WAGE International

My heart is full. On behalf of Women & Girls Education – International (WAGE), thank you for being part of making our celebration so special! What a beautiful night it was in spite of the weather! We are even more encouraged now to move forward with our mission and broaden our outreach, which includes our Global Pen Pals for Peace project. 

Your contribution will play an important part in supporting our mission to educate both boys and girls to be catalysts of change and citizens empowered to help eradicate violence against women. 

WAGE believes that every girl across the globe deserves the opportunity to live a happy, healthy life absent of abuse, isolation and suppression of their spirit and dreams. Their voices are important, and we need to listen. 

WAGE aims to tap into the power our youth already possess and help them bolster their self-esteem and be kind to others as well as themselves. We do this through: 

• In-person and remote mentoring programs in Asbury Park, Perth Amboy, India and Nigeria

• Partnering with like-minded organizations in New Jersey and throughout the world including India, Uganda, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, South Sudan and Zambia (please see “Collaborations” on website)

• Funding projects that work toward preventing or ending violence

• Resources like a financial literacy program (part of a “Life Package” that includes career counseling, mental health support, etc)

• Advocacy work that educates the community to embrace equity & a responsibility to help others

• Partner with the student-run organization, Students Advocating Girls Education at Monmouth University 

We’re expecting 2024 and beyond to be transformative years for WAGE, and our hopes are to broaden our outreach in both scope and the variety of programs we offer, e.g. learning and reading programs; a program for women with physical, sensory and mental disabilities; preventing human trafficking; showcasing artisans/manufacturers that support women; and global pen pals. We also hope to broaden our mentoring in both scope and locations. 

Thank you again for your support. For more information, please see wageinternational.org, or on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram, and please keep in touch!

Heather Mistretta, President

Annual 5K Celebrates the Power of Education

May Fundraiser Was a Huge Success!

Oh what a night! Thank you to all who attended or supported our May 13 event! One of our speakers, Elizabeth Mikotowicz (shown), shared her harrowing journey from domestic violence, addiction and incarceration to getting clean and now fighting prison policies for women! And she’s writing a book and selling her art!

Your donation played an important part in supporting our mission to educate both boys and girls to be catalysts of change and citizens empowered to help end violence against women.

From buying books and contributing to a new program that fosters independence for women in Uganda and India to supporting programs that enable girls and boys to bolster self-esteem and live vibrant lives, we can now get working on transforming lives because of YOU! Your donation helped us support a new maternal hospital being built in the remote area of the Jawadhi Hills in India where the infant mortality rate is five times the average and where resources are severely lacking.

Learn more about CMC Founder Ida Scudder's story here. If you’d still like to make a contribution, please see PayPal link below.

Grateful for all the experiences at the 2022 Summer Mentoring Program in Asbury Park, NJ

Kind words from our students and teachers and homemade key chains from our student, Ashley! We also made a poster to say thanks to @Bridge of Books for their generous donation of 175 books! So enriching for all of us to share our stories and talk about where our journeys have taken us. During one of those weeks, we we talked about Native Americans and other indigenous peoples, their culture, beliefs and how they impact others and heal from historical trauma and current violence. We talked together about the importance of sharing your ancestors’ history and rejecting the removal of accurate depictions. We also discussed the unusually high number of missing and murdered Native American women and girls, many of whom never get investigated.

Consistent with Native American culture, we brought the children gifts—two bookmarks (a feather and magnetic one with a mantra) and a dream catcher to bring good energy to the classroom.

We also watched two videos of Native Americans overcoming obstacles by getting involved in competitive sports. I highly recommend you watch @Keepers of the Game (about a girls lacrosse team) and @Rezball:Basketball in Lakota Nation. Did you know lacrosse was invented by the Native Americans? Just one of many contributions!

WAGE Partners with Christian Medical College for NEW Maternity Hospital in Vellore, India

February 10, 2022 — The pandemic’s chokehold strangled the freedoms of many, leaving many women and girls vulnerable to abuse in record numbers. As the problem escalated, champions for human rights held on tighter and listened longer. They extended the web of support to reach as many as they could. WAGE is proud to announce their new partnership with Christian Medical College (CMC). CMC will be breaking ground on a new, 24-hour maternity hospital, located in the Jawadhi Hills of India. Here, women and girls will be able to receive compassionate care, education, and empowerment to keep healthy, both physically and emotionally. The residents of this poverty-stricken region have few options for healthcare services outside of CMC. As a result, many infant deliveries take place in unsafe environments, and immunization coverage is low. Donations from WAGE’s spring fundraiser will go to CMC, helping them with the ability to provide natural childbirth deliveries, obstetric & neonatal intensive care, and maternal-child healthcare training. Click here to donate to CMC and make a difference.

So proud of WAGE board member, Art Howard for his recent award acknowledging his excellence in education!

Read the story here!