Tony Gambino Quickfire

Why do you support Women for Women International?

This organisation has taken on an extraordinary challenge as its sole mandate: to work with extremely poor women in countries that are, or have recently experienced conflict so that these women can sustainably emerge from poverty. After nearly three decades of work, the organisation can point to a proud record of success in doing just exactly that through its work with hundreds of thousands of women across the world. What an amazing accomplishment!

Why are you passionate about gender equality and women’s rights?

Injustice demands corrective action: we still live in a world with much too much gender inequality and where women’s rights are trampled. As more and more women assume positions of leadership all across the world and at every level in different societies, progress accelerates. I want to see our world move as rapidly as possible towards these goals.

What is your feminist origin story/what is your earliest memory of witnessing gender inequality and wanting to do something about it?

I was in secondary school as a boy and could see that in areas, like Maths, where we were told we could excel, the girls we knew were told that even if they tried they were sure to fail. I knew immediately that that was wrong and I wanted to work for equal opportunities.

What is the proudest moment of your career to date?

As the Head of the US Development Agency in the Congo, I decided to direct as much of our funding as possible to improve healthcare for people in that country. In subsequent years, I saw the specific results of my decision in clear data on the number of lives saved.

What skills do you bring from your day job to your role as a trustee?

Having lived and worked in conflict-affected countries, I have a specific sense of the challenges Women for Women International faces and the types of approaches that are more likely to succeed.

What have you learnt during your time as a trustee?

I’ve learnt much more about the strength of this organisation and, particularly, the strength of the women with whom we work.

What has been your favourite part of being a trustee?

Seeing the progress and specific successes of the organisation as they unfold.

What else are you passionate about? How do you spend your spare time?

I love to play classical music on the piano.

Who is one woman who inspires you and why?

Tatiana Mukanire, a survivor of sexual abuse in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and now a strong advocate for women’s rights and justice has inspired me with her amazing strength, dignity, vision, and honesty as she discusses her own horrific experiences and what we all need to do to stop such horrors from occurring. Today she is the National Coordinator of the National Network for the Survivors of Sexual Violence in the Congo.

Do you have any advice for a first-time trustee?

Go and visit as many of the countries where we work as you can. See with your own eyes the difference Women for Women International is making.