invite you to attend a Charity Evening

benefiting WOMEN FOR WOMEN INTERNATIONAL, in honour of

PLAY, a FESTIVAL OF FUN & the group exhibit's artists

Tuesday November 3

50 Upper Brook Street, Mayfair W1K 2BS

ABOUT WOMEN FOR WOMEN INTERNATIONAL

Mission Statement

Women for Women International provides women survivors of war, civil strife and other conflicts with the tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-sufficiency, thereby promoting viable civil societies.

Vision Statement

Women for Women International envisions a world where no one is abused, poor, illiterate or marginalized; where members of communities have full and equal participation in the processes that ensure their health, well-being and economic independence; and where everyone has the freedom to define the scope of their life, their future and strive to achieve their full potential.

Our Core Values and Beliefs

Equality: All people are free and equal in dignity and rights: civil, political, social, economic and cultural.

Empowerment: The women who we assist are the leaders in their own lives. Tools are provided for each woman to rebuild her life.

Respect: The women we support choose their own value system. Options are presented to each woman but she is responsible for her own choice.

Diversity: Women are not simply refugees or victims of war but are survivors and individuals. No two women require the same support to heal, and no two societies can be rebuilt in the same way. Communication among women of varied backgrounds, national origins, race, and religion both those who need assistance and those who offer it must honor each other s differences.

Investment: The one-on-one approach deals with macro issues through micro solutions. By strengthening local chapters we attempt to build or strengthen civil society in the countries where we work.

What We Do

From Victim to Survivor... to Active Citizen

Women for Women International mobilizes women to change their lives through a holistic approach that addresses the unique needs of women in conflict and post-conflict environments.

We begin by working with women who may have lost everything in conflict and often have nowhere else to turn. Participation in our one-year program launches women on a journey from victim to survivor to active citizen. We identify services to support graduates of the program as they continue to strive for greater social, economic and political participation in their communities.

As each woman engages in a multi-phase process of recovery and rehabilitation, she opens a window of opportunity presented by the end of conflict to help improve the rights, freedoms and status of women in her country. As women who go through our program assume leadership positions in their villages, actively participate in the reconstruction of their communities, build civil society, start businesses, train other women and serve as role models, they become active citizens who can help to establish lasting peace and stability.

Women begin in our Sponsorship Program where direct financial aid from a sponsor helps them deal with the immediate effects of war and conflict such as lack of food, water, medicine and other necessities. Exchanging letters with sponsors provides women with an emotional lifeline and a chance to tell their stories maybe for the first time. As their situations begin to stabilize, women in our program begin building a foundation for their lives as survivors.

While continuing to receive sponsorship support, women embark on the next leg of the journey and participate in the Renewing Women s Life Skills (ReneWLS) Program that provides them with rights awareness, leadership education and vocational and technical skills training. Women build upon existing skills and learn new ones in order to regain their strength, stability and stature on the path to becoming active citizens.

Women for Women International believes that establishing a means to earn a sustainable living is critical to being fully active in the life of a family, community and country. To help women transform their new skills into financial independence and sustainability, we offer job skills training to strengthen women s existing skills and to introduce new skills in traditional and non-traditional fields so women can access future employment opportunities.

Building on the skills training program, we offer comprehensive business services designed to help women start and manage their own microenterprises. We give them access to capital and operate microcredit programs in Afghanistan and Bosnia & Herzegovina with an overall repayment rate of 98%. We give women access to markets by facilitating product sales through outside retailers. We provide expertise such as product design, production assistance and business development workshops. We also help women form micro-enterprises such as production facilities and cooperative stores to sell the goods women produce.

Meanwhile, back in the U.S. Office, we re constantly working to provide technical assistance to our chapters, to support and empower our sponsors and sisters around the world, and to amplify women s voices through our research, publications and action on current affairs.

In which countries does Women for Women International operate?

Women for Women International currently operates in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Kosovo (in the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia), Nigeria, Rwanda and Sudan. Women for Women International also has worked in Bangladesh, Croatia and Pakistan.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO - Sexual violence in the DR Congo is the worst in the world. Since 2004, we have helped over 14,000 women in the DRC go from victim to survivor

SUDAN - Sudan has been embroiled in civil war for nearly 50 years. In 2008, we launched programs centered around agricultural advancements, to help end the food crisis

BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA - Women were strategically used as weapons of war in rape concentration camps. Over 55 different communities are involved in our programs through out Bosnia & Herzegovina

KOSOVO - 50% of the women are widows since the war and 80% are unemployed. Some of our greatest successes are happening here where today 89% of women say they're optimistic about their future.

RWANDA - It is estimated that 500,000 women and girls were raped and tortured during the genocide. After just one year in our program nearly 3/4 of the women say their economic situation is better

IRAQ - Human rights conditions are devastating and virtually everyone is a target for attack and kidnapping. Since 2003, more than 4,000 women from Baghdad, Hilla and Karbala have been served, benefiting more than 21,600 families and community members

AFGHANISTAN - In spite of the democratic elections and new constitution women face enormous obstacles. In just 5 years we've helped 10,000 women retain and grow their rights and freedoms

NIGERIA - 10 Nigerian states have laws that allow husbands to beat their wives. Our program in Nigeria has helped more than 3,000 women from 21 countries learn valuable job skills and start their own businesses

Registered Charity