Stories
- Economic empowerment (21)
- Gender equality and women’s empowerment (19)
- Leadership and political participation (11)
- Employment (10)
- Ending violence against women and girls (10)
- Executive Director (9)
- Rural women (7)
- COVID-19 (6)
- Men and boys (masculinity) (6)
- Anti-violence interventions (5)
- Peace and security (5)
- Show more
In Gaza, helping mothers reunite with children separated by the COVID-19 lockdown
Monday, July 13, 2020
The COVID-19 lockdown in Palestine left many women with no legal backing to secure child visitation and custody rights. Former partners took advantage of the legal paralysis to prevent mothers from seeing their children or to stop sending alimony. A joint programme by UN Women, UNDP and UNICEF has trained lawyers and provided free legal aid for 371 Palestinian women.
Monday, July 13, 2020
Monica Chiwalo is 82 and mostly dependent on her children. She raised four children on her own after the death of her husband. The COVID-19 outbreak in Tanzania has devastated the livelihoods of families that rely on the informal sector and have no safety nets. Elderly women like Chiwalo are especially vulnerable to its health and economic impacts. Their voice and experience must be included in recovery efforts.
Supporting local women-run businesses in COVID-19 response
Tuesday, June 9, 2020
The Government of Sweden and UN Women Moldova provided 28,000 units of protective equipment to social assistance staff from 36 territorial departments throughout the country. The coveralls and masks were purchased from three local companies run by women. Thus, the procurements provided financial support both to factories and to employees who kept their jobs and salaries during this time of crisis provoked by COVID-19. At the same time, textile enterprises took steps to help front-line workers.
UN Women and Rohingya women on the front line of COVID-19 response
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
The world in lockdown has created a ‘profound shock to our societies and economies, and women are at the heart of care and response efforts underway[1]. Primarily as caregivers, women are not just sustaining families, but also serving as front-line responders, mainly in the health and service sector.
From where I stand: “Due to COVID-19 people were not going to the police”
Tuesday, June 2, 2020
Simret Tesfaye is nurse at the Association for Women's Sanctuary and Development, a non-profit organization in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which manages six shelters for survivors of gender-based violence. Currently, she is working at the Transitional Shelter that opened in April 2020 with support from UN Women.
Women mobilize to prevent COVID-19 in crowded Rohingya refugee camps
Thursday, April 16, 2020
To prevent an added humanitarian crisis in the already-vulnerable Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, 24 Rohingya volunteers are working with UN Women to mobilize their communities and raise awareness on COVID-19.
From where I stand: “I didn’t let myself become a victim; I used my pain to rise.”
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Kaushilla Nepali advocates for the legal rights of Dalit women in Nepal, in particular enabling their access to justice, and regarding critical issues such as citizenship, domestic violence, and sexual violence. Committed to ending the entrenched discrimination against Dalit community on the basis of caste, Nepali started her journey with her own empowerment.
Seed grants and training boost prospects for Georgian refugee women
Monday, December 23, 2019
The six-day “How to Start a Business” course taught women in Georgia how to generate start-up ideas and validate them, as well as how to build the right team and create a product. They also developed strategic and innovative thinking, and learned about planning and product distribution, financial documentation, business modeling and investment proposals.
The men who are standing tall against early marriages in the Gaza Strip
Monday, November 18, 2019
After taking part in UN Women’s Regional Men and Women for Gender Equality Programme, men and boys have become change makers to promote gender equality and challenge the tradition of early marriage.
In Colombia, peace is a journey
Friday, October 18, 2019
The conflict in Colombia has left deep scars, and lasting peace is more of a journey than a destination. The one thing that remains constant in this journey is the power and perseverance of women forging peace against all odds, defending human rights every day. Through projects funded by the Government of Sweden and Norway, UN Women has accompanied Colombian women in this journey.
From where I stand: “We must start by uniting the people because together we’re stronger”
Friday, October 11, 2019
Natalia Slavinskaia, 42, is a community mobilizer from Komysh-Zorya, a small village in the conflict-affected Zaporizhzhia region, south-east Ukraine.
Growing women’s entrepreneurship in Bangladesh
Thursday, October 3, 2019
The “Inclusive and Equitable Local Development Programme (IELD)”, a joint initiative of UNCDF, UNDP and UN Women, facilitates women’s access to the labour market and entrepreneurial ventures by fostering local public and private investments in women-led enterprises and small businesses that benefit women as well as their communities.
From where I stand: “Now I have bigger dreams”
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Sufia Khatun from Pirganj, Rongpur, found herself without any source of income after her husband passed away. Through a joint UN programme, she was able to learn tailoring and get access to finance to invest in her own business. Today she employs 20 women in her community.
In Rwanda, weaving baskets and brighter futures
Monday, August 19, 2019
To support livelihoods of women in Kigeme Refugee Camp, UN Women funded the Women Opportunity Centre, supported by the Government of Sweden. The Centre provides women a safe space, trainings and a showroom for their products to improve their livelihoods at the camp and beyond.
From where I stand: “Equality between men and women…is a moral imperative”
Friday, July 12, 2019
Taher Sellami, a young entrepreneur and business student, is striving to use innovative technologies to drive social change in Tunisia and worldwide.
From where I stand: “I work in construction, I am living my dream!”
Thursday, May 9, 2019
Maira Assane Amade, 23, fulfilled her lifelong dream of working in construction after participating in the Rapariga Biz Joint Programme implemented by UN Women, UNFPA, UNESCO and UNICEF.
A place of peace, reconciliation and growth
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
In 2014, one year after the region was freed from the extremists, a small hut was built in Gao, surrounded by larger buildings and barely visible from the street. Anyone who passes through the driveway and enters the hut in the middle of the dusty courtyard has a specific goal: Dialogue, exchange and cohesion. Welcome to the Women Peace Hut.
The Tunis Forum on gender equality
Friday, April 12, 2019
Women, youth, champions of gender equality from all corners of the world gather in Tunis to take stock of progress made on women’s rights, leading up to the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. This will be the first of many global meetings leading up to the year 2020, calling for actions to accelerate progress and protect the hard-won gains of women’s rights.
A teacher in Moldova learns to lead, changing her community for the better and inspiring others
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
A local teacher in a remote village in Moldova helped improve the lives of her students and now has her sights set on local leadership, after participating in the UN Women supported "INSPIR-O!" (Inspire it) Mentorship Programme.
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Across eastern Europe social support services have not been very inclusive, whether it be because of armed conflict, local decision-making or simply dangerous, unsafe neighborhoods. Now, people are calling for better infrastructure, safer cities and urban planning.