Investing in women

As the Clinton Global Initiative holds its annual meeting in New York, it continues its focus on investing in girls and women.  Why?

Because an educated, empowered and employed woman reinvests more than 80% of what she earns back into her family and community — compared to less than 30% reinvested by each working man.

Although this was not the impetus for the first Global Women’s Leadership Institute, it has become the slow burning flame of intention and action among the institute’s first participants.

While in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, the institute began to bridge the divide between vision and action — which is what separates aspiring leaders from accomplished leaders.  We started by setting the leadership table with multicultural groups of ambitious women seeking tools and strategies for making a leadership difference.

These women want to DO something — something meaningful that requires leadership expertise.

Consequently, we provided opportunities for them to learn from us and each other, in conflict and in quiet reflection; to acquire leadership tools and test their leadership acumen; and to design and implement a leadership project in their home community that reflects their passion and their commitment to meaningful change.

Not surprisingly, most of the women seized the opportunity and have been seeking partnerships, securing resources and launching projects as varied as multicultural mentorships for aspiring women in health care, a cross-cultural blog for young Saudi women, development of a community college,  and a new, global women handicrafts enterprise constructed in partnership with an established global NGO.  Most of the women have focused their considerable energy and expertise on projects that contribute to the long-term sustainability of their communities.

Some of the projects are underway and others are still taking shape, but one thing is clear — these women are committed to staying connected and making a difference not just in their home country but beyond.

In November, we will distribute leadership medallions to the US women who have successfully completed their project plans and have achieved a project milestone.  In January, we will hold a similar ceremony in Riyadh.

The medallions are a recognition of this point in time and cannot begin to celebrate the long-term contributions that are yet to be revealed.  My experience with this group is that their investments in women will reap rewards well beyond anything we imagined.