Programs and Events
Mary Thompson, Registered Nurse and past President of the Business and Professional Women's Club of Barbados participated in a U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) entitled 'The Role of NGOs in Promoting Global Women's Issues' during the period May 04 - 22, 2009.
The project opened in Washington, DC, with an overview of the U.S. federal system which provided the background for understanding the decentralized nature of U.S. government, and highlighting funding for a variety of women’s programs.
Participants received an in-depth examination of the women’s movement from a historical context and learnt about the contributions of, and challenges faced by women in the political, economic and social aspects of life. The delegation explored the role of the U.S. federal government, the private sector and international NGOs in providing assistance to women through programs that promote and support women’s leadership and development in the U.S. and worldwide.
The Washington, DC segment illustrated the effectiveness of public-
private partnerships and the significance of NGOs through meetings with
various federal government agencies and NGOs that work on women’s issues.
With participants from 19 countries namely Albania, Bangladesh, Burma,
Denmark, Egypt, Ghana, India, Israel, Macedonia, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Romania, Sudan, Zimbabwe and Barbados, this diverse group also travelled to Little Rock, Arkansas; Denver, Colorado; and Seattle, Washington during their program in the United States.
The International Visitor Program is a prestigious worldwide program which takes rising professionals in all fields to the U.S. each year, to network with counterparts involved in the same type of work and to learn more about the United States and its policies.