Please consider making a direct donation to the Women's Fund in Georgia to enable them to provide timely and critically needed assistance to women's groups affected by the conflict.

To make a donation to the Women's Fund in Georgia please visit the donation page on their Website by following this link: http://www.womenfundgeorgia.org/donate_en.htm.

PLEASE NOTE, THE DONATIONS TO THE WOMEN'S FUND IN GEORGIA ARE NOT TAX DEDUCTIBLE IN THE UNITED STATES AND ARE NOT MADE THROUGH THE WOMEN'S FUNDING NETWORK.

Below is a letter from Women's Funding Network CEO and President Chris Grumm introducing a letter from the Women's Fund in Georgia:

I want to draw your attention to an urgent update from our member fund in the Central Asian nation of Georgia.

As you know, political tensions with Russia escalated into full-out warfare over the weekend. Currently a fragile cease-fire is in place but reports of ongoing violence continue to circulate from the region.

Women's Funding Network is deeply concerned about women on the ground dealing with the repercussions of the decisions of leaders who chose this destructive course of action, and we support efforts these women are already engaging in to build peaceful and lasting solutions for their communities.

The first step toward peace-building is to face truth together, so I want you to hear the first-hand account of women's experiences in Georgia, in their own words. Secondly, please continue to keep yourselves informed, and we will send updates as they become available

Since its inception in 2005, the Women's Fund in Georgia has become a trusted and integral part of the community. They know who trusted solution-builders are in rural communities throughout Georgia and can get these women the funds that are now so desperately needed.

Many of you have been asking how you can help. We are awaiting further information on how we can assist the Fund and will keep you updated as we receive information.

Below is an e-mail from Nana Pantsulaia, the Executive Director of the Women's Fund of Georgia, describing the situation on the ground.

You can stay informed about the situation on the ground by checking the following sites:

• BBC Coverage of Conflict in Georgia
• Guardian Coverage of Russian Occupation and Reporter's Blog
• International Crisis Group Page on Georgia

Sincerely,

Chris Grumm

CEO and President, Women's Funding Network

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Dear Friends,

On Friday, 8 August 2008, a war broke out in the South Ossetia region of Georgia. Very soon, Russian responded to the situation by taking military actions against Georgia in the conflict zone and far beyond it.

Since then, in spite of various international agencies' as well as western state officials' statements concerning the situation in Georgia, Russian troops started to intensively attack and bomb not only the conflict zone itself, but also other regions of Georgia -- villages, towns, ports, airports, military bases, another conflict zone of Georgia and the capital city -- Tbilisi.

So far, Russian air forces continue to bomb Tbilisi strategic targets, including the area near the international airport. In Gori (a big town near the conflict zone) a large number of peaceful civilians were killed and badly injured after the bombing -- most of them women, children and the elderly. The bombing still continues in Gori and many villages around it.

Even though Russia denies hitting civilian targets, there are dead and injured all over the country. As for information sources, the Russian government controls the media, widely spreads misinformation and claims to be implementing peacekeeping activities in the conflict zones. Diplomatic missions in Georgia are evacuating their citizens as the situation is getting more and more dangerous.

Due to the severe situation, many people continue to flee conflict zones and the regions of Georgia. The approximate number of people forced to leave their homes is now at 40,000. Most of the internally displaced people are in Tbilisi now and seek shelter and support.

Please, everybody -- take some action -- do what you can to contribute to the immediate end of this horrible situation!

Peace,

Nana Pantsulaia

Executive Director
Women's Fund in Georgia