We are happy to announce the arrival of VGIF's new Development Coordinator, Catelin Blowers. Catelin will manage the fundraising, communications, and outreach efforts to our support base. She brings several years of nonprofit development experience as well as a lifelong commitment to women's rights initiatives. According to Catelin, "I am very excited to start at VGIF! It has been a dream of mine to work for an international organization since studying abroad in college and this desire grew through subsequent international experiences. The potential to raise funds and support that directly impact VGIF’s impressive range of female-led projects is such an honor. Like you, I look forward to learning more about the latest round of grantees in the coming months."

When VGIF final reports arrive, we are always excited to see the significant changes that have occurred during the project’s duration. These two pictures from The Flora Movement trust, “Empowering Women and Girls through income generating activities in Goromonzi District, Zimbabwe” particularly capture the growth – literally – that the project encouraged. The project trained 25 women to establish a nutritional, chemical-free garden and engaged 25 school girls in managing an orchard.

Today, on the annual Nelson Mandela International Day, VGIF joins the international community in honoring this hero, who, like our grantees, worked to promote gender equality and women’s rights. Speaking at the opening of the first South African Parliament in 1994, President Mandela said, “Freedom cannot be achieved unless women have been emancipated from all forms of oppression… Our endeavors must be about the liberation of the woman, the emancipation of the man and the liberty of the child.”