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As I was preparing my remarks for our annual International Women’s Day Luncheon held yesterday in Washington, I could not help but reflect on the story of a young girl in Malawi named Kumbukani, who despite all odds turned a seemingly shattered life into a powerful journey.
A lot has happened in the world in the past week. Did you catch everything? If not, here is your weekly dose of “What We’re Reading” to get you caught up on some of our favorite stories.
The promise of social media is that people and communities around the planet can unite, express and engage in ways never possible before. Why not take this promise to some of the most important gatherings happening in our world today? This year, a meeting of historic proportions will take place in Rio de Janeiro. The Rio+20 Summit will bring together world leaders as the UN tackles some of the biggest issues of our time.
In 1999, only one year after I got my first mobile phone, I launched a company that enabled people to order online groceries and pay their bills with our newly created, kitchen iPad-like device that would sit on the countertop. I distinctly remember hearing venture capitalists at the time ask us why we didn’t enable this over the mobile phone.
I knew I had reached an important milestone in my mother’s eyes about six years ago when I was preparing the Passover seder meal and she called me a balabusta. According to my mother, this is a Yiddish expression that means being a good homemaker, the family glue, or the one that holds everything together.
Busy week? Don’t worry, Global Connections is here to keep you updated on world news. Check out some of our favorite stories from this week. If you notice something we missed, leave a comment below so we can add it. Happy Reading!
In honor of International Women’s Day on March 8, the UN Foundation is asking you – our supporters – to share with us a woman who inspires you. Many people have responded that their mothers inspire them most. This makes perfect sense to me because our moms are often our first bosses, role models, and friends.
On March 8, we will observe the 101st anniversary of International Women’s Day – a day that celebrates the political, economic, and social contributions women have made to the world. This is an important day for the United Nations Foundation because improving women’s health is one of our main priorities. This day brings the issues facing women and girls around the world to center stage and gives us the opportunity to develop partnerships and innovative solutions to help the UN address these issues.
I recently watched the documentary “Babies”. It’s an enthralling, wordless journey of the first year of four babies’ lives. One in Mongolia, one in Tokyo, one in San Francisco and one in Namibia in the Kalahari desert.
This week has been a week full of celebrations — from milestones to birthday’s. We started the week off with Leap Year, celebrated a milestone on Wednesday when the World Health Organization officially removed India from the polio endemic list, and ended the week with the birthday celebration for the VP of Public Affairs, Aaron Sherinian. As the week wraps up, we can look back at our daily photos of the day and realize that all in all, it was a week worth leaping in excitement for!