World Human Accountability Organization and Woodenfish Foundation held an opening dinner at Yale Club in New York on March 19^th, 2018. Guests included Queens College Professor Dr. Yifa, representatives from Aimer Foundation, and other NGO representatives. The dinner was held to gain a deeper understanding of challenges rural women and girls face.  Attendees discussed different ways Chinese NGOs can uplift rural women and girls in their communities. WHAO believes collaborations can make an even bigger impact and is currently seeking NGOs and individuals to work with.

Dr. Yifa, who attended Yale University, introduced guests and thanked them for their continued support. Ms. Holly Chang, founder of the Golden Bridge Organization, shared how growing up in America influenced her choice to do philanthropic work. She highlighted that women need to have the same leadership opportunities as men. Ms. Chang also touched on the differences between Chinese and American non-profit organizations, and suggested ways to improve the international status of non-profit organizations in China. A question-answer session was held after the speakers had presented. Speakers and those in attendance exchanged views on how to keep momentum in efforts to improve the lives of women and girls.

The two-hour dinner was successful as it attracted a large amount of media coverage. The open dinner was one of the many events with the goal of finding effective ways to positively impact women and girls. WHAO hopes organizations and individuals put all discussed at these events into practice.

On the next day, the World Human Accountability organization participated in a 62^nd Annual Commission on the Status of Women parallel event on March 20^th, 2018. The event, Incubating Next Generation East Asian NGOs to Uplift Rural Women and Girls, aimed to ignite conversation between different NGOs concerning the work they are doing to improve the lives of women and girls. Although NGO participation was at the core of the discussion, members of the public were encouraged to get involved in whichever way possible.

The Salvation Army auditorium was filled with people as they awaited the afternoons’ discussion. A Woodenfish Foundation representative welcomed all the guests and gave a brief overview of the program. Speakers included; President and Founder of Woodenfish Foundation Venerable Dr. Yifa, CEO of Aimer Foundation Yuhui Song, Meiduoo Gesang of Juegang Global, and WHAO Executive Director Mrs. Bina Wang. Mrs. Wang presented on the current state of NGOs in China, WHAO’s contributions, and the future plans.

Mrs. Wang stressed that NGOs in China need to pay more attention to issues concerning women and girls. She highlighted that majority of Chinese based NGOs primarily focus on environmental issues and leave little room to discuss women and girls. Mrs. Wang gave examples of WHAO is currently doing to empower girls. From supporting a cancer patient, to empowering women and girls through an upcoming sports initiative, Mrs. Wang highlighted the multifaceted approach WHAO continuously takes to empower women and girls.