Women for Women International - Building Stronger Nations

Women for Women International

Building stronger nations

“It has probably become more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier in armed conflict�

Major-General Patrick Cammaert, former Commander of UN peacekeeping forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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Dufatanya agri-business cooperative, Rwanda

In countries torn apart by conflict, women bear the heaviest burden – despite rarely being involved in the fighting. As economies fail, critical services and support systems vanish, and populations are violently uprooted, women continue to bring enormous resilience to the daily task of survival.

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W

omen like Hava are not victims. They are the ones caring for children, putting food on the table, holding fractured families and communities together, and calling for peace.

In spite of the traumas of war, they share an incredible determination to rebuild their lives and create a brighter future for everyone around them.

Photo: Simon Wheeler

Women for Women International believes that stronger women build stronger nations. We know that with access to skills, knowledge and resources, women can create transformative change in their communities – moving them from crisis and poverty to stability and economic well-being.

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Women in Rwanda learn sustainable agriculture skills as part of our training

Since 1993, we have served over 419,000 of the poorest women in eight war-affected countries: Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Sudan.

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less than 1 in 3 report knowledge of good nutrition, which impacts family and child health.

95 % earn less than $1.25 per day

Empowering the poorest women has a powerful ripple effect.

Women reinvest the benefits they earn back into their children and families – including on average 90% of their income, according to World Bank research. Elevating women strengthens the economies and social fabric of whole communities that have been devastated by war.

less than 1 in 10 know their rights, leaving them vulnerable to abuses and injustice

*correct through June 2014

The women we work with all confront overwhelming challenges: nn

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more than half have never been to school and are illiterate

Our programme Our year-long programme equips women to raise their incomes, confidence, and participation in communities. At enrolment, women come together in classes of 25, forming tight support groups that help break the isolation caused by war and insecurity. The training focuses on four key outcomes‌

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1. Women Earn and Save Money:

2. Women Promote Health and Wellbeing:

Women learn a skill with earning power in their local market. They understand key financial concepts, such as household finances, saving and budgeting, and receive support to set up small businesses or group enterprises.

Women develop vital knowledge to protect their health and improve their families’ quality of life.

Training covers basic family and reproductive health, psychological health and good hygiene and sanitation.

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3. Women Influence Decision-Making:

4. Women Build Networks for Support and Advocacy:

Focussing on key issues such as their rights to land ownership, divorce, child custody and to defend oneself against violence, women become more aware of their rights, and how to address the cultural norms that can violate these rights.

Women learn about the benefits of working together in groups and networks, such as cooperatives, to pool resources and advance their interests.

A specialised job skill, together with basic business training, helps women earn a stable income and provide for their families.

We identify the most beneficial money-making activities for women in their local area, and help link them with markets.

Examples of vocational skills we offer to our women participants include: nn

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Afghanistan: animal husbandry, handicrafts, rug weaving, tailoring and vegetable production Kosovo: bee-keeping, dairy production, handcrafts, tailoring, horticulture Democratic Republic of Congo: agriculture, soap-making, tie-dye, bread-making, ceramics, brick-making, cooking and basket-making

Photo: Les Stone

Programme Innovation areas We are constantly reviewing and developing our programmes in order to respond to women’s needs and the complex challenges they face.

Currently, we are expanding our support and services in four critical areas:

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1. Men’s Engagement:

2. Financial Inclusion:

Men have a vital role to play in creating equal societies where women can flourish. We work with male leaders and relatives to create an environment that reinforces women’s rights and economic activities, and counters genderbased violence. Through the Men’s Engagement Programme, men learn about how women’s marginalisation in economic and political life negatively impacts families and communities.

Access to financial products and services such as bank accounts, informal savings clubs, credit, and insurance is an important tool to increase women’s bargaining power, protection against risk, and business expansion.

3. Access to Health Services: Working with local partners, we help our women participants access key health information and services, such as HIV testing, counselling services and referrals for reproductive health.

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2 4. Women’s Entrepreneurship and Graduate Services: Some of our high-achieving graduates have the capacity to go beyond microenterprise to businesses that employ other women. We help connect them with advanced training to help them grow and scale promising businesses.

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Programme Impact Women for Women International surveys every woman in our programme at enrolment and again at graduation. We then follow up with them one year after graduation, and again two years after graduation.

The results show a dramatic improvement across a range of key indicators used to measure women’s holistic wellbeing.

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Survey data from across all eight of our target countries, shows that: £0.19

£0.92

£1.11

Women’s income increases almost five-fold, from £0.19 per day at enrolment to £0.92 at graduation; and £1.11 two years after graduation.

7%

67%

88%

18%

75%

75% of our graduates are saving, up from just 18% at enrolment.

4% 31%

44%

Only 7% of women had educated another woman on her rights at enrolment, 67% had done so by graduation, rising to 88% two years after graduation.

At enrolment, only 4% of women felt equipped to stop violence against them. By graduation, 31% had reported stopping violence against them, rising to 44% two years after graduation.

These results have a powerful ripple effect. WfWI graduates who are earning an income report sending their children to school, paying into national medical insurance schemes, improving the quantity and quality of family meals, and reducing violence in their homes.

Democratic Republic of Congo found that “investment in women not only benefits the woman and her family, but also acts as a driver for community-wide poverty reduction. “By sharing their new skills with neighbours, WfWI graduates in Gikaya, Rwanda, “[elevated] the entire community out of the first tier of extreme poverty in just 3 years”.

An independent evaluation of WfWI’s work in Rwanda and the

Tabu, 25 years old, South Sudan “My husband would beat me whenever he was drunk. When I enrolled in the programme, I was feeling powerless. The training helped me to face the challenges in my home and I felt empowered to make a decision to leave my abusive husband. In the training I learned about saving, running a business, and how to plan and manage my household income. After saving my training stipend for 3 months, I opened a small business selling tea. It now makes a profit and I have saved 300 South Sudanese pounds (about ÂŁ60).

The business helps me to keep my children in school and also support my mother.�

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Photo: Jenn Warren

Where we work

BosniaHerzegovina

35,261 women served* Est. 1994

Nigeria

52,568 women served* Est. 2000

DRC

80,707 women served* Est. 2004

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Kosovo

31,259 women served* Est. 1999

Afghanistan

45,284 women served* Est. 2002

Iraq

14,089 women served* Est. 2003

South Sudan

11,012

women served* Est. 2006

Rwanda

67,943

women served* Est. 1997

*correct through June 2014

Join a Global Movement

“Our school raised enough money to support 2 women through the training programme – now we have 2 ‘sisters’ on the other side of the world” – Sydenham High School

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sponsors in Iceland

“I’m a passionate campaigner for women’s equality – that’s why I sponsor a woman in Rwanda” – Dani

“I’m inspired by the courage of my ‘sister’ Florence in Nigeria, and her determination to improve her children’s lives” – Lamiju

“I set up a Women for Women International student society at my university” – Victor

“My monthly Direct Debit donation will help WfWI keep their training programmes running, year after year, strengthening war-torn communities around the world” – Christopher

“I met my sponsored sister, Lumnije, in Kosovo!” – Bette Anne

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20,000+ sponsors in USA

707 sponsors in UK

22,912 sponsors worldwide

893,908 letters exchanged between sponsors and their sisters since 1993

458 sponsors in Australia

Act now and change the world, one woman at a time…

Sponsor a woman through our training programme for £22 a month – just over 70p a day. Visit womenforwomen.org. uk/sponsor to find out more.

Raise funds to support our work – organise an event at home, work or in your community.

Follow us on Follow us on twitter or Facebook @WomenforWomenUK /WomenforWomenUK and help spread the word.

Women for Women International in the UK and Europe What we do

Women for Women International (UK) exists to support our programmes and to amplify the voices of women survivors of war.

We raise money to provide women in conflict-affected countries with the tools and support to rebuild their lives.

We work to increase awareness and influence policy in the UK and Europe to create long-term sustainable change in countries affected by war and conflict.

How we are funded Type of funding as a percentage of total income* Grants 36.25% Events 26.68% Sponsorship and Donations 36.22% Other 0.85%

Where our money goes* Charitable activities 76.2% Generating funds 21.5% Governance 2.3%

From every ÂŁ1 you give us, we spend 76p to benefit women in our programmes *2013 Annual Financial Statement 22

“Why should we invest in the poorest women, living in the most difficult contexts? Because women’s social and economic empowerment creates far-reaching benefits for everyone and is key to development and peace. But I am also passionate about the fact that investing in women is the right thing to do. Living in poverty and facing violence and discrimination, women are being told every day that that they are worth less, that they will achieve less. Through our training, we are showing women that we are equal citizens with great potential. For me, investing in women really ‘pays’ when women have the confidence to pursue their dreams and aspirations”

Brita Fernandez Schmidt Executive Director

Raising women’s voices in the media Our UK organisation works to create public awareness of the issues, as well as helping to mobilise resources for women in our global programmes.

For media enquiries, please contact Jenny Rose jrose@womenforwomen.org Left: Stylist Middle: Telegraph magazine Right: Guardian

In countries affected by conflict and war, Women for Women International supports the most marginalised women to earn and save money, improve health and well-being, influence decisions in their home and community, and connect with networks for support. By utilising skills, knowledge and resources, she is able to create sustainable change for herself, her family, and community.

Contact details: Women for Women International UK 32-36 Loman Street London SE1 0EH Tel: +44 (0) 207 922 7765 Email: supportuk@womenforwomen.org.uk Web: www.womenforwomen.org.uk Follow us: facebook.com/WomenforWomenUK twitter.com/WomenforWomenUK instagram.com/WomenforWomenUK To sponsor a woman through our training, visit: www.womenforwomen.org.uk/sponsor

Charity Registration No: 1115109. Company Registration No: 05650155.

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