Angela Nguku said she was in New York — a three-hour train ride from Washington, D.C. — when she first heard of a high-profile event being held by the secretariat of the White Ribbon Alliance, an advocacy organization focused on maternal health care.
White Ribbon is an alliance of alliances, with each entity operating both autonomously and in tandem. But earlier this year, many gathered in the American capital to mark a shift: The organization’s U.S.-based secretariat — which shared lessons, opportunities, and resources across the network — was closing. It was a move designed to make space for new leaders, voices, and ideas, the secretariat said.
“The women we serve deserve the deployment of all our efforts: equitably, in solidarity, with integrity, leaving no one behind,” Sandra Pepera, the board chair of White Ribbon Alliance, said at the March 14 event.