Women’s Enterprises International is dedicated to creating opportunities that equip women in developing countries to overcome poverty and transform their lives and communities. We do this by partnering with indigenous women’s groups in development projects that provide solutions to three systemic causes of poverty; lack of access to water, lack of access to business capital and limited access to education for girls.

Thank you for your interest in Women’s Enterprises. We invite you to join us in bringing lasting change in the lives of women and girls around the world.

This website is under construction.

 

WEI 2009 Calendars Have Arrived!

The 2009 WEI Calendars have arrived with beautiful photos of the people we work with around the world.

Order your calendar today and order one for a friend. They make great gifts.

Minimum Suggested Donation: $12

Click here to see the photo collage for each month.

To order email info@womensenterprises.org or call (206) 363-0916

 

Give a Tree this Christmas!

Join WEI women’s groups in Kenya as they work to reforest their region. The 54 women of Woni and Uvuany’o are planting 2,700 trees in their community. WEI is joining in partnership by providing half of the needed trees.

Your gift of just $25 will purchase 50 tree seedlings.

Email info@womensenterprises.org


Monthly Book Forum

Join us in reading and discussing a monthly book selection that will inspire, educate and introduce us to new authors.
Knox Parlor at University Presbyterian Church
4540 15th Avenue, NE, Seattle.

February 2, 2009 - 7:00pm
“Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years with a Midwife in Mali”
- Kris Holloway

The compelling story of a midwife who became a legend. Monique Dembele saved lives and dispensed hope in a place where childbirth is a life-and-death matter. This book tells of her unquenchable passion to better the lives of women and children in the face of poverty.

Presentation by Dr. Bill Marks, a Seattle radiologist who has worked in Mali for many years.

March 2, 2009 - 7:00pm
“Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Childhood”
- Fatima Mernissi

”I was born in a harem in 1940 in Fez, Morocco...” So begins Fatima Mernissi in this exotic and rich narrative of a childhood behind the iron gates of a domestic harem. Mernissi weaves her own memories with the dreams and memories of the women who surrounded her in the courtyard of her youth—women who, deprived of access to the world outside, recreated it from sheer imagination. Dreams of Trespass is an exotic tale selected to help us understand a historical view of women in the Muslim world.

Apirl 6, 2009 - 7:00pm
“White Man Walking: An American Businessman’s Spiritual Adventure in Africa”
- Ward Brehm

The story of how one man not only crossed mountain ranges but also cultural conventions.

“Ward Brehm’s adventure walking across the terrains of East Africa and his encounter with the local people became a faith journey that was to change his life forever. Read this book to discover how one man’s heart was changed once and for all when he reluctantly accepted God’s calling to see the heart of Africa.” Anna Mkapa, First Lady of Tanzania

May 4, 2009 - 7:00pm
“There is no me without you: One woman’s obsession to rescue Africa’s children”
- Melissa Fay Greene

Two-time National Book Award nominee Melissa Fay Greene puts a human face on the African AIDS crisis with this powerful story of one woman working to save her country's children.

Presentation by Bwayla Melu, former Director of World Vision Zambia, who has a powerful personal story on the impact AIDS has had on his own family.

June 1, 2009 - 7:00pm
“Starved for Science: How Biotechnology is Being Kept out of Africa”
- Robert Paarlberg

Nearly two-thirds of Africans are employed in agriculture, yet on a per-capita basis they produce roughly 20 percent less than they did in 1970. Robert Paarlberg explains why poor African farmers are denied access to productive technologies, particularly genetically engineered seeds with improved resistance to insects and drought, which have been a key to reducing rural poverty in other parts of the world.

Join us in what promises to be an intense and informed debate led by Dr. John Vendeland, International Agricultural Consultant.

From the Field


November 21: Graduation in Guatemala!

“I wouldn’t be here today without you. You’ve made my dream come true.”
- 2008 Graduate

The 2nd class of WEI scholarship students in Guatemala has graduated! These four young women from the remote Ixil Triangle are the first in their families to attend university. Today, they return home with a degree in Agro-Forestry or Eco-tourism. They follow in the footsteps of three previous WEI graduates who have returned home and are working, with Agros Guatemala, in agricultural and community development in their villages. These grads are inspiring role models for younger girls who now see greater possibilities for their own lives.

Join us in making dreams come true by supporting the WEI Guatemala Scholarship program!




Kenya Women’s Groups Celebrate Record Year!

The good news of clean drinking water has spread far and wide!

2008 has been a year of tremendous blessings and challenges for WEI women’s groups in Kenya. A year that started with election violence came to a close with 7 of our 17 groups having completed their water projects. Today, the 248 families represented in these groups have the life giving blessing of clean water!

Women in many villages are preparing to be a part of the program and 6 new groups anticipate joining the WEI program in 2009!



Harambee 2008

Thank You!

The WEI Board of Directors and staff extend a heart-felt thank you to everyone; volunteers, sponsors, and guests, who made this year’s Harambee a success. Your donations and pledges from this year’s Harambee totaled over $46,000. This wonderful generosity enabled us to provide matching funds for 29 water tanks and 2 chicken raising businesses in Kenya and to send hundreds of children to school in Benin, Guatemala, and Kenya in the months ahead.



Support the Work of WEI

We welcome your support for the work of WEI. Transform a life by sending your donations to:
Women’s Enterprises International
P.O. Box 95775
Seattle, WA 98145

Women’s Enterprises International is a 501(c)3 organization.