Mal and the US Committee for UNIFEM

Thank you so much for sending all the information about that wonderful Mal Johnson. Something not mentioned in the obituaries is how she worked as a team with Pat Huter and Virginia Allan to start the United States Committee for UNIFEM. She was, without doubt, the first American to make known the work of UNIFEM, the UN fund for women in low-income countries that was established after the first World Conference on Women, at Mexico City in 1975. It was called the Voluntary Fund for the UN Decade for Women at the time. She was always there planning, and writing up events. She put UNIFEM on the map, and helped to educate Congresspersons about its work, so that the US would be more generous with its official contribution. Then, when we ran into political obstacles, she was there to educate some more.

I join in the elebration of her life, even though I cannot attend the Memorial Service.

Warm regards, and peace to all

Peg Snyder
Founding Director, UNIFEM