Melissa Guardaro
NYS International Affairs Director

The work that AAUW does on behalf of women and girls around the world falls under the "International Affairs" category.

PROGRAM SUGGESTIONS:

ONE SHARED WORLD, focusing on health, education, and economic progress, aims to connect American working women to the many public and private efforts that help people in developing countries overcome poverty, hunger, illiteracy, and disease. A free comprehensive Powerpoint "program-in-a-box" is available on their website for branches to use. 

CARE is a humanitarian organization fighting global poverty and places special focus on women. CARE works with women in their communities to fight the spread of AIDS, increase educational opportunities, provide access to clean water and improve economic conditions. Last year, over 800 poverty fighting projects were supported in 72 countries. Go to their website for more information and ways to get involved.

Get involved in the Women Empowered Project by viewing the documentary, A Powerful Noise, at a branch meeting. You may order it online for less than $25.

The acclaimed documentary, A Powerful Noise, takes you inside the lives of three women – a girls' education crusader from Mali, an HIV-positive widow from Vietnam and a peacemaking survivor of the war in Bosnia – who each overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to bring lasting solutions to their communities.

CEDAW is short for the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Did you know that the United States is one of only eight countries in the world that has NOT ratified it? Read about it here.

CONFERENCES:
AAUW members were invited to attend the Committee for Teaching About the United Nations conference (CTAUN) on January 15, 2010. This year’s topic was “Developing Globally Literate Citizens: 21st Century Skills, Emerging Technologies, and the United Nations.”

If you did not get to the AAUW UN day this fall, you missed a great opportunity. Melissa's report is available here.

FEATURED BOOK:
Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.

This is a must-read book for AAUW members interested in the plight of women worldwide. The authors compare emancipating women to the abolition of slavery and one of the most important movements of the century. Find out more about Gendercide, the millions of missing girls and what you can do both personally and as an AAUW branch to help.

You can purchase your copy of Half the Sky at a discounted price. AAUW Barnes and Noble partnership provides discounts when you purchase books through the AAUW portal. Visit www.bn.com/aauw.