COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS | MAY 2005 SIPAnews SIPA NEWS 1 From the Dean ith this issue of SIPA News we address a of 1968. Here in New York alone, the class of ‘68 boasts variety of perspectives and issues that Patricia Cloherty, a highly regarded investment banker, now are uniquely and especially interesting running the U.S. Russia Investment Fund and dividing her to slightly more than half of the world’s time between New York and Moscow; Donna Kirchheimer, population: women. From the dilem- chair of the Political Science Department at Lehman Wmas that face women in industrialized countries as they bal- College and author of a book about homelessness in New ance the demands of challenging workplaces and taxing York; and Joan Spero, one-time American Express executive, family obligations to the heartbreaking ordeal of women undersecretary of state for economic, business and agricul- trafficked as virtual slaves in developing and transitional tural affairs, and now president of the New York–based economies, women face gender-related discrimination Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. across policy arenas around the world. And yet, women also Whether by exemplifying the variety of productive roles represent disproportionately important solutions to myriad women can play in public life, training future generations of problems as well. As mothers, they are health-care providers women, or conducting research on issues of particular con- and teachers; better access to medical care and education for cern to women, SIPA is committed to extending the hori- women has a significant multiplier effect. That is true in zons of the world’s women. business as well. Muhammad Yunus, founder of the The articles here are but a small sampling of the activity Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, recounted in a lecture at SIPA that takes place in the International Affairs Building every how women came to be the vast majority of the four million year. I hope you find them both enlightening and tantaliz- of his bank’s microfinance borrowers. Women tend to be ing. There is more where this came from, as you know, and community and family oriented, he suggested, leading them we would welcome your thoughts about both the magazine to invest in productive activities and pay back their loans! and the contents of this issue, as well as about our programs SIPA has reason to focus on women. Not only was SIPA and activities. We hope that those of you who are in regular the first major policy school to appoint a woman as dean contact will let us know what you think and that the rest of when I took office eight years ago, but nearly 60 percent of you will be provoked to get in touch with us. We love to our current students are women. We count among our alum- hear from SIPA’s friends and family. ni distinguished women in many arenas, from one-time for- eign ministers Madeleine Albright of the United States and Lisa Anderson Rosario Green of Mexico, to . well, let’s just take the class Dean 2 SIPA NEWS contents p.2 p.12 p.24 p.37 p.44 Cleo.com: E-Commerce Ending the Shame: Trafficking in Dreams: Faculty Profiles: Doug Alumni News Empowers Egypt’s Campaign Raises The Dark Side of Almond, Eric Verhoogen, Women Entrepreneurs Hopes for Fistula European Union Leigh Linden By Angela Sapp Sufferers Expansion By Vince O’Hara and Hamilton By Amy Boldosser Boardman p.45 Class Notes p.4 p.16 p.27 p.40 Compiled by Arvin Bhatt Domestic Defense: Ten Costing the Care Years of Progress with Economy Murder with No Tsunami: Learning the Violence Against By Karen Crow Questions Asked from Tragedy? p.48 Women Act By Mica Rosenberg By Thomas R. Lansner Letter to the Editor By Deirdre Downey p.19 p.30 p.42 p.8 Higher Education in the Middle East: First Ladies First? Silver Lecture: Chechen Women: Challenges of By Diego Gómez-Pickering Madeleine Albright Menace and Implementing Liberal By Sarah Rimmington Desperation Arts Education in By Audrey Kurth Cronin Conservative Settings p.32 By Gina Eichner Cinali Gender & Development p.43 By Charis Varnum Development News p.11 Global Leadership Suicide among Young p.22 Awards Dinner On the cover: Mother and Rural Chinese Women child, ville nouvelle, Fez, To Sew or Not to Sew p.35 Morocco, July 2004. Credit: By Maria Ma By Elya Tagar A Conversation with Lauren Gottlieb, MIA ’05, is concentrating in the Middle Dr. Sylvia Ann Hewlett East and in International Security Policy. Cleo.com E-Commerce Empowers Egypt’s Women Entrepreneurs By Angela Sapp 2 SIPA NEWS “ e wanted a name that everyone would recognize as Egypt,” Dr. Mona El-Tobgui explains to me in her tiny office, which is tucked high above the snarling traffic inching W along the Nile. “We started with a list of 70 options but finally hit upon the perfect one to describe our vision of the modern Egyptian woman.” Such was the birth of Cleo.com, an e-commerce portal dedicated to bringing e-business to hundreds of female entrepreneurs throughout Egypt. The Web site that pays homage to Egypt’s ing female entrepreneurs, and Dr. El-Tobgui plans remain in education, employment, and political famous queen is officially known as the to offer virtual business training courses and an participation. World Bank data from the year E-Business Support Center, a joint effort between “online business consultant” feature to answer 2000 indicates that 56 percent of Egyptian the Women Business Development Center questions online. “Everybody has heard of the women over the age of 15 are illiterate, compared (WBDC) and the Scientific Association for Internet,” she says, noting that even women in to 33 percent of males. Twenty-two percent of the Egyptian Women (SAEW). Supported by nearly tiny, rural areas are talking about how to sell their female labor force is unemployed, a rate nearly 1.3 million Egyptian pounds ($210,000) of U.S. wares online. “Of course, some of them worry that 2.5 times greater than the overall unemployment Agency for International Development funds it won’t work, but most of these women are excit- rate of 9 percent. Though they are 49 percent of administered through the Cairo-based Information ed by this opportunity and are anxious to get start- the population, women hold only 6 percent of the and Communications Technology Program, the ed.” Once the women are registered on the site, ministerial-level positions within the Egyptian project encourages women entrepreneurs to use Cleo.com staff will train them so that they can government. The National Council on Women is online technology to showcase, sell, and deliver regularly update their online marketing materials trying to reduce these inequitable trends through their wares to customers throughout Egypt. on their own. “Our goal,” Dr. El-Tobgui explains, WBDC programs such as Cleo.com, which empower Project Manager Dr. El-Tobgui, one of the “is to help them bring their hidden, beautiful women both socially and economically. driving forces behind Cleo.com, and her team products out into the light.” By introducing and subsidizing technology to have already signed on 30 participants from Cairo Assisting women to start and expand their own female owners of micro- and small-size enterpris- and north Sinai, and project 250 women-owned businesses is one of the key mandates of the es, particularly in rural areas, Egyptian women businesses will be selling through the Web site by National Council on Women (NCW). Founded in will have the opportunity to expand their busi- December 2005. The project targets women who 2000 by a presidential decree and currently nesses’ reach in ways previously unimaginable. run microfinance or small-size enterprises that chaired by First Lady Suzanne Mubarak, the NCW The hope is that economic empowerment will also produce items such as pottery, carpets, wooden seeks to improve the social and economic well- ultimately give these women a greater voice in the handicrafts, jewelry, and women’s clothing. The being of the approximately 34 million women in social and political arena. It is true that when site also caters to service providers such as bak- Egypt by operating programs such as the Women compared to many other countries in the Middle eries, salons, and florists. After paying a nominal Business Development Center, itself a partnership East, Egypt is not an environment of pervasive or membership fee, the women can send in up to effort between NCW and the U.S. Agency for hostile gender discrimination. “However,” Dr. El- 40 photographs of their products to be uploaded International Development. The highest profile Tobgui quickly points out, “not all women under- onto their own personalized link within Cleo.com. women’s empowerment initiative operating in stand their rights.” The goal is that projects such A local shipping company works with the busi- Egypt today, the NCW established WBDC as a as Cleo.com will allow Egyptian women greater nesswomen to ensure that products purchased “one-stop shop” for businesswomen seeking economic independence, which will in turn online reach customers easily and on time, and training and resources in finance, marketing, and encourage them to demand a more prominent role the Web site will offer online payment functional- sales development. The WBDC, along with the in their homes and their communities. ity. “Every woman will feel like she has her own Scientific Association of Egyptian Women, “To be financially independent—this is very online business,” says Nevine Sobhi, the project’s hatched the idea of an e-commerce portal as an important,” she says.