SNOW LEOPARD ENTERPRISES
Snow Leopard Enterprises (SLE) is based in Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia and its mission is to provide access to international markets for handcrafted felt products of nomadic herders, and to discourage hunting of the indigenous snow leopard. WorldWomenWork supported a design summit where the women of SLE were given technical support and design assistance so that they might better prepare their products for purchase by a sophisticated international clientele.
THE EDUTAINER PROJECT
The Edutainer Project is an innovative program based in Soweto, South Africa that aims to provide disadvantaged children with the skills essential for success in their later schooling. The Edutainer is an instant classroom made from a shipping container for up to 30 children between the ages of two and six.
Native American Girls Scholarship
Native American Girls Scholarship funds participation in a three-week work-study program Oaxaca, Mexico, with a focus on preservation and conservation of the endangered Leatherback and Olive Ridley sea turtles.
UDZUNGWA MOUNTAINS WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
Udzungwa Mountains Women’s Development Project aims to reduce the destruction of the forest in this unique part of Tanzania, which is inhabited by red colobus and mangabey monkeys. WorldWomenWork has helped this project grow from an endeavor to introduce fuel-efficient stoves, to a women-run enterprise that trains local women in business skills.
TURTLE ISLANDS GIRLS SCHOLARSHIPS PROGRAM
The Turtle Islands Girls Scholarships Program was set up by WorldWomenWork to fund girls’ education in this island region between the Philippines and Malaysia. The area is the only trans-frontier protected area for marine turtles. Fourteen girls completed school with the help of these funds.
THE MADAGASCAR GIRLS SCHOLARSHIP FUND
The Madagascar Girls Scholarship Fund was set up by WorldWomenWork to send girls to school in the extremely dry and delicate Spiny Forest region of Madagascar. As a result, 15 girls have completed secondary school, where the curriculum includes conservation and family planning.
MAFIA ISLAND SCHOOL INITIATIVE
Mafia Island School Initiative was established to support girl’s education in a rich and diverse stretch of the Tanzanian coast. WorldWomenWork has funded the tuition and living expenses of 83 girls, as well as extra-curricular training in marine ecology. We also gave the funds to refurbish an abandoned dormitory and purchase more than 700 textbooks.
THE KIUNGA EDUCATION SUPPORT PROGRAM
The Kiunga Education Support Program reaches over 1,200 students in ten primary schools in the Kiunga Marine Reserve on the northern coast of Kenya. The program teaches conservation, ecology, and skills such as making handicrafts from flip-flops that wash up on local beaches. WorldWomenWork provided funding for 15 scholarships.
THE GIRL CHILD FUND
The Girl Child Fund was established by the National Women’s Association of Bhutan to provide scholarships for orphaned or poverty-stricken girls in eastern Bhutan. WorldWomenWork provided funding for 28 scholarships.
HIMALAYAN GIRLS SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Himalayan Girls Scholarship Fund has distributed funds to girls from the Bardia and Kanchenjunga areas in Nepal. WorldWomenWork provided funding for 160 scholarships.
EDUCATION FOR NATURE
Education for Nature is a program in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund. The focus is to foster a self-sustaining corps of conservation leaders in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. WorldWomenWork has invested in the training of three women candidates, two from Tanzania and one from Nepal.
WIND RIVER BEAR INSTITUTE
Wind River Bear Institute was founded by Carrie Hunt, a wildlife biologist who has studied bears for more than 20 years. She has developed a technique that she calls “bear shepherding” that teaches bears how to recognize and avoid human territorial boundaries. Wind River Bear Institute also works with local communities to help reduce factors that lure bears to people. WorldWomenWork supported Wind River Bear Institute with a general operating grant.
WOMEN’S UNION OF KON TUM
Women’s Union of Kon Tum works in the lush forests of the Kon Tum region of Vietnam, which is home to rare species such as the tiger, langur monkeys, and white-cheeked gibbons. As in many other regions, women are the natural resource managers. WorldWomenWork donated funds to help the group review the community’s use of natural resources and to develop plans for their conservation.
SRI LANKA WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY
Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society (SLWCS) focuses on preserving biodiversity. After researching conflict between humans and elephants, SLWCS initiated a community-based project called Saving Elephants by Helping People. WorldWomenWork contributed funds towards an electric fence in the Lahugala Kitulana National Park that has kept elephants from wandering into nearby villages.
NEPAL MOTHERS GROUP ASSOCIATION
Nepal Mothers Group Association is a grassroots community organization that focuses on improving the environmental conditions in the village in Jomson, Nepal. WorldWomenWork gave the group a grant that allowed them to make improvements to their meeting house. The group now rents out the space to generate income for projects like tree planting and garbage collection.
THE AFRICAT FOUNDATION
Founded by Lise Hansen, the Africat Foundation focuses on reducing conflict between large carnivores, particularly cheetahs, and humans that often occur in the commercial and communal farming communities of Namibia. WorldWomenWork provided funds for water, electricity, and other operating costs of the Africat Foundation Clinic.