Stories
Not waiting for handouts: Five stories of resilience from one of the world’s largest refugee camps
Friday, August 16, 2019
In some of the world’s largest camps, refugees and the native communities power their own economies. Students compete for admission into a better school, journalists report on daily news, entrepreneurs learn new skills and health workers deliver babies. And women are often a forgotten part of this workforce. Meet five women and girls who are doing the usual and unusual jobs that keep life going, and aspiring for more.
From where I stand: “There are things for which life doesn’t prepare you”
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Rosarged López González, 31, was a natural sciences teacher in her homeland, Venezuela. With her husband and 8-year-old daughter, she decided to leave the country due to the social and economic situation, migrating to the city of Cartagena, Colombia, in March of 2018.
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.
Ask an activist: Why are women lacking land rights in Tanzania and what can be done about it?
Thursday, July 11, 2019
Elizabeth Maro Minde is the Managing Director of Kilimanjaro Women Information Exchange Community Organization in Tanzania, a grantee of UN Women’s Fund for Gender Equality. Minde and her organization provides legal counselling and representation to marginalized women in rural communities. She spoke to UN Women during the 63rd session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women about the issue of land rights.
From where I stand: “My dream is to open the first baby photography studio in Palestine”
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
Doaa Eshtayeh, from Nablus, Palestine, found her talent and passion in photography and has made it her profession. Doaa is the main provider for her family, thanks to the support she received through a UN Women project that helped her develop her skills and buy the equipment she needed.
The simple scheme that’s driving a quiet revolution for Brazil’s family farmers
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Detailed logging of produce, and addressing gender bias in censuses, is helping to raise the profile of the women vital to production on the country’s farms.
Gaining protection for Indonesia’s migrant workers and their families
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Millions of Indonesians working abroad now have hard-won legal protection against exploitation, thanks to the work of pioneering campaigners
From where I stand: “I am the living proof of what you can do if you don’t give up hope”
Thursday, June 13, 2019
Narjis Mohaisen lost her eyesight at the age of 13, but didn’t give up her studies. After graduating from university, through UN Women’s Cash for Work project in Palestine supported by the Government of Japan, she has discovered ways to support students with disabilities pursue their dreams.
Joint statement: One UN for family leave and childcare
Saturday, June 1, 2019
In a joint statement, the Heads of UNICEF, UN WOMEN, UNDP and UNFPA committed to strong gender-responsive, family-friendly policies for all United Nations staff, including paid parental leave for all parents regardless of gender, including parents who adopt, foster, or have children through surrogacy or assisted reproductive technology; flexible working arrangements for parents; designated private rooms and appropriate breaks for nursing and pumping; quality and affordable childcare; and child grants for all staff.
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.
Making harassment at work history
Monday, April 29, 2019
Across the globe, women workers rise each day to power our world. They build, create, and drive progress across all sectors. Yet for millions of women, workplaces are sites of insecurity, abuse and vulnerability. For far too long, the working world has been dominated by unequal power dynamics that endanger the safety and security of women, but change is underway.
The journey along the gender road in Cameroon
Thursday, March 7, 2019
A 200-kilometre road (124 miles) project stretches between the townships of Batschenga, Ntui and Yoko, in central Cameroon. The road crosses farms, forests, water bodies and pastoral areas that sustain the mostly agrarian economy of nearly 40 villages and three towns. The road, a basic infrastructure that many countries take for granted, literally shapes the lives and livelihood of the people living along it. It decides whether a small entrepreneur will get her products transported on time,...
Grooming her business in Nepal: Beautician-turned entrepreneur
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
In the historical town of Banepa, 35-year-old Sulochana Timalsina runs a little shop, half of which is a grocery store and the other half a beauty parlour. The two units share a single space with different purposes for her clients, but one single purpose for this young entrepreneur – empowerment.
From where I stand: “I’m the first woman in my family to own property”
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Awaho Talla is the first woman in her family to own land. Next, she plans on building a house that she can rent to supplement her income. In her tribe, socio-economic status is often determined by the number of cattle they own and women rarely own property or have decision-making powers in the family. But times are changing.
The future of a globalized economy is female
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Stories of five women entrepreneurs who are transforming their own lives and shaping better future for their families, communities and nations.
From where I stand: “I was the first woman to apply for a firefighter’s job”
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Merve Erbay, 21, became the first woman firefighter in the Turkish Parliament after outperforming competitors in the firefighting exam.
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.
In the words of Faidah Suleiman: “Through my job I’m making changes in my family and in the society”
Thursday, October 18, 2018
Faidah Suleiman is the Superintendent of Police, Gender and Children Desk in Tanzania. With 20 years of police experience, she has been part of the Gender Desk since it was established in 2009. In 2014, UN Women partnered with the Gender and Children Desks to improve the quality of services provided.
From where I stand: “Women don’t have to follow orders from men…women have rights too”
Monday, October 15, 2018
At thirty, Olga Macz is a teacher and entrepreneur, and a force to be reckoned with. She leads a women’s group in Campur, a small municipality in the mostly rural Alta Vara Paz department of Guatemala, which makes and sells organic shampoo. For many of the women, this is the first time that they are making their own money and making decisions.
Gender equality is good for business, leaders say at 2018 WEPs Forum
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
The 2018 Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Forum convenes business leaders and policy experts from Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union; launches the programme, Win-Win: Gender equality means good business.