Eyes on Expats: FAWCO, the Global Women’s NGO

Welcome to our series where we will discuss tips for expats. Whether it be a fellow expat-oriented organization or business like FAWCO or how to get ready to move abroad. In this series, MyExpatTaxes aims to expand your knowledge about what it is to be an expat.

Moving abroad is no small task; many aspects need consideration. For instance, cultural differences and community building from abroad. It's not always easy to find your people, but with the help of the Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas (FAWCO), it's made a little easier for women. For nearly 100 years, FAWCO has provided a support system with resources and local clubs for expats like yourself which is why MyExpatTaxes wants to share them with you!

FAWCO makes it possible to connect with other US expats with hundreds of clubs across the globe from Milan, Italy, to Bogota, Colombia. One connection that is essential for remaining compliant with the IRS is MyExpatTaxes. MyExpatTaxes is partnered with FAWCO because they have similar values for women and want to ensure US expats receive all the information needed to be successful abroad.

Origins of FAWCO

FAWCO was founded in 1931 by Caroline Curtis Brown, then President of the American Women's Club in London. Caroline was a woman with a mindset unlike others in her time. She believed that any internationally working woman could strive for international peace.

Her ambitions started with some of the more significant issues for US expats living abroad in the 1930s. These included the Equal Rights Bill in the US, citizenship status for marrying foreigners as a US citizen and providing scholarships to women. As time passed, these issues were still priorities, but they came second to the needs of World War II.

From the 1960s to the 1990s, FAWCO helped accomplish great things for Americans and other women worldwide. They started to fund projects in Tanzania and Morocco to develop education. Voting from abroad became a right for US citizens living globally, and so did the handing down of US citizenship to children of an American parent. This was all happening as the members kept expanding and reaching new places in Asia and Africa.

By the 2000s, FAWCO joined other important organizations, such as the UN Conference of NGOs (CoNOG), and hosted the first conference in the US. Over the last 15 years, FAWCO launched their target program, which dedicates itself to an UN development issue every three years. One project helped to construct wells in Cambodia. Another fundraised an anti-FGM awareness campaign supporting S.A.F.E. Project of Hope for Girls and Women Tanzania. Now until 2025, FAWCO is funding a project for Safe Spaces Kenya called the Awesome Blossoms. launched their target program.

The Mission and Objectives of FAWCO

FAWCO has done so much for the benefit of women worldwide, but they are not stopping there. Although their mission is strong, it is not complete yet. FAWCO wants to continue building a support system network for Americans and other international people by advocating for US overseas rights. Moreover, FAWCO will continue to improve the lives of girls and women worldwide through the environment, education, health, and human rights.

If you'd like to read more about how they're achieving these goals, look at the FAWCO About page. It outlines many great projects that are already established and ones that they are working towards these goals.

FAWCO Youth

If you thought FAWCO could only be for adult women, you thought wrong. FAWCO has many opportunities which help to support the education of young women and girls. Nonetheless, one program that needs to be highlighted is AMERICANA as it seeks to connect American children with their culture. The program offers opportunity to learn about heritage, culture, history and even language for those who do not speak English as a mother tongue. Overall, AMERICANA is a great way for children of a US background to connect with other US children abroad.

MyExpatTaxes stands with FAWCO

As FAWCO is a resource for US women living abroad, so it makes sense to connect with companies such as MyExpatTaxes. Since US taxes are a responsibility bound to US citizenship, ensuring US expats are informed about them is crucial. Many US expats are unaware of their tax duties as only two countries (The US and Eritrea) require their citizens to file taxes from abroad.

MyExpatTaxes sponsors FAWCO because they're a gateway for connections and knowledge for US women abroad. With MyExpatTaxes being owned by Nathalie Goldstein, an American expat, there is more than an understanding regarding expat issues. For Nathalie, seeing how she and other expats struggled abroad prompted her to start MyExpatTaxes and provide US women and men with an easier alternative to filing US taxes. As taxes are mandatory, sponsoring FAWCO allows for more expats to become educated on US taxes.

To help our fellow Americans and international persons alike, MyExpatTaxes also provides in-person support for members who have attended prior events in Bratislava (2023) and Porto (2024). If you attended the recent event in Portugal, you may have even had a chance to meet the MyExpatTaxes team! This interim meeting was all about learning and networking, fundraising, and attending various workshops, so you can understand its importance for individuals and companies.

Keeping Up with FAWCO

If you're a US woman living abroad, joining this organization will only help expand your connections and experiences globally. Although, whether you become a member or not, you can stay up to date with everything happening with the organization and other women all around the world.

MyExpatTaxes Newsletters!

Keep up with all your relevant tax information and more in our monthly newsletter here on LinkedIn. Never miss an opportunity to learn more MyExpatTaxes and US taxes from abroad.