GLOBAL EVENTS
RECENT EVENTS
UC Berkeley Public Policy Students Visit Wings of Love to Learn About Community Impact
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On October 31, 2025, our Wings of Love student hub at UAM Azcapotzalco came alive with energy as a cohort from UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy joined us for a day of dialogue, learning, and collaboration.
Together, we explored how to scale Wings of Love across Mexico, blending UC Berkeley’s public policy expertise with the lived experiences of the women we serve in Veracruz and Oaxaca.
This vibrant exchange is just the beginning of a growing partnership—one that champions food rescue, community development, and equal opportunity nationwide.
Celebrating light over darkness at the Diwali event at the Mellon Center in Washington, D.C.
On October 24, 2025, Women Forward International co-hosted the U.S.-India Friendship Alliance (USISPF) Diwali celebration of light over darkness at the Mellon Center in Washington, D.C. The evening sparkled with color, music, and creativity, as we showcased the crafts village and training center we are helping build for women weavers in India, alongside the exquisite ZariZar luxury shawls and minerals emerging from this initiative.
This exhibition was a collaboration with the Parsons School of Design, our partner in bringing ZariZar shawls to the Western luxury market through their fall sprint, where students visualized the creative process. Women Forward International board members, Ambassador Sharon Wilkinson and Dr. Janice Koch, shared the inspiring stories of the Indian women weavers—showing how, together, we are uplifting rural communities and preserving a rich cultural heritage, one stitch and one story at a time.
Woven Foundation’s Partners Convening in Berkeley, CA
From October 16 to 17, 2025 Women Forward International was excited to take part in the Woven Foundation’s Partners Convening in Berkeley, CA! The event brought together partners from across the globe, all dedicated to advancing human rights in education—both in schools and in communities.
At the convening, we highlighted our California-based initiative that brings the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights directly into high school classrooms. Through an international poetry workshop and mentoring program in partnership with the University of California, Berkeley, students engage creatively with human rights ideas, connecting their own voices to a global dialogue. This collaborative approach demonstrates how education, art, and mentorship can empower young people while building bridges across cultures.
Women Forward International Metropolitan Club Summer Dinner
On July 24, 2025, our Advisory Committee member Rod von Lipsey and UBS Financial Services Inc. hosted a magical Women Forward International Metropolitan Club summer dinner, celebrating the impact of our programs through poetry, music, and a feast from around the world. Guests were transported across continents with dishes inspired by India, Afghanistan, Mexico, and the United States, tasting the flavors and hearing the voices of the women whose lives we touch.
The evening was a true tapestry of culture and connection: three milks, tres leches, pistachio, rose water—East and West intertwined, as rivers of love flowed into the ocean. Every bite, every note, every word told a story of resilience, creativity, and global solidarity.
Wings of Love Takes Flight in Oaxaca!
We are thrilled to announce that our Wings of Love food rescue program is expanding to Oaxaca!
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On July 22, 2025 over 1,000 runners came together with Women Forward International and 50+1 Business Women Collective in Oaxaca to make a difference!
Participants joined the Race with a Cause "Wings of Love" through in-kind donations, and together we collected more than 1,500 kilograms of food. These donations will directly support 50 women and their families in the community of El Jardín through our Wings of Love program, which is dedicated to sharing abundance and transforming lives through food rescue—and love.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to our incredible new partners: 50+1 Women in Oaxaca, La Guelaguetza Rotary Club, the Oaxaca Food Bank, and the Benito Juárez Autonomous University of Oaxaca, to make Wings of Love Oaxaca a new step to supporting women across Mexico.
Poetry for Human Rights: Empowering Newcomer Students Through Creative Expression
On April 17, 2025, our Ambassadors for Human Rights Program for Newcomer Students to the United States hosted a powerful full-day event at UC Berkeley’s International House. Highlights included a campus tour, mentoring luncheon, and moving poetry presentations on The Poetry of Human Rights. Newcomer students also attended a college-entry session led by Diablo Valley Community College.
The success of our partnership has led to an annual event with Woven Teaching Foundation and UC Berkeley’s International House. In 2026, we will work with our teams at UC Berkeley and California State University San Marcos to scale the program to a statewide and eventually national level.
More than an educational initiative, this is a movement—fostering student leadership, creative expression, and real-world engagement with human rights. Most importantly, it empowers newcomer students to dream big and shape hopeful futures
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“Love is a key part of our work. It means focusing on others, understanding their pain, and finding solutions.”
— Dr. Abelardo Mariña Flores, Coordinator of Strategic Liaisons at Azcapotzalco Metropolitan Autonomous University / Wings of Love program
In collaboration with COMEXI (Mexican Council on Foreign Relations), we hosted the Love in Action: A New Paradigm of Philanthropy webinar this past March 2025 to explore how love can serve as a foundation for both global collective action and local sustainable development. We celebrated the power of compassion, empathy, and shared values to reshape global policy and inspire scalable, community-driven solutions.
Love in Action. A New Paradigm of Philanthropy Webinar
WFI joins COMEXI, Mexico’s Council on Foreign Relations, for a round table on Love in Action.