Women's Peacepower Foundation

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Women's Peacepower Foundation, Inc. is proud to announce our 2009 Women of Peace Award Recipients. We would like to congratulate all winners for their exceptional work to promote peace in their community and around the world.

2009 Women of Peace Award Winners

International

Rita Chaikin - Haifa, Israel - Rita has dedicated her life to ending violence against women and children through her work combating human trafficking of women.

Anicet Katsuva - Kampala, Uganda - Anicet has endured being jailed, shot and brutally raped for her extraordinary efforts to defend and report the victimization and violence against women in her community.

Shazia Parveen - Punjab, Pakistan - Shazia has spent her life advocating against child labor, bondage and physical and sexual violence. She is the only female in her community working selflessly to improve the lives of others. One project that she created has freed 150 women from bondage and taught them the skills to find employment.

United States

Val Liveoak - San Antonio, TX - For eighteen years, Val has been an active Alternatives to Violence Project facilitator, and has co-facilitated workshops in several states of the US, and in Mexico, Canada, Cuba, St. Croix, Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Bolivia, Colombia, Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador. In August, 2009, she helped train 6 Colombian Facilitators to lead community-based trauma healing workshops,

Elizabeth Davis - Tampa FL - Elizabeth founded an international non-governmental organization called Project Akilah, which is dedicated to creating an arts and vocational institute in Rwanda that will serve young women.

Lorraine Gillespie - Wauchula, FL - Lorraine sold her home and personal possessions to open a shelter for women and children that have been victims of domestic violence or are homeless. At 74, she continues to provide shelter and counseling services for those in need in her community.

Rita Witt - Lee's Summit MO - Rita has spent her life helping others. She spent 15 years in the Amazon Jungle of Brazil as a youth and family counselor for abused and abandoned children and with human rights issues. She now counsels domestic violence victims and facilitates therapy groups at Hope House, a shelter for domestic violence victims.

Youth

Ashley Coleman - Minneapolis, MN - In 2007 Ashley started the DIVA/SUAVE Project which gives young people training, mentoring and the necessary skills to become small business owners.

Introducing...

Women's Peacepower Foundation, Inc. introduces Earrings and a Christmas Ornament. The Women's Peacepower Earrings are a beautiful handcrafted dove done in silver and can be yours for a $40.00 donation to WPPF. The Christmas Ornament is gold with blue and white detail and comes in a gold gift box for a $15.00 donation to WPPF. The donation cost includes shipping and handling.

If you are interested in either of these items please mail a check to WPPF, P.O. Box 1618, Zephyrhills, FL 33539. For more information email us at peace@womenspeacepower.org or phone Diane at 813-997-0005.

Upcoming Dates

May 31, 2010 - Deadline for submission of nominations for Women of Peace Awards.

2009 U.S. national statistics show:

One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime
An estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year
85% of domestic violence victims are women
Historically, females have been most often victimized by someone they knew
Females who are 20-24 years of age are at the greatest risk of nonfatal intimate partner violence
Most cases of domestic violence are never reported to the police
CHILDREN WHO WITNESS Domestic Violence
Witnessing violence between one’s parents or caretakers is the strongest risk factor of transmitting violent behavior from one generation to the next
Boys who witness domestic violence are twice as likely to abuse their own partners and children when they become adults
30% to 60% of perpetrators of intimate partner violence also abuse children in the household
HOMICIDE AND INJURY
Almost one-third of female homicide victims that are reported in police records are killed by an intimate partner
In 70-80% of intimate partner homicides, no matter which partner was killed, the man physically abused the woman before the murder
Less than one-fifth of victims reporting an injury from intimate partner violence sought medical treatment following the injury
Intimate partner violence results in more than 18.5 million mental health care visits each year
SEXUAL ASSAULT AND STALKING
One in 6 women and 1 in 33 men have experienced an attempted or completed rape
Nearly 7.8 million women have been raped by an intimate partner at some point in their lives
Sexual assault or forced sex occurs in approximately 40-45% of battering relationships
1 in 12 women and 1 in 45 men have been stalked in their lifetime
81% of women stalked by a current or former intimate partner are also physically assaulted by that partner; 31% are also sexually assaulted by that partner

ECONOMIC IMPACT

The cost of intimate partner violence exceeds $5.8 billion each year, $4.1 billion of which is for direct medical and mental health services
Victims of intimate partner violence lost almost 8 million days of paid work because of the violence perpetrated against them by current or former husbands, boyfriends and dates. This loss is the equivalent of more than 32,000 full-time jobs and almost 5.6 million days of household productivity as a result of violence
There are 16,800 homicides and $2.2 million (medically treated) injuries due to intimate partner violence annually, which costs $37 billion

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"If people only knew how hard it is to be wounded, to die, they would all be meek and gentle, would not split into parties, would not incite mobs to attack one another, and would not kill. But when they are in good health they know nothing of this. When they are wounded, no-one believes them. When they are dead, they can no longer speak." ~ Mihajlo Lalic

wpe3.jpg (6212 bytes) FOOTPRINTS

What Will You Leave Behind?

Everyone leaves footprints. Our prints are made by the impression of our lives

on the sands of time. A person is remembered for the weight of his or her

character. For marks of accomplishment. For depth of faith. For beliefs. For shapes

of kindness. For length of compassion. For width of personal warmth.

For generosity. For values. When we leave positive impressions behind, we enhance the

lives of our friends and loved ones. We give them footprints to follow.

It can be as simple as including the Women’s Peacepower Foundation, Inc. as a beneficiary

of 1% of your estate through a bequest gift. This means you make a decision and plans

now for your estate that will one day provide a legacy for years to come.

Leave a Legacy of Love

~*~

Women's Peacepower Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 1618
Zephyrhills, FL 33539
e-mail: peace@womenspeacepower.org

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