Press Center

Gap Inc.’s P.A.C.E. Program Recognized by Former President Clinton

swon — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 17:30:16 +0000

Wed, 09/21/2011

San Francisco, CA – September 21, 2011 – (GPS) –Today former President Bill Clinton recognized Gap Inc. for its commitment and model approach to addressing challenges in Economic Empowerment through the Personal Advancement & Career Enhancement (P.A.C.E.) program. The recognition took place during Wednesday’s closing plenary of the Clinton Global Initiative, held in New York City. Bob Fisher, son of Gap Inc. founders Doris and Don Fisher and a Gap Inc. Board Member, accepted the honor on behalf of the company.

P.A.C.E. is a comprehensive workplace education program that provides life skills and technical training for female garment workers, and is currently implemented in six countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. The program asks both workers and management in garment factories to view the welfare, potential, and success of female line workers as keys to business success.
“We are deeply honored by this recognition. Investing in improving women’s lives is a natural fit for Gap Inc. and our company values,” said Bob Fisher. “The program is innovative, scalable and sustainable. Thousands of women across six countries have already participated.”

Launched in 2007, Gap Inc.’s P.A.C.E. program creates opportunities for women to advance in their careers and personal lives. The garment industry is one of the world’s largest employers of low-skilled women workers. Despite their large numbers in the workforce, relatively few female garment workers advance to management positions, as many do not have access to the education and training that will propel their professional advancement. Research shows that P.A.C.E. graduates are more productive, have lower rates of absenteeism, and advance faster in the workplace than factory workers who do not participate in the program. Not only do the women participating benefit from the program, but the factories also benefit by developing a more skilled and reliable workforce.

P.A.C.E. was designed and developed in partnership with Swasti Health Resources and the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW). CARE International is a key implementing partner. Gap Inc.’s vendor partners also play a critical role. One of these vendors in India that employs more than 60,000 workers has committed to extending P.A.C.E. to all workers by the year 2020. To date, more than 7,500 female garment workers have participated in the program.

“Education of female garment workers is a distinct way our company can support positive, lasting benefits for workers and their communities. Our deep knowledge of the apparel world, our partnerships with manufacturing vendors and local NGOs have allowed us to help make meaningful impact on the lives of thousands of women,” said Gap Inc. Chairman and CEO, Glenn Murphy.

Media Contact:

Angela Leung Wasmer, Gap Inc. 415.427.2577

Mission Statement:

About Gap Inc.
Gap Inc. is a leading global specialty retailer offering clothing, accessories, and personal care products for men, women, children, and babies under the Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime, and Athleta
brands. Fiscal year 2010 net sales were $14.7 billion. Gap Inc. products are available for purchase in over 90 countries worldwide through about 3,100 company-operated stores, about 200 franchise stores, and e-commerce sites. For more information on Gap Inc.’s P.A.C.E. program and other community investments, please visit www.gapinc.com/socialresponsibility

About ICRW
ICRW's mission is to empower women, advance gender equality and fight poverty in the developing world. To accomplish this, ICRW works with partners to conduct empirical research, build capacity and advocate for evidence-based, practical ways to change policies and programs.

ExxonMobil Foundation Funds Study by Cherie Blair Foundation for Women on Mobile Phone Use by Women Entrepreneurs

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:29:09 +0000

Tue, 09/20/2011

Groundbreaking study part of commitment to create economic opportunities for women through technology
ExxonMobil grant to help women entrepreneurs enhance business through mobile technology
Investment of nearly $50 million on women’s economic opportunities by ExxonMobil and ExxonMobil Foundation programs has helped tens of thousands of women

NEW YORK, Sept. 20, 2011 – The ExxonMobil Foundation today announced a $1.5 million grant for research into how mobile phone technology can enhance women’s economic opportunities and entrepreneurship in the developing world. The grant to the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women will be highlighted at the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting.

The study, to be conducted in Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Indonesia, aims to identify various mobile services that can help women entrepreneurs enhance their businesses, and what barriers exist to expanding access to these services.

“We know that mobile technology has great potential for placing women in low-income countries on a higher economic trajectory,” said Cherie Blair, founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women. “Mobile phone use doesn't just help women earn more money, it can also bring great benefits to businesses and therefore to the wider economy as well.”

Mobile phone services are often cited as a significant tool in economic development.There are 300 million fewer female than male subscribers worldwide, and a woman is 21 percent less likely to own a phone than a man in low- and middle-income countries.

“Studies like this will help us understand how technology can best support women in the developing world," said Suzanne M. McCarron, president of the ExxonMobil Foundation. “Success of women entrepreneurs is vital to building strong communities. Expanding the use of mobile technology for women will help raise living standards, leading to more prosperity for them, their families and their countries.”

"Our research shows that technology can be transformative for women, if we engage them in the process," said Sarah Degnan Kambou, president of the International Center for Research on Women. "This partnership does that and will help take women entrepreneurs farther, faster, as a result."

The announcement builds on commitments made by ExxonMobil at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting in 2009 and 2010 that were focused on accelerating women’s economic advancement through technology. In the last six years, ExxonMobil and the ExxonMobil Foundation have invested more than $47 million to support the economic advancement of women. As a result, tens of thousands of women have benefited. Initiatives include:

Providing new irrigation technologies to women farmers in Benin which enable farming throughout the country’s six-month dry season.
Training women in Ghana to use agricultural technologies to increase crop yields.
Helping Ugandan women access solar energy for their communities while growing their own businesses.
Offering business training, mentoring support and networking opportunities to more than 11,000 women in the developing world.
Providing Indonesian women access to solar lanterns which enable them to be more productive after sundown.

In addition to investing in high-impact programs, ExxonMobil partners with leading academics and think tanks to support research and advocacy efforts that raise awareness about the critical role women play in building strong, stable communities.

###

Media Contact:

ExxonMobil Media Relations 972.444.1107

Mission Statement:

About ExxonMobil Foundation

ExxonMobil Foundation is the primary philanthropic arm of Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) in the United States. Globally, ExxonMobil and the ExxonMobil Foundation provide funding to improve basic education, promote women as catalystsfor development, and combat malaria and other infectious diseases in developing countries. In 2010, together with its employees and retirees, ExxonMobil, its divisions and affiliates, and ExxonMobil Foundation provided $237 million in contributions worldwide, of which $110 million was dedicated to education. Additional information on ExxonMobil’s community partnerships and contribution programs is available at www.exxonmobil.com/community.

About Cherie Blair Foundation for Women

The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women provides women with the skills, technology, networks and access to finance that they need to become successful small and growing business owners, so that they can contribute to their economies and have a stronger voice to their societies. Research by the OECD shows that women tend to invest 90 percent of their income back into their families, so their success is critical to the ability of their children to escape poverty too. And yet, women find it harder to obtain access to finance, the right training and good advice. The foundation is a response to these challenges. www.cherieblairfoundation.org

About the Clinton Global Initiative

Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges. Since 2005, CGI annual meetings have brought together more than 125 current and former heads of state, 18 Nobel Peace Prize laureates, hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations, major philanthropists, directors of the most effective nongovernmental organizations, and prominent members of the media. These CGI members have made more than 2,000 commitments valued at $57 billion, which have already improved the lives of 300 million people in more than 180 countries. The 2011 CGI Annual Meeting will take place from Sept. 20-22, 2011, in New York City. www.clintonglobalinitiative.org.

This year, CGI also convened CGI America, a meeting focused on developing ideas for driving economic growth in the United States. The CGI community also includes CGI U, which hosts an annual meeting for undergraduate and graduate students, and CGI Lead, which engages a select group of young CGI members for leadership development and collective commitment-making. For more information, visit www.clintonglobalinitiative.org.

About International Center for Research on Women (ICRW)

ICRW's mission is to empower women, advance gender equality and fight poverty in the developing world. To accomplish this, ICRW works with partners to conduct empirical research, build capacity and advocate for evidence-based, practical ways to change policies and programs. www.icrw.org

Parliament’s Smt. Supriya Sule Attends Meeting on Promoting Gender Equality in Schools

swon — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:01:41 +0000

Mon, 08/01/2011

NEW DELHI, Aug. 1, 2011 – The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), together with the Committee of Resource Organizations for Literacy (CORO) and Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), on Aug. 5-6 in Mumbai will convene educators, nongovernmental organizations and government officials – including Honorable Member of Parliament Smt. Supriya Sule – to discuss how to incorporate lessons on gender equality in Maharashtra schools.

The meeting, “Encouraging Gender Equality,” also will showcase new evidence from ICRW’s Gender Equity Movement in Schools (GEMS) program in 45 Mumbai municipal schools. Findings show that boys and girls who participated in the program became less tolerant of gender discrimination, more supportive of girls pursuing an education and of boys and men contributing to household work. GEMS targets 8,000 12- to 14-year-olds in Mumbai municipal schools and is implemented in partnership with CORO and TISS.

GEMS and the “Encouraging Gender Equality” gathering come at a critical time, as girls continue to be devalued in Indian society and their presence dwindles: The 2011 census revealed 914 girls to every 1,000 boys – a significant decline from 927 girls in the 2001 census, and the lowest since India’s independence.

“Schools are unquestionably the most critical settings to foster changes around inequitable gender norms and to improve the value of the girl child,” said Ravi Verma, director of the ICRW Asia Regional Office in New Delhi. “We need to intentionally work against gender stereotypes that are formally and informally reinforced within the Indian school settings. GEMS is an attempt in that direction.”

Launched in 2008, GEMS champions equal relationships between girls and boys, dissects social norms that often define men's and women's roles in society and addresses how to intervene to stop violence. The program tackles such serious topics in an engaging way, through extra-curricular activities, role-playing and games lead by facilitators from CORO and TISS. In the 2012-2013 school year GEMS will be expanded into 250 Mumbai municipal schools, reaching some 80,000 students.

Representatives from ICRW, CORO and TISS will be present for the two-day meeting, where GEMS students will share their experience with the program and panelists will discuss how school systems can integrate the principles of GEMS into curriculum and teacher trainings. Other participants include Shri Abasaheb Jadhav, education officer at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and Smt. V. Radha, state project director of school education for the government of Maharashtra, among others.

Smt. Radha and Honorable Member of Parliament Smt. Sule will give keynote addresses on Aug. 5 and Aug. 6, respectively.

Media Contacts:

New Delhi:
Pranita Achyut, Poverty, Gender & HIV/AIDS Specialist
Mobile: 09.91.0483554
pachyut@icrw.org

Washington, D.C.:
Jeannie Bunton, Vice President, External Relations
Tel: 202.742.1316; BB: 202.384.0679
jbunton@icrw.org

Mission Statement:

About CORO
Established in 1989, the Committee of Resource Organizations for Literacy (CORO) is a community-owned organization working on holistic community development in the Chembur-Trombay region of Mumbai. CORO’s mission is to work with marginalized groups to achieve gender equality and eradicate caste-based discrimination.

About TISS
The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) was established in 1936 as India’s first school of social work. Its mission is to be an institution of excellence in higher education that continually responds to the changing social realities through the development and application of knowledge, towards creating a people-centered and ecologically sustainable society that promotes and protects the dignity, equality, social justice and human rights for all, with special emphasis on marginalized and vulnerable groups.

Gap Inc.’s P.A.C.E. Program Honored with the ICRW Innovation Award

rmanix — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 16:53:47 +0000

Wed, 03/09/2011

WASHINGTON, March 9, 2011 – Gap Inc. received the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) Champions for Change Award for Innovation in recognition of the company’s P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement) program. This workplace program was developed by Gap Inc. in 2006 to provide life skills and enhanced technical skills education to female garment workers to help them advance in the workplace and in their personal lives. The program currently operates in India and Cambodia, with plans for expansion to other countries. Bobbi Silten, Chief Foundation Officer, Gap Inc., accepted the award last night during the ICRW ‘Passport to Progress’ event held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

Sarah Degnan Kambou, ICRW President said, “Gap Inc.’s P.A.C.E. program is a pioneering business model that leverages its aspirations as well as its assets. We are delighted to recognize Gap Inc. for the way it is transforming women’s lives at work, at home and in the community.”

The global garment industry is one of the largest employers of women workers. Despite their large numbers in the workforce, relatively few female factory workers advance to positions in management. Gap Inc.’s research shows that P.A.C.E. graduates are more productive, have lower rates of absenteeism and are promoted faster than factory workers who do not participate in the program.

“We are honored to receive this award for P.A.C.E.,”said Bobbi Silten. “Investing in improving women’s lives is a natural fit for us. Approximately seventy percent of Gap Inc. employees and 80 percent of garment workers around the world are women. Our company culture, our knowledge of the apparel world and our partnerships with manufacturing vendors and local non-government organizations have allowed us to help make meaningful impact on women and the communities where they live and work,” she added.

One female garment worker who participated in the program in India said, “The P.A.C.E. training has changed me as a person. It has helped me decide the direction in which I want to go. More importantly, it has helped me set my priorities.”

Another program participant noted: “The P.A.C.E. training has given me the opportunity to express my aspirations with confidence. My outlook has changed and I no longer believe that my aspirations are unattainable.”

More than 3,500 female garment workers have participated in the program. At one facility, women who completed the program were promoted nearly five times the rate of other female factory workers in the same factory. P.A.C.E. has proven scalable and sustainable because of a clear business case that participation is not only good for the women, but it is also good for vendors.

The ICRW Award for Innovation celebrates and salutes organizations that are working to advance the health, well-being and economic progress of women and girls through their policies, programs and partnerships.

Media Relations:

ICRW
Jeannie Bunton
(202) 742-1316
jbunton@icrw.org

Gap Inc.
Renate Geerlings
(415) 427-4695
renate_geerlings@gap.com

Mission Statement:

About Gap Inc.
Gap Inc. is a leading global specialty retailer offering clothing, accessories and personal care products for men, women, children and babies under the Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta brands. For more than 40 years, Gap Inc. has supported communities where we live and workthrough grants, in-kind donations, community outreach and employee volunteer programs. Gap Inc. strives to make a long-term impact in communities by focusing on creating opportunities for underserved youth and women through innovative social solutions. One example is Gap Inc.’s P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement) program, which provides life and technical skills training to advance the careers and lives of women factory workers. For more information on Gap Inc. community investment, please visit www.gapinc.com/socialresponsibility.

USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah to Speak on ICRW Panel

tbucci — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:34:50 +0000

Mon, 02/28/2011

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28, 2011 - USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah on March 8 will participate in an International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) panel discussion on breakthrough innovations that have the potential to transform the lives of women in developing countries.

Shah will be joined by Cherie Blair, founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, Tim Hanstad, president and CEO of Landesa, and Bobbi Silten, chief foundation officer at Gap Inc. The discussion will be moderated by Andrea Mitchell, NBC chief foreign affairs correspondent.

The event, to be held on International Women’s Day, will kick off ICRW’s year-long 35^th anniversary discussion series, Passports to Progress. Subsequent gatherings will address investments in ending violence against women, how to advance women’s economic potential and how to measure global progress on gender equality.

Event details:

March 8, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
National Press Club
259 14^th Street N.W., 13^th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20045

Media Contacts:

ICRW: Jeannie Bunton, Vice President, External Relations
Tel: 202-742-1316, BB: 202-384-0679, jbunton@icrw.org

USAID: Press Office
Tel:202-712-4320, usaidpressofficers@usaid.gov

Cherie Blair Foundation for Women: Jillian Convey, Business and Communications Manager
Tel: +44 (0)20 7563 5059, jc@cherieblairfoundation.org

Gap Inc.: Renate Geerlings, Gap Inc. Corporate Communications
Tel: 415-427-4695, renate_geerlings@gap.com

Landesa: Amy Low,Chief Communications Officer
Tel: 206-257-6141, amyl@landesa.org

Mission Statement:

About USAID
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is the lead U.S. government agency providing economic development and humanitarian assistance to people around the world for nearly 50 years. For more information about USAID please go to www.usaid.gov.

About the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women
The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women helps women entrepreneurs to build businesses by offering access to technology, networks, finance and business development support. Programs are in Africa, South Asia and the Middle East, where there is potential for women in business to become self-sustaining in the longer term. By supporting women entrepreneurs, we not only help the women themselves to improve their quality of life, but also their families, communities and economies who benefit from their success. For more, visit www.cherieblairfoundation.org.

About Gap Inc.
Gap Inc. is a leading global specialty retailer offering clothing, accessories and personal care products for men, women, children and babies under the Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta brands. For more than 40 years, Gap Inc. has supported communities where we live and work through grants, in-kind donations, community outreach and employee volunteer programs. Gap Inc. strives to make a long-term impact in communities by focusing on creating opportunities for underserved youth and women through innovative social solutions. One example is Gap Inc.’s P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement) program, which provides life and technical skills training to advance the careers and lives of women factory workers. For more information on Gap Inc. community investment, please visit www.gapinc.com/socialresponsibility.

About Landesa
Grounded in the knowledge that having legal rights to land is a foundation for prosperity and opportunity, Landesa partners with governments and local organizations to ensure that the world’s poorest families have secure rights over the land they till. Founded as the Rural Development Institute in 1967, Landesa has helped more than 100 million poor families gain legal control over their land. With secure land rights, these families can eat better, earn more, educate their children, practice conservation and achieve dignity for generations. For more, visit www.landesa.org.

ExxonMobil Expands Support for Technologies that Help Women in Developing Countries

tbucci — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 15:47:32 +0000

Tue, 09/21/2010

NEW YORK, September 21, 2010 – Exxon Mobil Corporation today announced a $1 million commitment at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) to invest in the expansion of high impact, sustainable technologies that advance women economically in the developing world.

The program is expected to directly benefit more than 13,500 people, with indirect benefits reaching more than 475,000 in the next two years.

The new commitment will help innovators in scaling up technologies that benefit women economically and were identified through ExxonMobil’s partnership with Ashoka’s Changemakers in the Women | Tools | Technology: Building Opportunities & Economic PowerChallenge, launched at last year’s CGI. The new financial support from ExxonMobil will help provide consulting support; facilitate the innovators’ connections with other social entrepreneurs, business and technical experts; and identify best practices.

“The programs identified through the 2009 commitment use technology to improve the lives of women in developing countries,” said Suzanne M. McCarron, general manager, ExxonMobil public and government affairs. “By further supporting these programs, we will be advancing technologies that are proven to create more economic opportunities for women and, as a result, strengthen their communities.”

A significant barrier to economic advancement is a lack of access to energy. An estimated 1.6 billion people in the world have no access to electricity and approximately 2.4 billion rely on biomass fuels like wood, charcoal, or dung for cooking and heating. This undermines the productivity, education, health and safety of these people - 70 percent of whom are women and girls.

ExxonMobil grants will be provided to select innovators who advance technologies to increase access to energy through innovative sources to address the energy gap. These technologies help women increase their productivity and effective participation in the economy. The grant recipients include Kopernik, Solar Electric Light Fund, Solar Sister, Productive Agricultural Linkages and Marketing Systems (P.A.L.M.S) and smallsolutions.

“My country will be a better place when more women have access to technologies,” said Leticia Brenyah, an ExxonMobil-supported innovator from Ghana who spoke at CGI as part of the meeting’s Empowering Girls and Women focus area. “When women thrive economically they improve their lives, families and country.”

As part of its support for the programs identified through the Women | Tools | Technology program, ExxonMobil will work with partners Ashoka’s Changemakers, the International Center for Research on Women and the Thunderbird Emerging Markets Laboratory (TEM Lab) to support the further development of a number of concepts involving the use of innovative technologies to enable women’s access to energy in a sustainable and scalable manner.

TEM Lab will deploy on the ground consulting teams to help diagnose business problems and opportunities with the goal of strengthening program effectiveness.

“We are excited to enter into this meaningful partnership which leverages business and technology expertise to enable innovators to improve their capacity,” said Angel Cabrera, president of Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Innovators will have the opportunity to engage with experts at CGI and utilize the Ashoka’s Changemakers Discovery Framework to better understand the challenges and opportunities in bringing their concepts to scale.

“The passion and new ideas represented by the solutions sourced through last year’s commitment and the subsequent Women | Tools | Technology: Building Opportunities & Economic PowerChallenge represent a powerful new force for advancing women’s economic opportunities globally,” said Bill Drayton, chairman and CEO of Ashoka. “I look forward to not only the deep and lasting impact these leaders will create, but also the future generations of changemakers they will inspire along the way.”

As part of the 2009 CGI Commitment, ICRW’s research report,“Bridging the Technology Divide,” provided insights into how technology can help advance women economically. ICRW will continue to provide monitoring and evaluation support for the commitment activities.

“A year later, it is great to see how innovators have turned good intentions into actions that effectively integrate women in various stages of the technology lifecycle to give them the tools they need to thrive,” said Sarah Degnan Kambou, president of ICRW.

Media Contact:

Jeannie Bunton, 202.742.1316, Jbunton@icrw.org

Mission Statement:

About Exxon Mobil Corporation
ExxonMobil, the largest publicly traded international oil and gas company, uses technology and innovation to help meet the world’s growing energy needs. ExxonMobil holds an industry-leading inventory of resources, is the largest refiner and marketer of petroleum products and its chemical company is one of the largest in the world. Globally, ExxonMobil provides funding to improve basic education, promote women as catalysts for development, and combat malaria and other infectious diseases in developing countries. In 2008, together with its employees and retirees, ExxonMobil Corporation, its divisions and affiliates, and ExxonMobil Foundation provided $225 million in contributions worldwide, of which more than $98 million was dedicated to education. Additional information on ExxonMobil's community partnerships and contributions programs is available at www.exxonmobil.com/community.

About Thunderbird School of Global Management
Thunderbird is the world’s No. 1-ranked school of international business with more than 60 years of experience in developing leaders with the global mindset, business skills and social responsibility necessary to create real, sustainable value for their organizations, communities and the world. The Thunderbird Emerging Markets Laboratory (TEM Lab) is a capstone course in which second year, honors students apply the full range of skills acquired in their course work and experience. TEM Lab MBA consulting teams work on-site with client systems in emerging markets all over the world. www.thunderbird.edu

About Ashoka and Ashoka’s Changemakers
Ashoka is the global association of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs – men and women with system-changing solutions for the world’s most urgent social problems. Ashoka’s Changemakers creates opportunities for organizations and individuals to drive meaningful and measurable social change. Through collaborative competitions, Changemakers connects Ashoka’s elite fellowship, an online community of social innovators, and pioneering investors to inspire and drive innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. By focusing on how leading social entrepreneurs, government agencies, corporations, and citizens solve vital problems and build their communities, Changemakers and its partners spark promising ideas for further development and investment. Learn more at www.changemakers.org.

About the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges. Since 2005, CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 125 current and former heads of state, 15 Nobel Peace Prize laureates, hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations, major philanthropists, directors of the most effective nongovernmental organizations, and prominent members of the media. These CGI members have made more than 1,700 commitments valued at $57 billion, which have already improved the lives of 220 million people in more than 170 countries. The CGI community also includes CGI University (CGI U), a forum to engage college students in global citizenship, MyCommitment.org, an online portal where anybody can make a Commitment to Action, and CGI Lead, which engages a select group of young leaders from business, government, and civil society. For more information, visit www.clintonglobalinitiative.org

ICRW: Understand Alcohol Use by Men, Help Reduce HIV in India

rmanix — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 20:56:30 +0000

Wed, 09/15/2010

NEW DELHI - The way in which men and boys view themselves can contribute to high alcohol use and risky sexual behaviour, which puts them at a greater risk of contracting HIV, according to the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW). Experts at ICRW say it’s critical that India adopt a multi-sectoral approach that addresses the relationship between alcohol and HIV. Societal expectations of men must be an integral component of that approach, they said.

These connections between gender norms, alcohol use and HIV will be explored on Sept. 28-30, during the Second International Conference on Alcohol and HIV at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. ICRW is co-sponsoring the event.

“The conference will highlight existing research, prevention programs and national policies related to alcohol use and risky sexual behavior. But organizers will also seek to identify gaps in intervention research and development around this issue”, said Ravi Verma, ICRW’s regional director and co-chair of the conference.

“There is a dearth of evidence to create programs to reduce the impact of alcohol use on risky sexual practices and violence, both of which are associated with HIV,” Verma said. “These programs ideally focus on shifting norms around what it means to be a man, which tend to promote aggression and sexual exploitation. This is only further aggravated under the influence of alcohol.”

Indeed, recent research by ICRW in nine countries shows a correlation between how men view themselves – especially as it relates to earning an income – and high rates of alcohol consumption. The study, called the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES) found that in India, men who perceive themselves to be economically disadvantaged report higher rates of alcohol use than those who say they are not. The study shows that men turn to alcohol when they feel unable to live up to dominant patriarchal expectations to provide for the family and earn a reliable income. These same men also report much higher rates of intimate partner violence and multiple sexual partners, and much lower rates of condom use than those who are not suffering economic hardship.

“In India, it is unlikely that ‘single sector’ approaches alone will effectively combat gender based violence, risky sexual behaviors and other consequences of pervasive alcohol use,” Verma said. “Instead, a cross-section of the community – including families, organizations and alcohol distributors – need to work together to mediate alcohol use and the health risks associated with it.”

ICRW recommends three steps to propel the agenda on gender, HIV and alcohol:

Key stakeholders must devise a work plan that considers the influence of gender norms and identifies gaps in existing policies and programs
Invest in more research to build the evidence of the interplay of gender, alcohol consumption and HIV
Integrate the research evidence into existing programs that can be tested, evaluated and eventually expanded

These recommendations will be further refined and released following the conference. To learn more about or register for the Second Annual Conference on Alcohol and HIV: Insights and Interventions please visit: www.alcoholhivconference2010.org

Media Contact:

Shreshtha Kumar, Ranjeeta Jagdala M: 9873077438, 9871927845 communicatorsindia.media@gmail.com

Mission Statement:

Solutions Exist to End Forced Child Marriage

tbucci — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 17:59:40 +0000

Thu, 07/15/2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Political momentum in the U.S. Congress, combined with proven solutions, could finally end the dire practice of forced child marriage in many developing countries. Anju Malhotra, vice president of research, innovation and impact at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), today addressed the causes, consequences and potential solutions to this practice during a hearing held by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.

Forced child marriage is a pervasive problem across the developing world that has violated the human rights of more than 60 million girls and continues to undermine global development efforts. A variety of factors contribute to the practice, including poverty, lack of education and the force of deeply-rooted tradition. Early marriage – some girls are as young as 8 – not only robs girls of their childhood, but also thwarts initiatives aimed at raising their education levels and reducing maternal mortality rates.

However, forced child marriage is surmountable. Education is the single most important factor associated with girls marrying before the age of 18, according to ICRW research. "When we enroll more girls in school, marriage rates go down. When girls learn about their rights and have access to income-generating opportunities, they create alternatives to marriage," Malhotra said. "And when social norms change and families have access to community support, they will delay marriage for their daughters."

Efforts proven to delay the age of marriage for girls also include providing opportunities for them to learn life skills, such as how to communicate with others, and that raise awareness among parents, teachers and other influential adults about the health and social consequences for child brides.

The International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act, introduced in 2009, begins to outline some of these solutions. With the political will and resources authorized in this legislation, the United States can support efforts to bring down perceptibly the rate of forced child marriage over the next few years.

"Now we have unprecedented bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress for this important piece of legislation," Malhotra said. "Let's use our voices and leadership to finally give young girls around the world a better future."

Download a copy of Malhotra's written testimony submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives Human Rights Commission (PDF) »

Media Contact:

Jeannie Bunton, 202.742.1316, Jbunton@icrw.org

Mission Statement:

Capitol Hill Events Focus on Teen Girls, Forced Child Marriage

tbucci — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:29:54 +0000

Wed, 07/14/2010

WASHINGTON D.C. – The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) during two Capitol Hill events on Thursday, July 15, will address the lives of adolescent girls and the issue of forced child marriage.

Child brides remain prevalent in many developing countries, where girls have a one in seven chance of marrying before their 15^th birthday. Forced child marriage erodes girls’ health and social well-being, and undermines global development efforts. The International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act – which enjoys unprecedented bipartisan support – is a starting point for how to end this practice.

Anju Malhotra, ICRW’s vice president of research, innovation and impact, will testify at 1:30 p.m. before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission about the causes, consequences and potential solutions to forced child marriage. The hearing is scheduled to take place in Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2226.

Then at 5 p.m., ICRW, along with the Coalition for Adolescent Girls, CARE and the International Women’s Health Coalition, will host a reception to celebrate the launch of the report, “Girls Speak: A New Voice in Global Development.” The report draws together girls’ voices and their ideas for how to improve their lives. Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN) and ICRW President Sarah Degnan Kambou, among others, will speak. The reception also will take place in Rayburn, Room B-369.

More information on child marriage »

Media Contact:

Jeannie Bunton, 202.742.1316, Jbunton@icrw.org

Mission Statement:

Winners of Challenge to Improve Women’s Lives through Technology Announced

rmanix — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:00:27 +0000

Tue, 06/29/2010

Women | Tools | Technology Challenge winners are Bicycling Empowerment Network Namibia (Namibia), Lua Nova Association (Brazil) and Solar Electric Light Fund (Benin)
Challenge received 268 solutions from 67 countries to advance women’s economic opportunities through technology
ExxonMobil and Ashoka’s Changemakers to support follow-up activities including collaboration workshops to connect innovators with potential partners

IRVING, Texas, JUNE 29, 2010 – Ashoka’s Changemakers, ExxonMobil and the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) announced today the three winners of the Women | Tools | Technology: Building Opportunities & Economic Power Challenge. The winners were selected from 268 project entries from 67 different countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

The winning entries came from Bicycling Empowerment Network Namibia, Namibia, Lua Nova Association, Brazil and Solar Electric Light Fund, USA (working in Benin).

"It is inspiring to see such a wide range of innovative solutions catalyzing women’s economic advancement through technology around the world,” said Diana Wells, Ashoka’s Changemakers’ president. "We are thrilled to have received so many worthwhile ideas through this Challenge, and we are honored to be able to support the groundbreaking work being done by the winning innovators."

The three winners are changing women’s lives in a variety of ways. The Solar Electric Light Fund USA (working in Benin) has designed solar-powered drip irrigation systems that enable women farmers in Benin to grow crops during the African nation’s annual six-month dry season, boosting their family income and nutrition. Bicycling Empowerment Network Namibia is providing training and equipment for women to run community-based bicycle workshops in Namibia, allowing them to become adept at bicycle mechanics -traditionally a male-dominated field. The Lua Nova Association is providing underprivileged and abused women with the skills they need to help sustain themselves and their families by designing and building their own homes.

The public was invited to vote online for the three best solutions from a group of 10 finalists previously selected by an expert panel of judges for excelling in the areas of innovation, social impact and sustainability.

“The innovative concepts from the Challenge will make significant improvements in the lives of women in developing countries, allowing them to become key economic players in their communities and better provide for their families,” said Suzanne McCarron, president of the ExxonMobil Foundation. "We look forward to helping these innovators gain traction for their ideas so they can ultimately reach more people with their Challenge solutions.”

Each winner will be featured on Changemakers.com as one of the strongest ideas for catalyzing women’s advancement through technology. The winners will also be invited to participate in collaboration workshops hosted later this year by Ashoka’s Changemakers and ExxonMobil. The workshops will include discussions on how to broaden the reach of proven concepts, connect innovators with potential partners and funding opportunities and include site visits to promising projects.

Direction and focus for the Challenge was provided by a research study entitled, "Bridging the Gender Divide in Technology,” which was conducted by ICRW and funded by the ExxonMobil Foundation. The paper highlights what needs to be done to improve the way technologies are developed and deployed so they benefit women, enabling them to be more successful in their local economy, stronger leaders and greater contributors to their families.

“These innovations meet women where they live. They are practical, and they will be catalytic in addressing the demands women have in their home life, in their work life and in their community life,” said Anju Malhotra, vice president of research, impact and innovation at the International Center for Research on Women. “We’re excited to see how these creative ideas will trigger generations of change for women and economies. This is a teachable moment for the world.”

Media Contact:

Jeannie Bunton, 202.742.1316, Jbunton@icrw.org

Mission Statement:

About Ashoka and Ashoka’s Changemakers
Ashoka is the global association of the world‘s leading social entrepreneurs – men and women with system-changing solutions for the world’s most urgent social problems. Ashoka’s Changemakers creates opportunities for organizations and individuals to drive meaningful and measurable social change. Through collaborative competitions, Changemakers connects Ashoka’s elite fellowship, an online community of social innovators, and pioneering investors to inspire and drive innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. By focusing on how leading social entrepreneurs, government agencies, corporations and citizens solve vital problems and build their communities, Changemakers and its partners spark promising ideas for further development and investment. Learn more at www.changemakers.com.

About Exxon Mobil Corporation
Exxon Mobil Corporation and ExxonMobil Foundation, the primary philanthropic arm of Exxon Mobil Corporation in the United States, engage in a range of philanthropic activities that advance education, health, women’s economic leadership and public policy in the communities where ExxonMobil has significant operations. In the United States, ExxonMobil supports initiatives to improve math and science education at the K-12 and higher education levels. Globally, ExxonMobil provides funding to help women fulfill their economic potential and combat malaria and other infectious diseases in developing countries. Additional information on ExxonMobil's community partnerships and contributions programs is available at www.exxonmobil.com/community.