The genesis of the Women’s Intercultural Network -WIN was the International Women's Action Council (IWAC), created as an advisory group to a Ford Foundation grant in 1988: “Involving Women And Ethnic Minorities In Foreign Policy.” WIN CEO, formed IWAC to involve women from the many diverse cultures in San Diego in the project. This collaboration of women became the inspiration and prototype for WIN, which was incorporated in the Fall of 1994 in San Francisco.

As a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) with consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council, WIN has participated at several global conferences of women, foremost being the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, China September 1995. WIN continues working to advance the UN goals of equality, development and peace for women and girls in the interest of all humanity. 

Participation at the Beijing Conference was a natural venue for WIN. 40,000 women and girls joined together from 189 countries and agreed on the Platform for Action, a progressive document that was an imperative to advancing their status.  

WIN brought the Platform home to the California grassroots for implementation.by creating CAWA: the CAlifornia Women's Agenda. CAWA is a growing state action alliance of over 500 diverse organizations who adapted and published the Beijing Platform as a Plan of Action for California. CAWA's objective is to link one million women in collective action through real and "virtual" networks. CAWA is a network that is organizing - not an organization that is networking.

ACTIONS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
WIN has accomplished a variety of other organizing opportunities and settings for women and girls to come together and collaborate on achieving mutual goals. Some samples are: 
CREATING A WEB SITE (http://www.win-cawa.org) where women and girls can speak on issues of mutual concern and connect with their counterparts in other cultures and countries. It includes video documentation of CALLING THE CIRCLES.

CALLING THE CIRCLE of women: first, from the US, Uganda and Afghanistan in partnership with the US Department of State, Educational and Cultural Exchange. WIN is planning CIRCLES with women of other countries in the near future.

CONVENING a CIRCLE for 70 Japanese women at the Japan Forum during the UN Beijing+5 Conference, New York, 2000 and recently the Afghan CIRCLE in Kabul, Afghanistan.

HOSTING GATHERINGS of small groups of women leaders from all over the world and their counterparts in the San Francisco Bay Area - including women from China, Japan, Equador, India, South Korea, Australia, Columbia, Brazil, Finland, Croatia, South Africa and Northern Ireland.

FORMING a Media Advisory Council to CAWA as a follow -up to the CAWA Media Summit, 2000, to amplify our voices.

ACTIVATING a CAWA Legislators' Council for collaboration on public policy initiatives.  WIN received the Leading Change Award from the Bay Area Women's Communicators' Network, May 2000.

WIN'S VISION AND PRINCIPLES
LINKING WOMEN AND GIRLS across national boundaries and cultures

CREATING EXCHANGES of ideas and skills in professional, economic and political leadership

DESIGNING a new model for women's global communication and joint advocacy of solutions to mutual concerns by adapting information technology and new media systems for access to all women and girls.

DEVELOPING a common language of activism in addressing global issues.

HOSTING women and girls in leadership from all countries and positions in society

INITIATING NETWORKS for women and girls - both virtual and physical

PROVIDING SPACE, settings and opportunities for women and girls to come together

AMPLIFYING VOICES of women and girls to be heard around the world

BUILDING ACTION NETWORKS, such as CAWA, as a prototype for women's mobilization and action

CALLING THE CIRCLE of women leaders around the world for collaboration on social, political and economic change for women and girls.

It is the girl who shapes the woman. Our vision is that of women and girls building bridges across cultures, classes, ages, religions, life-styles and abilities. WIN is seeking funds to expand our effective network for the benefit of girls and women globally without hope, homes or resources. Our long range goal is to create a global women's network that can function on the ground and electronically across cultural and digital divides for collaboration on mutual concerns. WIN is CALLING THE CIRCLE globally using the CAWA organizing model as a prototype.

EXPANDING THE CIRCLE OF WOMEN'S AND GIRL'S LEADERSHIP FOR COLLECTIVE ACTION