We recently received a wonderful update from Barbara Swirski, the Director of Adva Center and one of TOWF’s grantees.
The Adva Center promotes creation of a forum of female leaders who work through public policy to improve the fit between the needs of local women and girls and the services currently provided by the local government in Be’er Sheba.
We were very happy, and proud, to hear the organization’s progress and wanted to share it widely.
In summary, Barbara shared with us that she was invited to be a guest at a meeting of the Association of Mayors’ Advisors on the Promotion of the Status of Women. The first order of business was the proposed adoption of a gender project model created by Adva and implemented in Beer Sheba, Israel.
In the past, mayors’ advisors in six additional Israeli local authorities had bought into the idea of doing similar examinations (to the Beer Sheba Model) of men’s and women’s employment, salaries and fringe benefits in their own cities and that they had asked to meet with us at the Adva Center. Prior to the meeting, all of the advisors who are active in the Association were enthusiastic about the idea and called a meeting to adopt the model as a national project.
In the end, a formal decision was taken to adopt the idea as a national project, in which each and every mayor would be asked to participate. A committee was formed to select a limited number of topics to be examined in every local authority in Israel. The committee was tasked with preparing a document and holding a meeting with the Prime Minister’s Advisor on the Status of Women to ask her to send out letters to mayors. In case this channel does not work, alternative plans are also being formulated. The Adva Center is to serve as the project advisor.
We at TOWF are thrilled to share this update with our followers. When are grantees are successful, we know we’re doing our job right.
Mazel Tov, Adva Center!
