The FAWCO Foundation Development Grants and Awards By Frauke R-H
In 1967 the Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas established a Foundation for its philanthropic activities. The Foundation plans, organizes, raises funds and carries out projects for charitable, scientific and educational purposes, and to prevent cruelty to children. Each year at the FAWCO conferences the organization announces the winners of Development Grants and Awards, selected from applications sent by the AWCs. The Recipients of FAWCO Foundation 2004 Development Grants The AWC Madrid Effects of Violence Development Grant of $3000 was won by Action for Children Soldiers in The Democratic Republic of Congo, proposed by The American Women’s Club of Düsseldorf. During the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 30,000 children were coerced into becoming child soldiers. Some of these children were believed to be as young as 10 years old and possibly younger. The militia in the eastern part of the continent consisted of up to 60% children, boys and girls alike. Girls suffered the most extreme hardships, as rape was a daily routine and many were forced to fight in trenches. Unless these child soldiers are taken in, cared for, helped psychologically, educated and rehabilitated back into their communities, the cycle of violence will continue. The Development Grant will be used to support this UNICEFD project for educational materials, for the school building itself and for the education of teachers. The Feed the World Development Grant of $3000 was won by Wells For Life, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia, proposed by The American Women of Surrey. Tabitha Cambodia began in 1994 in Phnom Penh and works with the poorest of the poor. 90% of the poorest families do not have access to clean water, and as a result, the family members suffer from disease and malnutrition. Monetary contributions were used to provide wells to local families. The impact of these wells on the families was immediate and significant. Each well serves five families that live in close proximity to each other. One well costs $85. Wells provide not only clean water for drinking, cooking and washing, but also irrigation for crops, ensuring a food supply year around. The Development Grant would provide for 35 wells that will be used by 175 families to significantly improve their health and income. www.tabitha.ca The Healthy Living Development Grant of $3000 was divided between two winners. The first was Ojos Del Mundo (Eyes of the World), Mozambique, Bolivia, proposed by The American Women’s Club of Madrid; it will receive $1500. The Eyes of the World Foundation is a Spanish non-governmental organization that aims to resolve ophthalmologic needs in the poorest countries of the world. The vast majority of ophthalmologic diseases are due to problems caused by situations of poverty: malnutrition, adverse climatic conditions, hygienic and health deficiencies and traumas suffered as a result of war. An easily-performed operation can produce almost immediate results. Founder Dr. Corcostegui says, “Being blind is terrible anywhere, but in the Third World it is much worse.” The Development Grant will be used to fund projects in the field. www.ullsdelmon.org The second winner of $1500 was Children of a Lesser God, Outreach Moldova, proposed by The American Women’s Club of Dublin. Moldova is regarded as the poorest country in Europe. Outreach Moldova cares for 300 disabled, abandoned, orphaned and physically abused children. The living conditions at this orphanage have been appalling. There has been widespread malnutrition, physical and sexual abuse. The facility has had no functional bathrooms or toilets, any access to doctors, hospitals or medication, and decaying and rotting buildings. Many of the children in the orphanage, who have lived in institutionalised conditions for most of their lives, have never reached their developmental potential. The Development Grant will go towards vital developmental programs. www.outreachmoldova.org The Hope through Education Development Grant of $3000 was won by Malawi Orphan Support Project, proposed by The American Women’s Association of Rome. Malawi is one of the sub-Saharan countries most severely affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. 250 Malawians are infected with HIV every day and 60% of these are women. It is estimated that in Malawi alone approximately 70,000 children each year lose one or both parents. The orphan support project aims to pay school fees and the cost of uniforms and school equipment for pupils who have lost one or both parents. The project, although not gender exclusive, pays particular attention to the continuing education of girls who have lost one or both parents. The Development Grant will be used to cover the cost of four years of secondary education courses at a day or boarding school and transportation costs for travel to and from school. The average cost for one pupil for a four-year education is $450. The Peace through Understanding Development Grant of $3000 was won by Literacy for Indigenous Women in Southern Mindanao, Philippines, proposed by The American Women’s Club of Bern. Mindanao is largely populated by people of the country’s three dominant faiths, the MORO (Muslim) with its 13 ethno-linguistic groups, the LUMAD (indigenous/animists) with its 18 major tribes, and Christian settlers. This project aims to equip women with basic literacy and arithmetic skills in order to enable them to better cope with their daily challenges in local and sustainable agriculture. By improving the level of literacy, the tribes will be able to cooperate more closely at a grassroots level to face their daily struggles. The Development Grant would be used for student materials, teacher kits and visual aids. The Grant will also be used for teacher training and transportation. The Recipients of 2004 FAWCO Foundation Educational Awards Mary Mag Hasse Achievement Award
of $3000 (undergraduate): Kristine Columbo, AWC of Brussels For more details please see www.fawcofoundation.org. The 2005 FAWCO Foundation Development Grants and Educational Awards Because of the continued support of the AWCs, The Foundation will be awarding eight education Awards plus six Development Grants next spring, totalling $41,500. The Foundation’s very first annual report along with Awards and Grants application forms will be provided later this summer. All of this information will also be available on The Foundation website. The Development Grants to be awarded in March 2005 are as follows: the AWC Basel Healthy Living DG; the AW Surrey Feed the World DG; the Effects of Violence DG; the Peace through Understanding DG; the Hope through Education DG, sponsored by AWC in Sweden; and the new Skills for Life DG. The Foundation’s Educational Awards have the following categories: the AW Surrey Arts Award; the Foundation Sciences Award; the Foundation Humanities Award; and the FAWCO Members Award, sponsored by AWC in Sweden. Each of these awards is worth $4000. The remaining awards on offer in 2005 are the Dual Cultural Award at $2000; the Chilterns AWC Special Challenges Award at $3000; and the Angelica Award for Volunteerism, sponsored by Dina Lang of AILO Florence at $500. The Foundation will also administer the FAUSA Award, which is worth $2000 next year. Each club may submit one ballot only. Each ballot will have one vote in each category, i.e., clubs are asked to select one project in the “AWC Madrid Effects of Violence” category; one project in the “Feed the World” category, etc. The finished ballot will have the name of the club. Each member of the AWC of Hamburg has the opportunity to propose a project for the above categories. At the AWCH Forum on September 9, all proposals with complete information will be presented, and the members present will vote on one proposal per category to be chosen as the nominated project per ballot.
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