Yesterday, Vital Voices celebrated the launch of its Bay Area Council during a dinner event at Villa Taverna hosted by member of the Board of Directors and Council Co-Chair Roselyne Swig.
The event included a special presentation of the inaugural Cambria Estate Winery Seeds of Empowerment grant to Dr. Victoria Kisyombe, the Vital Voices 2014 Economic Empowerment Honoree. Dr. Kisyombe is a Tanzanian entrepreneur and founder of SELFINA, an innovative micro-leasing business that has provided loans to 25,000 women and issued USD $16 million in credit since 2002. Upon awarding the grant, Executive Vice President Caroline Shaw said, “We are so pleased to support the critical work of women like Dr. Kisyombe who are leading change in their communities.”
The aim of the Bay Area Council is to support the advancement of women’s leadership worldwide by establishing partnership opportunities with local individuals, organizations, foundations and corporations for Vital Voices and its global network of leaders. Vital Voices President and CEO Alyse Nelson commented, “We are delighted to launch our new Bay Area Council with a group of dynamic women who reflect the power and spirit of women leaders we work with around the world. We are also honored that Cambria Estate Winery has awarded its first grant to Dr. Victoria Kisyombe, one of the great women entrepreneurs of Africa.”
To lead these efforts and to launch the Bay Area Council, Co-Chair Roselyne Swig remarked, “We are seeking great women leaders in the Bay Area to become members to advance Vital Voices’ objectives in the region.” The Council plans to engage a new community of local supporters, advocates and mentors; raise critical funds for Vital Voices and the work of the women in its network; provide a platform for women’s voices of leadership; and host events to highlight issues affecting women and girls worldwide.
Vital Voices Global Partnership is a leading non-governmental organization that identifies, invests in and brings visibility to remarkable women around the world by unleashing their leadership potential to transform lives and accelerate peace and prosperity in their communities. Founded by former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clintonin 1997, the organization trains and mentors women leaders as agents of transformative change in economic development, human rights and political participation. The Vital Voices Global Leadership Network includes more than 14,000 leaders representing 144 countries who have trained and mentored 500,000 additional women and girls in their communities. Visit www.vitalvoices.org to learn more.
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