Global Women's Leadership Network: First Graduates of ''Women Leaders for the World'' Program Achieve Rapid Success.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Lydia Bakaki, a native of Uganda, will be the keynote speaker on June 19 at an auction to raise funds for the "Women Leaders for the World" (WLW) program sponsored by the Global Women's Leadership Network (GWLN). GWLN cultivates powerful international leaders and establishes worldwide connections that will support their success, offering tools including WLW, which is a residential leadership development program for social entrepreneurs from diverse professions. The auction will be held at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in Palo Alto from 5:30-7:45 p.m.

Seeds of Success

A year ago when Lydia Bakaki looked around Uganda, she saw lots of farmland and starving women with no property rights. In Africa, where about 80 percent of household food production is done by women, in spite of unequal access to land, seeds and fertilizer, she dared to dream that Ugandan AIDS widows and survivors of domestic violence could own their own land and feed their families. Less than one year later, Bakaki has made her dream a reality. She has helped nearly 100 women purchase an acre of land each, paid in full.

"I wanted to find a way for women to benefit from their sweat," said Bakaki, one of 16 graduates of the first class of the WLW program. Along with her story, fundraisers attendees will hear from other graduates including Meg Taylor, founder of Lending Promise, a micro-lending organization for Nepalese women; Joan Banich, founder of the G.O.O.D. driver program; and Patricia Rain, the "Vanilla Queen," who runs a network of tropical vanilla farmers.

"Look what happens when women step into their leadership roles with power, grace and determination," said Linda Alepin, a founder of GWLN and former executive at Amdahl Corporation. "Today's economic, social, political, technological, spiritual, and environmental challenges demand new levels of creativity, talent, and innovation. And to meet that goal, we provide women access to the tools and training they need to be successful global citizens."

At the auction, participants of the upcoming 2006 WLW program, to be held July 22-30 at Santa Clara University, will speak about their projects, ranging from coral reef reconstruction to a women's center in Santa Clara County. The fundraiser, open to the public, will be 5:30-7:45 p.m. at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in Palo Alto. The $25.00 admission fee and auction proceeds will help fund tuition and travel expenses for 2006 program participants. To purchase tickets or make a donation, go to http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=112648.

What:   Woman Leaders for the World Fundraiser

When:   5:30-7:45 p.m.

Where:  Palo Alto Research Center
        3333 Coyote Hill
        Palo Alto, CA 94304

About the Global Women's Leadership Network

The Global Women's Leadership Network, sponsored by the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University, provides women access to tools and training so that they can become successful global citizens. In turn, those women are partnering with the GWLN in building an international network of women leaders who dare to transform the future of their organizations, communities, and the world. For more information, visit www.gwln.org.

About Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located in California's Silicon Valley, offers its 8,397 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, plus master's and law degrees. Distinguished nationally by the third-highest graduation rate among all U.S. master's universities, California's oldest higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. More information is online at www.scu.edu.