Monday, May 3, 2010

Recommended Charities

Charity Navigator, America's premier independent charity evaluator, works to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of over 5,500 of America's largest charities.
http://www.charitynavigator.org/

The Grameen Foundation
- Grameen Foundation helps the world’s poorest, especially women, improve their lives and escape poverty through access to microfinance and technology.
http://www.grameenfoundation.org/

Children's Care Internationa
l - Children’s Care International (CCI) has made it its mission to come to the aid of children who are victims of exploitation by providing academic instruction, health and psychological care, and career training, no matter the race, sex or religion of these children.
http://www.aipe-cci.org/en/en-index.html

Recommended Viewing and Web-Sites

Bas! Beyond The Red Light Director: Wendy Champagne Producer
http://www.bas-doc.com/film/ang/

Half the Sky
http://www.halftheskymovement.org/

The Girl Effect
http://www.girleffect.org/

Recommended Reading

Half The Sky By Nicolas Kristof & Sheryl Wudunn

Three Cups of Tea By Greg Mortenson

Making Change: Tips from an Underage Overachiever By Bilaal Rajan

Establishment of WINGS - Mission Statement


MISSION Statement

WINGS is an organization dedicated to empowering women by providing them with protection from exploitation, health services, education and financial support.

Our intention is to achieve this goal by raising funds that will be used to target sex trafficking, fistula treatment, education and micro-finance in developing countries and women's support services locally. We will also promote awareness of these issues in order to recruit as many as possible to this global movement.

Women are not the problem, but the solution. The United Nations Development Program (2006) reports that empowered women finance education of younger relatives, reduce infant mortality, improve health and nutrition and raise economic productivity. This is known as “The Girl Effect” and is the inspiration for WINGS.

NOTRE MISSION
WINGS est une organisation dédiée à aider les femmes à devenir autonome et acquérir le pouvoir en leur fournissant une protection contre l'exploitation, des services de santé, d'éducation et de soutien financier.

Nous prévoyons nous y rendre en amassant des fonds qui seront utilisés pour cibler le trafic sexuel, le traitement de la fistule, l'éducation et la micro-finance dans les pays en développement et des services de soutien des femmes au niveau local. Nous allons également promouvoir la sensibilisation à ces sujets afin de recruter le plus grand nombre possible pour ce mouvement mondial.

Les femmes ne sont pas le problème, mais la solution. Le programme de développement des Nations Unies (2006) rapporte que les femmes ayant du pouvoir financent l'éducation des membres de leur famille plus jeunes, réduisent la mortalité infantile, améliorent la santé et la nutrition de leur proches et augmentent la production économique. C'est ce qu'on appelle « l'effet fille » et est la source d'inspiration pour WINGS.

Event focusing on Micro-Financing January 27, 2010

Women struggle both locally and in developing nations.
It is our opportunity to be the change we want to see.

The women of WINGS held our first event which focused on micro-financing. Heather Doucet, a Montreal nurse who has volunteered in Uganda teaching women basic sewing and nursing skills shared her experiences with us. Heather visited Uganda on two separate occasions, bringing sewing machines and expertise. She taught women there to sew school uniforms thus enabling their children to attend school and at the same time equipping them with a new livelihood. Contributions were made to the Grameen Foundation (grameenfoundation.org), an organization that helps the world’s poorest women improve their lives and escape poverty through access to micro-finance and technology. Due to the recent events in Haiti, the funds raised were ear marked for Grameen Haiti.

Donations of gently used toys or clothing, toiletries and diapers were made to the Shield of Athena Shelter a non-profit organization for victims of family violence here in Montreal.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Event focusing on Sex Trafficking - April 10, 2010


Our mothers and daughters event on Saturday, April 10th 2010 was a great success! We were fortunate to have Wendy Champagne as our speaker. She was inspiring and interesting. Wendy told us about the girls she worked with when making her movie BAS! Beyond the Red light - a documentary about 13 teenage girls rescued from Mumbai brothels. Afterward we all put our creative caps on and put together beautiful quilt pieces which we hope to sew together into a quilt to be sold on EBAY. About $1000.00 was raised for Aide Internationale pour l'Enfance - Childrens' Care Inernational.