Stories
From where I stand: “Yanouh cooperative increased my income and freedom of movement”
Thursday, January 10, 2019
After some resistance from her husband, Ibtissam Jaber joined Yanouh cooperative in rural South Lebanon. Jaber, a mother of seven, loves producing traditional agro-foods and believes in the importance of contributing to her household’s income. By selling her products at food exhibitions across the country, she has now transitioned from being a small-scale producer to a profitable entrepreneur. More
From where I stand: “The adoption of the National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325 is only the beginning”
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Bajana Ceveli is the Executive Director of the Association for Women’s Security and Peace (AWSP) in Albania. Over the past three years, the Association, with the support of UN Women’s Fund for Gender Equality, helped draft a National Action Plan (NAP) on UN Security Council resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, which was adopted in September 2018. Ms. Ceveli spoke to UN Women about her personal motivation and why the National Action Plan is important for women. More
We are equal, we are important, say nofotane women of Samoa
Thursday, October 11, 2018
In Samoa, the term ‘nofotane’ refers to indigenous women who, after marriage, live in their husband’s village with the husband’s family. Nofotane is an identity that defines their low social stature in the village. Traditionally, they were not allowed to dress as other women in the village and often denied any voice in decision-making within their homes and communities. The Fund for Gender Equality project implemented by Samoa Victims Support Group, improved nofotane women’s access to sustainable employment and increased their participation and leadership within village decision-making bodies. More
Testing new approaches to leave no woman and girl behind
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Women’s rights organizations from eight countries gather to identify and prototype new solutions to gender equality challenges More
Dalit rights activists break new grounds in South Asia
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
Moni Rani Das, born and raised in a “cleaners’ colony”—poor and segregated settlements where street cleaners and domestic workers live—in Dhaka, Bangladesh, never imagined that she would be advocating for her rights and those of nearly 3 million Dalit [1] women of her country. Today, she is the first Dalit person to be part of the National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh. More
Take Five: "We are seeking nothing more than our due share of services and opportunities"
Thursday, July 12, 2018
Beena Pallical is the Executive Director at the Asia Dalit Rights Forum and the current Manager of a programme seeking to strengthen Dalit Women’s Economic Rights across South Asia. The Dalit community in this region is still considered the lowest of the historical castes and suffers widespread discrimination, despite recent legislation and initiatives. Within the community, the specific problem of women’s economic empowerment has received little attention, but is now the focus of a two-year programme funded by UN Women’s Fund for Gender Equality. More
In the words of Ruth Kihiu: Empowering Maasai women in northern Tanzania
Monday, June 11, 2018
Ruth Kihiu is a Programme Manager at The Pastoral Women’s Council (PWC), which works to socio-economically empower marginalized pastoralist Maasai women in Ngorongoro, Monduli, and Longido districts in Tanzania, through livelihood and income-generating activities. PWC, supported by UN Women’s Fund for Gender Equality, also aims to educate women and girls about their rights and equip them with leadership skills. More
In the words of Blessing Ihauku Daru: “Women need to be in the corridors of power and politics”
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
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”
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
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
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”
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
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
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”
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
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
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
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
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