The Press Institute Receives $50,000 Grant from the Boston Foundation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 8, 2007
Contact
Cristi Hegranes, President, Founder
The Press Institute for Women in the Developing World
400 Derby Ave. Ste. #11
Oakland, CA 94601
Cristi@piwdw.org
 

The Press Institute for Women in the Developing World, an international nonprofit organization and independent journalism initiative, received a $50,000 grant from an anonymous fund at The Boston Foundation last week.

The grant, the largest The Press Institute has received to date, will be used to continue the Institute’s inaugural program in Chiapas, Mexico, and will launch The Press Institute’s activities in Nepal.

Founded in March 2006, the Institute's first training program began in September 2006. After completing the original, ethics-based training program, the first class of PI reporters in Mexico have already uncovered important stories of AIDS, clandestine abortion, poverty and community development. The PIWDW Newswire has received more than 10,000 hits and articles produced by PI reporters have appeared in 13 different publications around the world.

The Institute's training center in Kathmandu will open on March 19, 2007.

For more information about The Press Institute or The Boston Foundation grant please contact The Press Institute's Headquarters at 415-516-3012, or email Cristi Hegranes at cristi@piwdw.org.

About Us:

The Press Institute for Women in the Developing World was founded by reporter Cristi Hegranes in 2006. The Institute’s mission is based on the belief that journalism is an empowering tool that can bring voice, strength and light to issues that are hidden and people who are oppressed. It is in this vein that the Institute trains ordinary women in developing countries to serve as reporters in their own communities. PI journalists are dedicated to telling untold stories and empowering themselves and others through education and journalism. The Press Institute emphasizes reporting on six core issues that most affect women in their communities: HIV/AIDS, violence against women, poverty, reproductive rights, political oppression, and community development.