Soldiers assist communities through Women for Women workshops

By Sgt. Erick YatesOctober 1, 2015

Soldiers assist communities through Women for Women workshops
1 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Maj. Diana Stumpf, sixth from left, a North Carolina National Guard Soldier and senior staff officer with the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team headquarters out of Clinton, N.C.; Capt. Kimberly Keyser, sixth from right, a U.S. Army Reserve physical th... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Soldiers assist communities through Women for Women workshops
2 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Reserve Capt. Kimberly Keyser, a physical therapist from the 345th Combat Support Hospital, out of Jacksonville, Fla., assigned to Multinational Battle Group-East, conducts a class on ways to avoid muscle injuries and treat fatigue during a... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Soldiers assist communities through Women for Women workshops
3 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Women from Globoica, Kosovo, attend a workshop hosted by Women for Women International with classes on preventive health and fitness taught by U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard Soldiers, from the Multinational Battle Group-East's Task Force Medica... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Soldiers assist communities through Women for Women workshops
4 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Reserve Capt. Kim Keyser, a physical therapist from the 345th Combat Support Hospital out of Jacksonville, Fla., and assigned to Multinational Battle Group-East, leads a yoga lesson as part of her class on preventing muscle injuries and tre... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Soldiers assist communities through Women for Women workshops
5 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Reserve Capt. Kim Keyser, a physical therapist from the 345th Combat Support Hospital out of Jacksonville, Fla., and currently assigned to Multinational Battle Group-East, speaks to local women about preventative health during a workshop ho... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Soldiers assist communities through Women for Women workshops
6 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Local women from Globoica, Kosovo, pose for a group photo during a workshop hosted by Women for Women International with classes on preventive health and fitness taught by U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard Soldiers, from Multinational Battle Group... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

GLOBOICA, Kosovo (Sept. 28, 2015) -- Women for Women International, or WFWI, an organization formed to bring women together in a safe space to learn life, business and vocational skills, held a three-day workshop in the villages of Dubrova and Globoica in Kosovo, Sept. 14-17.

U.S. Army National Guard and Reserve Soldiers, assigned to Multinational Battle Group-East, or MNBG-E, participated in the events by leading classes in wellness and fitness.

Maj. Diana Stumpf, a North Carolina National Guard Soldier deployed to Kosovo with the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team headquarters, worked with U.S. Army Capt. Peter Preisinger, a team leader for a civil military support element based out of the U.S Embassy in Pristina, to coordinate the workshops.

Maj. Sabrina Weathersby, Capt. Kimberly Keyser, and Staff Sgt. Melissa Woods, from the 345th Combat Support Hospital out of Jacksonville, Florida, volunteered to conduct the wellness and fitness sessions.

Women for Women International representatives requested military women with a medical background for the event, Stumpf said. They wanted to tailor the sessions around some of local women's health ailments and concerns.

"The women seemed very interested in the topics," said Weathersby, a physician's assistant from the 345th. "Learning about hepatitis and how to prevent it is actually a topic the women chose to learn about."

This was an opportunity Weathersby felt very honored to be a part of, she said.

MNBG-E Soldiers serve as part of NATO's peace support mission in Kosovo. The unit's primary mission is to ensure a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement in the region, and Soldiers also volunteer to spend additional time partnering with community outreach programs to provide impartial training and mentorship to Kosovo's citizen.

The project was a good chance to work with the civil affairs team, which helped one another provide more outreach to the community together than they could have separately, Weathersby said.

Vehibi Kilokqi, an economic empowerment manager for WFWI, said that coming to local villages and sharing knowledge on economic empowerment and information like health and wellness is a way to help women in the towns and villages change and improve their lives when presented with the proper skills to advance for their families and communities.

Since 1993, WFWI has helped nearly 420,000 marginalized women in countries affected by war and conflict. WFWI directly works with women in eight countries offering support, tools, and access to life-changing skills to move from crisis and poverty to stability and economic self-sufficiency.

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