At American Women for International Understanding (AWIU), we’re always looking for ways to stretch our mission – and our dollars – to new and truly global heights.
Early in 2021, we launched AWIU Conversations, a Zoomcast series designed to circumvent an inability for our members to gather in person due to Covid-19. These Conversations draw not only our members but also the heads of NGOs that are working on AWIU grant-funded projects and are looking for ways to leverage their work to exponential effect.
In a June 2021 Conversation with Rwanda Children, a 2021 AWIU micro-grant recipient, the non-profit organization talked about the launch of its fifth iteration of Fighting against Malnutrition and Stunting (FAMSP), funded by AWIU. The 38 children and their mothers who attend are benefitting from various lessons that include learning about preparing a balanced diet, hygiene and sanitation, communicable and non-communicable diseases, environmental protection, parenting skills, conflict resolution, and gender equality.
Also participating in the June Conversation was Teri Tan, founder of Sustainable Health Empowerment (SHE) Cambodia, another AWIU 2021 grant recipient. SHE and RwandaChildren have similar healthcare missions, and Teri voiced the desire to share SHE’s many educational programs about life-saving health services and practices with Rwanda Children. Serge and Espey Gasore, founders of Rwanda Children, jumped on the opportunity.
By October 2021, new health education posters and presentations (in Khmer, Kinyarwanda and English) were on display and in use at Rwanda Children Health Center. Now that’s leveraging!