empower

The Magazine of the International Women’s Academy
Issue 2: Jan 2015
EMPOWER
EMPOWER
Issue 2
In the News
In this Issue
PAGE THREE
Co-Founder’s Message
Editor’s Message
PAGE FOUR
Club Exchange Update
PAGE FIVE
Club News
UN meeting in Beijing
Shanghai Concert
PAGE SIX
Blog Extract
Invited Article – Martha Burk
Gender Inequality
Endangering Women’s
Health
A large problem plaguing
Indonesia is a woman’s lack
of power over her own
healthcare
decisions,
contributing to the high
maternal mortality rate.
“Inequality in decisionmaking, limited access to
health services in rural areas
and lack of information on
healthy pregnancy are among
the factors that contribute to
maternal
deaths,”
said
Masruchah, secretary-general
of the National Commission
on Violence against Women.
A woman’s economic status,
level of education and age of
first marriage affect maternal
health and the birth outcome,
the report states. Three
decades of increased use of
midwives
and
almost
universal access to antenatal
care had not succeeded in
significantly reducing the
maternal mortality rate.
Read more at:
http://www.irinnews.org/rep
ort/89150/indonesia-genderinequality-endangerswomen-s-health
IWA Student Editor
“There's
a
view
that
husbands should have final
say over domestic matters,
but men often don't know
what their wives feel,” said
Masruchah.
PAGE EIGHT
Building the Future, Shaping Our
World – COMPETITION
PAGE NINE
Student Creative Director Update
London Conference
PAGE TEN
Club Introduction – IWA BMF
volunteering in Guizhou
PAGE TWELVE
IWA Country Ambassadors
Despite government efforts
to increase the number of
skilled birth attendants and
promote family planning, at
least 10,000 women die of
childbirth related causes
every year in this largely
Muslim nation of more than
240
million
people,
according to a World Bank
report.
The Indonesia Maternal
Health Assessment, puts the
maternal mortality rate at 228
deaths per 100,000 live
births.
www.iwa-education.com/empower-magazine.html
Page 2
EMPOWER
Issue 2
Co-Founder’s Message
The second issue of the
International
Women’s
Academy
Empower
Magazine really highlights
how effective international
connections can be. It is a
delight to read about the
successful efforts of IWA
–YCIS in Shanghai to
provide CIWA Club in
Ghana with a fully
equipped computer room.
This is an especially
successful project as the
money was raised through
a business competition for
girls. Each partner in the
international connection
being empowered.
Also in Shanghai IWABMF returned to the
village Baibi in Guizhou,
China to continue their
support of the local girls
and boys. Here illustrating
that the projects and
connections we initiate
shouldn’t be a one off
experiential event, but
sustainable and long term
links.
One of the strengths of
IWA is it’s ability to self
replicate and grow. In
October of 2014, Jenna
Jung visited the UK and
presented at the ASGS
conference
for
Girls’
Schools in London. I had
the privilege to be present
at her presentation and
witness her ability to
inspire the audience. As a
result of her inspirational
introduction of IWA, two
new IWA Clubs have
recently
opened
in
London.
In addition to expanding
our Club network, the last
6 months has seen growth
in the number of exciting
projects being initiated
across our global network
and a strengthening of
existing work. I would like
to highlight the Building
the Future, Shaping our
World project that is being
initiated
by
Rachel
Hayden from the Jersey
Connects Girls Club in the
Channel Islands. She has
taken her own passion for
engineering, coupled this
with her ability to develop
connections and initiated a
global
engineering
competition which will be
open to all our club
members, whatever their
location.
As always I am truly
inspired by the work of
our IWA members.
Dr Peter Le Masurier
IWA Co-Founder
Editor’s Message
As the student editor of
IWA’s
Empower
Magazine, I have really
had the chance to research
and learn a lot more about
gender inequality in the
world and about the
factors which influence it.
My
interest
and
involvement in this issue
caused me to join IWA,
but has increased because
of IWA. I plan to continue
to actively be involved in
this cause because of its
significance
and
importance in our world
and our society.
I am grateful to all the
members of IWA that have
been active members and
have
been
extremely
helpful
through
their
contributions
to
the
Empower Magazine.
Reading through the
stories and articles about
the activity of various
IWA clubs has been very
inspiring. I believe IWA is
a very effective and
impactful
organization
which I am proud to be a
part of.
Madeleine Hoecklin
IWA Student Editor
Page 3
EMPOWER
Issue 2
Club Exchange Update
The club exchange has seen a
number
of
significant
movements and additions since
our last edition of Empower.
IWA-YCIS in Shanghai have
taken the leadership position
after gaining 5000 points for
their work establishing a
computer room in our CIWA
Club in Ghana. BU-IWA in
Boston have gained their first
points for their work buying
jewelry
from
our
Bella
Community Club in Kenya, to
support their development. Also
we have our first IWA Clubs
starting in the British Isles with
Jersey Connects Girls in Jersey
and Paryllel and Class Z in the
UK.
www.iwa-education.com/club-exchange.html
Page 4
EMPOWER
Issue 2
Club News
IWA Beijing: Trip to a UN
meeting
Edie Gao
It was a great honor for me to
be invited to the celebration
of the third International Day
of Girls in Beijing. It was
held by Plan, UN Women
and
Beijing
Cultural
Development Center for
Rural Women on October
10th. This year’s topic was to
hear our voices. I, as a
female representative from
Suzhou, made a ten-minute
speech about my experiences
of being involved in the
International
Women’s
Academy.
It was a great pleasure to
learn about the global
campaign because I am sad
to know that so many girls
and women are being
treated unequally and am
interested in helping to
improve this inequality. I felt
powerless as I could only
stare at the screen and the
pictures of these women and
children. The videos Plan
made were very touching;
one member of the UN cried.
After listening to the stories
of three girls from Shan
Xi, I realized that though we
were
all
female
representatives, I was the one
who needed to help them. So
the event motivated me again
to try and make positive
changes. Now I can say that I
feel lucky and proud to be a
girl.
At
the
end
of
the
celebration, I met Wang
Liping, a female Olympic
champion. She shared her
story with us; she is a great
woman
with
passion,
determination and love. All
the successful women at the
event were role models for
me and I was so grateful to
be there with them.
IWA New York Dwight:
work in Tanzania
Lilian Chu
After hosting a charity
concert in Shanghai, I, the
IWA
ambassador
for
America, have taken the next
step and hosted another
charity concert in New York
City. The Shanghai Charity
concert inspired many young
women and the proceeds
were
contributed
to
orphanages. Through Fiona
Barretto-desouza, a well
respected and honorable
volunteer who continuously
helps at orphanages, I was
connected with Magalena
Kaaya, an orphan, who
dreamt about becoming a
teacher. The funds that the
Shanghai Charity concert
raised
helped
send
Magdalena to a teacher’s
college located in Arusha,
Tazania
and
to
buy
Magdalena a computer. In
addition, the funds were used
to buy books and supplies for
the children at the Ndoombo
www.iwa-leaders.com/standingontopoftheworld/
Orphange located at the foot
of Mount Duliti, Arusha.
This year’s charity concert in
New York was also a success;
over 100 copies of the IWA
Magazines were printed and
distributed to guests to raise
awareness about IWA. I was
also able to sell my art
packages which contained
postcards,
notebooks,
bookmarks and albums all
from my original work.
Yunfei Liu, a musician that
was inspired by the Shanghai
Charity concert also hosted
her own charity concert in
Shanghai. She is now a new
member of the Dwight IWA
club and she was invited as
an honorable guest for the
concert and performed her
song
“ 雨里 “( In The Rain ) in
Mandarin. This time the
funds were able to support
Matilda Rajani pursue her
passion in science and to buy
her a computer. In addition,
books were donated to
refugees in Katavi, at the
border of Tanzania and
Congo.
www.iwa-leaders.com/iwadwight/
Page 5
EMPOWER
Issue 2
Blog Extract
YCIS – IWA Blog Extract
Jonathan Jones
After a year of organizing,
preparing and fundraising
we
raised
around
15,000RMB, building the
girls a computer room and
placing a few computers in
them. First at the thought of
it, it didn’t sound like a huge
accomplishment but once I
saw the email that they sent
of the computer lab with the
girls inside, it hit me. I saw
how happy and how grateful
they would be to know that
people out in the world care
for them and are willing to
help, I felt like I was an
important part in helping
improve several lives, giving
them privileges that we find
normal in our daily lives,
this is what encourages me
to continue to work for the
IWA. Last year was a year
of hard work and a lot of
planning. Our fundraising
events always were related
to our goal and advertising
women to take charge instead
of men. Every week we
gathered and tried to think of
fundraising ideas that were
different and unique, the one I
was most proud of was the
business competition.
Throughout the business
competition many groups
competed to earn the most
money stating off with just
100RMB, the group had to
have a leading female. What
surprised me was that towards
the end of the event groups
that were falling behind didn’t
stop their business, instead
they continued to participate
in the competition knowing
they were still fundraising for
the girls in Ghana. I felt that
the girls who participated in
the competition not only
helped themselves with the
experience for the future, but
also raised 15,000RMB for
the girls in Ghana improving
their lives. Step by step we
can help, you can to.
Invited Article
Lighting a Fire for the
Betterment of Girls and
Women
Martha Burk, Ph.D.
Dr. Ellen Boneparth has had a
lifelong career helping women.
She has served in academia,
diplomacy, and non-profit
management,
including
directing projects
for the
National Council of Women’s
Organizations in Washington,
D.C., where she worked with
national leaders and members
of Congress on behalf of
women in the U.S. and abroad.
Dr. Boneparth also directed an
internship program for young
women who wanted to go into
feminist advocacy.
When she retired, Boneparth
was not finished working in
behalf of women.
She
achieved her dream of
assisting
women
in
developing
countries
by
founding and directing Light
My Fire, a new nonprofit
designed to ignite women's
lives, to provide a spark to
women to obtain better futures
for themselves, their families,
and communities. Light My
Fire, based in the United
States, makes small grants to
programs for women's health
and education in developing
countries. The organization
also publicizes innovative
programs
to
possible
contributors committed to
helping women.
www.iwa-leaders.com/iwaycis/
Page 6
EMPOWER
Issue 2
Invited Article
The concept is called this
guided giving.
Light My Fire is driven by
three critical development
principles:
1) Providing small amounts
of money early for specific,
tangible outcomes. In the
developing world a small
amount of money goes a long
way, and encourages women
to step forward. Development
flourishes when resources are
provided early in the process
to launch women’s and
community activity, leading
to further funding from other
donors.
2) Selecting projects that are
sustainable. Projects must be
able over time to support
themselves in order to
survive. All Light My Fire
projects are evaluated for
eventual sustainability
3)
Using
social
entrepreneurship to replicate
projects. Light My Fire
selects projects that can be
replicated in many different
settings, thus maximizing
their impact. Part of the
mission is to use innovative
solutions to address social
problems.
In one year, Light My Fire
projects for women and girls
have been funded on three
continents.
In India, where estimates
suggest that only 10 percent
of cases of sexual violence
are ever reported, Light My
Fire supports a program to
offer 100 all-day workshops
to
2500
college-age
participants that will explain
the new criminal law and
women’s rights under the
law, and encourage women
to report incidents of sexual
misconduct. The workshops
will also instruct participants
regarding hospital and police
procedures and appeals to
higher legal authorities when
necessary, and provide for
teams
of
workshop
participants to disseminate
workshop information to
their own communities.
Light My Fire launched its
first project in Kenya in July,
2014,
with
an
HIV
counseling program serving
the Maasai people of the
Trans-Mara.
Before the launch, the clinic
office was prepared and
provided
over-the-counter
medications to people who
are HIV positive and need
help with side effects from
the virus.
In Guatemala, Light My Fire
is supporting workshops for
600 high school and middle
school students on sexual
and reproductive health and
family planning in the area
of Lake Atitlan.
These
workshops will help prevent
teen pregnancy and sexually
transmitted
diseases,
including
HIV/AIDS.
Health promoters will also
teach the
http://marthaburk.org/
students about women’s
rights
concerning
reproductive choices and will
introduce them to various
forms
of
contraception,
including condoms.
These projects are but a small
sample of the work Light My
Fire is doing around the
world. Once overlooked,
women are now understood
as the critical factor in family
and community success as
well as offering, when given
opportunity, their own special
talents and skills to the
developing world. And that
opportunity is enhanced
thanks to the work of Light
My Fire, and its visionary
founder, Dr. Ellen Boneparth.
Visit the website and
Facebook page at Light My
Fire.
www.lightmyfirefund.org/
Page 7
EMPOWER
Issue 2
Page 8
EMPOWER
Issue 2
Student Creative Director Update
Trip to London
Jenna Jung
Last October, I went to
London to visit a few schools
and attend the Association of
State Girls’ Schools (ASGS)
Conference. My goal was to
inspire others to set up IWA
clubs and to work together to
empower women around the
world. I was given an
amazing opportunity to give
a 20-minute speech in front
of many representatives and
head-teachers of states girls’
schools in the UK about our
club, IWA. This was the first
and so far the best
achievement I have made as
a Student Creative Director
of IWA, which is a position
that focuses on promoting
the
actions
of
IWA
worldwide. In addition, this
was my first step of
developing my talent and
building my experience of
becoming a future creative
director,
which I
am
extremely passionate about.
Before the conference and
the speech, I was extremely
nervous. So nervous that my
hands and even my legs were
shaking! However, when I
stood in front of everyone, I
felt the urge to be confident
and really share my story of
the great experiences I have
done through fundraising
activities, coming from my
heart.
I got some really good
feedback on the truthfulness
and passion about the
necessity of empowering
girls and women around the
world and building the
connection to bring each
other up. Few of the teachers
even told me that they could
see me giving a speech at the
UN in the future! In addition
to the conference, I visited
two schools: Chelmsford
County High School for
Girls and St Bernard’s High
School.
At Chelmsford County High
School for Girls, I had a
meeting with an international
club and several teachers to
promote IWA. It was truly a
valuable
experience
of
sharing my ideas and getting
direct feedback and help. At
St. Bernard’s High School, I
was given a tour around the
school as well as a chance to
talk to a teacher who was
formally a creative director.
We talked about how to
creatively encourage girls to
be
leaders
and
grow
leadership
skills,
and
innovative ways to carry out
different
fundraising
activities.
Overall
this
was
a
tremendously
new
and
amazing experience for me.
Not to mention I had to wear
formal clothes to attend
formal
conference
and
meetings; I almost felt like I
was on a business trip! I
really loved seeing new
people
and
making
connections by exchanging
name cards and their
feedback and compliments
boosted my confidence of
speaking in front of others
about things that I believed
in. Seeing myself enjoy this
kind of experience, as a
result,
I
was
more
determined than ever to
become a successful creative
director in the future. I hope
to keep up the good work
and to empower more
women around the globe to
make difference!
www.iwa-leaders.com/jennajung/
Page 9
EMPOWER
Issue 2
Club Introduction
IWA BMF-Volunteering in
Guizhou, China
“The hardships can never be
fully expected”, I told my
fellow volunteers at the
preliminary meeting.
Baibi, a typical mountain
village,
is
200
miles
southeast from Guiyang, the
capital city of Guizhou
province,
China.
High
altitude, poverty, lack of
educational resources, and
stunning landscapes are the
basic components of this
remote village. Through Dr.
L and Annie Yu, I was able
to connect with the village.
After
several
inter-club
meetings in Shanghai, we
came up with many fantastic
ideas, which were very
encouraging.
Our 14-day mission started
the moment our plane
touched down at the Guiyang
Airport. From pulling our
heavy luggage to reading the
slightly
confusing
transportation signs, and then
from the endless rides on the
winding roads up the
mountains
to
the
overcrowded trains, the
joyful looks on our faces
faded, and the journey
became somewhat weary.
But the turning point was
when we reached our
destination and saw the
extraordinary
mountain
scenery and met the local
people, who showed us the
most
hospitality that I have ever
experienced. The arduous
journey proved to be worthy.
Other than the astonishing
mountain views and super
hospitable “Miao” people,
the children we met also
touched the strings of our
hearts.
Rebellious as some of them
were, they impressed us with
their purity and genuineness,
which, in a way, is unique
for mountain children.
At the beginning, most of the
students
stumbled
over
almost every word in the
English texts we had
prepared, and some naughty
kids even kept sabotaging the
classes. With the necessary
patience from us, some of the
uncontrollable
boys
gradually became “tamed”.
Shortly after, most of our
students were able to
rehearse
the
drama
“Cinderella”. After a couple
of days had passed, even the
naughtiest children in our
classes started to show
willingness to get involved.
Wen Qiang, the leader of the
boys, eventually befriended
us by agreeing to play 1-on1s on the basketball court,
which was just a couple of
lines painted on the cement
floor. Even the slightest
change in attitude greatly
encouraged us and dissipated
our frustration. It occurred to
me that teaching wasn’t a
one-way track, for the
children
never
ceased
impressing us with their
loveliness and purity as we
tried to teach them how to
pronounce English words
such as “dolphin”. Two of
the boys spent all the coins
they had to buy us orange
juice; some of them wrote us
“love letters”, in which they
told us secrets they had long
held in mind, and every
morning they got to the
school gate so early that we
could hear them chanting
while we were having
breakfast at 7.
www.iwa-leaders.com/iwabmf/
Page 10
EMPOWER
Issue 2
Club Introduction
We were often energized by
their enthusiasm during our
stay in Baibi.
The finale came the night
before we left.
Witnessing the children
completely
exceed
our
expectations made many of
the volunteers shed tears.
The memory of them singing
a variety of sweet songs,
from “You Raise Me Up” to
“Cinderella”, is a favorite of
mine. Our students taught us
a
lesson
with
the
unbelievable and moving
performances using what we
taught them about how to
read and sing in an
unfamiliar language. And I
truly hope this reciprocity
will continue to exist in my
future life.
Working with the little
children in Baibi has been an
enjoyment and inspiration for
all of us. The commitment
we promised to keep and the
attachment we built with our
students will always be the
reasons for us to continue our
mission. And with IWA, the
community where talented
and inspiring enthusiasts
gather around, I believe we
will continually do better.
www.iwa-leaders.com/iwabmf/
Page 11
EMPOWER
Issue 2
The International Women’s Academy seeks creative and self motivated individuals to lead the
drive of our IWA Club activities globally.
Are you…
• Creative
• Entrepreneurial
• A confident communicator
• Self motivated
IWA Country Ambassadors
IWA Country Ambassadors
work within their own
country to promote IWA
Clubs at schools, universities
and companies. This is a
voluntary position but one
which is crucial to the
expansion of the IWA Club
network.
The position offers fantastic
opportunities to develop your
marketing,
communication
and network building skills.
You will work closely with
our IWA Student Creative
Director and the Co-Founder.
The role will particularly suit
a high school or university
student who is creative,
entrepreneurial
and
self
motivated
Dr Peter Le Masurier
IWA Co-Founder
Visit our website to learn more and to submit your online application
www.iwa-education.com/vacanies
Page 12
The Magazine of the International Women’s Academy
Issue 2: Jan 2015
The success of our Empower Magazine is dependent of our IWA Clubs
contributions. So please can we ask for your kind support with…
• Articles about your club activities
• Introductions to your clubs and club members
• News stories that have captured your interest and imaginations
• Ideas for projects
• Events you would like to advertise
• Support you would like to request from other members
Every article which is included in our Empower Magazine will gain your club
1000 points for your club exchange total.
Please send all articles to our IWA Student Editor at the Empower email
address below.
empower@iwa-education.com
EMPOWER