IWFF

Summer 2011, Alumnae Profile, Springside, Philadelphia, PA; Delmar Times, Carmel Valley News, CA, Arthur Lightbourn 

The decision to launch the Iraqi Women’s Fellowship Foundation in 2008 was the culmination of a 30 year career at the World Bank by Mary Oakes Smith, including nearly ten years working in the Middle East. She is dedicated to  empowering Iraqi women in science and engineering, to enable them to take leadership roles in the reconstructing, stabilizing and near and long term development of Iraq. She sees Iraqi women as a vital force in these needs, and as key professionals, innovators and role models for the next generation in Iraq.

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IWFF Newsletter, Mary Oakes Smith, President

As IWFF is well into its second year of bringing Iraqi women in science and engineering to the US to spend up to an academic year as visiting scholars at top US universities.The newsletter talks about the academic and cultural experiences of the first year fellows at Berkeley, Stanford and UC San Diego respectively, and their vision and achievements on return to Iraq. The programs of the second year fellows at Caltech, UC San Diego, and at Smith College have been completed. IWFF’s mission, to empower these women as leaders, professionals, teachers and role models for the next generation, is on track.

View IWFF Newsletter (PDF)

Amideast Annual Report 2010

As Iraq rebuilds and recovers from years of conflict and turmoil, it has faced an acute shortage of engineers and scientist to manage its extensive reconstruction and development needs. Iraqi women have by tradition been among the countries top professionals, until the recent past. The Iraqi Women’s Fellowship Foundation provides Iraqi women faculty with first-rate US higher education in engineering and applied science to enable them to take leadership roles in the rebuilding or their country.

Please see p. 16, Amideast Annual Report 2010 (PDF)

September 2010, Alliance Magazine, Article by Eleanor Fink, Philanthropy Advisor, World Bank,  IWFF Board member

At present Iraqi lacks skills and leadership in the fields of engineering and science. Limited exposure to new technologies and research innovations, outdated curricula and equipment and a lack of qualified teachers erode educational quality. The IWFF brings Iraqi women in science and engineering to study at US universities, to return to their universities with deepened knowledge in their fields and research tools, and to establish long lasting ties between their host and home universities.

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May 12, 2010 in Christian Science Monitor

Article on US in Iraq, by Bradford Higgins, former Assistant Secretary of State for Resource Management and Chief Financial Officer

Having been in Iraq, from 2002-5, the author cites the enormous financial resources spent on the US invasion, the numbers of lives lost, and the importance for the US of  “getting the endgame right”. The war on terror is over ideas, and values. Education and cultural exchange programs, such as the Iraqi Women’s Fellowship Foundation, are cited as being “one of the most important and effective frontline weapons”.

View full article at Christian Science Monitor

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April 8, 2010 Op-Ed Contributor to the NY Times, Karim Altaii, President of the Iraqi-American Higher Education Foundation, Professor of Engineering, James Madison University, VA

The author recalls his early education inIraq, and the pervasive commitment of his family and country to education. He recounts that Iraq once boasted one of the most advanced systems of higher education in the Middle East. He cites that the system now lies in shambles, and calls forIraq and theUS to follow their 2008 Strategic Framework Agreement, “to promote and facilitate cooperation and coordination in the field of higher education and scientific research.”

View NYTimes Op-ED 4 8 10 Send in the Professors (PDF)

February 28, 2010 Interview by Liane Hansen, NPR Host , with two IWFF faculty visiting scholars.

The interview was placed in the context of the need for Iraq to take to the lead in rebuilding itself, recognizing the importance of Iraqi scientist and engineers in this regard. Questions focused on what the IWFF fellows in science and engineering planned to take back to Iraq, the role of women in the rebuilding of the country, and the perilous situation that they might face in returning to Iraq.

NPR Interview Transcript (PDF)

Article on Women’s Work, by Susan Ladika, Tampa, FLA (September/October 2009)
IWFF p. 37.

In the Middle East, a new vision of the roles of women in both education and the workplace are bringing beneficial roles across the region…Things are also difficult in Iraq, due to the post-war turmoil. Mary Oakes Smith, president of the Iraqi Women’s Fellowship Foundation, is trying to make it a bit easier by focusing on opportunities in higher education and the workforce… This summer, three women who lecture on engineering at Iraqi universities arrived at three California universities to take part in the yearlong fellowship…

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Letter from Claudia Abate, Executive Director, NY, NY (March 25, 2009)

On behalf of the Board of Directors…I would like to thank you for your letter of 11 March 2009 introducing us to the Iraqi Women’s Fellowship Foundation…Assisting the women of post-war Iraq to further their education is precisely the kind of priorities the FPCD is most attentive to…

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