Here at All Our Kin, we believe strongly in the power of women. We know that when we support women, when we invest in women, unbridled potential is born. This principle is more than just a far-fetched dream for us. By providing the training and resources that women need to open their own family child care programs, we see women’s potential realized daily. The benefits do not end there, though. An economic evaluation conducted by the University of Connecticut’s Center for Economic Analysis found that for every one dollar invested in All Our Kin, invested in women, between fifteen and twenty dollars are returned to society in terms of gross regional product. In other words, children, parents, families, entire communities, and- dare I say- the world are all forever changed by such an investment.
Every year, The International Alliance for Women (TIAW) identifies one hundred “amazing individuals” from across the globe whose work advances the economic empowerment of women. TIAW honors these innovative leaders with their World of Difference 100 Award. I’m extremely pleased to share with you that All Our Kin’s co-founders Jessica Sager and Janna Wagner are both celebrated recipients of this award! They will be honored tonight at TIAW’s World of Difference Awards Dinner at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Regretfully, Jessica and Janna aren’t able to be in D.C. tonight (changing the world allows a person to be in only so many places at once). However, I want to take a moment to recognize them along with All Our Kin’s dedicated staff and the hundreds of family child care providers that make All Our Kin a true success story. While All Our Kin is impressively represented twice on a list of one hundred international change makers, in truth this award stands for all of us. The family child care providers who commit time and energy to bettering their programs share All Our Kin and TIAW’s commitment to creating a brighter future by investing in others. By creating nurturing, safe, and educational environments for young children, many of them young girls, our providers prepare future generations for success. The relationships our providers sustain with the families they serve, All Our Kin mentors, and one another truly embody TIAW’s motto, “Connecting to make all the difference in the world.”
As World of Difference 100 Award recipients, we are in extraordinary company. A social entrepreneur in Indonesia whose sustainable business turns coconut shells into charcoal, a stigma-combating civilian in Cameroon whose nonprofit supports women artisans with disabilities, a University Dean in Jamaica whose exemplary mentorship creates bright futures for junior female faculty, and many other equally creative movers and shakers will all be recognized this evening. Let this honor remind us that we do not work in isolation. To sustainably promote economic development for women worldwide, it takes many, many villages in connection with one another. Enormous congratulations to everyone involved with All Our Kin for being recognized as crucial members of this global change making community.
Click here to read more about The International Alliance for Women World of Difference Awards.
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