DECEMBER 8, 2011 — Landesa announces the creation of its Women’s Land Rights Visiting Professionals Program to promote and support a global network of qualified professionals committed to strengthening women’s land rights.

With Ford Foundation’s generous support of $300,000, the Landesa Center for Women’s Land Rights will design, develop, and launch the Women’s Land Rights Visiting Professionals Program which will help motivated development professionals work together, reinforcing their commitment and boosting their capacity to strengthen women’s land rights in their countries and communities.

Each year, the program will bring a group of professionals to Landesa’s headquarters in Seattle for six weeks of in-house intense training, mentoring, and sharing with our land experts. During this period, Visiting Professionals will have the opportunity to enhance their understanding of the challenges to strengthening women’s land rights; expand the set of approaches they can consider to address these challenges; and, improve their effectiveness by strengthening their leadership, managerial, and communication skills.  In addition to boosting Visiting Professionals’ capacity, the six weeks in Seattle are designed to foster the ties and mutual trust that will allow them to rely on and support each other in the future.

Upon the Visiting Professionals’ return to their countries, we will continue to work with them for a year of mentoring and sharing expertise, as they implement a mutually agreed project that they designed during their stay in Seattle.

The grant provided by the Ford Foundation will help cover the first two annual groups of Visiting Professionals from India, China, and East Africa. The first group will arrive in Seattle in September of 2012.

The application process will open early 2012 for interested parties.

Learn more about the Women’s Land Rights Visiting Professionals Program