Stay tuned for the details and the honorees of our Third Annual Bella and Bella Fella Awards Fundraiser, which will be held in early April 2011- Details to follow shortly.

BALI’s Young Women’s International Leadership Training Institute (WITI) is being created to empower young women in other countries to become local and NGO advocates for economic, political and sustainable development.

The WITI is being developed in collaboration with many organizations.  BALI’s first major international project is a collaboration with Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO) and Maritha Community Foundation (MCF), of Kenya.  Five additional Kenyan organizations are invaluably involved: Mama na Dada, Rise Foundation, Maji Safi Rural Water Project, St. Rita’s Community-Based Programme, and Institute for Transformation. Read the rest of this entry »

BALI will support girls at the New York City Urban Academy of Government and Law High School (UAAGL) by assisting in their community service projects, a requirement for graduation.  In this new partnership, tenth-graders and their advisors will be assisted by BALI in their selection of benefitting organizations with an emphasis on their lower east side neighborhood.  Chosen issues are rape, teen pregnancy, and STDs/AIDS.

In addition to serving twenty-six hours of volunteering, students will act as ambassadors for their nonprofits, soliciting the whole student body to assist in specific campaigns.  BALI’s specialized training in leadership, advocacy, grassroots organizing, public speaking, organizational management, and conflict resolution will empower the girls in their work.

Another contribution of BALI’s involvement with UAAGL will be to coordinate a series of presentations at the school featuring not-for-profit executives.