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IAS Annual Dinner: Rabbi Michael Lerner
The Women’s Wisdom: Women in Action program launched its Annual Service Appreciation Grants in 2019 by awarding two grants to women and women-led organizations who provide direct service to their communities towards improving the quality of life for women, reducing poverty among women, improving gender equality, or promoting women’s and girls’ right to access education. Sufi Women Organization was gratified to receive their reports of successful efforts, from women planting, harvesting and selling maize; establishing sewing workshops for women and their children; providing mindfulness-based stress reduction training to vulnerable women and girls; and developing skills and flexibility to respond to the needs of women in refugee camps.
Nominations for candidates for the grant will be solicited and invited solely by the Women in Action program. All candidates must be nominated by a colleague(s) or by an individual(s) who has come to understand the work of the woman or women-led organization. Nominations are open and accepted from March 1st to March 31st each year. Winners will be announced in September of that year. A panel of volunteers review nominations. The awardees receive $500-$1,000 from the program as a grant.
Service Appreciation Grant
women action
Ruth Natyanya, Kenya
A second round of funding was given to Ruth Natyanya to help continue her Peace Path Development Program. Ruth will use the grant funds to facilitate ten women - five from each village - purchasing groundnuts and seeds for planting, The grant will help to strengthen the role of rural women in peace-building processes and community development through networking and collaboration; and will promote the dignity of women and girls through sustainable economic empowerment activities.
2021 Grant Honorees
Isabelle Kamariza, Rwanda
Isabelle Kamariza is the Founder and President of Solid’Africa, a non-profit organization, operating in Rwanda since 2011, with the mission to help vulnerable patients in public hospitals. Through five programs, the organization provides food, hygienic products and other services with the goal to accelerate patient recovery process, preserve patient’s dignity and promote equity. She was the recipient of the Young African Women Leaders Forum Award, a CYRWA (Celebrating Young Rwandan Achievers) awardee. In 2018 she was recognized by the Queen Elizabeth II as the 55th Point of Light Awardee. She is the 2019 Segal Family Foundation’s System Innovator Awardee. She is also an Aspen New Voices Fellow and a One Young World Ambassador. Most recently, she has been the recipient of the Forbes Woman Africa Social Impact Award 2021.
Tecla Namachanja Wanjala, PhD., Kenya
Through Shalom Centre for Counselling and Development (SCCoDev), a Kenyan NGO, Tecla and her team have been responding to relational, structural and traumatic needs of communities in Kenya affected by violent conflicts. They have been doing so by creating and holding safe spaces for affected people to come together and support each other in their healing process through community social healing circles, and circles for relationship building and for promoting sustainable livelihoods. Their target groups are widows, the youth and the elderly. A 3-day community dialogue circle meeting will target 30 leaders representing 120 widows. The meeting will look into the unaddressed socio-economic grievances that were raised during the healing circle meetings. It will also be an opportunity for the women to see how they can strategically champion peace in their community as peace mothers.
37 Sufism: An Inquiry Vol XIX, No. 1
2021 Campaign in Support of SB1221 Expanded Learning Enhances Student Success California Department of Education Initiative
Take Action and help VFJ reduce the “nutrition gap” in the Greater Bay Area!
Millions of children in California qualify for a reduced price lunch or a free lunch meal, however about 4 of 5 children are missing out on meals. Voices for Justice will be donating collections received to a local school that provides services to low income communities. Help Voices for Justice to keep children learning and growing by supporting meal programs. Voices for Justice (VFJ) is a department of the International Association of Sufism, a non-profit, United Nations, NGO-DPI.
Donate your contribution of $50; $100; $250; $500; any amount $ to IAS: Voices for Justice:
Checks payable to “Voices for Justice”
or pay via Credit Card - Number:_______________________________ Expiration date:__________________
Mail to: IAS/Voices for Justice: 14 Commercial Blvd., Ste. 101, Novato, California, 94949, USA
International Association of Sufism is a non profit 501 c, and your contribution is tax deductible to the extend permitted by law.
