1.      We briefly introduced you to four NGO’s that have at least a partial focus on eradicating poverty for women and children.  Which of these NGO’s do you think most closely represents “Transnational Feminisms” based on your group interpretation.  Based on our limited knowledge, what are this NGO’s strengths and weaknesses?  What one thing would you do to improve the organization?  For your reference, the NGO’s are:

a.     Education Partnership for Children of Conflict (www.educationpartnership.org)

b.     World Food Programme (www.wfp.org)

c.     ONE (www.one.org)

d.     CARE (www.care.org)

2.     Working in an art education project in rural El Salvador was a hopeful and productive experience.  During this time, the community also voiced needs for other resources, including medical care, paid work, money, and other things that may go beyond the needs of the art education project.  How can workers and volunteers in NGOs and other projects work to better serve the needs of the people they work with?  What are some stumbling blocks to doing this?  How do groups avoid cultural imperialism or putting their goals first?  Do NGOs sometimes hurt rather than help the people they work with?  Can you think of examples?

3.    Ivone Gebara says, in talking about option for others, that “the other is collective, that is to say it means option for a human group in distress, a group whose human integrity is diminished” (Gebara, 145).  In what ways is fighting poverty a collective endeavor?  What are some other options for collectively helping a human group in distress, besides the ones presented today? 

Here's an exciting call for papers for a very related organization, the Institute for Women's Policy Research.

Peace, Sarah

Ninth International Women's Policy Research Conference, in conjunction with the 2008 Economic Justice Summit

"Bringing Together Research and Advocacy from Local to Global to Advance Economic justice and Empowerment for Women"

Call for Research Papers and Workshop Proposals, due February 15, 2008 

April 10-12, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia

From website:

The Summit is a conference that will bring together feminist grassroots activists, academics and educators, women's policy researchers, NGO's, non-profits, social justice organizations, and labor, business, and government leaders committed to strengthening the economic and political power of women - as workers, business owners, caregivers, family providers, voters, and leaders. The summit will provide diverse perspectives combining academic findings on the economic status of women with action strategies for promoting equality. Participants will identify trends, challenges, and solutions from the local to the global arena, considering class, race, cultural, religious and gender realities.

http://www.iwpr.org/Conferences/Conferences.htm

The issue of how US policy affects people was really brought home when my classmate spoke about her personal experience in Cambodia.  I could not get the idea of $12 (US) being the "compensation" for a human life, lost due to bombing, out of my head.  I wonder who did the math to create that dollar amount.