Virtual Events, December 2024

A Cornucopia of Virtual Events This Fall

From learning more about our hard-hitting #Fight4HER campaign, to hearing from a Global Partner bringing family planning and reproductive health care to under-served populations in Guatemala, to exploring the many resources our Population Education program has to offer — and more! — Population Connection members and supporters tuned in for an eclectic variety of events throughout the fall. We hope you’ll join us soon — another interesting and insightful virtual event is always around the corner! See what’s up next here.

September

#Fight4HER 2024: Defending Reproductive Freedom in a Critical Year

Hosted by our sister organization, Population Connection Action Fund, our field team — Rebecca Harrington, Grace Long, and YoVanna Solomon — commemorated World Contraception Day (September 26) by presenting highlights from the previous few months of our joint #Fight4HER campaign. This impactful initiative mobilizes activists, organizers, and community leaders in key districts across the country year-round to raise awareness about two reprehensible policies — the Global Gag Rule and the Helms Amendment — that threaten access to family planning and other reproductive health services in places that rely on US foreign aid.

The event provided an overview of the reproductive health and rights advocacy landscape ahead of the November election, featuring insights from our Phoenix organizer, Matt Lopez, who had been working on the ground in Arizona since July.

October

International Day of the Girl Child

We celebrated International Day of the Girl Child (October 11) with a presentation from our Global Partner Asociación Manos Abiertas (AMA). During the event, Executive Director Diana Freiwald highlighted midwives’ role in improving maternal and neonatal health in Guatemala, where access to quality reproductive health care is limited. She described the uniquely patient-centered care Manos Abiertas staff provide at the clinic in Antigua and beyond its walls, in communities within a three-hour radius — AMA recently purchased a new mobile clinic vehicle, made possible in part by the generosity of donors like you through our Global Partners program!

Learn more about Manos Abiertas in the Global Partners profile from this issue of the magazine.

Supporting Students and Educators for a Sustainable Future

We hosted Pamela Wasserman and Carol Bliese from our Population Education (PopEd) program to explain the unique educational model we utilize and to showcase the dynamic resources we offer educators to use with their K-12 students!

Attendees learned how PopEd teaches educators to effectively present our curriculum materials to students, enhancing their population literacy by bringing global challenges to life. Program offerings include hands-on workshops for pre-service teachers, as well as Leadership Institutes that prepare current educators to serve as teacher trainers in their communities.

The presentation ended with an interactive demonstration of the activity Something for Everyone, a simulation where students draw renewable resources from a common pool and determine short term consumption strategies to preserve a long term supply.

November

Page Turners Book Club

Our quarterly book club met in early November to discuss Intertwined: Women, Nature, and Climate Justice. The author, wildlife biologist Rebecca Kormos, interviewed women dedicated to combating the climate crisis, revealing how empowering women can shift our path away from catastrophic environmental degradation.

One chapter in Intertwined highlights the journey of our Global Partner in Colombia, Women for Conservation (W4C). Founded by mother-daughter duo Sara Inés Lara and Isabella Cortes Lara, W4C provides opportunities for women to build sustainable livelihoods through conservation programs and training workshops. W4C also introduces family planning to communities in biodiversity hotspots, which improves people’s health, reduces poverty, and decreases human pressure on local ecosystems.

December

Year in Review

There’s one more chance in 2024 to join us for a virtual event, at our Year in Review on December 12. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear senior staff discuss our 2024 achievements — all made possible by dedicated supporters like you! Register here.

Email Natalie: nwidel@popconnect.org