Back in November 2019, a group of women from the Women for Women (Malta) group on Facebook got together to set up the Women for Women Foundation. Through the Women for Women Social Fund, the Foundation supports women and their families through difficult times, helping them achieve financial independence through further education and training, all the while working hand in hand with experts in domestic violence, homelessness and mental health.
The foundation liaises with companies and businesses that can support its work through product donations, reduction in prices of items and services needed and employment opportunities for women looking for work. Additionally, a lovely team of volunteers help in the washing and sorting of donated baby clothes, mentoring, collecting and delivering of donations, and other arising tasks.
Since the Women for Women Foundation has been set up as a VO, increased human resources and an internal framework were required to process an increasing demand. For this reason, Elle-Evate was launched with the aim of providing a solution to meet goals by creating an operational framework, engaging and training volunteers, running a pilot for 3 months followed by an thorough evaluation to seek any required fine-tuning.
Lately, the Women for Women Foundation has also started collaborating with The Lisa Maria Foundation on matters related to the welfare and safety of children and young adults. In a recent meeting between the two foundations, common grounds included the removal of prescription in cases of child sexual abuse, and a free and easier access to the Protection of Minors Register.
The Women for Women Foundation is providing a service like no other through effective life-changing support, providing women with access, freedom, safety and peace of mind as they work to better themselves and their future.
Through Wham we’d like to present to you the lovely team of women behind the Women for Women Foundation…
Francesca Fenech Conti
Founder
Francesca Fenech Conti loves working with people and is a natural team leader. Her passion is creating social communities and following the success of the Facebook group Are You Being Served (Rubs) which she co-founded, Francesca went on to start the most popular local online social group for women to date, Women For Women (Malta). Building connections with over 41,000 members since 2015, the group is a safe space where women can share their thoughts, questions and disclosures, highlighting many social and structural inequalities. This led Francesca to read for a degree in Social Policy and she is currently following a Masters in Gender Studies.
In August 2020 Francesca officially founded the Women for Women Foundation which aims to empower and support women and girls through the funding of education, emergency financial aid and the promotion of gender equality, as well as to invest in women short-term so they may improve their prospects long-term.
During Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, Francesca did not waste time but instead put a small team together to launch Wham, another social initiative, this time concentrating on women’s health and well being. Francesca and her team aim to promote and amplify women’s voices and women’s health issues in the media. Francesca is also an outspoken women’s rights activist and credits her family, most especially her husband, for always being her pillar of support and encouraging her to dream big, be brave and to stick to her vision.
Ilona Busby
Chairperson
Ilona started her journey helping others in her 20s when she did voluntary work in orphanages.
In 2012 she created Malta Charity Central on Facebook to connect Charities with the many generous individuals or Companies in Malta. In a small community like ours, she believes that facebook together with people’s input can make a big difference to make this existing gap very small in making us all aware of what is happening and what is needed locally.
This Group is intended for use as a notice board for charities or individuals involved in any kind of voluntary work to advise of any particular requirements / needs they may have as well as to announce and promote fund-raising events organised by charities.
Malta Charity Central led to Ilona getting personally involved in helping families in need, kids’ homes and shelters over the years and eventually to teaming up with Francesca Fenech Conti to set up the Women for Women Foundation in 2019.
Ilona’s persistent character together with a natural ability to want to organise and follow up on anything put her way is what she feels has given her the strength and capability to do what can sometimes be very emotionally challenging.
‘I feel very lucky to have a family and friends always having my back whenever I need anything but I am very aware that not everyone is the same and this is what inspires me to do what I do. I feel very passionate about helping and supporting others with anything from a small need to being there when they get a bad break in life.
Over time I also come to realise that by myself taking the initiative to help others, I inspire many people I know to do the same and I feel humbled by their trust and willingness to support anything I am willing to do when it comes to helping those in need.’
Carina Nagiah
Board Secretary
Carina Nagiah is a practicing lawyer, focusing mainly on Civil Law with particular interest in family, contract and succession Law. Carina has a deep interest in family law and human rights law. After completing the law course at the University of Malta in 2012, she furthered her studies in International Law with particular focus on international human rights law, and subsequently obtained a Master of Laws in International Law in 2015. Carina was awarded her warrant to practice as an Advocate before the Courts of Malta in 2013, and has been representing clients in Courts since then.
In her practice with clients, Carina became aware of the many challenges women still face today when raising up children on their own or when deciding to leave the matrimonial home due to marital problems. Despite the wide array of services and assistance available, women still face unfair obstacles simply because they have the interest of their children at heart. For this reason, Carina decided to participate in the establishment of the Women for Women Foundation.
Joannie Grima
Treasurer
Joannie is an experienced qualified accountant who has worked both in Malta and abroad. She is now leading her own accounting and consulting practice servicing various local individuals and corporate clients. Joannie has always been involved in voluntary work for charitable organisations in Malta and abroad.
Joannie believes that as a chinese proverb said: Give a woman a fish and you feed her for a day; teach a woman how to fish and you feed her for a lifetime. For her, this proverb perfectly describes the foundation’s purpose and that is why she decided to volunteer in any way that she can with the foundation.
Elaine Compagno
Project Manager
Elaine Compagno is a trainer and adviser in the area of intimate partner violence and risk. She is a co-founder of the SOAR service within St Jeanne Antide Foundation, an innovative service offering peer-support to survivors of domestic violence. Elaine is an accredited trainer in DASH Risk Checklist Training and also designs and delivers training on Domestic Violence from survivors’ perspectives. She is a survivor of domestic violence, an activist and feminist with a background in Youth and Community Studies and Gender and Development.
In her free time she enjoys a range of creative pursuits and spending time with her family.
Charlene Mifsud
Office Coordinator & Logistics
Charlene is a 39 year old mother of two. Her role with the Women for Women Foundation is as an Administrative Coordinator. Helping people is something that gives Charlene the energy to keep on going, and that is why working with the Women for Women Foundation has helped fill in what she felt was missing. Being busy for a good cause gives her the happiness no money can buy. She holds a positive outlook on life and is always prepared to go the extra mile to see people happy.
Kelly Hammett
Marketing & Communications
Kelly is a busy mother to four young boys. For the last 6 years she has worked as a freelancer in the field of marketing and design. She has always enjoyed being creative, and spends her free time with her children, working on DIY projects and socialising. Balancing a hectic work and home life has taught her the importance of seeking support. It is that message that really resonated with her and led her to join the Women for Women Foundation. By focusing on the Foundation’s design and communications, Kelly hopes more women can be reached and supported through their difficult times.
Kelly Vassallo
Support Worker
Kelly works as a support worker with the Women for Women Foundation team. Kelly’s role involves looking after the well-being of people in their daily lives.
Kelly is mostly passionate about mental health and continuously supports others to reach their full potential by providing both physical and emotional support.
Layla Compagno
Social Media Marketing Assistant
Layla is a passionate eighteen-year-old student pursuing a career in the arts. She has just completed her Advanced Diploma in The Performing Arts at MCAST Institute for the Creative Arts, and will be moving on to pursue a degree abroad.
Layla is a feminist. She enjoys connecting with followers of WFWF’s social media, working with the WFWF Team and showcasing the valuable work that goes on at the Foundation. She is also very passionate about music, travelling and dogs.
Antoinette Attard
Volunteer
Antoinette is a survivor of child sexual abuse and domestic abuse. Alone she managed to raise four children and is keen to share her experiences about the struggles of having been a single mother.
She often talks about her difficult life openly in the hope of creating awareness of the unseen issues encountered by mothers doing everything alone on a tight budget, about domestic violence and other social issues.
You can be part of the revolutionary change we are bringing into the lives of the women and children who need it the most by sending your donations to the Women for Women Foundation. Together we can make a difference!
Elle-Evate has been funded by the Small Initiatives Support Scheme (SIS) managed by the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector (MCVS). This project/publication reflects the views only of the author, and the MCVS cannot be held responsible for the content or any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Do you have an experience you’d like to share with us at wham? Send us an email at [email protected]
Claire Galea is a mum of three currently reading for a Degree in Nursing at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Malta, as a mature student. She is keen about holistic patient-centered care as well as public education about health-related subjects, which she frequently writes about on Wham as a Content Writer and Website Editor.
Claire is also passionate about spreading awareness on the negative effects that domestic abuse leaves on its victims’ mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing. She is the author of two downloadable ebooks, namely Heal Your Life Forever and 5 Simple Steps To Creating The Life Of Your Dreams.
Click here to check out Claire’s full bio as well as a list of all her Wham published articles
