Four of the participants to the WomenChangeMakers workshop of May 2010 in Geneva were recently honored for outstanding services to their communities. Lucky Chhetri of Nepal, Chetna Sinha of India, Kathryn Hall-Trujillo based in the USA and Sakena Yacoobi of Afghanistan received well-deserved recognition for their extraordinary achievements. WomenChangeMakers congratulates its core group of advisors and salutes their creativity, perseverance and altruism. 

Lucky Chhetri and her sisters' 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking is a shortlisted project for the 2010 Beyond Sport Award, 'Sport for Social Inclusion Award'. 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking offers the opportunity for Nepali women to work in tourism, namely as trekking, rock and ice climbing guides. Although these adventure sports have a long history in Nepal, women’s participation in such sports has been minimal or non-existent. Today, thanks to the 3 Sisters, Nepali women are transforming themselves by building their self-esteem and confidence, harnessing their skills and knowledge, and simultaneously earning money to support themselves and their families. 

Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank Ltd. launched a one of its kind “e-card” program for rural women in Maharashtra on 9th May, 2010. Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari as a cooperative bank was started by the share capital and the deposits of local women. There was no outside funding and it took three years to make the institution sustainable and profitable. The e-card is another one of Mann Deshi’s continuous endeavours to serve the rural women. It will not just enable security of the account information of the holder but also provide a sort of status symbol for the women who carry it. The e-card is also a giant leap towards automated banking enabling enhanced reach and faster expansion. 

Ashoka and the Maternal Health Task Force at EngenderHealth announced the 16 winners of their Young Champions competition on June 17th, 2010. Each Young Champion will spend nine months abroad working with and being mentored by an Ashoka Fellow with expertise in maternal health. Young Champions, Egwaoje Ifeyinwa Madu of Nigeria and Martha Fikre Adenew of Ethiopia are paired with Kathryn Hall-Trujillo, an Ashoka USA Fellow. Through the Birthing Project, Kathryn is redesigning pregnancy for at-risk women by emphasizing it as an opportunity to connect with another woman - a “SisterFriend” – who provides the unconditional support and trusted partner that many have never had. Birthing Project USA is increasing the number of women that are perceived and consider themselves to be leaders in the field of maternal and child wellness while encouraging them to become volunteer SisterFriends to vulnerable pregnant women.

Sakena Yacoobi, founder and executive director of the Afghan Institute of Learning, urged the advanced degree graduates of Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California to "reach out to others and give a gift to yourself" in the process in her 2010 Commencement speech. She has been a model of such action since 1995. In appreciation of her work, SCU honored her with an honorary Doctor of Education Honoris Causa degree. On June 17, 2010, at the Global Health Conference in Washington, DC Dr. Yacoobi received the 2010 Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights established to honor the late Jonathan Mann and to call attention to the vital links between health and human rights. The Award is bestowed annually on an individual who shows an overwhelming commitment to health and human rights, often at great personal danger. Sakena Yacoobi considers access to health care and education as human rights and takes a holistic approach to advancing health and human rights, particularly for women. AIL currently serves 350,000 women and children each year in Afghanistan and Pakistan and has provided education, training and health services to over 7.1 million Afghans since 1995. AIL is run by women and operated by women: of its 480 employees, more than 70% are women.