UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, launched the Leading Women Fund (LWF) in Thailand with Mrs. Waewwan Gunnanthorn, CEO of Rosegold Thailand to establish a women-led community to support refugee women. The donation, collected via annual membership fee, will be directly delivered as cash assistance to Syrian refugee women who are single mothers and heads of household in Jordan.
The Syrian war sparked over a decade ago, and more than 13 million refugees fled the country, of whom more than 670,000 fled to Jordan. In Jordan, UNHCR estimates one-third of Syrian refugee households are led by women who do not have employment opportunities, education, and work skills. As a result, many face extreme poverty, homelessness, and food insecurity.
“Cash assistance allows refugees the dignity to make choices, take control of their futures and at the same time, it boosts the local economy while defusing tensions with host communities,” explains Ms. Nivene Albert, UNHCR Deputy Representative in Thailand. “This tool also helps elevate women in their communities, building support for gender equality and highlighting women’s contributions to both their host and refugee communities,” she adds.
The “Leading Women Fund” was first established in Australia by successful high profile supporters and entrepreneurs devoted to making a difference in the lives of refugees. In Thailand, Chairwoman and Founder of the Fund, Mrs. Waewwan Gunnanthorn, has been dedicated to initiating the Fund to benefit its members and refugee women around the world.
“I am always looking for opportunities to give back to society. I truly believe if Thai successful young entrepreneur women join forces, we can create invaluable impacts and changes. I am confident that together we will develop a strong network to become friends and advocates for the empowerment of refugee women,” Mrs. Waewwan Gunnanthorn, Leading Women Fund Chairwoman, stated.
The “Leading Women Fund Thailand” has also gained support from many successful young female entrepreneurs and high profile supporters from various industries. They have volunteered to undertake the “Distinguished Member” role, which entails developing and strengthening the Fund, henceforth generating long-lasting changes for refugee families.
“I feel honoured to be part of this important network as the Fund gathers leading women in Thailand to bring support to refugee women who are seeking asylum in another part of the world,” said Ms. Sonya Singha, a young entrepreneur and celebrity. “I consider the balance between successful business and philanthropy crucial, and this particular initiative aligns with my goal of giving without borders.”
The members have a unique chance to engage with a refugee woman for 4-8 weeks through UNHCR’s ground-breaking application, Connecting Worlds, that brings together a donor and a refugee across the globe. It is the world’s first application that will match donors with one of the Syrian refugee women receiving support in Jordan, so they can share texts and photos to learn more about each other’s interests, lives and creativities.
“Technology and innovation not only benefit commercial business, but also can be useful to connect people from different part of the world together,” Ms. Oranuch Lerdsuwankij, Co-Founder and CEO of Techsauce Media shared her experience in using UNHCR’s Connecting Worlds application. “This is the first time that I have seen an application which was developed to create sentimental value to people from different backgrounds. A simple message from us can mean the world to refugees. This is a prototype of using technology to bring people together for a humanitarian purpose”.
The membership to the Leading Women Fund is 72,000 Baht per year. This annual fee will be used to help Syrian refugee women in Jordan and her family cover basic expenses of their choice such as child education, rent, and medicine. In addition, members will have access attend exclusive webinars and special events to learn more about humanitarian work globally and other successful women entrepreneurs in Thailand.
Join us today at www.unhcr.org/th/en/leading-women-fund.
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