by lwang | Jun 5, 2014 | CMC, Helen Keller International, Kravis Prize
A number of CMCers were in New York at the end of May to attend a Spirit of Helen Keller Gala, which raised approximately $1 million dollars for the nonprofit’s global, life-saving work in preventing blindness and malnutrition. Joining the guest list in support of the 2014 Kravis Prize recipient’s gala were: Claremont McKenna Trustee Douglas Peterson ’80 P’14 P’15, CEO and President of McGraw Hill Financial; Ernie Iseminger, Claremont McKenna Vice President for Development & External Relations; Kravis Leadership Institute Board member Mustafa ’76 and Liz Mirza P’13 P’15; Elizabeth Algermissen P’14, Assistant Director of Leadership Giving at Claremont McKenna; Ethos Water founder and Fonderie 47 CEO Peter Thum ’90; Aron Khurana ’09, founder of 847 Hoops; and Kevin Blair ’06, a business valuation and litigation consultant. Oscar-nominated actress Abigail Breslin, star of the 2006 film Little Miss Sunshine, was the event’s Honorary Junior Chair. The evening also honored humanitarian and economist Tom Arnold (former CEO of Concern Worldwide) with the Helen Keller Humanitarian Award for his “extraordinary dedication to ending child hunger and improving maternal health in the developing world.” Read more about the gala on HKI’s...
by lwang | May 16, 2014 | Community Development, Education, FAWE, Female Empowerment
Why is 1,200 a magic number? Because it refers to all of the young Rwandan women from vulnerable families who will have a chance to finish their schooling thanks to a project co-created by the Rwandan Chapter of the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE). The 2008 recipient of the Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership, FAWE started in the early 1990s when the female ministers of education in five African countries decided that more education advocacy was needed on behalf of women across the continent. FAWE’s inception in five countries has grown to 32 African countries today. This month FAWE’s Rwanda chapter in collaboration with the Canadian MasterCard Foundation has launched The MasterCard Foundation Scholars Programme to enable as many as 1,200 schoolgirls to continue their educations through the elementary, secondary, and university levels. Already, in the weeks since the scholars program began, some 200 school-age women have been enrolled in the program, according to a report featured in The New Times of Kigali. Eugénie Mukanoheli, the Rwanda chapter’s coordinator, said a similar project will soon be operating in Ethiopia as well. “The idea is to keep as many girls as possible in school,” she told The New Times. “The scholars will have everything they need to study comfortably… but the beneficiaries must be schoolgirls who are academically bright but from vulnerable families.” When the new program is fully operational, organizers plan to identify potential candidates across the country, including at least ten selected high schools. *** In a related story: 15 girls in a FAWE secondary school in Sierra Leone have also received scholarship assistance that will ensure...
by lwang | May 8, 2014 | Female Empowerment, Health, HIV transmission, Kravis Prize, m2m, mothers2mothers
Mother’s Day is a golden opportunity not just to honor our own mothers, but many others, too. 2012 Kravis Prize recipient mothers2mothers has teamed up with an award-winning journalist and a philanthropic non-profit as part of their campaign, “Double Your Mommy,” which is tapping into this year’s holiday to maximize outreach to impoverished women around the world. At first glance, the “Double Your Mommy” page established by the 13-year-old organization, which is dedicated to reducing mother-to-child transmission of HIV, presents a variety of Mom-themed gifts like most department stores and boutiques. Look closer, though, and you’ll find a decided difference. Philanthropic organization Modropy, which has partnered with the American Cancer Society, Royal Family Kids, and several autism groups among many others, has created shirts, hoodies, and totes for m2m. Proceeds from the sales will go to support m2m’s programming and services. To learn more about Modropy, visit its homepage. According to m2m co-founder Robin Smalley, these proceeds will be doubled by an anonymous donor to increase the services that they can provide to m2m’s staff and Mentor Mothers working in sub-Saharan Africa. Journalist Jennifer Haupt, whose e-book Will You Be My Mother? The Quest to Answer ‘Yes’ looks at her experiences in genocide-torn Rwanda, is also donating sales from her memoir to m2m. These purchases — along with several other items offered on the “Double Your Mommy” page (including donations to support educational materials, nutritional assistance, cell phones, and more)— include a Mother’s Day card that will be mailed or emailed to each customer’s mother so that they’re aware of the impact of their gift on lives in another country....
by lwang | Apr 24, 2014 | HIV transmission, m2m
When Victoria Beckham, pop icon and fashion designer married to soccer great David Beckham, traveled to Cape Town, South Africa, in February to learn more about mother-to-child transmission of HIV, she spent time with the founder and several members of mothers2mothers, an organization that was awarded the Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership in 2012. Beckham’s journey is chronicled in Vogue Magazine, with accompanying pictures by acclaimed photographer Annie Leibovitz. To see a short gallery of photos from Beckham’s journey, and her encounters with some of m2m’s Mentor Mothers, who help women receive the proper medical attention, visit the following link: http://www.vogue.com/vogue-daily/article/victoria-beckham-born-free-fight-against-hiv/#1 Beckham’s support of mothers2mothers is also spotlighted in the April 28 issue of People Magazine in the feature “40 Facts About Me” (see photo, above). Beckham’s list offers plenty of playful asides (“I believe in karma,” “If I had more time, I would read more…”), but her serious commitment to empowering women and helping the poor is highlighted in yellow at No. 13, where she identifies her involvement with both UNAIDS and mothers2mothers. In 2012, when m2m was honored with the Kravis Prize, the Prize Selection Committee cited the organization’s efforts under founder Mitch Besser “in nine countries and [for] continually working to expand their reach to women in new countries and move deeper into countries where they currently operate.” Besser, who is the brother of Richard Besser, chief medical correspondent for ABC News, also receives attention during a recent “Good Morning America” segment about pop musician Ryan Lewis’ mother Julie. For more about this ABC News segment, visit this post on the Kravis Prize Blog to learn more about Lewis, m2m’s work, and...
by lwang | Apr 24, 2014 | Female Empowerment, Health, HIV transmission, Kravis Prize, m2m
Along with the travels of Victoria Beckham to South Africa and her efforts to raise awareness about mother-to-child HIV transmission and the work of mothers2mothers, another figure in the world of pop culture and entertainment is also shedding light on this crucial topic. Musician and producer Ryan Lewis (who has teamed up with Macklemore to produce several hit songs) shares a deeply personal story that teaches the lesson that HIV transmission doesn’t occur only in the Third World: It can happen anywhere. It has happened to his own family. A segment airing on ABC’s Good Morning America describes the circumstances of Lewis’ mother, Julie, who has been HIV positive since receiving a blood transfusion in the 1980s. At the time, she was given 3-5 years to live. That segment, which is followed by a roundtable GMA discussion, includes Richard Besser, ABC News Chief Health and Medical Editor. Besser, whose brother Mitch is the founder of mothers2mothers, describes the work of m2m to George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts and the rest of the GMA cast. Watch video here:...
