Divas! The Spark delegation trip to Tanzania starts in a few hours. I am SO excited! Our itinerary is fabulous. From a day at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) to village visits to an eco-safari, Tanzania promises to transform…

I’m on the board of Spark, and we are an organization that promotes education as well as socialization…from cocktail parties for a cause to fabulous Speaker Series events to delegation trips around the world to see how our global grantees are putting our money to use, Spark seeks a 360-degree view of the challenges facing women around the world.

To that end, we are off to Tanzania today! We will visit the ICTR where war crimes during the Rwandan genocide are finally being prosecuted under the auspices of the UN. We will visit nonprofits on the ground such as Village Enterprise Fund (where Kiva.org founder Jessica Flannery got her start), Care and CAMFED (Campaign for Female Education). We will do volunteer work with Tanzania Volunteer Experience.

And we will go on an eco-safari, in both Tarangire National Park and Lake Manyara National Park near Ngorongongoro Crater. Wow!

Then it’s zipping to Zanzibar for some R&R and learning about this Indian Ocean island’s role as a major slave trade hub and massive exotic spice exporter.

Finally, some pampering in Dubai at the world’s only 7-star hotel, the Burj Al Arab. Did you see that fabulous 60 Minutes segment on Dubai? What a fascinating mix of traditional Islamic values, an ex-pat melting pot, a stratospheric gold rush, and an architectural orgasmica! 

Brava Argentina! 

And speaking of empowering women, my Croatian expert and magazine publisher friend Martina excitedly emailed me this article from The Economist all about the newly elected first female president of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. Brava! 

Tanzania Spark