For more than 20 years, a dedicated group of women in the Berkshires, and border towns in NY and CT, have been meeting monthly — in homes, community centers, and on Zoom– to help achieve global gender equality. Our chapter is just one of hundreds of local Together Women Rise chapters that support women and girls in low-income countries. We are a national nonprofit whose work focuses on three key areas: Learning–to increase understanding of global gender equality and fuel our collective action; Giving–to invest in grants and partnerships that support women and girls in low-income countries; and Community Building– to create a diverse and inclusive global community of women and allies committed to make the world a better place.
January’s recipient is Shared Interest: Investing in Southern Africa, an organization that works to change gender norms that impede women’s ability to succeed as entrepreneurs. Our support focuses on Shared Interest’s work in Malawi, driving systematic change in the financial system and unlocking local capital for local people. This work will set the stage for systemic change in the larger financial markets of South Africa and Zambia.
“The challenge to women’s rights continues to be an outrage so enormous that it seems impossible on a personal level to effect change,” says Stockbridge resident and Rise member Chris Ferraro. “ What I’ve learned by participating in Together Women Rise is first, that it’s far worse elsewhere in the world than here in the U.S., and second, that by working together, real change can happen in even the most oppressive places. . . .This has been one of the most rewarding community efforts I’ve experienced here in the Berkshires, and I still Iook forward to meeting new members every month!”
Come to learn about us and share in a potluck meal with a great group of women — next meeting January 18, 2024. There is never any obligation to join or donate. There are several groups in the Berkshires—Great Barrington, Pittsfield, Williamstown. For more info about our southern Berkshire group, contact leaders Linda Baxter or Laura Mars at togetherwomenrisegb1@gmail.com
