Member Video Of The Week
Video from Rwanda Girls Initiative.
From Our Blog
Dear Global Washington Community,
We are reaching out at a time of unprecedented uncertainty for the global development and humanitarian sectors. Recent executive orders from the U.S. administration have imposed a freeze on foreign aid, halted numerous federal grants, withdrawn from international environmental commitments, and introduced significant restrictions on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives. These actions have immediate and devastating implications for our collective work to improve lives and strengthen communities around the world.
This abrupt policy shift has placed many of our members in crisis. The freeze on USAID funding and other federal grants has triggered stop-work orders across critical programs, jeopardizing food security, global health initiatives, gender equity projects, and climate resilience efforts. From emergency relief operations in conflict zones to long-term development projects that foster sustainable economic growth, these funding cuts are already forcing difficult decisions—shutting down programs, laying off staff, and leaving vulnerable populations without essential services.
Immediate Impact on Our Members
The consequences of these executive orders are and will be deeply felt across Global Washington’s network:
For many of our members, this freeze is not just a bureaucratic hurdle—it is an existential crisis. Organizations that have spent years building trust and impact in communities worldwide now face the prospect of shuttering their doors, leaving millions without the support they rely on.
What Comes Next?
This is not a moment for silence. We must act swiftly and decisively to protect the progress we have made and advocate for the restoration of essential funding. We urge those in the development sector to:
Our Commitment Moving Forward
Despite these challenges, we remain steadfast in our mission to support a globally engaged Washington state and to advance solutions that foster equity, sustainability, and human dignity worldwide. We, the global development community, believe in our shared humanity and understand that a retreat from international assistance hurts us all.
As we navigate this uncertain landscape, we will continue to provide resources and opportunities for collective action. We urge you to stay engaged, stand in solidarity with affected organizations and with one another, and advocate for the restoration of U.S. leadership in global development.
Please do not hesitate to contact us at info@globalwa.org.
In partnership and solidarity,
Elizabeth Stokely
Executive Director, Global Washington
Video from Rwanda Girls Initiative.
From Our Blog
By Randi Hedin, Board Member, buildOn
Men and women mixing concrete to build a school; Malawi. Photo: buildOn
On the surface, the fight for gender equity seems to be making tremendous strides. Women are graduating from college in record numbers—as many as 46 percent of women aged 25-34 in the U.S. currently hold bachelor’s degrees (up from only 8 percent in 1970.) Across the world, 41 percent of women hold post-secondary degrees. Here in Seattle, at the University of Washington, 56.7% of all undergraduate and graduate degrees were awarded to women. Women wield considerable economic clout, too. Within the next five years, women are expected to control as much as 75 percent of all discretionary spending worldwide.
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Organization Profile
By Joel Meyers
Secure land rights in Bong County, Liberia enable communities to grow food for sustenance and income. Photo: Landesa
Landesa advances pro-poor, gender-sensitive land rights reforms through law and policy tools. These reforms have helped alleviate poverty, reduce hunger, and ease conflict over land for more than 180 million families. Secure rights to land boost agricultural productivity, improve health, nutrition and school enrollment, and have placed billions of dollars in new land wealth in the hands of rural people.
Goalmaker
By Amber Cortes
Neena Joshi, Senior Vice President of Asia Programs, Heifer International. Photo: Heifer
Heifer’s new Senior Vice President of Asia Programs, Neena Joshi, is used to being around strong women.
Born and raised in Kathmandu, Joshi says her childhood was vibrant and exciting.
“I was a typical city girl, that was my life,” Joshi says.
The house was alive with intellectual and political conversations, from guests of her father, a noted writer, poet, and activist.