Washington, DC - Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Catherine Russell will travel to San Francisco on February 26 to launch the Women’s Entrepreneurship Fund and attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Advisory Council (ABAC) Women’s Forum.

Ambassador Russell will join representatives from Kiva and the Multilateral Investment Fund, which is a member of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, at Kiva Headquarters to launch the Women’s Entrepreneurship Fund. The Fund seeks to leverage Kiva’s crowdfunded capital to address a global lack of access to finance that limits women’s ability to start or expand their own businesses and fully participate in economic, social, and political life.

Following the launch of the Fund, Ambassador Russell will participate in a panel discussion at the ABAC Women’s Forum. The panel will focus on how to increase women’s participation in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields and encourage adolescent girls to consider careers in these fields.