Our FFW 23rd Birthday Celebration was BEYOND FABULOUS as we say in Liberia! Such a joy to celebrate 23 years of service to humanity all over the globe.  Together we have positively impacted the lives of more than 23 million people from India, to San Diego, to Zambia and South Africa and Niger, and since 2007 we have been operating a microfinance program in Liberia. Amazing!

On April 23, 1998 our founding board members hosted our first gathering at the La Jolla Woman’s Club.  We were amazed when more than 200 women showed up to learn about our new organization and our commitment to “connection and service.”  And since that first program, we have gathered in community all over the globe – lots of us doing a little together vs a few doing a lot has resulted in dramatic social change for so many of our one human family.
 
Our celebration on April 23rd was emceed by Moses Juah, Deborah’s "son" since they first met in Liberia on Christmas Day 2006.  Deborah had just landed in the country and attended a Christmas Party for children who had nothing to do that day.  Moses was one of the 250 children in attendance – she and Moses have been connected ever since.  "A God-thing" as Moses says.  Moses was 9 years old at the time, had never been to school, was selling water in plastic bags on the street to support his illiterate family.  He has just now completed his second year of college at Gannon University in Erie, PA and is a star student – one of the millions of lives that have changed due to the Foundation for Women.
 
The 23th Birthday Celebration was attended by so many from across the US, Canada, and Africa – truly a one global human family affair!  Many of our partners in our collective impact commitment were in attendance and spoke of the impact of our work.  Please click the link here to view the joy!
 
Our long-time friend and supporter Ann Lovell put an amazing gift on the table - $50,000 to establish an endowment to ensure the sustainability of the Foundation for Women long into the future and far beyond those of us who founded this work.  Our goal is to raise at minimum $500,000.  With all of us doing a little vs a few doing a lot, we are committed to reaching our goal in the next few months!  We would love to have you join this effort!  Deborah and Ann are happy to speak with you about several ways to contribute – a cash donation, a monthly commitment, appreciated stock assets or however else might work for you.  Please call Cory at 858.483.0400 and let her know how best we can connect with you.  Or you can make a donation right now.
 
Thank you for believing in this work, for holding hands with all of us for such a long time.  Together we truly are changing the world for women and families.  Together may we impact 23+ million more together in the years to come!
 
With much gratitude and love from Deborah and the entire Foundation for Women Family.

Liberia - After 9 long months away due to COVID, I finally returned to Liberia in December and am very grateful to be here. We are perfecting a collective impact model for social change unlike anything anywhere. In celebration of this International Women’s Day 2021, I am reflecting on the millions of women and family members with whom we have been blessed to connect since our inception in the late 1990’s. An unbelievable journey, one I never could have imagined…

It has been an extraordinary year. Now more than ever it is time to help those in need. That is what the Foundation for Women does every single day. This holiday season you can change lives by joining with us:

• $2000 given by banker/friend/supporter Jennifer Harter built this house for David Browne and family.
• $1000 given by Paul and Barbara Insel feeds 40 families/500 people for a month.
• $500 given by Janie Davis keeps two girls in school for a year.
• $250 given by Tracy Eames funds two microfinance loans for women living on less than $2/day.

Please join us in giving a gift that changes lives with any amount. We will let you know about the lives you changed. Donate now.

My treasured Liberian staff person Calvin called at noon today and asked, "Are you sitting down?" My response, "What’s wrong Calvin?" with a deep sense of dread. "Your dear friend Evelyn died today." "NO!" was all I could say…Evelyn and I have been friends for years.  She lives alone in a small dirt-floor shack house around the corner from my home in Liberia. She would walk passed my front door daily with her plastic bucket filled with small things she tried to sell to anyone she encountered along the beach, her only source of "small-small" money. I often bought all the small bags of nuts and candies she had in her bucket, carefully counting out the total in Liberian dollars; always the equivalent of just a few US dollars. I would bring the treats to our FFW office and share them with the team, all of whom know of my dear friendship with Evelyn.

Dear Friends,
Anyone joining our FFW Circle of Giving will have the option of being connected to family in Liberia, just like our friend, banker and long-time supporter Jennifer: 

"Nearly four years ago, Deborah and the Foundation for Women connected me to the father of a family of four daughters in Liberia; one of the most impoverished countries on planet earth. At the time, the family had not eaten in days. I have provided financial support to the family, and every time I have an opportunity, I send a package of “essentials.” When I ask what the family needs, the priorities are internet/phone, toothpaste, soap, diaper cream, and candy for the kids. Imagine!" ​

Foundation for Women was recently endorsed by the Rotary Action Group for Microfinance and Community Development and featured in their online member communications. Here is the full article: 

​As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect every corner of the global economy, the impact of the virus on weak health systems and economies is only beginning to be foreshadowed. Countries with comparatively strong health systems have been catastrophically challenged by the pandemic, and as the virus spreads to poor countries, concern about the looming health crisis grows. In Liberia, where over 3 million people live below the poverty line, 97% of households do not have clean water or soap and access to personal protective measures and behaviors (such as masks, cleaning supplies, and social distancing) is almost impossible. The country sinks deeper into a compounding cycle of poverty and ill-health with the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. The healthcare system is woefully ill-prepared to manage a spike in critical cases. The country only has 6 ventilators.