ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11 MOVEMENTS AND LEADERS: COLLABORATING WITH WOMEN AND YOUNG PEOPLE FOR A MORE JUST FUTURE WOMAN’S RIGHT LIFE: EVERY A JUST AND HEALTHY TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 IWHC, A NEW CHAPTER 4 WHAT WE DO 6 BUILDING KNOWLEDGE AND AUTONOMY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE2 7 10 PROTECTING AND ADVANCING SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS 11 HOW WE WORK 13 FROM LOCAL TO GLOBAL AND BACK AGAIN 14 HOW YOU CAN HELP 17 SECURE A JUST AND HEALTHY LIFE FOR EVERY WOMAN AND GIRL 18 18 GRANTS TO PARTNERS 19 19 2012 BOARD OF DIRECTORS 20 DONORS FY 2010 AND FY 2011 20 26 STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION 24 IWHC, A NEW CHAPTER A LETTER FROM BRIAN A. BRINK, CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS The International Women’s Health Coalition is about extraordinary contribution to IWHC over 26 years. Adrienne’s securing women’s rights to control their own bodies. passionate dedication to promoting and protecting the rights and To do this, health of women and girls has been inspirational. She fought for ■ We build the capacity of local human rights and health justice, often against daunting odds. Through sheer determination organizations in Africa, Asia and Latin America that fi ght for the and tenacity, Adrienne and the IWHC team succeeded in interests of millions of women and adolescents annually. infl uencing major decision-makers within governments and the ■ We train women from the Global South to advocate effectively United Nations, making a signifi cant contribution to realizing with their governments for sexual and reproductive rights and the sexual and reproductive rights and health of women and health programming. girls throughout the world. On behalf of the Board, the staff and ■ And, we advocate with global power brokers and funders for Adrienne’s many colleagues, I express our enormous gratitude for sexual and reproductive rights and health policies and funding. her outstanding service to the fi eld. Adrienne’s activism continues as she works to lighten the load of those who carry heavy burdens We honed our unique approach over several decades, in key organizations and to write for immediate practical use. We helping win important victories for women at the global, national, wish her every success. and local levels. The last two years have been a time of important Over the summer of 2011, the Board of Directors change for the International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC). commissioned a strategic assessment that brought valuable In this challenging economic climate, we became a leaner insights, ideas, and challenges to IWHC as we map our future. organization, going back to our roots as a small and agile group of Two of the key fi ndings of the assessment were: talented and dedicated experts and advocates. ■ IWHC’s mission to advance the sexual and reproductive rights As fi scal year 2011 ended on September 30, our 14 staff and health of women and young people, especially girls, is members and three long-time consultants, working within a tighter considered “more important than ever;” and budget, continued to partner with dedicated colleagues around ■ IWHC’s combination of skilled advocacy to infl uence global the world to ensure that a just and healthy life is recognized and policy-making and its deep connections with and capacity realized as every woman and girl’s right. building for women’s health and rights’ organizations in the In December 2011, Adrienne Germain, who had served Global South are viewed as especially valuable. as President of IWHC since 1998, retired from IWHC, retaining the honorary title of President Emerita in recognition of her IWHC ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11 | 3 IWHC, A NEW CHAPTER CHAIR LETTER – CONTINUED In January 2012, IWHC named Françoise Girard, a long- of women and young people are not only included but funded. The time women’s champion in the fi elds of global health and human Cairo anniversary is particularly important because it was there rights, as our new President. Françoise has a distinguished history, in 1994 that the concept of sexual and reproductive rights and with a particular focus on women’s health, sexual and reproductive health became the new paradigm. For the fi rst time, a rights-based rights, sexuality and HIV/AIDS. She recently concluded a six- framework replaced population control as the dominant way of year tenure as the Director of the Public Health Program at thinking about women’s sexual and reproductive health. Open Society Foundations (OSF). Françoise has played a key Advocacy at these meetings is essential to ensure that role in advocacy at UN agencies and UN Conferences such as women and youth are included in international commitments the International Conference on Population and Development that result in programs directly affecting them and in guaranteed (ICPD +5), Fourth World Conference on Women (FWCW)+5, funding from national governments and international donors. With Special Session on HIV/AIDS and on Children, ICPD+10, and Françoise Girard as President, IWHC will play a critical role in the 2005 World Summit on the Millennium Development Goals providing leadership, building capacity, mobilizing activists, and (MDGs). From 1999 to 2003, she was Senior Program Offi cer for infl uencing policy-makers.`This report spans the fi scal years of International Policy at IWHC. We are delighted to have Françoise 2010 and 2011, which include the work we’ve done from October back to lead IWHC at this critical time. 2009 through September 2011 in our in-county and policy The period 2012-2015 will be pivotal for advancing sexual programs. You can keep up with IWHC’s ongoing work by visiting and reproductive rights and health for women and young people our website, www.iwhc.org. throughout the world. The anniversaries of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio – 2012), the International Thank you for your support for all that we do! Conference on Population and Development (Cairo – 2014) and the Millennium Development Goals (2015), will highlight the Brian A. Brink, MD, Chair Johannesburg, South Africa progress made in advancing women’s and young people’s health March 2012 and rights and the pressing work that remains to be done, and present unique opportunities to ensure that the health and rights IWHC ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11 | 4 WHAT WE DO ADVOCATE EMPOWER MOBILIZE INFORM IWHC’s partnership, encouragement, and support—both technical and fi nancial— over the years has enhanced our capacity to achieve our goals and objectives. “I am deeply grateful for IWHC’s tireless support, and the opportunities IWHC has opened to allow for our continuous development and growth.owth. Bene Madunagu, co-Founder, Girls Power Initiative, Nigeria ” WHAT BUILDING KNOWLEDGE AND AUTONOMY WE DO FOR YOUNG PEOPLE During fi scal years (FY) 2010 and 2011, The International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC) focused on young people’s access to sexual and reproductive health information and services, as well as their rights to be recognized and protected in this regard. We supported dozens of young leaders in countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, through trainings, mentoring, and fi nancing, to raise their collective voices and hold governments accountable for ensuring their sexual and reproductive rights. LEADERSHIP FOR A NEW GENERATION the national and international levels. Since AiP’s inception in IWHC is committed to training and supporting a new generation 2007, IWHC has trained more than 100 advocates from some of advocates, particularly young women from the Global South, 40 countries. Each AiP multi-day training session coincides with to develop their own organizations and to hone their skills as an important regional conference or UN negotiation, and gives independent advocates. Our Advocacy in Practice (AiP) program participants the opportunity to take what they’ve learned and put supports participants to develop the leadership skills needed to it into action. The young people who have completed the AiP advocate effectively for sexual and reproductive rights and health at training often become close colleagues and friends, forming lasting relationships with one another that span continents and time zones. IWHC ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11 | 6 WHAT BUILDING KNOWLEDGE AND AUTONOMY WE DO FOR YOUNG PEOPLE In April 2011, IWHC supported the creation of Realizing RESURJ developed a 10-point action agenda, “RESURJ by Sexual and Reproductive Justice (RESURJ), an international 2015,” which places women’s and young people’s human rights – alliance of young feminist activists, many of whom have participated particularly sexual and reproductive rights, participation in decision- in the AiPs over the years. The founding members of the group making, and accountability – at the center of health programs and include young women from 14 diverse countries who work together development efforts. When RESURJ released the agenda, they to uphold government commitments that protect and advance called for assistance with translation on Twitter and Facebook; women’s and young people’s sexual and reproductive rights and within days it had been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, health. RESURJ members use the AiP curriculum and approach French, Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, and Russian. You can learn for advocacy in the halls of the United Nations and in their own more about RESURJ by visiting their website, www.resurj.org, countries and regions. following them on Twitter, or liking them on Facebook. RESURJ member Ishita Chaudhry founded the youth-led and -run organization The YP Foundation (TYPF), in her home city of Delhi, India when she was just 17. TYPF protects, promotes, and advances young people’s human rights by building leadership and strengthening youth-led initiatives and movements. With IWHC support, TYPF has been successful in galvanizing support within different government ministries, United Nations agencies, civil society organizations, and youth movements in India to support comprehensive sexuality education programs.