beast reports today that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will introduce a stage reading of Vital Voices’ documentary play, SEVEN, on the opening night of the Women in the World Stories and Solutions summit, hosted by The Daily Beast, Vital Voices, the UN Foundation, and Diane von Furstenberg. Academy Award winning actresses Meryl Streep, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Marcia Gay Harden are included among the seven actresses who will depict seven remarkable women in the Vital Voices Network. In a statement, Clinton said of SEVEN:

“The play powerfully portrays the transformative way that seven courageous women have changed their societies for the better -from peacebuilding to fighting corruption to combating violence against women.”

The three-day summit will bring together more than 300 global leaders for dialogue and problem-solving on “issues ranging from sex slavery to girls’ education to how to protect women in caught in the crossfire in war zones.”

The conference will take place in New York City from March 12-14, and is sponsored by HP, ExxonMobil, Bank of America, and Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women.

Read the full story: Hillary Clinton to Appear at Women in the World Summit -The Daily Beast

Editor of The Daily Beast Tina Brown, who has long been involved with Vital Voices, announced the first annual Women in the World summit on February 17. The three-day summit will “showcase leaders on the frontlines working on innovative solutions to challenges ranging from sex slavery to girls’ education in the developing world to women caught in the violence of war zones.”

On the opening night of the summit, Meryl Streep will join fellow Academy Award winning actress Shohreh Aghdashloo and five other critically acclaimed actresses to stage a reading of SEVEN, the documentary play produced by Vital Voices that tells the stories of seven remarkable women in our network. This production is graciously being led by renowned director Julie Taymor.

Read about the summit on The Daily Beast.

In a February 10 interview with ABC’s Robin Roberts on Good Morning America, fashion designer and Vital Voices board member Diane von Furstenberg discussed her passion for promoting women’s leadership while announcing the first annual DVF Awards, to be held on March 13 at the United Nations in New York City. Furstenberg has long been an advocate for women’s empowerment, and spoke of her involvement with Vital Voices and the women leaders who make up our international network. Two of the four DVF awards to be presented will recognize Vital Voices network members Danielle Saint-Lot of Haiti and Sadiqa Basiri of Afghanistan. The designer created the awards to honor women who are giving back to their communities and inspiring positive change.

“I have never met a woman who is not strong.”

As President of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), Furstenberg led a recent effort to raise awareness and funds for survivors of the January 12 earthquake that struck Haiti. Proceeds from a t-shirt designed by members of the CFDA have already reached $1 million, and are expected to continue to increase.

Furstenberg will attend the 2010 Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards on March 10, when she will present an award to Rebecca Lolosoli of Kenya, an artisan whose necklaces have been featured in Furstenberg’s 2010 Spring Collection.

Watch the full interview with Diane von Furstenberg on Good Morning America.

Read about the DVF Awards.

Kakenya Ntaiya of Kenya, 2008 Rising Voices Award honoree and a valued member of the Vital Voices network, has been voted as one of the People of 2009 by One World, an online news service. Kakenya provides young girls an education through her Academy for Girls, the Kakenya Center for Excellence.

One World was introduced to Kakenya from the inspiring blog entries written by Vital Voices and Advocacy Project Fellow Kate Cummings, who spent her summer with Kakenya.

Congratulations to Kakenya and to Kate for sharing her story!

People of 2009: Neipamei Ngodia and Kakenya Ntaiya - One World

Senator Barbara Boxer at the introduction of I-VAWA, joined by Senator John Kerry and Representatives Bill Delahunt, Ted Poe, and Jan Schakowsky

On February 4, Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) joined Representatives Bill Delahunt (D-MA), Ted Poe (R-TX) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) to introduce the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) to both Houses of the 111th Congress. The bipartisan bill would authorize the development of a 5-year strategy to “reduce, prevent, and respond to violence against women and girls around the globe,” expanding on a goal of the Obama Administration to address violence against women as a component of American foreign policy.

In his remarks, Senator Kerry said that I-VAWA has “crucial, long-term importance,” and will serve to strengthen national security by promoting peace and stability abroad. He went on to say that women are “peacemakers and change agents” who should no longer be suppressed by gender-based violence that currently affects 1 in 6 women internationally. While acknowledging that some of his colleagues are weary of authorizing additional funds at this time, Kerry stated that support for I-VAWA and investment in the eradication of violence against women “will reduce expenditures in so many other ways.” Pledging his support for the legislation, Kerry said:

“societies that do respect and empower women are all around healthier…[which] makes all of us safer.”

Representative Delahunt echoed his colleague, expressing his support for a bill that will not only reduce violence against women globally, but also “make the world more stable and less prone to conflict.” He added that female education has proven critical to the eradication of extremism.

Senator Boxer recognized the efforts of former Senator and current Vice President Joe Biden, who authored the Violence Against Women Act, passed in 1994. Noting that there is not merely a “moral dimension” to ending violence against women, Boxer cited evidence that societies with less incidence of gender-based violence tend to be more prosperous.

“Women are engines of peace and prosperity…”

Continue Reading »

The following is a post written by Alison Chatfield, an intern in the Middle East and North Africa Program at Vital Voices. She is a senior at the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University and is majoring in International Development Studies.

“If a woman feels secure with her rights and her family, she will have the chance to venture out for other things,” MENA Business Women’s Network President Afnan Al Zayani said in a January 18 interview with the Gulf Daily News.

Women in Bahrain are currently experiencing a conflict of interest in making the tough compromises necessary to juggle a professional and a personal life. Ms. Al Zayani asserted in her statements that traditional roles and responsibilities are still preventing many women from entering or re-entering the workplace. She said that these challenges can be overcome if Bahrain were to provide more reasonably priced services that support women who work and also have responsibilities to their families. These services include a reliable public transport system, care centers for infants, affordable home cooked food, and care for the elderly.

Bahrain considers its people as its greatest resource, making it equally important for women to be given the same employment opportunities as men. Without supportive services to facilitate the interconnectedness of many Bahraini women’s professional and personal lives, many feel they cannot cope under the pressure and are therefore much more likely to give up work or not return to work after having children. Agency is a key ingredient to professional success, and an increase in accessible and affordable services in Bahrain would give women the opportunity of a level playing field.

Al Zayani’s statements were issued at the second annual Regional Women and Leadership Conference, the same in which Labor Minister Dr. Majeed Al Alawi stated that Bahrain had allocated a budget of BD 24 million, equivalent to just over 63 million US dollars, to be used to help 4,500 university graduates find jobs in the private sector in the next 24 months. Seventy-five percent of those graduates are women. He added that “Empowering women is not propaganda to show we are a liberal society, it’s about employing 50 percent of all assets. We don’t want to lose them, we want to make sure female talents have equal opportunities as men.”

Ms. Afnan Al Zayani will be recognized for her work both in business and public life in Bahrain at the Vital Voices 2010 Global Leadership Awards at the Kennedy Center on March 10.

Source: Workplace Help for Women-Gulf Daily News

We recently ended the Swedish tour of SEVEN in the Hague in the Netherlands. It was a wonderful final to a year of so many meaningful meetings, reactions, actions in response to the testimonies in SEVEN.

We were invited by the Swedish Embassy to open the conference Women in Warzones, an international conference arranged jointly with the Dutch government.

We decided early on that for this occasion we would put together an international ensemble of actors, and with the help of the Swedish embassy and the contacts of Riksteatern we ended up with actors hailing from Sweden, Great Britain, Palestine, Iran/US, the Netherlands and Kamerun/Russia. Continue Reading »