Radio Interview with Lisa Wexler of The Lisa Wexler Show, broadcasting to Fairfield, CT and metro NY. 

In this episode we we interview Dr. Lubna Al-Kazi a tireless advocate for the rights of women in Kuwait.

 Dr. Lubna Al-Kazi has been a powerful voice for women's right to vote and run for office since returning to Kuwait 35 years ago after studying in the United States. Now a professor of Sociology at Kuwait University, Dr. Al-Kazi has worked with the United Nations, written multiple books and articles, and is a leader of the Kuwaiti Women's Social and Cultural Society, the premier women's rights group in Kuwait.

We talk to four participants of the FORTUNE Magazine/U.S. State Department mentoring program at the conclusion of their mentorships and a day of presentations and workshops conducted in New York City.

FORTUNE/U.S. State Department Global Women's Mentoring Partnership

Since 2006, Vital Voices has partnered annually with the U.S. State Department and FORTUNE Most Powerful Women's Summit to provide international emerging women leaders in business the opportunity to develop their leadership, management and business skills through the FORTUNE/U.S. State Department Global Women's Mentoring Partnership. This unique program combines the study of U.S. business culture with a working mentorship program that enables emerging women business leaders across the globe to spend a month in the U.S. to enhance their capabilities and propel their careers forward. Top American female executives - Fortune's Most Powerful Women - mentor these emerging leaders to support them in their professional growth.

Alyse Nelson Bloom, President of Vital Voices, and Shireen Zaman, Senior Program Officer, discuss the Vital Voices- MEPI project in Jordan with our local partner, Samar Haj Hassan of Mahara Consultancies in Development.  Vital Voices has been working with Samar and her team in Jordan for almost two years on a project to promote public-private partners to address family violence.

About Samar Haj Hassan
Samar Haj Hassan is the co-founder and managing partner of Mahara, Professional Consultancies in Development, the first consultancy firm in Jordan that provides comprehensive services in the development field.   Ms. Haj Hassan has been exposed to national and international development experiences through her work at the Jordan River Foundation as a Manager of the Child Safety Program and at the National Council for Family Affairs as a Deputy Secretary General, at which she is a current board member.  Her broad experiences have provided her with the knowledge and expertise to understand social and human development from the levels of implementation and policy development.  Ms. Haj Hassan has participated in several national committees including the national committee for the development of the Youth Strategy, the Social Network Committee of the National Agenda for Jordan, the National Committee for the development of the National Strategy for the Jordanian Family and the Management Team of the National Project for Family Protection.  At a regional level, Ms. Haj Hassan has worked closely with the Arab League as a member of the regional advisory committee to develop the Arab Strategy for the family.  At an international level Ms. Haj Hassan has participated in several UN & international conferences and events. With her endeavor to have an impact at the decision making level that affects families, Ms. Haj Hassan ran for Parliament Elections in Jordan in November 2007.  Ms. Haj Hassan has a degree in International Business Administration and Marketing from the American University in Switzerland.

About Shireen Zaman
Shireen Zaman is Senior Program Officer for the Middle East and North Africa at Vital Voices Global Partnership, where she focuses on the development of public-private partnerships, particularly in the Middle East, and other projects in the region.  She completed her Masters degree at the School of International Service at American University in Washington, DC in 2006 where she focused on democracy issues and the Middle East.  Shireen has worked with the Office of Iraq Political Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and with the international non-profit Women Waging Peace.  Shireen has also worked with the Moving Ideas Network, doing collaborative communications and legislative strategy with a network of more than 130 organizations. Most recently she worked with the Transnational Broadcast Studies journal in Cairo, Egypt and attended the Arabic Language Institute at the American University based in Cairo. She holds a B.A. in Human Development from Boston College.

We talk to women after a week of training and events as they prepare to leave for the mentorships around the U.S.

FORTUNE/U.S. State Department Global Women's Mentoring Partnership

Since 2006, Vital Voices has partnered annually with the U.S. State Department and FORTUNE Most Powerful Women's Summit to provide international emerging women leaders in business the opportunity to develop their leadership, management and business skills through the FORTUNE/U.S. State Department Global Women's Mentoring Partnership. This unique program combines the study of U.S. business culture with a working mentorship program that enables emerging women business leaders across the globe to spend a month in the U.S. to enhance their capabilities and propel their careers forward. Top American female executives - Fortune's Most Powerful Women - mentor these emerging leaders to support them in their professional growth.

Each year, the program kicks off with an orientation program in Washington DC organized by Vital Voices in partnership with the US State Department. While in Washington, international participants convene to discuss the importance of public-private partnerships, learn of American best practices in business and government and engage in interactive leadership and communications training sessions.

Following the orientation program in Washington DC, participants travel to various cities across the United States to embark upon a three week mentoring program with a high level female executive in a FORTUNE 500 company. Throughout the mentorship process, participants shadow a powerful woman leader and take away best practices that they can apply to their professional lives at home.

At the end of their three-week mentorship experience, the international women leaders re-convene in New York City for a closing program to discuss lessons learned and plans for future activities.

Kim Cattrall speaks about Seven, a break-through documentary play about the struggles for freedom and human rights of seven women from around the world.

About Seven
The play is a collaboration between Vital Voices and seven award-winning women playwrights, including: Paula Cizmar, Catherine Filloux, Gail Kriegel, Carol K. Mack, Ruth Margraff, Anna Deavere Smith, and Susan Yankowitz. It profiles seven women leaders from Vital Voices' Global Leadership Network to illustrate their challenges and highlight their successes.

Seven is a commanding reminder of the transformative power of women"s leadership. It is hoped that in the future, Seven will travel around the U.S. to educate the public on the importance of investing in women.

We interview Marina Pisklakova-Parker at the March 6th performance of Seven at the New York City studio of Diane von Furstenberg.

About Marina Pisklakova-Parker
Against tremendous odds in 1993, Marina Pisklakova-Parker, Russia, founded the first hotline for victims of domestic violence, which has since grown into Center ANNA, part of a coalition that has provided crisis and counseling services for 100,000 Russian women.

About Seven
The play is a collaboration between Vital Voices and seven award-winning women playwrights, including: Paula Cizmar, Catherine Filloux, Gail Kriegel, Carol K. Mack, Ruth Margraff, Anna Deavere Smith, and Susan Yankowitz. It profiles seven women leaders from Vital Voices' Global Leadership Network to illustrate their challenges and highlight their successes.

Seven is a commanding reminder of the transformative power of women"s leadership. It is hoped that in the future, Seven will travel around the U.S. to educate the public on the importance of investing in women.