On Tuesday, May 7, IIE hosted the official launch event of our Higher Education Readiness (HER) Program at our New York headquarters. The launch was part of a larger event, sponsored by IIE’s Center for Women’s Leadership Initiatives, to promote its newest publication, “Women in the Global Economy: Leading Social Change,” and host a panel discussion with book contributors.
Panelists and speakers included:
- Trish Tierney, Director of IIE’s Center for Women’s Leadership Initiatives
- Penny Abeywardena, Head of Girls & Women, Associate Director, Clinton Global Initiative
- Martha Chen, Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and
International Coordinator, Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO) - Mary Ellen Iskenderian, President & CEO, Women’s World Banking
During the event I had the pleasure of introducing the HER program to leaders from the private, NGO and government sectors interested in global women’s and girl’s issues, in particular how access to education plays a key role in breaking the poverty cycle and inequalities faced by women globally. In its inaugural year, the HER pilot program will provide 100 girls entering 11th grade in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with scholarship support combined with innovative leadership and life skills training to help them complete their secondary education and equip them with the tools they need to continue to university.
Have a look at the HER presentation I gave at the launch event and check out some photos from the event on Flickr below.
As a quick HER program update, IIE has held meetings with all scholarship recipients’ parents. My next blog entry will focus on these meetings and provide you with more details on the parents’ involvement with the program.