Washington, DC – In celebration of International Women’s Day, the International Republican Institute’s Women’s Democracy Network (WDN) hosted 20 women political and civil society leaders for a three-day “Women as Mentors” conference in Washington, DC. Participants representing Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, Georgia, Kenya, Lebanon, Macedonia, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Serbia, Uganda, the United States and Venezuela attended workshops and roundtable discussions, and participated in a “job shadow” day from March 9 – 11, 2009.

Former U.S. Congresswoman and Ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Constance Morella opened the conference on March 9 by stating that, “… mentoring is at the heart of why women are often involved in politics; to effectively touch other people’s lives.” Ambassador Morella reminded the participants that women’s issues are everyone’s issues and encouraged them to find ways to bring women’s concerns into what ever activity they are engaged in, be that financial services, healthcare or education.

Anita McBride, who previously served as chief of staff to former First Lady Laura Bush, offered keynote remarks during a luncheon on the first day. Ms. McBride related how she witnessed women around the world working with one another at the community and grassroots level to get things done. In talking about her travels to Africa, she said the benefits of mentorship were clearly evident in a program called Mothers to Mothers. This program is implemented at local hospitals and clinics in townships in Africa and pairs mothers who have been diagnosed with the HIV/AIDS virus with mentors who are living successfully now on antiretroviral treatment.

WDN members Silvia de Souza and Giselle Ferreira offered remarks on best practices in mentoring during a panel discussion with former Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation Maria Cino and Vice President of the Women’s Campaign School Nancy Bosckor. Silvia and Giselle spoke of their mentoring relationship, which started in 2006 and works to improve Giselle’s professional skills and political contacts while setting benchmarks for her career path. Nancy Bosckor closed the discussion with a challenge to the participants, “We as women are on a journey, we have only been voting (in the United States) for 100 years. As you are engaging in political participation, ask yourself, what is the legacy you want to leave for tomorrow?”

On the evening of March 9, participants were recognized at the WDN Jeane Kirkpatrick Award dinner. During the dinner, Professor Homayra Haqmal of the Movement for Afghan Sisters and the Honorable Kay Granger (R-TX) were presented the 2009 Jeane Kirkpatrick Award. This award honors those that have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of women in politics and civil society. The award includes a scholarship for a member of the Movement of Afghan Sisters to attend the Women’s Campaign School at Yale. This award is generously funded by IRI Board member Cheryl Halpern.

In preparation for a “job shadow day”, Chris Gamble, director of Alumni Relations from the College of the Liberal Arts at the Pennsylvania State University, conducted a workshop on building successful mentorship pairs including discussion on strategic communication and action plans. He worked with participants to outline goals and expectations for their job shadow experience as well as for future long-term mentorships when participants return to their home countries. Job shadow mentors included Congressional staff and Members of Congress, and representatives from nongovernmental organizations, USAID, and area businesses.

Rehka Saha, director of the nongovernmental organization Steps Toward Development in Bangladesh, and Saida Sa’ad, deputy director of Legal Services and Organization for the Action Congress in Nigeria, were paired with Leslie Wolfe, president of the Center for Women’s Policy Studies. Saida said, “I developed a fantastic relationship with a woman from another generation; my new relationship with Leslie Wolfe has made me open up to more (ideas).” Rehka added that, “We must take inspiration from the past and newer ideas from the younger generation…It is essential that we come together and share our experiences and learning.”

Participants concluded the conference with a roundtable discussion on mentoring ideas they could apply in their home countries. Many of the participants committed to creating relationships modeled after Silvia de Souza and Giselle Ferreira, while others agreed they would try a job shadow day with their colleagues at home.