Agencies...

Center for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA), Washington. Established in 1975. Its goals are upgrading the management skills of third-world women and implementing community-based programs in family planning, health, and income generation. Ford Foundation, New York. From 1976 until late 1981, Ford had a separate women's program. Since then, it has integrated this emphasis into general development projects. Ford awards grants totaling about $70 million a year for women's development activities. It now spends 11.4% of its budget directly on women's projects, as compared to 2% in 1975. International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), Washington. Established in 1976, the center focuses on strategies to expand economic opportunities for women in developing nations through research, technical assistance, and education. International Women's Information and Communication Service (ISIS), Rome and Geneva. Primarily a resource and documentation center, ISIS was established in 1974 and provides information on health, education, nutrition, appropriate technology, communications, media, violence against women, employment, and theories of feminism. Overseas Educational Fund International (OEF), Washington. Founded in 1947, OEF works closely with community organizations and individuals in the US and developing nations. Its programs focus primarily on the integration of women in poorer countries into the socioeconomic development of their societies. Pathfinder Fund, Boston. Started in 1957. Its major focus has been to introduce and expand the availability of effective family planning services -- with concern for human rights and the status of women. Its activities combine family planning and development projects. Women's World Banking (WWB), New York. Established in 1979. Its purpose is to advance and promote entrepreneurship by women within their own economy and to help them gain access to established financial instutions. Represented in about 40 countries, WWB provides guarantees to women for loans made by local banks. WWB also provides management and technical assistance. SOME REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS: Association of African Women for Research and Development (AAWORD), West Africa. Founded in Dakar, Senegal in 1977, its main objectives are to develop communication between and among women researchers and others concerned with problems of development in Africa. Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN), New Delhi. This research group was set up with a grant from the Ford Foundation and other outside funding. Maendeleo Ya Wanawake, Nairobi, Kenya. Established in 1952. Its purpose is to improve the economic, social, and political status of women by enhancing their participation in development.