In the words of Blessing Ihauku Daru: “Women need to be in the corridors of power and politics”

Date: Monday, April 9, 2018

Blessing Ihuaku Duru is a Programme Manager with Alliances for Africa (AfA), a non-governmental organization working in the south-east region of Nigeria, to promote gender justice, participation of women in leadership and in peace, security and conflict resolution. With support from UN Women’s Fund for Gender Equality, AfA is implementing a project to bridge the gender gap in elected public positions. They are working with the Government, political parties and women leaders to pass a bill that will provide for an affirmative action to ensure a minimum of 35 per cent of women’s representation in governance. Ms. Duru spoke to UN Women when she attended the 62nd session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. More

Rural Algerian women take charge of their own lives, empower others

Date: Tuesday, March 6, 2018

In remote and rural Algerian communities, poverty among women is high. For vulnerable groups, such as widows, it’s even higher. A project funded by UN Women Fund for Gender Equality has revealed the unique challenges faced by women in these areas and given them the means to earn incomes, take charge of their own lives and inspire other women in their communities. More

From where I stand: “Empowerment begins with knowing your labour rights”

Date: Thursday, January 11, 2018

Ayk Sbaihat is a Palestinian human rights lawyer who used to provide legal aid to survivors of violence. In 2016, she took on a new journey, through the Fund for Gender Equality (FGE) of UN Women, helping female workers in Jenin, a northern city in the West Bank, to protect their labour rights. More

After years of working overseas, migrant women return home and build businesses 

Date: Monday, December 18, 2017

Worries that many female migrants like Ellen Elecanal have about the future have been eased by a programme called "Coming Home, Reintegration of Migrant Domestic Workers in the Philippines", supported by UN Women Fund for Gender Equality. More

Empowering women in the farthest corners of Armenia

Date: Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Catherine Wolf is a Programme Analyst with UN Women’s Fund for Gender Equality, overseeing the projects in Africa and Europe and Central Asia. She is based in Turkey, and recently visited a project in Armenia, implemented by Green Lane, a non-governmental organization that works in partnership with UN Women to empower rural women. More

From where I stand: “I have seen the impact women’s voices can have”

Date: Thursday, August 24, 2017

Syar S. Alia is a young woman advocate for gender equality from Malaysia. Her journey as an advocate began with the first Young Women Making Change workshop for cis and trans women in Malaysia, supported by UN Women Fund for Gender Equality. More

Women in rural Cambodia cultivate their way out of vulnerability

Date: Wednesday, July 19, 2017

In five rural districts of Battambang and Siem Reap provinces in Cambodia, Banteay Srei, a local women-led NGO works with the poorest, most marginalized women—including those who are illiterate or single mothers—to help them improve their livelihoods. More

In Benin, small savings and loans groups drive rural women’s empowerment

Date: Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Across rural Africa, women farmers are benefiting from Savings and Loans Groups to grow their businesses. Some 40 per cent of the UN Women’s Fund for Gender Equality grantees in Africa are now using this methodology, leading to better nutrition, business development and sustainable land management outcomes. The Miguéze’ programme, for example, has impacted 2,780 people, and women are emerging as leaders and role models. More

In the words of Tarcila Rivera Zea: “My parents, illiterate as they were, pushed to learn more”

Date: Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Tarcila Rivera Zea is a Quechuan activist from Ayacucho, Peru, and Founder of the organization Chirapaq, and leader in the movement of indigenous women of the Americas. From 2013 – 2015, UN Women’s Fund for Gender Equality has supported Chirapaq’s work on strengthening rural indigenous women’s economic empowerment. Ms. Rivera Zea was recently elected to the UN’s Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. She is a journalist by profession and for more than 30 years has worked as an activist for indigenous peoples' rights, particularly those related to women, children and indigenous youth in national and international areas. More

Women gain political representation and leadership in rural China

Date: Thursday, September 15, 2016

Working at the grassroots level, a programme in the world’s most populous country successfully trained young women to run in local elections, and dismantled negative perceptions and discriminatory rules that hindered women’s political participation. More

In host country Lebanon, refugee and rural women build entrepreneurship, cohesion and future

Date: Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Women entrepreneurs from refugee and host communities in Lebanon are using their unique skills and creativity to build their own model of social stability in Lebanon while launching economically viable businesses. More

Migrant women of Viet Nam claim social protection and rights

Date: Wednesday, August 24, 2016

An estimated 40 – 50 per cent of migrants in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the two biggest cities in Viet Nam, are women, and they face distinct challenges. Low and unstable incomes and lack of social protection make them particularly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. But migrant women workers of Viet Nam refuse to live on the fringes any longer. More than 10,000 migrant workers have learnt how to access social welfare benefits, legal protection and health care. They are advocating for their rights and helping one another. More

Indigenous women in Peru combat climate change and boost economy

Date: Tuesday, August 9, 2016

To combat the impact of climate change, the indigenous women of Laramate in Peru have turned to ancestral farming techniques with support from UN Women’s Fund for Gender Equality. In addition to healthier crops and improved incomes for the community, the programme has boosted indigenous women’s participation in public spaces and decision-making. More

From child labourer to women’s rights defender

Date: Friday, June 10, 2016

In Bolivia, after studying at the UN Women-supported School for Women Leaders, an indigenous Aymara woman managed to overcome a childhood and adolescence of labour exploitation to become an advocate for women's rights. More

In Guinea, a cooperative empowers rural women

Date: Tuesday, February 9, 2016

In the Katfoura village on the Tristao Islands in Guinea, one civil society organization is providing rural women with new opportunities to generate income and improve community life. More

Press release: UN Women’s Fund for Gender Equality awards USD 7.3 million for implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals

Date: Wednesday, December 16, 2015

UN Women's Fund for Gender Equality has expanded it's global grant-making portfolio to 80 Countries in six years, More

Rural Peruvian women spur local dairy industry

Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2015

With support from UN Women’s Fund for Gender Equality, an association of rural indigenous women cheese and yogurt producers is growing, boosting incomes and economic independence. More

Girls and young women gain ground in male-dominated fields

Date: Thursday, October 8, 2015

With support from UN Women's Fund for Gender Equality, young women around the world are entering non-traditional economic and political spheres, and redefining leadership on their own terms. More

Girls bridge the digital gender gap in Central America

Date: Thursday, October 8, 2015

Nearly 3,000 girls and youth across Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic are using technology and innovative strategies to achieve gender equality in male-dominated fields. More

Income empowers Kilimanjaro women to seek justice

Date: Monday, June 1, 2015

Through a programme supported by UN Women’s Fund for Gender Equality, more than 1,000 women have joined savings and loans groups, started businesses, and sought legal advice to claim their rights. More