Girls Giving Group--September 29, 2011

Hostess:  Erin Clark

We added one new member this meeting and spread the word to many more.  Some of the giving girls will join our efforts online.

Our giving opportunity this time will help Sharafniso, a 35 year old divorced woman in Tajikistan seeking a loan on kiva.org for a retail business. 
http://www.kiva.org/lend/341799

See www.tajikistananddeliver.blogspot.com for pictures of Tajikistan and the women there.

It has been estimated that 300,000 women in Tajikistan are abandoned by their husbands who travel to Russia as migrant workers and don't return, divorcing their wives over the phone in accordance with Muslim and Tajik law or simply stopping all contact.  This leaves women and children with no means of support, especially in rural areas, where living conditions can be mud huts with no running water or electricity. Many women in Tajikistan have become the heads of their households and communities.
http://www.iom.tj/projects_facilitating_legal.htm

An Update on Syltane

We received a letter from Syltane thanking us for the donation. The translation from French to English was a little choppy but to summarize she said that she was “wholeheartedly” thankful for our generous donation.  She is from a family of 10 children and her parents were farmers. Her family suffered greatly because her father passed away and her mother was very ill. She also said that it is her desire to increase the number of health professionals in her country. She chose nursing to help all the people suffering in her country.  After she receives her degree she wants to specialize in physical rehabilitation in order to work for the Healing Hands for Haiti Clinic in Port-au-Prince.  She ended by saying that the gift we gave her was the most wonderful thing that has happened in her life.  She closed by writing, “Thank you, thank you, thank you for thinking of me.” 

We are planning to be in touch with Syltane throughout her schooling and graduation process.

Girls Giving Group - March 31st, 2011

Hostess:  Krista Burrow

We added several new members to our group for our second official meeting!  We began by reviewing the history of how are group started and it's purpose.  Our giving opportunity for this quarter went to a woman named Syltane, a nursing student from Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  We reviewed the history of Haiti and some of the current challenges that the entire country is facing as well as the burden on women to become educated.  A bio of Syltane was presented and the group as a whole decided that it would be a worthy cause to present our donation to Syltane to assist her in her tuition payment for the upcoming semester.  A little about Syltane....she is 32 year old single woman and in her first year of nursing school. She currently works at the Healing Hands for Haiti Rehabilitation Clinic washing dishes in the guest house.  She has been struggling to pay her tuition and buy the school supplies that she needs.  Many of the group members wanted to know more about Syltane such as her family background, how she decided on nursing for a profession and what she plans to do after graduating. We will post more information when we hear back from her. 

Syltane in her nursing uniform

Our message to Syltane



Next Meeting - March 31, 7:00 pm

Krista is hosting our next meeting on March 31st.  Email me if you want to come, and we'll give you directions... kerielizabethjones@gmail.com.  See you then! 

First Girls Giving Group - February 2010

Hostess:  Keri Jones

Joined by a few new friends, we reviewed the purpose of the group, and brainstormed opportunities and websites for giving.  We watched The Girl Effect, a short film about investing in girls.  We also talked about new friends to invite to the group. 

Our giving opportunity for this month is: http://www.mercycorps.org/gift/teachawomantoread.

Making the Decision to Make a Difference

In March 2009, a few of us celebrated International Women's Day by going to see "A Powerful Noise," followed by a panel discussion hosted by CARE. The film about 3 amazing women across the globe who have chosen to make a difference in their own communities was beyond inspiring, and we decided we could, and SHOULD, do the same.

Fast forward a few months when we finally got our act together, and this was the result. A "Girls Giving Group," or the idea that we could bring together the powerful women in our lives to meet quarterly to educate ourselves on women's issues across the globe, and pool our resources to make a difference.

Our first meeting was just the four of us (Krista, Jill, Keri and Erin - your hostesses) deciding the framework. Here it is:

• All of the amazing women in our lives are invited as long as you're willing to commit to the process and investment.
• Priority areas include issues related to the health of women, their families and communities. We hope to contribute to organizations or nonprofits that focus on efforts that will result in education, health, and sustainability in the U.S. and across the world. However, this is still quite broad... the opportunities are endless!
• We will meet quarterly to look at a different area of the world, a different area of concern, and a local effort to contribute to. Each member will take turns hosting, selecting one or more groups for donation, and presenting to the rest of the group.
• Each member of the group will be asked to contribute $50 per quarter to the pot of money, though no one will be turned away for a smaller contribution. You can pay directly through the internet, or the four hostesses will take charge of the pot until it's paid out.

This is about women giving to women - encouraging growth, empowerment, and inspiration in ALL of us.

Join us.

Ooooooo......look at our new blog.