INTERVIEW WITH ELAINE WOLFENSOHN From left ro right: Kristina Jensen, Lois Khairallah, Rosa Lia Troch, and Honorary President Mrs. Elaine Wolfensohn WBFN President Rosa Lia Troch, President-Elect, Kristina Jensen, former WBFN President Lois Khairallah, and WBFN Communications Chair Mari Parker interviewed Mrs. Wolfensohn on March 29 at the WBFN office. Rosa Lia: We wish to honor your decade with WBFN through this interview, Mrs. Wolfensohn. You have been a volunteer yourself and a wonderful model to what we are all about. There have been numerous challenges over the years, and with your help and advice, we have surmounted quite a few. Mrs. W.: There have been many challenges and many accomplishments. When I came in to the WBFN in 1995 Caroline Berney was just ending her presidency. Ruksana Mehta, her predecessor, was there too, continuing her work on Domestic Abuse issues. Over the years I worked with many wonderful presidents and other volunteers and learned a lot from them. Rosa Lia: What was your first impression of the World Bank Volunteer Services (now WBFN)? Mrs. W.: Ruksana somehow was my first impression of the organization. She was a lawyer and her commitment was to overcoming domestic abuse. I was impressed by the commitment of all the members as well as by the many activities of the WBFN. WBFN has been a place where extraordinary relationships have evolved over the years. With so many different backgrounds, we all get along very well. We not only work well together but also have had consistently good leadership in the general organization, the MMMF and the Book Project. With these organizations and other fund raising projects the WBFN contributes to the work of the World Bank. Kristina: What would it be like if the World Bank Group did not have the WBFN? Mrs. W.: This organization was started because it was needed. That need is particularly important when parents relocate to a new country and must adjust to a different culture while simultaneously finding schools for children and new jobs for spouses. If staff have to adjust to the Bank’s work and at the same time deal with family concerns without help, the pressure can impact their work. So, WBFN positively supports the work of the Bank by helping new famlies in many ways. When the staff members are away, it is important for the spouses to know where to call if problems arise. WBFN provides a place for spouses to meet and learn from others who have shared similar experiences. It also offers new directions, resources and opportunities available to them. I don’t think the Bank could achieve what it does without WBFN being a place for the families to turn to. Through WBFN programs, families get a better concept of the work of the Bank and feel more connected to it. I think it is important for families to know that we all can be proud of this organization and what it does, especially its work in alleviating poverty. Mari: What are your memories and highlights from the past ten years? Mrs. W.: For Jim and me, it has been the biggest privilege to serve in the Bank. It has been a highlight in our lives. We learned so much about the needs of the world and about what people all around the world can accomplish together. For me personally, it has also been very important to be a part of the WBFN. I cannot imagine how much I will miss you. It has been a wonderful decade. The acknowledgement of domestic abuse and creation of a Bank system to help victims of domestic abuse as well as to educate staff about this subject is a milestone achievement after a decade of working for this goal. It really was wonderful to get that understanding as expressed in Jim’s October 25, 2004 letter to his Bank colleagues. I felt very good. Reflecting on other WBFN activities and achievements, I am mindful of the MMMF. I have really enjoyed meeting the many MMMF scholarship recipients. These women are so dedicated to their countries and to making women’s and children’s lives better. Lois: One last question, how do you see the WBFN moving in the future? Mrs. W.: That is a difficult question, but of one thing we can be certain. Because we have families relocating around the world, we continue to need a strong support system to accommodate them. WBFN is a portrait of that. It is a leader in this area: forward-looking and advanced. Other organizations look to the WBFN as an example. So, for me, I take great pride in being associated with it. When we go to the Multi-org meetings with our international sister organizations, they look to us. Whatever the future challenges, it is important to remember what the WBFN has accomplished. I finish and start at the same point, that is: this is the most wonderful group. I’ve seen it over the 10 years. It is a beautiful office that functions at the highest level of professionalism. It is vibrant and I have watched the continuity and quality of its leadership over the years. That has given strength to the organization in the kind of way that it would be nice to see everywhere.