Amy first became aware of Project Concern, International when a woman she knows was preparing to go on one of their “vision” trips. Soon after that she met Uli Hein, director of development for Project Concern. Amy was so taken by PCI’s philosophy of empowering women, and so inspired by the stories of the women both involved in and helped by the organization, that she wanted to learn more and get involved. She recently met Linda Cipriani, co-founder of the organization’s SHE program, and couldn’t wait to introduce her, Uli and Project Concern — and the ways they’re improving the lives of people around the world — to all of you.
Tell us a little about Project Concern International – your mission, your goals, your main focus.
LC: PCI is a nonprofit health and humanitarian aid organization dedicated to preventing disease, improving community health, and promoting sustainable development worldwide.
How was the group started? How has it evolved over the years?
LC: In 1961, a young doctor from San Diego volunteering at a Tijuana clinic saved the lives of two small children who were dying of pneumonia. This experience led Dr. James Turpin to found PCI and forever change the lives of millions of 
children and families around the world by providing health and hope to those most in need. Since then, the focus of the organization has remained true to its founder. PCI works in vulnerable communities to improve health and create long-term change by helping people help themselves. For fifty years, thousands of dedicated individuals and groups have worked to make this vision a reality. Dr. James W. Turpin founded PCI based on his belief in our shared humanity and his confidence that if given a chance, people could lift themselves out of poverty and create a healthy future for their families. Today, PCI works in 16 countries around the world benefitting more than 5 million women, children and families a year.
Is there a specific program that has really stood out to you?
UH: We had this great program recently in South Africa, where we worked on a very important project to mitigate violence against women. And we had this big billboard in Cape Town, of this woman’s face, a beautiful African woman. And every day they would change the billboard to show how her face would change with abuse, and you can imagine, she is getting more and more bruised.
And then we had a billboard for people to send text messages, speaking out about violence against women, and as people text messaged, the face became less bruised. I mean, it was really very much a social innovation project, because a lot of what we do have to do was social mobilization and changing behavior and attitude, which is something that takes decades of course, and it’s a huge challenge. But it was a pretty innovative and powerful project.
What are some of the projects you’re personally involved in?
LC: When I started with PCI in 2007 and I participated mainly by going to breakfasts that PCI has periodically to discuss projects and results in the countries in which they work. PCI also hosts its annual “Hands Across Borders” fundraiser, typically in November, and in working on that, I started to meet amazing women from a cross-spectrum of San Diego who bring their energies to PCI in the midst of their own business, medical, education, and international success stories.
In 2009, I went to Zambia on a vision trip to see PCI’s work on the ground in that country. I also worked on two events for PCI’s project in San Diego, a community baby shower and a Christmas toy drive and Santa party. The local work continued in 2010 and I went on a second vision trip, to Tanzania, in September 2010.
As a result, I was pleased to collaborate with PCI and Terri Thomas, another PCI supporter, to help start a PCI group that would provide a forum to discuss the issues that PCI addresses, demonstrate that the issues overseas are often the same ones that arise locally and regionally, expand PCI’s profile in the community, and take advantage of opportunities to bring together people in San Diego who want to participate locally and globally to make a difference. That forum, started in 2010, has become SHE, which stands for Strong, Healthy, Empowered.
Can you describe your SHE program? How does someone become an ambassador?
UH: SHE is a group of ambassadors who dedicate their efforts, time, energy, and skills to benefit and support PCI ‘s programs throughout the world. Through the synergy of the SHE program, we work together to find innovative ways to ensure women are able to live lives that are strong, healthy and empowered. SHE members reach out and support PCI’s programs in the local community, and have the 
opportunity to participate in vision trips, volunteer locally, as well as attend locally hosted educational events and social occasions. As a member (membership is free), people can be involved as little or as much as their time permits.
In 2010, SHE hosted a variety of discussions. People offer their homes for some meetings; others take place “on site.” We started in January 2010 with a presentation by Stacy Smith, a USC professor, on the sexualization of children and women in media. In the spring of 2010, we showed a documentary about women in Zambia learning to use video equipment for the first time and using it to tell their stories about the effects of AIDS in their lives. We also sponsored a presentation by The Amy Biehl Foundation featuring the family of Amy Biehl, whose death in South Africa at the close of the apartheid era led to the formation of a foundation that has carried on important work in Amy’s name. We hosted a meeting on PCI’s immediate response to the earthquake in Haiti. Dr. Maria’s Reyes, who heads PCI’s San Diego project devoted to pre and post-natal maternal care and well child outcomes, spoke to a group in September 2010 about that project and ways to volunteer for it locally. In November, we led a group to La Jolla Playhouse’s production of “Ruined” (which takes place in the Congo) and a post-play discussion of the play with Playhouse personnel.
It’s very easy to get on the SHE e-mail list and become involved. Just go on PCI’s website and follow the links to Strong, Healthy, Empowered. For more information or to be added to the free SHE membership list , you can contact me at uheine@pciglobal.org
March 8 was International Women’s Day. What does that mean to Project Concern?
UH: It means it is a day to celebrate and honor the women and girls who work for us, and who we work with and for, around the world. IWD offers an opportunity to think about and focus on issues of gender and how they affect the people we serve. It is a time to re-familiarize ourselves with — and revitalize – our commitment to our gender equity mission statement and the work we do to improve gender equity and equality in our own organization and in the vulnerable communities where we implement our programs. Because it is the 100th anniversary of IWD, it is a time to reflect how far we’ve come in terms of equity and equality, but also how much further we still must travel.
There are a lot of statistics about the benefits of helping women as opposed to helping men, and what women do among themselves and for their community and for their children. Can you comment on any experiences or feelings you have on a personal level about the importance of connecting women to women?
UH: I do feel there is a particular kinship among women worldwide, because, while I believe that we should treat everybody equally, there’s ultimately something that really connects women, specifically mothers. Because when you look at children under the age of two, before they are really even speaking yet, they all have exactly the same development and the same chances for success.
If you look into these babies’ eyes, whether in Africa, India or the United States, you quickly realize the same potential exists right in front of you and the same heartbeat, and the deciding factor is just the chance of where we were born. I do think there is an innate kinship between women for that reason. Also because, specifically when I travel to places in Africa, where I can tell that the women are struggling with their husbands, I see that women’s empowerment also often leads to empowering men at the same time.
Ultimately, we really work on family empowerment altogether, but a lot of times when you give the women micro-enterprise opportunities and they become successful, all of a sudden the men who originally looked at them with a little bit of disbelief and distrust, become more interested and engaged and involved, and want to know, “What opportunities do you have for me?” We like to jump on that opportunity too, because we need the men just as much. We just feel that it’s important to get to the women first. It has been proven time and again that if you empower women, you do empower the whole family, or ultimately, really the whole village, whereas that does not hold true for empowering the men. Ultimately our goal is to empower the whole family.
You’re sponsoring a screening of the documentary, La Mama: An American Nun’s Life in a Mexican Prison. Can you talk about the significance of that, both for the story itself and for Project Concern?
LC: We are featuring the movie as part of our SHE program to 1) focus on an exemplary woman and her very interesting life story and 2) increase interest in the development needs of Tijuana, where PCI has worked for decades and still operates well-baby clinics in some of the poorest areas. The promatoras (women from the community who are trained by PCI) who operate the program might not be as famous as Mother Antonia but they too are volunteering their time to improve the lives of people in need.
What are some of the challenges faced by Project Concern?
LC: One of the greatest challenges for PCI is the fact that even after 50 years PCI is not well-known. PCI has not had any staff solely dedicated to publicity, so the many wonderful stories PCI has to tell never get heard. We just revamped our website, and are looking to expand our base of e-subscribers and friends. PCI really is a wonderful resource locally on development and women’s issues and we encourage all interested parties to check us out. As a member of SHE, you will receive updates on programs, travel opportunities and events. We would love for more people to know and care about the issues we are working on every day.
How can our readers help? And how can their high school or college-age daughters help?
UH: Become a Facebook friend, tell others about PCI, join SHE, stage a fundraiser for PCI or attend our events. Our World Water Day walk, which focuses on the fact that women and children in the developing world often walk for hours fetching potable water, will take place on March 20. If you have a talent PCI can use and are willing to donate your time, we would love to hear from you!
What has been the most rewarding part of working with Project Concern?
LC: That’s hard to answer – there are so many! I feel very privileged to get to be involved in an organization that, on the one hand, is the largest NGO (non-government organization) in San Diego, and on the other, is focused so locally in every place it works. As you would expect, I’ve learned a lot about women and children overseas, and I have met so many amazing women in San Diego who have a philanthropic heart. I want to distinguish that very clearly from “money.” Sure, that’s important, but I’m talking about something more fundamental – really, the energy that women provide “in the room” when exposure and knowledge meets action.
How can our readers help? And how can their high school or college-age daughters help?
LC: I like the idea of taking the one cause or interest you are most passionate about locally and combining that with the same issue overseas. I think that results in greater strength to both. If you can go on the PCI website and see those connections, that’s wonderful. As for our daughters, we need to let them see we are doing and make them a part of it.
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