by Mary Adams, AWC The Hague
FAWCO established The FAWCO Foundation in 1967. The sole purpose of the Foundation is to implement FAWCO’s philanthropic concerns and interest in the global community. In 
2014, the Foundation aligned the Development Grant program with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in Health, Education, Human Rights and the Environment.
FAWCO Clubs, Members and FAUSA are passionate about philanthropy. The Development Grants provide financial assistance to help club-nominated charities achieve their goals. Every year since 1997, clubs have proposed projects for Development Grants. The Foundation awards grants based on an anonymous organizational balloting process.
The Foundation records the Development Goal projects on their Past DG Recipients web page. The significance might not be evident at first glance, but within each project title are embedded thousands of stories of hope, courage and compassion. It is our public record that for almost 100 years, FAWCO has slowly and steadily aided charitable, scientific and educational programs that support the rights of women and children throughout the world.
I began to wonder if the Development Grants could be paired with the Sustainable Development Goals. As a member of the Education Team, I paired Development Grants that achieved the seven targets in SDG 4: Quality Education: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. The result was 63 grants that support Bridging the Gap (4.3), Global Citizenship (4.7), Literacy (4.6) and Equal Access (4.5). The Education Global Team is proud to present this 23-year snapshot of FAWCO members’ dedication and commitment to education.
Bridging the Gap
This target combines equal access to technical/vocational training and higher education with relevant skills for decent work. These grants made it possible for females coming from marginalized areas, domestic abuse and disabilities to join the workforce by providing university tuitions, classrooms, computer labs, vocational training and teacher salaries.
Global Citizenship
This target ensures sustainable education in developing countries. Most of these grants fostered practical learning to benefit local economies in agriculture, environment, sanitation and classroom construction. For example, money from three grants implemented solar panels generating power for electricity; lighting; computers; appliances; and generating water for fountains, toilets and showers at schools.
Literacy
Literacy is learning to read and write. FAWCO’s grants have built libraries and created learning programs. In 2010, FAWCO shipped four containers with 95,000 books and other educational materials to desperately underprivileged schools in the townships of Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa.
Equal Access
The Equal Access target includes gender parity and early childhood development. The preference for a male child over a female child is deeply entrenched in many countries. Our grants have funded gender equality curricula as well as covering transportation, clothing, school supplies and sanitation facilities that enable girls to go to school.
Universal Primary and Secondary Education
This goal received 18% of grants and impacted the lives of over 1000 children, mostly in Africa. These grants funded scholarships and tuition, building and improving classrooms, enabling lunch programs and providing school uniforms and supplies.
FAWCO: Educational Unity
The Foundation as FAWCO’s philanthropic heart is a unique link between clubs and members for sustainable education. Here are two examples:
- In 2007, a grant was given to the Lambs Project in Burkina Faso. When FAWCO members wanted to continue to finance tertiary education in this region, the Foundation arranged fundraising with NEEED (Nimbus, Enfance, Environnement, Education et Developpement). From 2010 to 2016, The FAWCO Foundation fundraised nearly $125,000 for 44 women to become teachers, midwives, and nurses, or to acquire university degrees in business, law, engineering or other professions that would directly benefit their village upon completion.
- In 2018, a grant helped 22 girls who fled Female Genital Mutilation in Tanzania to receive vocational and entrepreneurial training with Hope for Girls and Women. The same organization was selected as the 2020‒2022 Target Project: Safe Alternatives for Female Genital Mutilation (S.A.F.E.). Funds will support programs and services: psychosocial support, training, community outreach and education, alternative rites of passage celebrations, safe haven, medical needs and healthcare.
Sydney J. Harris commented, “The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.” At FAWCO, we don't just distribute grants... more importantly, we build windows to the future.
Graphic designed by Mary Adams
