The 2011 DVF Awards Honorees
The following extraordinary women will be honored at the 2nd annual DVF Awards in New York on A 11, 2011.
This year’s honorees are:
The Lifetime Leadership DVF Award
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Clinton has served as secretary of state, advocate, attorney, First Lady, and Senator. Throughout her longstanding pioneer in politics, Clinton has always made women’s issues a primary focus throughout her storied career. In her travels, Clinton has made it a point to meet with local female leaders to assess the issues of that region. With a unilateral vision of “smart power,” which fosters cross-cultural relationships and understanding, the Secretary oversaw the International Fund for Women and Girls and launched the 100 Women Initiative. This inventive program brings the brightest female minds from around the world together to engage in international exchanges. Clinton also helped to launch the Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development, a program which seeks prevention and treatment for pregnant women and newborns in rural, low-resource settings.
The International DVF Award
Kakenya Ntaiya
Kakenya Ntaiya is a Kenyan educator, feminist and social activist. She is the founder and president of the Kakenya Center for Excellence which seeks to empower and motivate young girls through education to become agents of change and to break the cycle of destructive cultural practices in Kenya, such as female genital mutilation and early forced marriage. Since the opening of the Kakenya Center in 2009, there have been striking changes in the students and the community. In 2014, the first class of girls graduated from the Kakenya Center for Excellence. Kakenya’s organization, to date, has educated and mentored nearly 9,000 boys and girls in rural Kenya.
kakenyasdream.org
The International DVF Award
Sohini Chakraborty
Sohini Chakraborty is a dancer, choreographer and sociologist. In 2004, she created Kolkata Sanved, harnessing the power of dance and dance movement therapy to heal, empower and transform victims of violence and sex trafficking into active citizens and change makers. Since its founding, Kolkata Sanved had directly assisted 5,000 abused women – including 2,500 former child prostitutes in India – and the dance-therapy program has been adopted by 40 organizations to help victims of sexual violence. Kolkata Sanved also works to intercept young people at risk and to help rural families who might otherwise fall prey to traffickers. Recognized for her fresh approach to the existing rehabilitation and reintegration programs, Sohini has expanded her reach to work with new populations, including people living with mental illness, domestic workers, survivors of domestic violence, women and children affected by and living with HIV/AIDS, school children, and children in slums and red-light areas. To date, Kolkata Sanved has served 65,000 people through its programming and services.
kolkatasanved.org
The Inspiration DVF Award
Elizabeth Smart
Elizabeth Smart is now an advocate for change related to child abduction and the Founder of The Elizabeth Smart Foundation. She has helped promote The National AMBER Alert, The Adam Walsh Child Protection & Safety Act and other safety legislation to help prevent abductions. Elizabeth has also worked with the Department of Justice and four other recovered young adults in creating a survivors guide, entitled “You're Not Alone: The Journey From Abduction to Empowerment,” to encourage children who have gone through similar experiences to not give up and know that there is life after tragic events.
elizabethsmartfoundation.org
The People’s Voice DVF Award
Taryn Davis
Taryn Davis is the Founder and Executive Director of The American Widow Project. After losing her own husband in Iraq in 2007, Taryn made it her mission to create a place where other military widows could come together to share stories and heal. The American Widow Project is dedicated to recognizing the sacrifices made by the families of our fallen soldiers and believes that no military widow should feel alone in her grief. The American Widow Project provides the vital peer-to-peer, emotional, and educational support necessary to maximize success, healing and hope for a brighter future.
americanwidowproject.org
People's Voice DVF Award Nominees
Let your voice be heard.
The People’s Voice DVF Award is chosen by popular vote and will be celebrated at the 9th annual DVF Awards to be held on April 13, 2018 at the United Nations in New York City.
This year’s nominees are: