February 2007

Dear Friends,

Unfortunately I begin this issue of MADRE Speaks Online with bad news. Last week there was a terrible fire in Waspam, on the North Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua. Waspam is the home of our partner organization of more than a decade, Wangki Tangni. There has been almost no news of the fire in the US, but I know that many of you have followed and supported MADRE's work in Nicaragua over the years, and we want to make sure that you know about this emergency.

The fire burned for more than 18 hours, destroying the entire marketplace and homes in the center of town, and triggering gas explosions. Without water or an infrastructure in place, many families literally lost everything. Families from more than 100 communities along the Rio Coco depend on the Waspam marketplace to sell their harvest and generate income to feed their families. The communities along the Rio Coco already exist on the margins, without public services or any safety net to deal with such disasters.

There is an urgent need for food, clean water, medical care, and financial resources to replace lost income and rebuild homes and market stalls. We are working to raise this support and will keep you updated as the needs become clearer.

Thank you for being with MADRE and our sisters. You really do make a difference.

With deep appreciation,

Vivian Stromberg
Executive Director

PROGRAM UPDATES
Make Art, Not War: Iraqi Artists Demand Peace
ArtAction is an Iraqi youth peace project, and MADRE's newest initiative with OWFI (Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq), our partner in Iraq.

Iraq Update: By Yanar Mohammed, Director of OWFI
Yanar Mohammed writes about the increasing violence in Iraq and OWFI's programs to defend women's lives and promote a secular, democratic Iraq.

Speaking Tour: A Window of Hope
OWFI's Yanar Mohammed and Vivian Stromberg, MADRE Executive Director, will be travelling the US to speak about the struggle to end gender-based violence and create a secular, democratic Iraq free of both US occupation and religious coercion.

MADRE'S LATEST
Coming Soon: MADRE Report on Gender-based Violence in Iraq
MADRE will be releasing a groundbreaking report on the incidence, causes, and legalization of gender-based violence since the US-led invasion of Iraq. The report documents the use of gender-based violence by Islamists seeking to establish a theocratic state, and by the US in its efforts to appease Islamists and enforce its occupation. Please join us for the release of the report on March 6th, during the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations.

Beyond the Surge: Demanding an End to Bush's War
MADRE responds to Bush's irrational recommendations for the next phase of the war in Iraq.

DELEGATION ANNOUNCEMENTS
Visit Nicaragua, Kenya, and Guatemala with MADRE
MADRE has planned several new exciting human rights delegations to Kenya, Guatemala, and Nicaragua this spring. Delegates will have the opportunity to meet with women and youth activists, and gain a firsthand understanding of their human rights struggles.

MADRE IN THE NEWS
World AIDS Day on Counterspin
Yifat Susskind, MADRE Communications Director, speaks to Counterspin about what is missing in our conversations about AIDS here in the US.

RadioNation with Laura Flanders
Yanar Mohammed, Director of OWFI, MADRE's sister organization in Iraq, speaks to MADRE Board member Laura Flanders about what women are doing to resist the occupation in Iraq. Scroll down to the interview from December 13, 2006.

Iraq: It's Hard Being a Woman
Yanar Mohammed speaks to IPS News about the new Iraqi constitution and its implications for women living in Iraq.

Unique opportunity for retirees!
A 2007 IRA rollover provision allows retirees over age 70 1/2 to transfer up to $100,000 to MADRE without reporting the withdrawal as income on your federal tax return. Please speak to your accountant or financial planner, and consider taking advantage of this limited-time opportunity to support MADRE.