Jovita Mlay left the Global Women in Management workshop last August in Abuja with a plan of how she was going to apply the tools she learned and grow her grassroots organization, SASA Foundation. Originally formed to help vulnerable children access education opportunities, Jovita expanded the reach and mission of the organization. With lessons learned from the workshop, Jovita improved SASA’s marketing publications and hired two employees to help with their programming needs. Recently, the organization hosted the Women Tribunal on Climate Change to discuss how climate change has affected the economic and social activities of women in Africa. In the upcoming months, Jovita and the SASA foundation will be working on resource mobilization for the women they work with, strengthening their economic activities and integrating reproductive health education into their programming.

Anyone familiar with Papua New Guinea, or PNG, knows the challenges faced there. When a natural gas project came to her village, Veronica Payawi helped form a women’s organization, hoping to improve the situation for rural women. Frustrated by the lack of support from the PNG government, the organization's achievements were less than stellar. In the summer of 2010, Veronica, along with three other women leaders from PNG, participated in an Alumni Advocacy workshop held in Washington, D.C. Here, she and her fellow countrywomen, devised an advocacy plan. When Veronica returned to PNG, she formed a new organization, Hela Women's Upstream Limited. The organization was comprised of 200 women members from local communities addressing social and economic needs. With advocacy and fundraising efforts, they bought a semi-truck, which they contract out. The profits from the use of the truck fund projects such as the development of a chicken factory. Thanks to the communications skills Veronica developed in the workshop, she knew she had to publicize their success, so Hela Women’s Upstream Limited launched a Web site that highlights the work and mission of the organization. “It took me a year to achieve what we have achieved,” explained Veronica. “I personally feel, that is not enough.” Veronica continues working to ensure that the Hela women of PNG are not forgotten.