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VG Flash November 2008 |
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Travel to Nepal and India with VGIF |
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VGIF recently announced plans for a Friendship Tour to Nepal and India in November 2009. Many of you responded, indicating interest in joining the tour. A brief recap of the details and how to register follows. Please note that we need to have at least 25 deposit-paying participants by December 1, 2008 to go forward. If you are interested in participating in this trip, Book Now to join in this unique travel opportunity to foster cultural exchange and stretch out our hands to women around the world, sharing ideas and dreams in our mission to invest in and support women in the developing world. No additional phone calls or follow up will be made before December 1; please direct any questions to the VGIF office (212-213-0622 or vgif@vgif.org) or to Friendship Ambassadors Foundation (203-542-0661 or vgif@faf.org). The tour will include visits to Delhi, Agra, Rajasthan and Calcutta, as well as an optional tour to Kathmandu and Chitwan in Nepal. The trip will be highlighted by a visit to Project Five-O Calcutta, one of our earliest projects, and a conference arranged in collaboration with the Indian Federation of University Women (IFUWA) entitled “Women, Water, and Food Security.” Other visits to selected project sites in Calcutta and Delhi will be made in collaboration with IFUWA. To assist participants with their travel and accommodation needs, VGIF has partnered with one of its NGO affiliates, Friendship Ambassadors Foundation (FAF), to offer flexible land and air packages (for travelers from New York, USA) and land-only packages for all interested participants. Please view all details of the travel packages including registration capability at the FAF web site, www.faf.org or www.faf.org/grouptours/tourinfo/vgifconference/travel2india.htm. PLEASE NOTE: These are special NGO-discounted group rates and are only available if at least 25 paying passengers have signed, contracted, and paid deposits by December 1, 2008. You may select any of the travel packages which include:
Cordially, Eileen Shelley Menton, President and Fay Kittelson, Executive Director |
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Luncheon Honors Women Ambassadors |
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On November 3, the NGO Committee on the Status of Women in New York held its annual luncheon to honor the women ambassadors who are heads of Missions at the United Nations. VGIF, represented by Leslie Wright and Fay Kittelson, was again one of the sponsors of the event and listed prominently in the program. VGIF sponsored Mrs. Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations from Ecuador. Before taking on the Ambassadorship, Espinosa worked for many years in civil society and with numerous NGOs. She was very enthusiastic to hear of VGIF’s work around the world to support women and girls and has indicated interest in arranging a meeting with VGIF representatives and other women ambassadors to speak more about our projects. Keynote speaker Stephen Lewis, former UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa and currently Co-Director of AIDS-Free World, addressed the urgent need for gender equality to combat HIV/AIDS and crimes against women – a presentation both riveting and inspirational.
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| Fay Kittelson, Executive Director |
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53rd Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women – 2-13 March 2009 |
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Once again a VGIF delegation will participate as observers at this United Nations annual meeting. It will be held at the United Nations headquarters in New York from 2 to 13 March 2009. The themes that will be considered are the following: “The equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including caregiving in the context of HIV/AIDS.” The Division for the Advancement of Women organized an online discussion on this priority theme which provided an opportunity for practitioners and experts to contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the issue. The online discussion provided background information for an Expert Group Meeting organized by the Division as part of the preparatory process for the 53rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in 2009. "Equal participation of women and men in decision-making processes at all levels" was adopted at the 50th session of CSW. This review theme will be addressed in March through an interactive dialogue to evaluate progress of the implementation of the agreed conclusions three years ago. If you are interested in finding out about our work at the CSW you may do so by contacting Leslie Wright, ngowork-vgif@yahoo.com. |
| Leslie Wright, VGIF UN Representatives Committee Convener |
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The Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund