UN – United Nations

Yesterday I went up to New York to film Kumbukani – or Kumba, as her friends call her – a Girl Guide from Malawi who came to attend the Commission on the Status of Women. When I saw her she appeared…well, ordinary. While telling her own story she was soft-spoken, but once the conversation shifted to empowering girls her voice rose with a crescendo.  She quickly launched into the importance of providing girls with access …

One (extra)ordinary girl’s story | unfoundation.org Read More »

We all have a lot of things going on these days so it is easy to miss some of the best reads of the week. Global Connections will be blogging about the top articles of the week each Wednesday in our “What We’re Reading” blog post, so subscribe to our blogs, and check back often for updates! Did we miss your favorite article? Tell us in the comments below and we will add it. Without …

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This week has been a week full of celebrations — from milestones to birthdays. We started the week off with Leap Year, celebrated a milestone on Wednesday when the World Health Organization officially removed India from the polio endemic list, and ended the week with the birthday celebration for the VP of Public Affairs, Aaron Sherinian. As the week wraps up, we can look back at our daily photos of the day and realize that …

A Week of Celebrations | unfoundation.org Read More »

I recently watched the documentary “Babies”. It’s an enthralling, wordless journey of the first year of four babies’ lives. One in Mongolia, one in Tokyo, one in San Francisco and one in Namibia in the Kalahari desert. The contrast of approaches to food, hygiene, daily activities and medical care were obviously stark. The educational and technological divide was clear within the first five minutes of the film. And yet, I was left with universality. The …

Can Four Cute Baby Bottoms Start a Global Revolution? Read More »

On March 8, we will observe the 101st anniversary of International Women’s Day – a day that celebrates the political, economic, and social contributions women have made to the world. This is an important day for the United Nations Foundation because improving women’s health is one of our main priorities. This day brings the issues facing women and girls around the world to center stage and gives us the opportunity to develop partnerships and innovative …

Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures | unfoundation.org Read More »

I knew I had reached an important milestone in my mother’s eyes about six years ago when I was preparing the Passover seder meal and she called me a balabusta.  According to my mother, this is a Yiddish expression that means being a good homemaker, the family glue, or the one that holds everything together. For the past three years, I’ve had the privilege to lead an initiative at the UN Foundation – the Universal …

Reflections from an Aspiring Balabusta Read More »

In 1999, only one year after I got my first mobile phone, I launched a company that enabled people to order online groceries and pay their bills with our newly created, kitchen iPad-like device that would sit on the countertop.  I distinctly remember hearing venture capitalists at the time ask us why we didn’t enable this over the mobile phone.  Were they crazy?  Back then, there were no iPhones or Android devices.  In fact, there …

Mobile Phones for Health and Wealth Read More »

The promise of social media is that people and communities around the planet can unite, express and engage in ways never possible before.  Why not take this promise to some of the most important gatherings happening in our world today?  This year, a meeting of historic proportions will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  The Rio+20 Summit will bring together world leaders as the UN tackles some of the biggest issues of our time. …

The Promise of #SocialGood…and why it lives in Rio this year Read More »

As I was preparing my remarks for our annual International Women’s Day Luncheon held yesterday in Washington, I could not help but reflect on the story of a young girl in Malawi named Kumbukani, who despite all odds turned a seemingly shattered life into a powerful journey. From falling into a trap door of teen pregnancy and dropping out of school, Kumbukani was able to stare reality in the face and change her life by …

UN Foundation International Women’s Day Luncheon Read More »