Jamie Dougherty is a passionate humanitarian and advocate for sustainable development.
With a strong sense of justice and a powerful will to make a difference, Jamie has evolved from the role of school teacher to change-maker, helping impoverished communities around the globe to upgrade the quality of education, drinking water supply, gender equality, and nutrition.
Jamie started here career by volunteering at the Home for Women, a safe heaven for sex trafficking victims and rape victims in Thailand. At Home, she provided counseling and empowerment programs and taught English.
Around the same time, Jamie raised philanthropic funds and involved 40 students from Ruamrudee International School to install a drinking water supply system.
She started the ‘Nepal Project’ at the United Nations International School: UNIS, New York, which has been ongoing for 4 years now involving over 120 students. There she created and raise funds for meal programs in primary schools in Nepal and arranged students of UNIS to visit Nepal.
Jamie also created the ‘Lanyard Project,’ linking one of the most underprivileged groups of women from Nepal to the United Nations, through event lanyards carefully handwoven by the women to hold the name badges of event attendees.
At the 2017, High-Level Political Forum (“HLPF”), one of the UN’s most important annual gatherings, HLPF participants, including States Members of the United Nations; States Members of specialized agencies, inter-governmental organizations; United Nations system, major groups, and other stakeholders wore The HLPF Lanyards, which were handwoven by the Nepalese women who Jamie had met through her interest in furthering the cause of sustainable development and to visit interesting places across the globe that present themselves as important case studies for understanding the process of change.
The 16 Nepalese women involved in the making of the 1,000 HLPF lanyards received training and a stipend which they used to support their family, namely their children’s education.
The HLPF Lanyards were then assembled by a group of about 20 students from the United Nations International School (UNIS) Nepal Club, students who wholeheartedly volunteered almost three days of their time to complete the assembly.
Funding of The HLPF Lanyards was made possible by the Chief Investment Officer of a family office who came to understand that even a small donation can have a big impact on many. We were told that the largesse provided schooling for the children of the Nepalese women for one year and empowered the women to be seen at eye level.
The weaving together of the HLPF Lanyards, much like the weaving together of multiple stakeholders to create positive change, is an example of the great work being done today by The New Fund, managed by our hero Jamie Dougherty.
