Alliance News
UN Creates New Structure for Empowerment of Women
July, 2010
United Nations Press Release, July 2, 2010
In an historic move, the United Nations General Assembly voted unanimously today to create a new entity to accelerate progress in meeting the needs of women and girls worldwide.
The establishment of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women — to be known as UN Women — is a result of years of negotiations between UN Member States and advocacy by the global women’s movement. It is part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact.
You can read the full press release here.
Alliance's Partner, ACCC, In the News
June, 2010
One of our partners, The Afghan-Canadian Community Center (ACCC), was on Al Jazeera News. You can watch the news story here.
Introducing Jan Holland
December, 2009
The Alliance is very happy to announce its newest Volunteer ESL Coordinator - Jan Holland. Jan began working with the Alliance in May of 2008 as an Armchair ESL Teacher. Since then, Jan has worked with several Afghan students and she has experienced first-hand all the challenges and rewards that come with our long-distance classes.
Jan is English and she currently resides on the Isle of Man, although she is also a bit of a globetrotter and she plans to escape to a sunnier location for the winter months (where she will continue to work with the Alliance). Jan became a teacher after a varied and interesting business life that included writing and sales.
In addition to her work with the Alliance,Jan has been teaching ESL/EFL for 5 years, and 2 1/2 years ago she began teaching online. She now teaches students from all over the world online. Jan is particularly interested in the technology that goes into online teaching, such as Skype and virtual classrooms.
We are very grateful to have Jan on board!
Support the Alliance by Browsing the Internet!
November, 2009
As you know, we are always looking for new ways to meet our financial needs so that we can continue to provide our services and programs to women and girls in Afghanistan and Central Asia. Online fundraising is the fastest growing tool for nonprofits like ours to help make ends meet. We recently started using GlobalMojo®, a new Internet browser or add-on for Firefox that opens up a whole new way for socially conscious web users to support the Alliance for International Women’s Rights.
GlobalMojo is free and does not require any additional financial donations – you simply browse, search and shop online like you already do, and 50 percent of the gross revenue that is generated from your use of the on-line browser is donated to the Alliance. You may not have realized this, but by using a particular browser to do anything on-line, you generate a few cents of revenue for that particular browser (such as Internet Explorer). Global Mojo is a special browser with a conscience — it will donate half of this revenue to your selected charities. With enough users, these small amounts of revenue can really add up! GlobalMojo is built upon the popular Firefox browser architecture so it’s fast, safe and secure.
We are very pleased to have found this new online tool that helps us continue our work and fulfill our mission. To download the GlobalMojo browser (or Firefox add-on) and start earning revenue for the Alliance, just click below.
Thank you for helping us grow our online support base with this innovative approach to fundraising with GlobalMojo! Please spread the word by forwarding this email to others who you think might be interested. Our initial goal is to find 1,000 people who are willing to support us through GlobalMojo – and we need your help to do this. Every person who is willing to support us through GlobalMojo makes a difference!
Please feel free to email info@globalmojo.com with questions about GlobalMojo – and of course, feel free to e-mail Lisa Herb (lisaherb@aiwr.org) with questions about the Alliance.
Alliance Seeks Website and Technology Coordinator
September, 2009
Due to the Alliance’s growth, we are in need of a volunteer Website and Technology Coordinator. The position is a volunteer position and the sole compensation we can offer in 2009 and 2010 is the great reward that comes with knowing that you are helping open the world to the women and girls of Afghanistan and Central Asia.
We estimate that the time commitment involved will be approximately five hours per week. The work can be performed at any time of the day or night. The position is a telecommuting position and can be performed from the volunteer's own home or office.
The volunteer Website and Technology Coordinator will:
• Assist with all website maintenance and development tasks
• Assist with creating, troubleshooting and managing our internal intranet and database
• Assist with troubleshooting all technology issues associated with our chat room and internet forums
• Assist with researching and providing guidance on issues related to the use of Skype and other internet-based technology in our volunteer programs.
The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:
• A strong working knowledge of Drupal and the ability to work independently in maintaining, developing and troubleshooting a Drupal-based website, including numerous applications, such as a chat room, forums, internal intranet, document storage and database.
• Ability to research and provide guidance on internet based technology systems, such as Skype or similar communication and education systems.
• Experience working or traveling in a developing country; ability to understand the challenges of using internet-based technology in a developing country.
The volunteer website and technology coordinator will work under the guidance of our Program Manager and Executive Director and will provide support for our two Volunteer ESL Coordinators. For more information, please contact Lisa Herb at lisaherb@aiwr.org or Scarlett Chidgey at scarlett@aiwr.org.
Alliance Seeks Volunteer Appreciation Coordinator
September, 2009
Due to the Alliance’s growth, we are in need of a Volunteer Appreciation Coordinator. The position is a volunteer position and the sole compensation we can offer is the great reward that comes with knowing that you are helping open the world to the women and girls of Afghanistan and Central Asia. We estimate that the time commitment involved will be between five to ten hours a month. The work can be performed at any time of the day or night and from any location within the United States.
The Volunteer Appreciation Coordinator will:
• Be responsible for preparing thank you notes and gifts for the Alliance’s volunteer ESL teachers at the direction of the Alliance’s Executive Director and ESL Coordinators.
• Help research appropriate thank you gifts for the volunteer teachers (e.g. crafts from Afghanistan).
• Be responsible for updating records of thank you gifts on the Alliance’s intranet.
The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:
• Excellent writing and communication skills and good penmanship;
• Strong organizational skills;
• Ability to quickly learn and use a database;
• A demonstrated interest in women’s rights; and
• A reliable computer and internet connection.
To apply for this position, please contact Lisa Herb at lisaherb@aiwr.org.
Announcing Our New Armchair Mentor Program
October, 2008
The Alliance for International Women’s Rights is proud to announce that in the late fall of 2008 it will be launching its new Armchair Mentor Program. The purpose of the Armchair Mentor Program is to help build the capacity of Central Asian women professionals by offering live, long-distance, one-on-one mentoring relationships with American women mentors.
The Armchair Mentor Program selects qualified American women attorneys, scientists, doctors, business women and other professionals to provide one-on-one, long-distance mentoring to Afghan and Central Asian women and girls in the subject matter of the mentor’s expertise. The mentor and mentee exchange e-mails and have live discussions via Skype’s free computer-to-computer phone service. In addition to providing individualized mentoring to Afghan women and girls, the mentoring relationships provide both the mentor and mentee with a unique opportunity to directly meet and learn about each others’ cultures. This unique cultural exchange helps to build better understanding and stronger relationships between the Western world and Afghanistan, one person at a time.
Please check our website in late November of 2008 for more information about this new program, including how to apply to be a mentor or mentee. Or, please feel free to write to Lisa Herb (lisaherb@aiwr.org) for more information.
Announcing New ESL Coordinators
October, 2008
The Alliance for International Women’s Rights is very pleased to announce our two new ESL Coordinators who will help with all scheduling and coordination of our Armchair ESL Program.
Vicky Willson is from Prince Edward Island, Canada and she has lived and worked in South Korea, China and Thailand. Vicky has been teaching English for more than ten years and is quite adept at using the internet and technology to provide long-distance English classes. Vicky will help us coordinate all ESL classes that occur in partnership with the Afghan Women’s Network and UNIFEM.
Mary Gillespie is from New Brunswick Canada, which, like Prince Edward Island, is on the east coast of Canada. Mary has taught English for over 15 years, including teaching in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Like Vicky, Mary has experience using the internet and technology to teach English long-distance. Mary will help us coordinate all ESL classes that occur in partnership with the Afghanistan Higher Education Project.
With Vicky and Mary’s help, we look forward to improving and expanding our Armchair ESL Program.
Announcing Our New Armchair Mentor Program
October, 2008
The Alliance for International Women’s Rights is proud to announce that in the late fall of 2008 it will be launching its new Armchair Mentor Program. The purpose of the Armchair Mentor Program is to help build the capacity of Central Asian women professionals by offering live, long-distance, one-on-one mentoring relationships with American women mentors.
The Armchair Mentor Program selects qualified American women attorneys, scientists, doctors, business women and other professionals to provide one-on-one, long-distance mentoring to Afghan and Central Asian women and girls in the subject matter of the mentor’s expertise. The mentor and mentee exchange e-mails and have live discussions via Skype’s free computer-to-computer phone service. In addition to providing individualized mentoring to Afghan women and girls, the mentoring relationships provide both the mentor and mentee with a unique opportunity to directly meet and learn about each others’ cultures. This unique cultural exchange helps to build better understanding and stronger relationships between the Western world and Afghanistan, one person at a time.
Please check our website in late November of 2008 for more information about this new program, including how to apply to be a mentor or mentee. Or, please feel free to write to Lisa Herb (lisaherb@aiwr.org) for more information.
Alliance Founder Wins Phi Beta Kappa Pathfinder Award
May, 2008
On May 1, 2008, the Alliance’s founder and Executive Director, Lisa Herb, was presented with the Pathfinder Award by the Puget Sound Association of Phi Betta Kappa. The award was presented to Lisa for her work in providing long-distance educational opportunities for women in Afghanistan and Central Asia. Lisa accepted the award on behalf of all the Alliance’s hard-working and dedicated volunteers who make the Alliance’s programs possible. Lisa also dedicated the award to the women and girls of Afghanistan, who, despite years of extreme hardship and conflict, continue to hope and to reach out to the world for opportunities and education. It is their courage and strength that inspires us to do what we do.
Use Your ESL Skills To Help Afghan Women From the Comfort of Your Home!
June, 2008
The Alliance for International Women’s Rights is currently seeking three volunteer women ESL professionals who are willing to teach long-distance English classes to Afghan women.
The Alliance is a nonprofit organization devoted to supporting women’s rights efforts in the Central Asia region, including Afghanistan. Our efforts include increasing the English capacity of Afghan women leaders and future women leaders – including Afghan women’s rights workers, women politicians, women educators and promising young Afghan high school girls. The volunteer positions do not involve any travel – the ESL teachers teach Afghan women and girls from the comfort of their own homes using Skype® and E-mail.
Volunteer requirements are as follows:
- Must be a native English speaker with ESL/EFL certification or teaching experience.
- Volunteers need to have a reliable computer, high-speed internet, Skype® software (free software is found at www.skype.com), and a headset. We only use Skype’s free computer-to-computer software. We do not use the paid computer-to-phone service. We also do not yet use web cameras because they do not work well in Afghanistan.
- The volunteers will need to be available to teach one student for two 45-minute sessions per week, for a minimum of three months.
- We currently need two teachers who are available for classes between the hours of 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 pm in Afghanistan’s time zone. We also need one teacher who is available for classes between the hours of 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm, Afghanistan time. Interested applicants should determine if they are available for two 45 minute sessions during these hours by comparing their local time to Afghanistan time on the following website: http://www.timezoneconverter.com. The time zone is the same throughout Afghanistan, so you may use the city of Kabul for the time zone conversions. We ask that you please determine your availability during the required hours before applying. The class times we are currently recruiting for are generally most suitable for teachers who are located in Europe, Asia, Australia or New Zealand or on the west coast of North America.
- Although the Alliance welcomes volunteers of either gender in most of our programs, due to the Afghan culture we are only able to work with women teachers for this project for the safety of the Afghan women and girls.
Please consider using your skills to help Afghan women. If you are interested, please contact Lisa Herb, the Alliance’s president, at lisaherb@aiwr.org.
Alliance Receives Support From Three Generous Organizations
April, 2008
Over the last six months, the Alliance has been able to leap forward in its work with Afghan women due to three generous grants from The Gratia Ainslie Foundation, Washington Mutual Bank and USAID’s Higher Education Project (HEP). All three of these grants have been in support of the Alliance’s Armchair ESL Program for Afghan women. The Armchair ESL Program matches Afghan women and girls with experienced, volunteer English teachers from the U.S. and other Western, English speaking countries. Each student and teacher pair meet on-line twice a week, via Skype™, for live English classes, using both voice and instant messaging features. In addition to providing individualized English lessons to Afghan women and girls, the classes provide both the students and teachers with a unique opportunity to directly meet and learn about each others’ cultures. This unique cultural exchange helps to build better understanding and stronger relationships between the Western world and Afghanistan, one person at a time. (For more information on our Armchair ESL Program, please see our Armchair Volunteering page.) With the help of the three grants, the Alliance has been able to double its Armchair ESL Program from ten Afghan students to over twenty women and girls. The Alliance hopes to continue to expand its Armchair ESL Program so that it can continue to open the world to more Afghan women and girls.
Alliance Launches New Website
April, 2008
Thanks to the generous support of USAID’s Higher Education Project (HEP), the Alliance has completely updated and revised its website. The new website will soon contain many interactive features for its Central Asian partners and volunteers. These interactive features include a private Alliance Chat page, where Central Asian women can sign into a private, password-protected chat room to practice English and have a direct cultural exchange with an Alliance volunteer. The Alliance plans to launch the Alliance Chat by the end of May, 2008. Alliance volunteers and partners will also soon be able to sign into a password protected blog called the Alliance Forum, where guest experts will post lectures on topics related to women’s rights in Central Asia and then lead a follow-up discussion relating to the lecture. Stay tuned for more information about these and other new features!