Climate change poses a significant threat to global food security, affecting agricultural productivity, food availability, and access to nutritious food.
MMEG grantees Easther Chigumira, Lilian Elekwachi, and Isabel Madzorera joined with IFC and World Bank experts at World Bank HQ on June 12, 2024, to discuss the impact of climate change on food security.
Thanks to MMEG’s US-Canada Program Selection Committee
On April 11, 2024, MMEG’s US-Canada Selection Committee presented to the organization’s Board of Directors the eight exceptional women who best represent the ideals of Margaret McNamara, selected from this year’s large number of applicants. The Board of Directors thanks the committee members for their work and congratulates them on another successful selection process.
The US-Canada Selection Committee is composed of 15 volunteers, with 12 different nationalities and varied professional backgrounds. Through their joint efforts, they accomplished the difficult task of selecting and presenting the candidates whose proposed career path best achieves MMEG’s mission of improving the lives of women and children in their communities.
This year’s US-Canada grantees are citizens of seven different countries and are currently pursing PhD or master’s degrees in the fields of agriculture, communications, education policy, mathematics, microbiology, public health, and public administration.
These exceptional women have proven their commitment to positively impact their communities by working in favor of those who are most vulnerable. MMEG is truly impressed by their ability to improve the conditions of those in need through such diverse fields of study. It affirms the notion that women are great promoters of positive change in the world.
Last fiscal year, MMEG launched a pilot grant program: the France Program. Through this program, MMEG awards grants to French-speaking women from developing countries studying in accredited universities and other tertiary education institutions in France.
Following a rigorous screening process that maintained MMEG’s standards for excellence, two exceptional women, one studying functional ecology and agricultural science and the other, environmental policy with a focus on gender, were selected and awarded this year’s grants. Congratulations to MMEG’s 2024 France Program grantees!
The selections were made possible through the dedicated work of the France Program Selection Committee, an eight-member team of hard-working volunteers from seven different countries. Committee members brought to the selection their diverse professional backgrounds—including international development and management, pharmacology, linguistics, economics, and teaching—their collective commitment to advancing women’s education, and their individual life experiences and skills. Their diversity of perspectives enriched the process.
We sincerely thank the France Program Selection Committee for brilliantly completing the second selection cycle of MMEG’s newest grant program, and for furthering MMEG’s mission to improve the lives of women and children by supporting the higher education of exceptional women from developing countries.
Congratulations to MMEG grantee Fatima Lawson (US-Canada Program, 1994), principal of Highwood Hill Polytechnic Elementary School, for receiving the 2024 National Distinguished Principal Award, presented by the National Association for Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and Minnesota Elementary Schools Principals’ Association (MESPA)
Fatima’s outstanding leadership, innovative initiatives, and unwavering commitment to educational excellence have earned her this accolade. We are proud to have identified and supported Fatima as a future educator and mentor.
Read more about Fatima Lawson here
Zainab is a great example of how MMEG grants help extraordinary women achieve their dreams. MMEG helped launch her career in human rights, which will translate into better lives for many other women too.
Sustainability: A Tapestry, not a Single Thread
By Lindsey Chang
Imagine a world where healthy food, strong minds, and thriving cities are the basis of a thriving planet. That's the future envisioned at a recent MMEG Talk, moderated by Priscilla Linn. Three inspiring grantees – Oluchi Ezekannagha, Batool Fatima, and Thandeka Tshabalala – came together to weave a powerful conversation about how their fields – nutrition, mental health, and urban planning – are key ingredients in a sustainable future.
The UN's Sustainable Development Goals: A Blueprint for a Better Future
The UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs[MP1] ) serve as a universal call to action. As MMEG’s president Madeleine de Kockdescribed, these 17 interconnected goals aim to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure peace and prosperity by 2030. They emphasize a balanced approach to social, economic, and environmental sustainability.
Nutrition: Building a Healthy Future, One Plate at a Time
Oluchi Ezekannagha, a nutritional scientist, champions sustainable food systems and diverse diets. Her message was clear: sustainable food systems are the cornerstone of a healthy future. She emphasizes a holistic approach that considers environmental impact, promotes crop variety, and encourages diverse dietary options. Diverse food systems, mirroring the rich ecosystems they depend on, are critical for long-term sustainability.
Mental Health: The Missing Piece of the Puzzle
Dr. Batool Fatima is a public health expert, advocating for integrating mental health into broader health systems. Dr. Batool shifted the conversation towards an oft-neglected topic: mental health. She argues for sustainable health systems to encompass not just environmental considerations, but also economic and social sustainability. Her work focuses on empowering individuals and communities to create a safety net, reducing dependence on stretched healthcare systems. Dr. Fatima's insights remind us that mental well-being is just as crucial as physical health in achieving global sustainability goals.
Urban Planning: Building Healthy Cities
Thandeka Tshabalala is an urban planner who works to alleviate energy poverty through sustainable solutions. She brought the discussion to street level, highlighting the impact of city planning on community health. Her work focuses on integrating sustainable energy access during urban planning processes. This emphasis on affordable, clean energy, particularly for low-income households, underscores the essential role infrastructure plays in the health of urban dwellers.
The grantees mentioned how sustainability initiatives face various challenges, including:
Limited funding: financial constraints often hinder the implementation of sustainable programs, especially in low-income settings.
Human resource shortages: a lack of qualified professionals, in mental health, creates service gaps.
Geographical and locational factors: informal settlements and geographically vulnerable areas pose challenges for sustainable development.
Collaboration Is Key
The discussions made it clear that sustainability is not a single goal, but a complex web of interdependent efforts. From nutritious diets to mental resilience to healthy cities, the path to sustainability demands a multifaceted approach.
The MMEG Talk showcased the power of shared knowledge and collaboration. By working together across disciplines and borders, we can create a healthier, more sustainable world for all. Inspired by these grantees, we know the challenges are daunting, but achievable. Let's turn sustainability from an aspiration to a reality through collaboration.
MMEG Talks are organized by MMEG board member Priscilla Linn, who welcomes suggestions for future MMEG Talk topics.
Thank you to the Trinity Washington Selection Committee for all its work in ensuring the continuity of MMEG’s Trinity Washington University Program. The Trinity Program is unique among MMEG’s programs in that its grants are open to all Trinity's women students, irrespective of nationality and immigration status. The program was originally established to acknowledge MMEG’s location in Washington DC and it is hoped that MMEG recipients will continue to contribute to the local community.
The Selection Committee is made up of seven members, from six different countries, with varied backgrounds and a range of experience: international development, economics, nursing, sociology, business management and financial markets. Their collective expertise has been invaluable in overseeing the selection process.
This year the MMEG grant is awarded to a candidate in the field of occupational therapy who demonstrates ambition, vision and perseverance in the face of great personal adversity. She exemplifies the values MMEG strives to support and will doubtless be able to translate her student success into her future professional world in Washington, DC.
The Selection Committee, as always, played an essential role in this process of finding the right candidate. The MMEG Board offers our deepest gratitude for the volunteers’ work, and we look forward to our continuing collaboration.
MMEG’s Board of Directors would like to thank and congratulate the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) Selection Committee for completing another successful selection process, On January 11, 2024, they proudly presented 10 exceptional women who stood out from a large pool of applicants.
The LAC Selection Committee is composed of dedicated volunteers with nine different nationalities and from various professional backgrounds, who work hard toward a common goal: reviewing submitted applications to identify the extraordinary and exceptional women who might join our family of grantees.
LAC grantees for FY 2024 are citizens of five different countries, currently studying at one of the program’s partner universities. Their fields of study are social anthropology, development & international relations, gender studies, health & nutrition, political science, sociology, gender law, medicine, and political sociology. They are enrolled in bachelor’s, baster’s, or PhD programs.
These grantees have demonstrated their commitment to work and volunteer to assist the vulnerable and disadvantaged communities throughout their careers.
Through their professional and study plans, they confirm their dedication to uplift the lives of women and children in developing countries.
The diversity in our grantees’ fields of study confirms that women are catalysts of positive change in all elements of their communities!
Read about the grantees here.
La Junta Directiva de MMEG desea agradecer y felicitar al Comité de Selección de América Latina y el Caribe (LAC) por completar otro proceso de selección exitoso; el 11 de enero de 2024, presentaron con orgullo a 10 mujeres excepcionales que se destacaron entre un gran grupo de aplicantes.
El Comité de Selección de MMEG en LAC está compuesto por voluntarias con nueve nacionalidades diferentes y diversas carreras profesionales, que son muy dedicadas y trabajan arduamente con un objetivo común, revisando las solicitudes presentadas para identificar a las mujeres extraordinarias y excepcionales que podrían unirse a nuestra familia de beneficiarias.
Las becarias de LAC para el año fiscal 2024 son ciudadanas de cinco países diferentes, que actualmente estudian en una de las universidades participantes en el programa. Sus campos de estudio son Antropología Social, Desarrollo y Relaciones Internacionales, Estudios de Género, Salud y Nutrición, Ciencias Políticas, Sociología, Derecho de Género, Medicina y Sociología Política. Están inscritas en programas de Licenciatura, Maestría o Doctorado.
Estas becarias han demostrado su compromiso a través de su trabajo y su voluntariado para ayudar a las comunidades vulnerables y desfavorecidas a lo largo de sus carreras. Al presentar sus planes profesionales y de estudio, confirman su dedicación a mejorar la vida de las mujeres y los niños en los países en desarrollo.
La diversidad en los campos de estudio de nuestras becarias confirma que las mujeres son catalizadoras de un cambio positivo en todos los elementos de sus comunidades.
Lea sobre las becarias aquí.
Eileen Contreras Cerdeña is a psychology professor, artist mediator, and social activist from Peru. In an interview, she shared how funding from Margaret McNamara Education Grants (MMEG) enabled her to complete her graduate studies and created opportunities for her to give back to her community, break taboos about sexual violence, and accompany Amazonian women to build a safer and more inclusive future. Read more.
