Our Members
Our partners are drawn from a variety of backgrounds and are committed to advancing women’s leadership in their countries.
Ten years ago WDN started with a goal of increasing women’s political and civic leadership.
Now, a full and robust network, WDN connects women with each other. Each member comes from different background and has a different story, but they embody many of same qualities; determination, passion, purpose, and a strong voice. Read some of our members’ achievements and their commitment to a better world.
Meet Blerta
Women’s unequal political representation remains a problem all over the world, including in Albania. Women constitute approximately 50 percent of the 2.88 million people in Albania, but only 28 percent of Albanian parliamentary seats are held by women.
“Barriers to women’s participation in politics are numerous. Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first holding multi-party elections and destroying the communist regime in 1991, but women in leadership still face a lot of barriers,” said Blerta Balilaj, the Executive Director of the WDN Albania chapter.
Meet Hanna
Hana Hamood Abbas from Iraq is currently the director of the Public Aid Office in Baghdad. Hana and her team are implementing initiatives in Iraq which is not only recovering from war but also combating The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
“Iraqi women have suffered greatly after several wars and from harsh, constrictive societal traditions. My work focuses on increasing Iraqi women’s knowledge of their rights, raising their awareness of opportunities to work and get involved, and working to change the discrimination stereotype against women.”