Founded in 1981 for women whose applied studies in the United States and Canada aim to benefit women and children in their home regions, the Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund (MMMF) is a U.S. tax-exempt 501(c) 3 charity that operates under the umbrella of the World Bank Family Network.

To date since 1983, and including the nine most recent recipients of MMMF grants totaling $126,000 in spring of 2008, the MMMF has bestowed 134 educational grants totaling $1,167,900 to women from 57 developing countries.

This past year, for the first time, in accordance with the launch of its Overseas Project, the MMMF has awarded two grants totaling $5,000 to women studying outside the US or Canada, to two women studying in South Africa

The MMMF would especially like to recognize staff members and spouses/partners of the WBG Country Offices in South Africa, Brazil, and Bangladesh, whose invaluable help facilitated the MMMF Overseas Project pilots. This level of cooperation represents a new and encouraging dimension of support for the MMMF.

Additionally, MMMF is indebted to the many World Bank Group (WBG) spouses and partners who volunteer each year to raise funds for MMMF grants, and to serve on the MMMF Board and MMMF Selection Committee. In addition, WBG staff volunteer their time and expertise by serving on the MMMF Selection Panel, as well as on the MMMF Friends Committee, and by participating at MMMF functions.

Our Donors

MMMF’s traditional annual fundraisers consist of the popular International Arts & Crafts Fair and the MMMF Friends Fall Letter Campaign.

MMMF is grateful to its many other donors, as well, particularly those WBG staff who have designated the MMMF to receive honoraria and gifts offered to them in their official capacity; the MMMF especially appreciates this recognition of the value of its mission. This year again, the MMMF thanks the Bank-Fund Staff Federal Credit Union for its generous contribution.

The MMMF Overseas Project (OSP)

Approved in FY05 by our Board as a means to explore ways of expanding scholarships to include study in developing-country universities, MMMF in February 2007 began pilots in South Africa, Brazil, and Bangladesh.

By December 2007, the MMMF Board had approved their first two grants under the OSP, to women studying at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. MMMF conducted two video-conferences with MMMF volunteers in the WBG Pretoria Country Office, whose help proved invaluable in the successful awarding of the first two MMMF overseas scholarships.

The recipients are Nadia Alicina Ibraimo (Mozambique), a Masters candidate in agronomy; and Hazel Zaranyika (Zimbabwe), who is pursuing a Bachelors degree in social science.

A reception for these recipients was held on February 7, 2008, at the World Bank Pretoria office. Inevitably, important lessons have been learned in the process, which are being heeded during the course of the OSP pilots in Brazil and Bangladesh. For Brazil, former MMMF Board member and OSP Committee member Edilene de Gouvello has translated the MMMF grant application into Portuguese.

Initial preparations for conducting a pilot in Bangladesh are underway as well. Selection of universities for these pilots has been based on a number of benchmarked criteria, including the university’s diverse student population.

The MMMF Board would like to acknowledge all those who have contributed to these OSP pilots. We start by thanking the OSP Chair and Committee members and the MMMF Selection Committee Chair for their extraordinary efforts. We are appreciative also to the many Bank staff in the country offices, and to WBG spouses in those countries who have given their time and energy to support these MMMF pilots. We are also most grateful Hajrudin Beca and the Bank’s ISG Voice and Video staff for their support with our video-conferencing needs.

New MMMF Website

A new site at www.mmmf-grants.org was developed, featuring functionalities for online donations, online completion of grant application forms, and access to Arts & Crafts Fair vendor forms.

The MMMF would like to specially recognize Gilda Dadush and Lois Khairallah for their creative and efficient development of the site and its many important attributes that add so much value.

MMMF Tracer Study

To provide more systematic feedback on MMMF recipients and their achievements since graduation, a new survey was developed and appropriate software identified to conduct it. Survey questionnaires and pre-survey alerts were e-mailed to past MMMF recipients to gather data to improve the scholarship program. The survey also invites former recipients to submit suitable photos of them working in their countries for possible use on the cover of the MMMF Annual Report and on the MMMF website.

The MMMF Board is grateful to Hada Zaidan for preparing the survey, tracking the recipients, and identifying the software to conduct it. The Board is also appreciative to the new MMMF Board members Sarah Brau and Pietronella vanden Oever for their role in editing the survey questionnaire and helping with the technology, and to WBG Staff Association member Sandor Vegh for facilitating the distribution.

More information on this new project will be available as former recipients are found.