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VGIF at the United Nations

UN Commission on the Status of Women
February 27 – March 9, 2012

VGIF Parallel Event
Rural Women and Girls: Issues in Reproductive Health

Olivia Mugabirwe, Executive Director of Peer Link

 VGIF will once again be an active participant in the 2012 UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).  This year’s focus is the empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication.

VGIF is sponsoring the travel and attendance at the conference of Olivia Mugabirwe, Executive Director of Peer Link, a member of the Ugandan Federation of University Women, and a long time leader with many years of experience and advocacy working with youth in rural areas on the issue of sexual reproductive health rights and HIV/AIDS.  VGIF funded Peer Link in 2010 and again in 2011 to expand their project on Teenage Pregnancy Prevention with a goal to empower young women in their choices and encourage discussion in a safe environment that includes parents, guardians, and teachers.

Ms. Mugabirwe will be featured in a parallel event presented by VGIF during the first week of the CSW, February 27-March 2.  Rural Women and Girls: Issues in Reproductive Health, will be a moderated panel discussion with organizers of rural grassroots programs educating women and girls about their reproductive health covering prevention, childbirth, sanitation and nutrition.  The panel will also include presenters from Soroptimist International and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).  Soroptimist International and the Armenian Relief Society join VGIF as sponsors of the event.  Co-sponsors include the American Association of University Women, International Federation of University Women, Soka Gakkai International, and Women Graduates-USA.  A prix fixe dinner will follow at an area restaurant.

>> Learn more about the Peer Link project