“Women Bloggers Deliver” will award two female bloggers with a trip to Kenya to learn about clean water and women in development
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ENTRIES. THE TOP 20 FINALISTS ARE LISTED BELOW!
6 April 2011, New York – Women Deliver, in partnership with Vestergaard Frandsen, announced today the launch of “Women Bloggers Deliver,” a competition that will send two female bloggers on a trip to Kakamega, Kenya to observe a unique public health campaign with a climate change component that will provide millions of girls and women with access to safe and clean drinking water. The winning bloggers will accompany community workers as they distribute LifeStraw® Family water filters to almost a million households. This important public health intervention will contribute significantly to health and development efforts that are transforming the lives of families and communities hard hit by the lack of clean water.
In April and May of 2011, LifeStraw® Family water filters will be distributed to approximately 90% of all households in the Western Province of Kenya in a groundbreaking program that links access to safe drinking water with low carbon development. The program, called “Carbon for Water,” will provide more than four million residents with quick access to safe drinking water at home. The program is led and solely funded by Vestergaard Frandsen (VF), a global company that specializes in complex emergency response and disease control textiles, including LifeStraw® Family. It is self-funded by VF and will be reimbursed by carbon financing.
“This competition will provide a unique opportunity for leading bloggers to travel to Kenya and observe the most important project yet to combine the power of climate change mitigation with public health,” said Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen, CEO of the Group, Vestergaard Frandsen. “I'm sure the winning bloggers will have the experience of a lifetime and will share their knowledge and insights with a very wide and influential audience."
For one week in May, from May 14 to May 22, the bloggers will travel through Kenya’s Western Province, all expenses paid, to research and write about the campaign and the women whose lives are being affected. In sub-Saharan Africa, many girls and women spend hours a day collecting water, often walking miles in extreme conditions and on dangerous roads to fetch water and wood for fuel. This is time that could be better spent in school, as one in three girls in sub-Saharan Africa does not attend primary school and misses out on the opportunity to build a better future for herself and her family.
“The huge challenges in sub-Saharan Africa—poverty, access to safe and clean drinking water, access to family planning, maternal mortality—can only be tackled if women are central to the conversation,” said Jill Sheffield, president of Women Deliver. “We hope that this competition will harness women bloggers’ energy and passion to showcase women as not only part of the problem, but part of the solution.”
To honor the bloggers’ work and the work of Women Deliver in raising the profile of women from this community, the Emusanda Health Center in Kakamega will receive a long sought-after maternity ward donated by Vestergaard Frandsen with contributions from the blogosphere.
DEADLINE: Friday, April 22, 2011. To learn more and apply for the competition, visit this link: http://www.vestergaard-frandsen.com/women-bloggers-deliver/
Bloggers must be between the age of 21-35, have some understanding of global development issues, and can be a resident of any country around the world. One of the major goals of this contest is to raise awareness of maternal health issues among a broader community of advocates (water, sanitation, environment, broader health, economic development) and to build support among the young generation to take up advocacy efforts.
Finalists:
Lori Adelman - New York, United States
'Toyin Ajao - Lagos, Nigeria
Ayaovi Djifa Akomatsri - Lomé, Togo
Andrea Arzaba - Metepec, Mexico
Heather Box - California, United States
Abby Callard - Mumbai, India
Rachel Cernansky - Colorado, United States
Penelope Chester - Toronto, Canada
Svetlana Doneva - Johannesburg, South Africa
Christy Gillmore - Massachusetts, United States
Mona Hakimi - Johannesburg, South Africa
Margaret Hartley - Massachusetts, United States
Rachel Hills - London, United Kingdom
Chris Holly - Middlesex, United Kingdom
Sarah Hunt - Carlton North, Australia
Julia Fan Li - Cambridge, United Kingdom
Jessica Mack - Washington, United States
Rose Reis - Maryland, United States
Hannah Ryder - Glasgow, United Kingdom
Lisa Smith - Michigan, United States
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About Vestergaard Frandsen:
Vestergaard Frandsen is a European company specializing in complex emergency response and disease control products. The company operates under a unique Humanitarian Entrepreneurship business model. This “profit for a purpose” approach has turned humanitarian responsibility into its core business. Vestergaard Frandsen was founded in 1957 and has evolved into a multinational leader focused on helping to achieve the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. For more information please visit http://www.vestergaard-frandsen.com
About Women Deliver:
Women Deliver is a global advocacy organization that brings together voices from around the world to call for action for improved health and well-being for girls and women. Launched in 2007, Women Deliver works globally to generate political commitment and financial investment for fulfilling Millennium Development Goal #5 — to reduce maternal mortality and achieve universal access to reproductive health. Building from the groundbreaking conferences Women Deliver convened in 2007 and 2010, the initiative harnesses commitments, partnerships, and networks to help prevent the approximately 350,000 deaths of girls and women from pregnancy-related causes that occur every year. Women Deliver’s message is that maternal health is both a human right and a practical necessity for sustainable development. Invest in women—it pays. Visit http://www.womendeliver.org
Bloggers must be between the age of 21-35, have some understanding of global development issues, and can be a resident of any country around the world. One of the major goals of this contest is to raise awareness of maternal health issues among a broader community of advocates (water, sanitation, environment, broader health, economic development) and to build support among the young generation to take up advocacy efforts.
Entry Comments
This an initiative worth partaking in!
Hello! Where can I find the list of finalists for the competition for Women Bloggers? Thanks in advance!
All applicants will be notified by email by the end of the day, Monday April 25 EST.
Thanks!