In 2012, Starfish One by One launched the BRIDGE Program with DFW's support of a $47,382 grant. This project creates job-readiness among indigenous high school girls whose families have never held roles in the formal economy. To date, over 30 young women of the 76 anticipated now have experienced their "first job" in a formal setting through the DFW-supported "Foot in the Door" program that matches students with local non-profits. In 2013, they will continue to pioneer new paths for indigenous women in Guatemala.

To read more about Starfish's interim progress, please click here.

We are distressed to learn of the recent action taken by the Kenyan government with regard to refugees in Kenya.  Although our grant funds have not yet been disbursed to Heshima Kenya, our January 2013 program, we asked Anne Sweeney  Co-Executive Director of Develop-ment & Advocacy for Heshima Kenya, to tell us how these changes are impacting Heshima Kenya.  Anne writes from Kenya:

"Kenya is home to the largest refugee population in the world. The conditions in the refugee camps are devastating, and over 100,000 refugees have found their way to Nairobi where only a handful of organizations like Heshima Kenya exist to support their needs.  Due to growing insecurity in Kenya, the Government of Kenya issued a directive in December that all refugees should relocate to the camps.

More than ever, Heshima Kenya's programs continue to be a lifeline for the girls we support.  Our staff is working overtime to ensure that all the girls and young women are protected and have remained safe. As of early February, the hostility against urban refugees has mitigated and we are working with the United Nations, partner organizations, and the Government of Kenya to support recognition that extremely vulnerable children and young women are a population that should be exempted from relocation. The High Court of Kenya also believes the directive to be unconstitutional and is currently reviewing whether the directive will hold. Despite the directive, all girls have attended our programs on a daily basis and it is business as usual -- participants relayed that they are not going to let this stop them from receiving an education."

DFW will remain in close communication with Heshima Kenya prior to disbursing grant funds.

Need some new ideas for your chapter meetings?

• Quiz your chapter about the program before you begin your presentation (that will really keep them engaged!) Or quiz them at the end of the presentation by making it fun or competitive to keep your members on their toes!
   
• Face these challenging issues through storytelling. Using a Food for Thought discussion question, start your meeting off by reading the question and answering in the form of a life story about a girl/woman being served. Use information from the document that addresses the issues and circumstances she is facing to make the issues feel real to your audience.
    
• Spark discussions at each dining table or eating area, using one of the Food for Thought discussion questions. For each table or area, print a question on a slip of paper and ask members to read and share their thoughts. This is a great opportunity to discuss issues the women and girls we are supporting face in their lives. Time permitting, share at the end of the meeting.
   
• Bring the women's and girls' experiences to life. At the end of your presentation, have each of the 'Voices' or stories in the Program Fact Sheet read by a different member. The story for Midwives For Haiti is very moving.
   

Who creates the video clips that accompany our monthly educational program material? The answer: our selected programs are required to submit a video clip.

Some already have suitable video clips available, while others need to create one for specifically for us. For small organizations, creating a video clip can be a challenge based on staffing, capacity and accessibility to editing software. After being reviewed by the DFW Program Team, video clips are then sent to a vendor for DFW's quarterly DVD production and mailing to Chapter Leaders.

All program video clips are also available on DFW's website for online viewing and downloading.

Our DFW Writing Team each month spends an average of 70 hours researching, writing, editing and publishing our materials. Without the work of these volunteers our program education would not be possible.  

"Just wanted to take a moment to thank the team of volunteers for the incredible job done every month putting the program education materials together. I will be the presenter at a chapter I am visiting this afternoon and going through this information I am just so speechless at this impressive and compelling body of work. Please know that more than 10,000 people get a super education every month because of the work the team does." Jamye Cooper, Executive Director, DFW

A special thank you to our volunteers for their outstanding work in 2012 .....

Chris Byrnes, Marcie Christensen, Karen Frederick, Karen O'Brien, Lynn O'Connell, Donna Shaver, Cindy Ballaro, Jennie Goldstone, Marianna Sullivan and our additional editors Ruth Bates and Jennifer Moyen-Logan.

"I'm pleased that my presentation on Heshima Kenya was so well received...just goes to show what can be accomplished with good material. Honestly, I was inspired by the quality of information provided. The discussion questions dovetailed beautifully." Yvonne Ryan, DFW Member

Through the dedicated effort and professional talent of our volunteer Writing Team, our unique monthly educational materials are created for members to learn more about the supported programs, the issues women and girls face, different cultures, recommended books, films and music, fair trade products and cuisine. The materials provide a wealth of program information which can be used in a variety of ways to educate chapters.