Extra-Ordinary Woman: Deborah Harding part 1

Women of Peace Corps Legacy interviews an “Extra-Ordinary Woman”, Deborah Harding. Women of Peace Corps Legacy's Women of Achievement Award is named after Deborah, to recognize women leaders who have made a significant difference in the lives of women and girls around the world.Featured Guest:Deborah Harding was the founder of the Liberian Education Trust, a transition initiative to help rebuild the education system destroyed by 14-years of civil war.  The Trust brought access to education for thousands of Liberian girls and market women.  She was co-founder of the Network for Human Rights in Liberia in the mid-80s.  In 2013 President Johnson Sirleaf honored Debbie with Liberia’s highest civilian award Dame Grand Commander Humane Order of African Redemption for her support to the Liberian nation.  Debbie undertook ensuring gender equality in recruitment and placement of Peace Corps Volunteers and in hiring country directors in the mid-70s.  She established the Women in Development Program at the Peace Corps and had its language included in the Peace Corps Act.  She is a founding member of Women of Peace Corps Legacy (WPCL).In addition, Debbie has a significant leadership history in  other international organizations, including the Soros Foundation, the German Marshall Fund of the U.S., and the Cambodian Crisis Center, most of which you will hear about in this two-part podcast.Podcast Host:Kathleen Corey is past president of Women of Peace Corps Legacy.  She spent sixteen years with Peace Corps getting her start as a Volunteer in Liberia.  She has been Country Director in North Macedonia and Sri Lanka and held various headquarter positions responsible for opening Peace Corps China, Cambodia, and numerous countries in the Former Soviet Union.  As a retired diplomat, she currently teaches various courses to Department of State employees at the U.S. Foreign Service Institute.Women of Peace Corps Legacy (WPCL) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance women and girls empowerment to create a more just, equitable, inclusive, and safe world for future generations.  WPCL seeks to partner with and highlight the work of those existing organizations and programs that are effectively addressing the issues of women and girls.