Dear reader,
The world is seeing more female empowerment. Switzerland is celebrating the 50th anniversary of women’s suffrage, and the USA has just elected its first ever female vice president. A lot has changed in my family circle over the last two or three generations, too. While my grandmothers were denied basic schooling, my daughters were given a top-quality education as a matter of course, and have gone on to combine work and family life with huge dedication and commitment. But we cannot take these achievements for granted. Women are required to fight for them on a daily basis. Although we are on the right track, we are still a long way from the finish line.
This applies in the charity sector, too. A glance at the sector’s management committees is enough to show that we have a long way still to go. There are some charities, big and small, however, who have done amazing work in terms of gender equality, and who want to help change our society through their initiatives. This should give us hope. We have dedicated this issue to women who act as patrons or philanthropists and want to effect social change, and to charities committed to promoting women’s issues. The work they do makes one thing clear: these changes are here to stay. And that
is a good thing.
I hope that you enjoy reading this issue.
Dr. Peter Buss
Managing director and publisher
Philanthropy Services AG
