GlobalGiving.org: Support Entrepreneurial Drive of Women in Ghana

Your Support in Action

Kristen Ash — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:52:42 GMT

Victoria, WomensTrust Loan Client

Dear Friends,
As 2011 comes to a close, we want to thank you - our supporters, donors, volunteers and advocates. You are the driving force behind our movement and the lifeblood of our mission. We are proud to share with you the WomensTrust 2010 Annual Report.

We've made great strides over the past eight years toward fulfilling our mission: to empower women and girls in Pokuase, Ghana - through microenterprise, education, and healthcare - and to inspire others to do the same elsewhere. Our report highlights the results of our work over our last fiscal year and the positive impact we've made in the lives of thousands of women and girls in Pokuase. Below is a quick glance at some of the news highlighted in this year's report. To view the full report, please visit our website www.womenstrust.org or click the link provided below.

We cannot make progress without your help. Please empower women and girls to build better futures for themselves by donating to WomensTrust today.

With Gratitude,
The WomensTrust Team

Microfinance
Last year we introduced you to Sarah Ankrah, WomensTrust EntrepreneursClub member and owner of Phipha's Bakery. We are happy to report this past year Sarah was able to acquire a vehicle thanks to her loan through WomensTrust. Sarah has been an exceptional client, and through her growing business has been able to hire and mentor several other women within the community.

Education
How a WomensTrust Scholarship Helped Me, By Rita Nyadzro
When I had the opportunity to benefit from the WomensTrust scholarship, it helped me in many ways. I thought I would have to halt schooling because my father passed away and my mother would not be able to support my education. Today, I am a Senior High School graduate, because of the kind courtesy of a WomensTrust Scholarship.

Healthcare
A native of Ghana's neighboring country Cote d'Ivoire, Healthy Living Skills Program (HLSP) Coordinator Magbe Savane developed a health education program for WomensTrust. Magbe did extensive interviews with practitioners and local residents to identify the community's primary health concerns. Based on that research, Magbe focused the Healthy Living Skills curriculum on nutritional counseling and family planning.

Links:

To learn more, use this link to read the full report.

Your Vote is Worth $1,000

WomensTrust Staff — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 19:35:23 GMT

Scholarship Student Raising Hand

A photograph can lock a moment, thought and experience into a single image. It can tell an entire story without whispering one word.

Three of WomensTrust’s photos were chosen as finalists for GlobalGiving’s annual photo contest, and we now have the opportunity to win $1,000 and appear on GlobalGiving’s homepage. We believe these images share the significant stories of the women and girls WomensTrust impacts on a daily basis. We can describe our successes, reiterate our mission, and reinforce our personal passion for this movement, but nothing can convey quite so vividly and honestly the truth behind our work as the three photographs you see here.

We appreciate your incredible support and advocacy and hope you will consider helping us to win this contest! All votes must be cast by noon on Wednesday, August 17^th.

To participate:

Log into Facebook and search for GlobalGiving.
In order to vote, you must click “like” at the top of their fan page.
Click on “Photos” on the lefthand side of the page. An assortment of photo albums will appear; click on “2011 Photo Contest: Give Hope.”
The first three pictures in the second row are WomensTrust pictures. These include a scholarship student raising her hand, a microfinance client baking bread, and a scholarship student reading a book. Each photo is marked with the caption: “See the project: ‘Support Entrepreneurial Drive of Women in Ghana.’” By ‘liking’ the photo, you have officially cast your vote to support WomensTrust.
Finally, spread the word, and ask your Facebook friends to participate as well!

Thank you again for your continued commitment to our organization. These pictures tell stories, and your votes will ensure they continue to be heard.

Sincerely,

The WomensTrust Team

Vida Ankrah Selling Bread

Scholarship Student Studying

Links:

GlobalGiving's Facebook Page

WomensTrusts' Building Blocks for Success

Marlis Branaka — Fri, 13 May 2011 20:48:55 GMT

WomensTrust Loan Client Mary Atuauba

This past year WomensTrust put in place the building blocks for a great future: we recruited the leadership in Ghana required to take us to higher levels, and we connected to more people who believe in our approach and want to help. These transformational gains further our mission of supporting women and girls in Ghana in their endeavors to protect, educate, and sustain themselves and their families.

Strengthening the Team

At the helm is Wilma Longdon, who joined WomensTrust on February 1 as Executive Director in Ghana with a personal goal of impacting the forward-progress of her country. Wilma has worked tirelessly since then on strategic planning, tightening and streamlining our operations, board development, and strengthening our position in and relationship with the community of Pokuase.

Wilma’s counterpart in the U.S., Kristen Ash, advanced to Associate Director, slipping naturally into an expanded role with three years of experience at WomensTrust as Program and Communications Coordinator.

Partnering for Scale

We succeeded in increasing our visibility with a growing network of organizations sharing similar missions. After a rigorous vetting process, we earned a $20,000 grant from Women’s Empowerment International (WE), a San Diego-based non-profit with a commitment to “education, to mutual communication, and to furthering the worldwide effort to alleviate poverty.” A contingent from WE will visit WomensTrust in Pokuase in September, and we hope to expand our relationship with this highly professional group of women.

We have also inspired interest among London’s large Ghanaian community. Gertrude Ankrah, our Program Development Director in Pokuase, was hosted by a supporter who organized an intense grassroots campaign, calling on Ghanaian churches and other grant-making institutions, including the highly visible UK Big Lottery Fund where we have a good chance to win a grant.

Encouraging Confidence and Success

One of many success stories for the year is that of Margaret (“Peggy”) Saanuo, to whom we introduced you in 2010. Through our Continuing Education Program and with a scholarship granted by Sant Bani High School, Peggy traveled from Ghana to enter high school in Sanbornton, NH last fall. She has flourished there and is determined to use this opportunity to achieve her dream of attending medical school and becoming the first-ever woman cardiologist in Ghana, then opening a health clinic in her home community of Pokuase.

This summer Peggy will work as a volunteer tutor for other girls in the WomensTrust education program in Pokuase, sharing her many skills and talents before returning to the U.S. for her senior year of high school.

Our Supporters are Our Advocates

“I give to WomensTrust because I believe that the best way to fight poverty…..is to empower girls and women. That is what WomensTrust does. Even better, it accomplishes its mission in a grassroots, organic way, by asking local people what they want, then supporting them with education, healthcare and small loans as they take charge of their lives. The growth spreads from one woman, one family, to the next, one village to the next; with the hope that eventually the whole country finds its own way out of poverty.

I have learned that when you educate a girl or help a woman to start a business, the whole village benefits because girls and women use their new skills and invest their new earnings in their families and communities. Poverty, violence and birth rates go down. Nutrition, health, economic stability and educational levels go up.”

-Joan Lambert, teaching a program for retirees called Adventures in Learning (AIL), with her own designed curriculum “Empowering Women Across the World.”

Thank You

WomensTrust is incredibly grateful to all who help make our programs a reality. We hope you will continue to show your support. Thank you!

Links:

WomensTrust Website

Hello from our new Executive Director

Wilma Longdon — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 19:39:23 GMT

Wilma Longdon, new ED of WomensTrust

I am delighted to send this message to the board, staff, funders and all who are connected to WomensTrust in different ways. As I prepare to begin working with you on February 1st, I am excited by the opportunity to build on the solid foundation which is in place in Pokuase.

In my personal quest to contribute to improving the lives of women in Africa, I’ve come to appreciate that WomensTrust is the best place for me to make a difference. My dream has come true in a bigger way than I ever anticipated. Thanks to the successful WomensTrust model, I will drive the initiatives to empower women and see, firsthand, the impact of our efforts on their lives and the lives of their children.

WomensTrust has done very important work over the past 8 years. The team in Pokuase is trusted and respected in the community. It will be our joy and our challenge to grow and expand what we’ve achieved so far. I am motivated by the urgent need to reach more women with loans, to keep more girls in school and to improve the access to healthcare and health information in the community. I am excited by the endless possibilities for education, training and enrichment that the planned Resource Center will bring to the hardworking women and girls. Our loan clients have plenty of ideas about how to make things better, and we listen to them, moving ahead as a team, in a strong partnership.

WomensTrust’s unique model in Pokuase is worth supporting and sharing. My job will be to strengthen our operations, making it easier to reach more women and girls, and inspiring others to do the same.

I look forward to working with all of you. We have an exciting, challenging year ahead.

Most sincerely,

Wilma Longdon

Executive Director

WomensTrust, Inc.

Hear it from our volunteers...

Tami Stillwell — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 13:27:55 GMT

Tami with WomensTrust Loan Client

THE IMPACT & ITS RIPPLES by Tami Stillwell

Volunteering for WomensTrust truly made an impact on my life. I never thought I’d travel to a far off country and be so profoundly moved and inspired. Meeting such strong-willed, determined women and girls left me with a sense of involvement in an organization that is creating significant change. My firsthand experience in Pokuase, Ghana was a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Flying 10.5 hours and driving an hour to the lodge increased my enthusiasm for detailing the sights and sounds of Ghana via my computer. As a graphic designer and social media enthusiast, I offered my services and tweeted my entire trip--both increasing and informing WomensTrust’s social network following (I hope you will follow us on Twitter and Facebook!) One of the first people I met was Peggy Saanuo. A member of WomensTrust’s after-school enrichment class, Peggy received a full scholarship to continue her high school education in the United States. Shy in demeanor, I could tell that she was excited to go.

Each staff member had a unique way of providing a positive working atmosphere. Eric greeted me with a smile; Francis was hilarious; Solomon was sharp, and Gertie was the “woman holding it down.” I tagged along with interns Ryan and Stella and visited some of WomensTrust clients at their homes. After meeting the staff, I knew Pokuase was lucky to have a dedicated local team willing to go the extra mile.

I also spent time with the educational side of WomensTrust. The after-school computer class provided a further opportunity for girls to expand their knowledge. I was impressed by how quickly these girls learned the ins-and-outs of computers. They were so thankful to have this class. The school enrichment class I sat in on was equally impressive. Girls attend these classes every weekend to receive extra academic help. Every night I was eager to inform the social media world of whom I’d met and what I’d learned.

Returning home, a more refreshed and rejuvenated person, I was moved by the strong and independent women and girls I’d met. Helping just one person can go a long way. One WomensTrust loan helps a woman’s business improve. One scholarship helps a girl succeed in education. I returned with a big question: what more can I do to help? I encourage you to give generously. I have seen for myself the impact WomensTrust is having in Pokuase’s growth as a community, and I wish the organization further success.

Links:

Turn Sixty + Sell your Car = Create Women’sTrust

Lorraine O'Neil — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:15:27 GMT

What Micro-Finance Looks Like

The small-framed poster behind Gertrude was the first thing I noticed when Andrew and I shook her hand. It said “Women with balls”. After spending the day with the staff and some of the beneficiaries of Women’sTrust Inc., I realized that the quote was no joke...

The inception of Women’sTrust Inc. (WTI) is a remarkable story. Dana Dakin turned sixty, sold her second car, and used the money to start a micro-lending organization in Pokuase, Ghana. Seven years later, WTI is a vibrant organization deeply embedded into, and led by, the Pokuase community. During our office meeting every staff member (all Ghanaian except for Dana) introduced him or herself with pride and relayed their story of their work with WTI. It was apparent that the staff had ownership of WTI - it was their organization.

During our office meeting, I quickly realized that Gertrude, WTI’s Program Director, was incredibly deserving of this sign behind her desk. She has a commanding presence, and since being put on staff WTI has flourished. I appreciated that as much as Gertrude invested in WTI, WTI invested in Gertrude. WTI had secured funding for Gertrude’s continuing education; she spoke at and attended conferences about the best practices in micro-lending in West Africa and abroad. It was apparent that WTI’s investment in their staff was paying off. In the past two years WTI has tripled their size and has begun to expand their services.

There are more than 1,200 women in the Pokuase community that have received loans from WTI. As we walked around the community we met with innovative women that were incredibly proud to show us the growth they’ve experienced since receiving loans. For the women who really succeeded, they have become a part of the “Entrepreneur’s Club”. This club receives extra business training, and in return they agree to support the less fortunate in their community by providing jobs to people who do not have access to micro-loans. Micro-loans don’t normally help the poorest of the poor, but through WTI's innovative staff and community, The Entrepreneur’s Clubs addresses this problem by encouraging successful women’s business leaders to reinvest in their own community.

When William Easterly (a renown development practitioner who has visited WTI twice) dubs an organization as the best micro-finance program he’s seen in Africa, he probably knows what he’s talking about. Both Andrew and I were very impressed by WomansTrust Inc. an organization with a holistic approach to micro-lending.

If you would like to learn more about WTI please follow this link to their GlobalGiving project page: www.globalgiving.org/3818

Lorraine and four other In-the-Field Travelers are currently in Ghana before they are making their way to Mali and Burkina Faso. They'll be visiting more than 30 GlobalGiving projects in the next month. Follow their adventures at http://itfwa.wordpress.com/.

Andrew Gets a Tour

Women's Trust

The Latest WomensTrust News from Pokuase, Ghana

Kristen Ash — Wed, 19 May 2010 17:07:41 GMT

WomensTrust Scholarship Recipient

"The best way to fight poverty and extremism is to educate and empower women and girls.” -Nicholas Kristof, co-author of Half the Sky and op-ed columnist for the New York Times.

William Easterly, the highly considered international development economist and author of the White Man’s Burden, has visited WomensTrust twice. Here’s how he describes our success: “One approach to a successful aid project just is to immerse yourself in the local community, put local people in charge who are themselves highly motivated, be adaptive and flexible to respond to whatever the local people think about how they can help themselves.”

For those of you who wonder how your dollars make a difference, here are some examples of ongoing projects and opportunities for funding. Your contributions are the lifeblood of our work and our organization.

COMPUTER CLASSES are now held for over 100 of our scholarship girls three days per week at the one small public room in town. They are so dedicated, they arrive on time with the tables and chairs carried from a few blocks away. Students partner up in groups of 2-3 for each computer. The computers were hand carried from the U.S., new and fully loaded with all the necessary software. Funding is needed to expand this program to five days in the existing space and also to transition the program when we open the WomensTrust Resource Center. A full room will be dedicated to an internet and computer training lab.

Land for the RESOURCE CENTER was secured in the fall of 2009 after two and one-half years of blood, sweat and tears. We would not have been successful without our local team. They are connected, committed, and they didn’t give up. This project had the monetary support of a generous visionary donor. We are close to breaking ground. This incredible learning center will house, along with the computer lab and our microlending operation, the first library in the Ga West District. It will also have a healthy living skills annex. Now that the base funding is secured, we need additional contributions to equip the center and provide ongoing maintenance.

One of WomensTrust’ strengths is partnering. Last year a donor made it possible for Magbè Savanè to return to Pokuase with her HEALTHY LIVING SKILLS PROGRAM. The mission of this program is to educate women and girls on healthy life styles and family planning, and to do it in a way that brings the best in interactive learning through group counseling. Now that Magbè has developed this curriculum, we are looking for donors who will support her in continuing her work until she heads to medical school in the fall of 2011. We have a long relationship with Magbè. She came to the U.S. seeking political asylum from Ivory Coast and will be graduating from Colby-Sawyer College this year. She previously attended Sant Bani, a private high school in Sanbornton, New Hampshire.

Another bright young determined woman, from our own SCHOLARSHIP AND AFTER SCHOOL ENRICHMENT PROGRAM in Pokuase, will be entering Sant Bani this fall with full tuition for two years. Margaret Saanuo is incredibly excited and will be the first local girl from Pokuase to travel to the U.S. to finish high school. Although her tuition and board are fully funded by Sant Bani, we have taken on the responsibility of paying for her travel and giving her a stipend for books, clothes and health insurance. We are proud of our ability to be the bridge in helping girls like Margaret to realize their full potential. Margaret’s personal goal after completing her education, is to bring her new-found skills back to the Pokuase community. This meets our mission of educating girls in Ghana, and we need your support.

Because microlending is our base, one of our primary goals is to have a LOAN TRACKING SYSTEM that fits the capability of our local staff. We have made great strides in simplifying the management information system to track outstanding loans and repayment, and last year the team in Pokuase achieved a consistent repayment rate of over 90 percent. Along the way we have worked collaboratively with interns from Dartmouth, like student James Wang. James will be returning to Pokuase this summer to finish programming the system, which is close to a final design that will be shareable with other communities in Ghana as they follow in our footsteps. We are looking for funding to finalize the software and training manual.

To Our Donors:

Less than 10 percent of individual and family foundation giving goes outside the U.S. Many of you have been part of our success by sending contributions. Others have stayed on the sidelines.

Inspired giving is “the creative expression of that part of yourself that cares about and believes in the potential for change,” according to Tracy Gary in her book, Inspired Philanthropy. Emerging is a new kind of philanthropy that goes beyond charity. Rather than reactive, it looks ahead to the root causes of poverty and proactively puts the philanthropic dollar toward long-term solutions. It invests in people on the ground who drive their own way forward. Rather than create a donor-dependent social service, it strategically works to create social change with the end result of empowered, independent communities.

That’s the camp WomensTrust is in – with seven years of focused investing in Ghana, we are part of “social change” and have become a model that could cooperatively expand throughout the country.

Philanthropy is as valid when you give $10 as when you give $10,000. A growing number of individuals and private family foundations are deciding to seriously venture into the international arena and, with a WomensTrust approach, they are able to do it personally.

It is time to consider international as part of your giving strategy. So many of us continue to mentally live in a “gated” country. Our economic crisis is causing unbelievable strain in Africa where people are realizing they are the only ones who will make change happen on the ground. They need the tools. And we need their spirit and goodwill.

Your contributions fund the progress we have made over the last seven years. Every increment of money goes into making WomensTrust a success. We are a tight ship. Please be generous and, if you can, commit for more than one year.

Thank you! We are going somewhere with this.

Best Wishes,

The WomensTrust Staff and Board

Links:

WomensTrust Spring 2010 Newsletter

Thank you for contributing to WomensTrust Programming

Dana — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:19:59 GMT

“WOMENS TRUST IS PROBABLY THE BEST PROJECT I HAVE SEEN IN AFRICA “

The accolade above was given to WomensTrust this fall by Bill Easterly, author of White Man’s Burden and a world-renowned expert on the effectiveness of foreign aid. He has visited our project in Ghana twice to track progress and agreed to be interviewed informally at a recent fundraising gathering for WomensTrust in New York.

Bill has long espoused that the paternalistic “we know what’s best for you” approach to international aid does not work, suggesting instead that aid be given to empower the recipients to construct a foundation on which they can build.

“Solutions to poverty are far more likely to come from people in Africa figuring out what they need rather than from those in the West trying to impose their answers," Easterly said. “Modest efforts like WomensTrust, programs that seek homegrown solutions, are far more likely to yield meaningful reductions in poverty. The great thing about the Dana’s project is, there can be only one World Bank, but there can be 100,000 WomensTrusts.”

While praise from the former World Bank economist is gratifying on its own, the results from which it stems – the changes taking place in Pokuase – offer tangible evidence that we are playing a significant role in aiding the community in its move to sustainability. And our model has the very real potential to be successfully replicated. The WT staff in Pokuase celebrated 100-percent loan repayment for the last quarter, which is indicative of their growing capability to manage the microlending program and their incredible teamwork. This is an exceptional achievement at a time when inflation is high and economic pressures are mounting. Because we are a bottom-up organization, we benefit from a local team who can use our training and tools to adapt in a changing environment and work with clients who, for the most part, they already know.

This microlending success reflects our local reputation and credibility. Our clients are aware that we are committed to social good – they have watched us for six years partner with the community, build constituencies for change and bring in resources they would never be able to procure on their own. These include scholarships, healthcare, training, equipment and cash – thoughtfully applied to specific programs with measurable outcomes.

Links:

WomensTrust Fall 2009 Newsletter

Attachments:

WomensTrust Fall 2009 Newsletter (PDF)