2019 in review
Last year, you helped transform the lives of thousands of women survivors of war. Read on to learn more about the results of your support.
2019 In Review
Thank you for supporting women survivors of war in 2019
From sending a #MessageToMySister, to sponsoring a woman survivor of war, to attending our #SheInspiresMe Car Boot Sale - you made a real difference!
Last year, we were able to reach thousands of women across the conflict-affected countries we work in. Because of your support, the women in our programmes have been able to spark change in their communities and provide for their families.
Thank you for being part of an incredible year, here is a look back at what we achieved together in 2019!
50 brutal armed conflicts across the globe
500,000 women served in 8 conflict-affected countries since we started in 1993
84p of every £1 we raise supports women survivors of war
Programme updates
Some key news on how we supported women in conflict-affected areas in 2019.
Over Half a million women served
In early 2019 you helped us reach an amazing milestone – with your support we have reached over half a million women in some of the world’s most dangerous places. Energised by this achievement, our Country Office teams enrolled another 14,000 women in our programmes last year to help them rebuild their lives.
We also reached 5,000 men through our Men’s Engagement programme to help them become advocates and allies for women’s rights.
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Women for Women International - Nigeria programme participants being trained as Change Agents to work towards peacekeeping in their communities. Photo: Monilekan -
Bosnian women taking part in our #MessageToMySister campaign. Photo: Women for Women International -
Programme participants from Ngera, Rwanda, share a message with visiting guests. Photo: Tracy Keza -
Women for Women International programme participants in Iraq celebrate their graduation. Photo: Alison Baskerville -
Programme graduates from Kosovo with a range of freshly baked breads. Photo: Simon Wheeler -
Programme participants from the DRC, weaving baskets to sell in the local market, they take about 2 hours to make each one. Photo: Alison Wright -
Nesa Rezayi, 40, mother of 7, started her own business growing mushrooms in Afghanistan. Photo: Rada Akbar -
We reopened our programme in South Sudan three years after being forced to suspend due to a surge in violence. Photo: Charles Lomodong
Return to South Sudan
During the conflict, we continued to support women through a local partner RECONCILE, so women could still learn social empowerment and leadership skills.
Despite ongoing challenges, this year, we reopened our office in South Sudan and tailored our work to suit the needs of the women. Instead of a year-long programme, women go through an intensive six-month programme that provides them the same resources, knowledge, and skills to rebuild their lives and support the return of peace in South Sudan.
International Women's Day
For International Women's Day 2019, we asked you to send a message of hope, friendship, and sisterhood to a woman survivor of war.
Thousands of you sent in messages and joined our global movement. Thank you so much for making a difference to the lives of women survivors of war.
BBC Radio 4 Appeal
We were granted the amazing opportunity to share our work with a new audience through a broadcast appeal on BBC Radio 4. The BBC Radio 4 Appeal is a weekly 3-minute programme highlighting the work of a charity and appealing for donations to support its activities. The appeal was a fantastic way for Women for Women International to engage with the BBC's audience.
Listen to our appeal read by Women for Women International Ambassador, Thomasina Miers.
Partnerships
Our partners play a key role in helping us achieve our mission.
Charlotte Tilbury
In May 2019, Women for Women International Ambassador Charlotte Tilbury committed the full force of her business to helping women survivors of war by announcing an incredible £1 million pledge.
The magical donation will go towards expanding our work in Iraq and Nigeria, enrolling women in Rwanda and to the Innovation Fund, which will support new and exciting projects.
People’s Postcode Lottery
In 2019, players of People’s Postcode Lottery generously supported 400 women in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to take part in our training programme.
Women in DRC face high levels of violence and severe poverty, but despite the incredibly difficult realities of daily life they have been able to transform their lives and have a positive impact on their communities
Our Ambassadors and supporters
We are lucky to count on the support of our amazing Ambassadors and supporters.
Gillian Anderson’s birthday fundraiser
To celebrate Gillian's birthday, we gifted everyone who sponsored a sister between the 9th and 31st August a signed copy of ‘WE: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere’ written by Gillian Anderson & Jennifer Nadel.
This proved so popular that we achieved our most successful sponsor recruitment month ever! Find out more about sponsorship and get involved today.
Sophie Turner’s ‘Omazing’ Support!
Our Ambassador Sophie Turner offered fans the chance to join her and the cast of Dark Phoenix at the film premiere in LA. The campaign with Omaze raised funds for four amazing charities, including Women for Women International. Inspired by Sophie’s fundraising?
Niomi Smart met her sister in Rwanda
Niomi Smart is a content creator, author, business-woman and Ambassador for Women for Women International. In 2019 Niomi visited Rwanda to see first-hand the impact of our work with women survivors of war and to meet her sponsored sister Patricie!
#SheInspiresMe Squad
2019 saw the creation of the #SheInspiresMe Squad – 12 wonderful supporters who took part in the Royal Parks Half Marathon and raised over £5,000 for our vital work! Do you want to help us raise funds for women survivors of war? Learn more here.
Our advocacy work
This is how we worked to amplify the voices of women survivors of war with decision-makers who have the power to create systemic change.
Towards the Sustainable Development Goals
2019 has been a fantastic year for our advocacy on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
From attending the UN High-Level Political Forum in July, contributing to UK’s civil society efforts on analysing the UK’s progress on the SDGs, and responding to the UK government’s Voluntary National Review. We also launched our report cards on the SDGs for the third year running, and hosted a high-level event at the SDG summit event in New York in September.
Peacebuilding in Nigeria
Women for Women International works in Central Nigeria’s volatile Plateau State, where religious and ethnic divisions often spark conflict between largely Muslim Fulani herders, and predominantly Christian farmers.
As part of Women for Women International's Change Agent training, graduates of our 12-month programme have been coming together to learn advanced advocacy and leadership skills, which they have been using to initiate peace dialogues between communities, resulting in a successful peace agreement.
Inspiring events
We held a variety of events throughout the year to raise funds to support women survivors of war.
#SheInspiresMe Car Boot Sale
Described by Vogue as “the chicest car boot sale ever”, 2019’s #SheInspiresMe Car Boot Sale welcomed over 1,800 shoppers and raised an incredible £250,000 to support our work. The event was hosted by Alex Eagle and The Store X and in partnership with THE OUTNET.
We will be hosting 2020's #SheInspiresMe Car Boot Sale on Saturday 16th May - watch this space for more information coming soon!
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#SheInspiresMe Car Boot Sale 2019 saw over 1,800 shoppers exploring 50 car boots. Photo: Alison Baskerville -
#SheInspiresMe Car Boot Sale 2019. Photo: Alison Baskerville -
#SheInspiresMe Car Boot Sale 2019. Photo: Alison Baskerville -
#SheInspiresMe Car Boot Sale 2019. Photo: Alison Baskerville -
#SheInspiresMe Car Boot Sale 2019. Photo: Alison Baskerville
#SheInspiresMe Lunch
Over 200 guests attended our #SheInspiresMe Lunch, this year sponsored by Monica Vinader and 111SKIN, to hear guest speaker Arwa Damon, multi award-winning Senior International Correspondent for CNN, in conversation with our host BBC journalist and presenter Tina Daheley.
The event was a great success and over £80,000 was raised to support our work, enabling us to reach many more women survivors of war and helping to inspire them with hope for the future.
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Women for Women International - UK's Executive Director Brita Fernandez Schmidt, speaker Arwa Damon, host Tina Daheley and Ambassador Arisona Muse at the #SheinspiresMe Lunch 2019. Photo: Megan Taylor -
#SheInspiresMe Lunch 2019. Photo: Megan Taylor -
#SheInspiresMe Lunch 2019. Photo: Megan Taylor -
#SheInspiresMe Lunch 2019. Photo: Megan Taylor -
#SheInspiresMe Lunch 2019. Photo: Megan Taylor
Stylist Partnership
We are overjoyed to be the charity partner of Stylist Magazine! Together we will grow our global sisterhood in support of women survivors of war.
In November we took part in Stylist Live LUXE, where our Executive Director Brita Fernandez Schmidt spoke at the three day event and Stylist readers sent messages of support and hope to the women survivors of war we work with through our #MessageToMySister campaign.
Our work in the press
19 AUGUST, 2019 | THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION
On World Humanitarian Day, we spoke to Moses Abure, our Economic Empowerment Officer, based in Yei, South Sudan about what inspires his powerful work.
03 JUNE, 2019 | THE INDEPENDENT
This month's instalment in the Forgotten Women series by The Independent features the stories of women enrolled in our year-long programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The DRC is a country that’s been torn apart by warfare and power struggles, and where millions live in poverty. Read the stories of the women who are trying to rebuild their lives in a country that has never managed to turn the page of conflict.
29 MARCH, 2019 | THE TELEGRAPH
Rita Ora is using her platform to give back to the women in her home country by supporting Women for Women International. “Being Kosovan is who I am as a woman: it's what I represent, it's everything I've learnt from my parents, right down to my morals.”
8 MARCH, 2019 | THE INDEPENDENT
We asked 8,500 women across Afghanistan and Nigeria if they had heard of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault but none of them had.
06 MARCH, 2019 | HARPERS BAZAAR
Our Executive Director, Brita Fernandez Schmidt shares a message of hope ahead of International Women’s Day by outlining five ways we can achieve change for women who find themselves in harsh circumstances.
Leaving No Woman Behind
subtitle:
21 JANUARY, 2019 | IMPAKTER
The Global Goals are underpinned by a commitment to ‘Leave No One Behind’. Our Head of Policy and Advocacy, Carron Mann, writes for Impakter on how governments and the international community can reach marginalised women and prevent the women we serve from being further left behind.
Best of the blog
Brita Fernandez Schmidt, Women for Women International UK's Executive Director, shares her 3 top tips to include women in peacebuilding processes that she learned during her latest trip in Nigeria.
We are committed to helping those women who have survived sexual violence in war. This week we have an amazing opportunity. A fantastic group of supporters have agreed to match, pound for pound, every donation made during the week of 25th November – 3rd December 2019.
Cindy, Julie and Jen are fans of our Ambassador Gillian Anderson and supporters of our work with women survivors of war.
Our Global Advocacy Manager, Stephanie Siddall, discusses global progress towards gender equality and what more we must do to ensure that the most marginalised women and girls aren't left behind.
To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, we spoke to two women in our training programme who have chosen to speak out about their experiences.
Carron Mann, Head of Policy and Advocacy, highlights our engagement with the UN’s 63rd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, a key space for us to share our evidence and amplify the voices of the women we serve with key influencers.