Dear Friends:
Today is International Women’s Day, March 8, 2023! We celebrate this day on the eighth of every month by sending you a reflection.
We invite you share in this effort by sending any articles or information concerning the voice of women that you would like to share to:
Thomas P. Bonacci, C.P
[email protected]
925-787-9279
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
MARCH 8, 2023
The Interfaith Peace Project has supported and observed International Women’s Day over the years. In fact, we consider every day to be International Women’s Day since the wisdom, voice, and courage of real women in the actual world must be integrated into every aspect of daily life.
The mind, heart, and soul of this day retrieve the dignity and voice of women in history and contemporary society. This is accomplished by seeking the wisdom of the very real women we meet daily.
The Interfaith Peace Project advocates for the full human rights of women and their right to self-determination. We pledge on this day to renew our commitment to women in our work, research, and outreach.
It is our blessing to offer you this important list of organizations by and for women. Please survey this list for your information and support. You might consider supporting one or more of these organizations. It is our blessing to share this information with you. We invite you to inform us of any organization not listed.
Together let us observe International Women’s Day in all the affairs of our lives each and every day. Thank you for reviewing the list and for everything you do to foster and honor the human dignity of all people.
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
Bay Area Crisis Nursery
The Bay Area Crisis Nursery (BACN) was established in 1981. This organization was founded by Sister Ann Weltz. She had a vision of a grassroots organization that would give parents the much-needed time to care for themselves so they could then care for their children. The Nursery is a loving sanctuary where parents feel comfortable and safe leaving their children for a short period of time. It is rooted in the idea that families are able and capable of making the best decisions when given supportive, non-judgmental information.
Bay Area Crisis Nursery’s ultimate goal is that all children are safe, healthy, and thrive both emotionally and physically. Their mission is simple: to prevent child abuse and neglect through providing supportive services to families. All services are free, voluntary, and confidential. Bay Area Crisis Nursery provides short-term residential care and emergency childcare services to give parents time to focus on resolving a crisis or stressful situation.
To ensure continued success for families, the Bay Area Crisis Nursery also provides a Respite Care program allowing monthly respite support of the children. This allows our clients the time they need to acquire additional services for continued stress reduction for the family.
Charity Navigator Rating: Not Rated
https://bayareacrisisnursery.org
Yellow Company
Yellow Company was started by Joanna Waterfall of Riverside, California. Joanna had a desire to bring together like-minded, passionate women working for good into a women’s organization. The organization is a collective movement of women from all over the globe who are dedicated to using their gifts, skills and talents to further the common good. The organization helps women by giving guidance and support as the women build their businesses and deepen their impact.
Since 2014, Yellow Company has hosted 7 conferences and served over 2,500 women through their events. They have also expanded into a virtual membership platform and offer small group support. The Yellow Conference has served both coasts, with an Annual August Conference in Los Angeles and a New York Conference added in 2019. Each year they bring together hundreds of women who hear from world changing women who are leading brands.
Charity Navigator Rating: Not Rated
https://yellowco.co
Finca International’s Empower Women
FINCA International is a non-profit organization with a mission to alleviate poverty through lasting solutions that help people build assets, create jobs and raise their standard of living.
FINCA International was founded in 1984 with radical idea that giving small loans to people in poverty has the power to transform entire communities in a sustainable way. For over 30 years, FINCA has provided tens of millions of low-income people with access to financial services they otherwise would not have.
FINCA has long understood that poverty is multidimensional, and are now expanding beyond their global success in financial inclusion. Today, they work with partners in agriculture, health care, clean energy, FinTech and other sectors to realize their vision of building a global network of sustainable and scalable social enterprises that alleviate poverty worldwide.
Charity Navigator Rating: 100%
https://finca.org
HERitage Giving Fund
HERitage Giving Fund is committed to engaging Black Women of varying economic status and backgrounds to invest in startups or organizations of small to medium size. HERitage awards grants to organizations that are located in the state of Texas and serve Black Women and Girls who live, work, or study in Texas. They support organizations that are Black Female led and fifty percent or more of the clients served are Black. HERitage currently awards grants up to $10,000 to organizations with budgets under $500,000.
HERitage also provides educational opportunities to learn about issues and organizations that affect and impact the Black community. Including information about the historic and present day contributions of Black women and girls committed to service of others and the greater community.
Charity Navigator Rating: Not rated
https://heritagegivingfund.org
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
CARE
CARE is a nonprofit relief organization that aims to end poverty by supporting women’s rights to education, health care, and safety from abuse and violence. Care is United States based and was founded in 1945 when it sent packages of food to WWII survivors. Today, it donates to communities in need of disaster and emergency relief with an emphasis on empowering women. It works with community-based efforts to improve basic education, prevent the spread of HIV, increase access to quality health care and clean water and sanitation,
The eradication of poverty and achievement of social justice cannot occur while inequality persists. Discrimination against women has negative implications for global security and development, economic performance, food security, health, climate adaptation and the environment, governance, and stability.
Charity Navigator Rating: 93%
https://care.org
Girls Who Code
Girls who code is a United States based organization that empowers young women to pursue careers in technology and computer science. The organization offers after school coding classes for girls in grades 3 through 12 as well as summer programs. It was founded in 2012 by Reshma Saujani and has served girls in all 50 states.
The organization sponsors clubs for 3rd-5th and 6th-12th graders to explore coding in a fun & friendly environment. It also offers summer programs to teach high school students to code and provide exposure to tech jobs. College programs help their alumni succeed and build community with other women in tech.
Charity Navigator Rating: 99%
https://girlswhocode.com
National Women’s Law Center
The National Women’s Law Center is a nonprofit organization that advocates for women and families through legal initiatives. It was founded in 1972 and is based in Washington D.C.
The Center fights for gender justice in the courts, in public policy, and in our society. It was active in the passage of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 which prohibits employers from discriminating based on pregnancy. It advocates for women’s health care and the rights of children and families. It helps secure funding for Head Start (early education for children from low-income families) with local state and national organizations.
Charity Navigator Rating: 100%
https://nwlc.org
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
UN Women
UN Women was founded in 2010 and is part of the United Nations. It is dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. It works with UN Member States to help set and achieve global standards for gender equality by designing laws, policies, programs and services. It focuses on “four strategic priorities:
- Women lead, participate in and benefit equally from governance systems
- Women have income security, decent work and economic autonomy
- All women and girls live a life free from all forms of violence
- Women and girls contribute to and have greater influence in building sustainable peace and resilience, and benefit equally from the prevention of natural disasters and conflicts and humanitarian action.”
Charity Navigator Rating: 100%
https://unwomen.org
Malala Fund
The Malala Fund “is working for a world where every girl can learn and lead.” This group advocates for the rights of young women to have 12 years of safe, quality and free education. It supports education for girls in developing nations, including Afghanistan, Brazil, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Syria. The Malala Fund, through its Education Champion Network, invests in local educators and advocates. It advocates for resources and policy changes needed to give all girls a secondary education.
Malala and Ziauddin Yousafzai founded the Malala Fund in 2013. At the age of 15, in 2012, Malala was shot by the Taliban on her way home from school because she spoke out publicly on behalf of girls and their right to learn. Malala received the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2014, for her work. She was the youngest person to receive a Nobel laureate.
Charity Navigator Rating: 100%
https://malala.org
K.I.N.D. Fund of Unicef
In Malawi, more than half of all students do not have a desk or a chair. Instead, they attend class by sitting on the floor or on the ground. The K.I.N.D. Fund receives donations to purchase desks for these children. A secondary benefit is that these desks are manufactured locally, creating jobs.
Girls in Malawi do not typically get the chance to attend secondary schools due to the fees charged. The K.I.N.D Fund provides secondary school scholarships to Malawian girls most in danger of missing out on an education. A year of funding provides tuition, school uniforms and learning supplies.
Charity Navigator Rating: Not Rated
https://unicefusa.org/kind-scholarships
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