video

Educate a girl and you educate a nation

In South Sudan, girls traditionally face a number of barriers to attending schools. Some of these can be addressed through gender-sensitive approaches to school design, and the best solutions are often developed through engaging the communities themselves.

Success Story

A better future through poultry production

Poultry production is an important industry — especially for women — in parts of Burkina Faso. MCC is helping many of these women address the problem of high animal mortality rates stemming from poor hygiene, malnutrition and a lack of suitable poultry houses.

video

One woman at a time

The video highlights the impact of the U.S. Ambassador's Small Grants Program for Gender Equality in Afghanistan.

Report

Tackling the demand that fosters human trafficking

Surveys of anti-trafficking programs in the Europe and Eurasia region have rarely surveyed employers or consumers of trafficked labor or products. The Bureau for Europe and Eurasia at USAID commissioned this report to increase the missions' awareness of good practices in this area.

Video

Mama Patria (Mother of the Pacific)

This documentary, produced with the support of USAID and Chemonics, chronicles how Afro-Colombian women-led organizations are helping to improve their communities amid an internal conflict.

Manual

A manual for communities to reduce girls' vulnerability to HIV and AIDS

If you’re working to reduce the risk of girls to contract HIV, here’s one toolkit for you.

Report

Challenging barriers to women’s leadership in cooperatives

Land O'Lakes International Development shares lessons learned and best practices to advance gender-balanced leadership in cooperatives.

Success story

Shamima’s story: Asking, not assuming

UNICEF figures suggest that only 6 percent of girls complete primary school in South Sudan. UNOPS is working with UNICEF and the Italian, U.K. and U.S. governments to construct schools across the country, but girls were still dropping out. Shamima Tasmin, education, gender and community participation adviser at UNOPS, wanted to find out why. The answer was simpler than she expected.

Success story

From all angles: BRIGHT schools improve girls' education

The Millenium Challenge Corp. built classrooms and launched adult literacy campaigns in the communities of Burkina Faso where girls’ education rates were the lowest. Enrollment and completion rates have increased, as have students’ math and language scores.

Success Story

Community rallies support for a young mother

A story of how a 13-year-old mother in Mozambique was able to get means to support her child and avoid contracting HIV.

video

Libyan women's center locates missing loved ones

The Free Generation Movement Women’s Center is raising awareness on the tragic situation of missing persons in Libya, as well as working with communities to locate missing individuals. With the support of Creative Associates International and funds from MEPI, the women’s center has been able to expand its mission and provide more direct support to families that are struggling with the loss of loved ones.

Video

Relentless: A portrait of courage

Gulbahor Rajabova was once the victim of injustice. Now she's using what she's learned to spare other women the same fate. It's part of a USAID project in Central Asia that is managed by Chemonics.

Report

Democracy and gender equality: The role of the UN

On May 4, 2011, three U.N. bodies and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance convened a high-level round-table meeting in New York to examine the links between democracy and gender equality. This document explores the U.N.'s role in promoting work in this area and summarizes the key conclusions and recommendations developed by round-table participants.

Newsletter

All about gender

In a special edition of its Milestones newsletter, the Millennium Challenge Corp. shares how it is integrating gender equality throughout its programs worldwide.

Handbook

How to integrate gender throughout a project’s life cycle

Based on more than three decades of experience and lessons learned working in international development, Land O'Lakes offers a guide to development practitioners on using a gender lens in every stage of the project cycle.

video

Standard Chartered's goal: Empowering adolescent girls

Standard Chartered promotes financial literacy, teaches life skills and offers employability training to low-income girls. A look at a program which is meant to reach 600,000 young women by 2019.

Article

Why women

Women are a powerful force for peace. Here's why.

Video

Justice for Adolat

Adolat means justice in Tajik. It’s also the name of one Tajik woman who finally got to own land after more than three decades of working on another without pay for 12 hours each day, with the help of USAID and Chemonics.

Success story

How water and sanitation bring dignity to Cabo Verdeans

The Cabo Verde Compact’s Social Access Fund is helping the country’s poorest families connect their homes to water and sanitation utility networks. The fund is expected to benefit about 13,000 poor families, many of which are headed by single mothers.

Video

Leaders of change

In Niger, radio shows supported by USAID help break the silence of women and empower locals to address problems in their communities. People working on these shows explain how.

Commentary

Julie Bishop on women's empowerment: 'Not only smart economics'

Australia's first female foreign affairs minister affirms that empowering women and girls in Asia-Pacific is one of her top priorities.

Video

How the treatment of women affects development and security

At the book launch of “Sex and World Peace,” co-authors Valerie Hudson and Chad Emmett, along with Jeni Klugman of the World Bank and Richard Cincotta of the Stimson Center, discuss the paradox of the "missing women" in the developing world.

Profile

Combating domestic violence in Egyptian society

How can development actors empower women to confront domestic violence and educate men about the issue? This profile illustrates the efforts of one Egyptian NGO, the Women and Development Association, whose work through a grant program sheds light on some possible solutions.

Video

Changing her story, and her country

Samajhdari is a radio program produced by Equal Access that tackles real-life stories of struggles and successes of women in Nepal. It not only impacts its listeners but also the people who work on the program. Rashmi KC, content associate for Samajhdari, shares her story of empowerment.

Toolkit

Girl consultation toolkit

Here’s everything you need to know — and do — to listen, talk and understand girls in developing countries, and make their voices heard.

Video

Sustainable gender equality

Here's how we can view all kinds of publicly funded services we provide to our citizens through a lens of gender equality.

Case study

In our twilight, a little peace and tranquility

In Tumaco, a network of Afro-Colombian organizations is working hard to protect women and children’s right, create economic opportunities for women and their families, and bring back peace to a region long beset by drug-related violence. ASOLIPNAR is supported by USAID and Chemonics.

Article

Include women in peace process, urge South Asia women

Some people told me that launching Malala's book could disrupt the peace process. Do we want the peace of the graveyard?" Bushra Gohar of Awami National Party in Pakistan said during a U.N. Women-organized seminar in late February.

Report

Journeys from exclusion to inclusion: Marginalized women's successes in overcoming political exclusion

What strategies have marginalized women and their supporters adopted to overcome the obstacles to inclusion they face? This report illustrates a raft of measures, ranging from direct action strategies in Somaliland to "soft" advocacy strategies in Cambodia, and identifies a number of best practices and lessons learned.

Video

Youth changemakers in Afghanistan

How can women in Afghanistan be supported in their business ventures? Can the growth of new businesses contribute to the autonomy of Afghan women and promote their active participation in society? This video highlights Naween Hashim's inspiring commitment to local development and women's rights in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province.

Video

Revive: A story from Lebanon

A group of young people, guided by a Chemonics-implemented USAID project, set out to help a neglected neighborhood in northern Lebanon. See their remarkable commitment, and the transformation that followed.

Video

How to start a movement

Derek Sivers explains how movements really get started. Hint: Followers are underestimated because they turn" lone nuts" into leaders.

Profile

Stronger civil society in Indonesia

A story of how an Indonesian women’s association is empowering women by helping them access state-run microfinance programs with the help of USAID and Chemonics.

Video

The best predictor of state stability

"Sex and World Peace" co-authors Valerie Hudson and Chad Emmett share the story behind their book, a product of extensive research on women’s well-being at the community level and between countries.

Video

Samajhdari: More than a radio show

There's more to this award-winning radio show, which tackles "reality" dilemmas, or stories about the challenges faced by Nepalese women and how they've overcome them. It also holds dialogues that will allow these women to learn and speak up freely about their rights and choices.

Report

Reducing violence against women and children in Egypt

Here's how USAID and Chemonics are strengthening local capacity to stem violence against Egyptian women and children.

Report

Presence and influence

There are disproportionately fewer female participants in peace talks and huge difficulties encountered by women in civil society to introduce a gender perspective in peace processes. How do we correct this?

Policy brief

Women and peace processes: Operational opportunities and challenges

Although they offer an opportunity for women to reveal their concerns and experience of conflict, peace processes largely exclude women. Here's what needs to happen to ensure women are included at all levels in the negotiation, design and implementation of peace agreements.

Video

Combating violence against women and children

How can the development community promote awareness of domestic violence and abuse, advocate effectively for policy change, and improve assistance to victims? Four vignettes based on the Combating Violence Against Women and Children project in Egypt.

Book chapter

Islamic feminism: What's in a name?

Broadly, Islamic feminism, often juxtaposed against "secular feminism," seeks rights for women and men based on an Islamic paradigm. It argues that the Quran provides the basis for equality of men and women. Some of those who subscribe to this school of thought do not always self-identify as "feminist."

Report

Progress of the World's Women 2011-2012: In pursuit of justice

Equality between men and women is constitutionally guaranteed in more than 130 countries, but this report reveals that women, especially those who are poor, face practical barriers in accessing justice systems. It also highlights measures that can be taken by governments and civil society to reform laws and meet women's justice needs.

Report

Youth take charge in Lebanon

With the skills they learned from a training by Chemonics under a USAID-funded project, youth leaders are working to rename and rehabilitate Lebanon's "Slum of Slaves."

Handbook

A guide to indigenous women's rights

Indigenous women are doubly victimized on account of their culture and gender. This guide provides indigenous women and organizations with information on legal instruments and procedures that can be used to hold abusers accountable.

Video

Externship for law students

Respect for the rule of law and public confidence in the judiciary's ability to resolve disputes are essential to the establishment of a democratic Palestinian state. But widespread mistrust and misinformation about the legal and judicial system in the West Bank and Gaza pose barriers to this development. This video showcases the work of the Arkan Supporting Rule of Law Reform Project, illustrating how — in partnership with universities and institutions — it implemented an innovative "externship" program for Palestinian law students.

Article

Close the gap: How to eliminate violence against women beyond 2015

In this document, Oxfam explains how violence against women undermines development and what the international community can do to put an end to it.

Article

Bread, hammers, and rocks: Empowering women in Afghanistan

From day one, Afghan women face lower access to education, poor health care services, and limited economic and political opportunities. Along with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, read how UNOPS is helping to counter these issues by increasing access to vital services, breaking down barriers and supporting women-led initiatives.

Slideshow

10 books you should read if you work in gender and development

Looking for a career in development with a focus on gender? Here are 10 "classic" reads to add to your library.

Case study

Using infrastructure to empower women in developing countries

On the face of it, building a road is simply about connecting point A to point B. In reality, a road is so much more. A well-placed road can mean better access to schools, health facilities and justice services. It can give a woman a quicker, safer route to sell goods on the market, or provide them with a job as a construction worker.

Article

Women discuss their roles in development

As part of International Women’s Day, Creative Associates Internationl asked a group of its field staff members to discuss the role of women in their projects, as well as their personal experiences working in international development programs.

Report

Bridging the gender divide: How technology can advance women economically

Here's what to do — and not to do — so technology can promote economic empowerment of women in the developing world.

Profile

Tradition without discrimination

Compared to other countries, Namibia is a progressive nation when it comes to advancing women’s causes. Penny Akwenye, who oversees programs funded by the Millennium Challenge Corp. in Namibia, gives a glimpse of what it’s like being a Namibian woman today.

Video

A community transformed

See how a small community in Western Ukraine is transformed when local government officials help to attract a large foreign investment from Portugal. Since 2004, USAID, through Chemonics-implemented programs, has trained more than 200 government officials across Ukraine to attract investments.

Opinion

Violence against women is an agriculture and economic issue

Development practitioners need to be careful about their approach to integrating women in agriculture and economic growth projects; otherwise, it may have repercussions, says Mara Russell. The food security and livelihoods practice manager for Land O'Lakes International Development provides recommendations on how to prevent gender-based violence.

Article

Helping to LIFT people out of poverty across Myanmar

Managed by UNOPS, the Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund was set up as a multidonor trust fund to help Myanmar work toward the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger. Read more about how through a network of implementing partners, the fund's activities focus on sustainably increasing food availability and income for 2 million beneficiaries.

Report

A roadmap for promoting women's economic empowerment

Based on a series of studies, this roadmap is designed to guide actions and investments by the private sector and prospective public-private partnerships to support women entrepreneurship, farming and employment.

Video

Women in leadership: Susan Banda, MCA-Malawi

“Speak up, participate and be part of the process!” In this video interview, MCA-Malawi CEO Susan Banda tells young Malawian women to learn as much as they can about their chosen career paths, in conversation with Virginia Seitz, MCC senior director for social and gender assessment.

Blog

How women can help solve the global food security problem

Providing women with land rights leads to improved harvests — and more, according to Landesa President and CEO Tim Hanstad.

Report

Afghan women entrepreneurs shatter stereotypes

Here's how one of Afghanistan's most famous enterpreneurs, a woman, is building international partnerships and helping other women grow their businesses with the support of the USAID Financial Access for Investing in the Development of Afghanistan project, which is managed by Chemonics.

Report

Smarter economies: Investing in girls

Here's what needs to happen to unleash girl's potential and transform their lives. A call to action by the Nike Foundation and World Bank.

Report

Gender at Work: A Companion to the World Development Report on Jobs

From the World Bank: a comprehensive look at the trends on women’s economic empowerment, the barriers to it and measures to address these barriers.

Video

Kamila Sidiqi: An Advocate for Afghan Women

Kamila Sidiqi’s entrepreneurial roots go back to 1996 when she needed to support her family in the midst of a civil war and Taliban rule. Known more recently from the book “The Dressmaker of Khair Khana,” today Kamila’s firm trains the next generation of entrepreneurs. In this two-minute video, she discusses her role in Creative Associates International’s U.S. Agency for International Development-funded Afghan Workforce Development Program and its support for women.

Profile

Ethiopian fashion designer ‘ready to fly’

Rising designer Fikirte Addis is taking the fashion world by storm, but she is also promoting ethical business practices and giving back to the community. This profile tells the story of her career and philanthropic work.

Profile

Women and girls should believe in themselves

Although perceptions on women in Zambia are improving, gender biases remain. Pamela Bwalya shares her experience confronting these biases and explains how programs funded by the Millennium Challenge Corp. that she oversees can help address gender issues related to water and sanitation.

Article

Financial inclusion for women in the 'missing middle'

Sevi Simavi, the new CEO of Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, talks to Devex Associate Editor Richard Jones about her organization's ambition to expand financial services to women in the developing world, not just through microfinance.

Case study

How to promote food security: Empower women

From a widow struggling to provide for herself and her six children to a skilled entrepreneur with a thriving vegetable garden: Hajia Rabi Garba, along with hundreds of Nigerian women, has acquired new skills through training provided by Chemonics under a USAID project designed to address food insecurity in Nigeria by empowering local women.

Report

Giving credit where it is due: How closing the credit gap for women-owned SMEs can drive global growth

In the developing world, as many as 70 percent of women who run small and medium-sized enterprises are not served or underserved by financing institutions. Eliminating this financing gap is certainly difficult but its impact on economic growth would be massive, according to Goldman Sachs' Global Markets Institute.

Article & Photo Story

Empowering women farmers in Nepal to make changes that bring progress for all

A 22-year-old mother with one child and another on the way, Dil Maya Sijapati, from Surket province in Nepal,could have been one of the thousands of women who are forced to manage all alone while their husbands are abroad earning for the family. Yet because of the support she was given by the International Fund for Agricultural Development and SNV − including access to collection points for markets − she was able to earn more in one growing season than her husband was making in a whole year as a security guard in India.

Profile

Finding 'Gabriela' within us all

In the Philippines, Gabriela Silang symbolizes courage. And women in the Philippines have shown they can assert themselves as much as men do, according to Marivic Añonuevo, managing director and CEO of the Millennium Challenge Account-Philippines.

Report

Girls grow: A vital force in rural economies

A look at the role of adolescent girls in rural economies, and what can be done to better support their personal and professional development, health, and safety.

Report

Afghanistan Customs Department launches women’s internship program

Facing underrepresentation in government, this report illustrates how Afghan women are being given the opportunity to learn the ropes through a new internship program with the Afghanistan Customs Department.

Profile

Women at UNOPS

From Afghanistan to Peru, Kenya to Serbia, UNOPS employs women in offices across the globe. Catch a snapshot of what it is like to work at UNOPS from six female staffers.

Paper

Measuring the economic gain of investing in girls

How much are economies missing when they fail to invest in girls? An awful lot, says this paper.

Video

Improving berry production in Bosnia-Herzegovina

How is Bosnia-Herzegovina being helped to increase competitiveness, meet European Union standards, reduce poverty by expanding environmentally sustainable production, and increase sales, exports and employment in the agricultural sector? This video illustrates the case of Amra Ugarak, a Bosnian woman who — with assistance from a joint USAID-Sida project — has learned new skills in berry production to leverage her land and provide a better life for her family.

Fact sheet

What we know about women in the economy today

Quick facts about women as economic players.

Blog

A revolution from the ground up

In Kenya, tribal elders have begun to realize the importance of supporting women's rights, particularly rights to access and manage resources like land. In this video, a Kenyan woman discusses how her daily life has changed as a result of this new thinking among tribal elders.

Report

Investing in women

Women are increasingly pursuing education in hospitality and promising careers in a growing tourism industry in Jordan. This report showcases just some of the career opportunities available and profiles one woman's efforts to blaze a trail for other women.

Report

Gender equality and poverty reduction through growth

This document explains the Millennium Challenge Corp.'s policy on gender equality and discusses lessons learned from implementing it.

Report

Rice farming in Nigeria — come rain or shine

Farmers in Nigeria improve their incomes and national food security by learning how to cultivate rice during the dry season. A project funded by USAID and implemented by Chemonics.

Video Slideshow

Senna: A portrait of courage

From a mining Peruvian town, a 14-year-old, who lost her father to the mines, vows to achieve her goals despite difficult circumstances.

Video

Shifting sands

In the tranquil village of Al Dieseh, nine young Bedouin women are unleashing their creative skills to earn an income. They are members of Al Dieseh Cooperative, which produces and sells ceramics to locals and tourists who come to see the famous desert landscape of Jordan's Wadi Rum protected area. The cooperative gets support from USAID and Chemonics.

Video

SNV Uganda empowering women, empowering communities

An inspiring story of a women group that was formed to address the needs of women and families affected by the 1993 insurgency in Uganda's Teso region. The Popular Knowledge Women's Initiative has transformed itself from a farming group to a farmer cooperative society that is advocating for improved gender equality and empowerment of women and men through agriculture.

Video

World Development Report: Conclusions on gender

Gender equality is a core development right, argues the World Development Report 2012. The report's co-directors Ana Revenga and Sudhir Shetty discuss key findings.

Profile

How to empower women in business

Starting with a small plot of unused land, Amra Ugarak has become one of the most productive raspberry farmers in Bosnia-Herzegovina. This video profile tells the story of her journey.

Case study

Women in leadership: Breaking barriers

Here are the stories of four women and their journeys to reach their career and life goals.

Video

Got milk? The story of Tešanj dairy association

In Tešanj, Bosnia-Herzegovina, female dairy farmers are producing more milk and at higher quality, using advice provided by the Tešanj-Usora Women's Agricultural Association as part of a project funded by USAID and Sida which is managed by Chemonics.

Video

Vocational scholarships for women

Rasha, who lives with her parents in a Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan, is on her way to becoming a chef. She got into the prestigious Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, thanks to a scholarship provided through a USAID project managed by Chemonics.

Profile

Perseverance leads to success

At 33, Sophia Mohapi, a mother of four with no job, became a widow. Today, she is the CEO of the Millennium Challenge Account-Lesotho. Here's her story.

Book

'Rising stars: Developing Millennial women as leaders'

This book uses the lens of Millennial women to reveal how organizations can understand young professional women and develop them as leaders.

Blog

Want to empower women in agriculture? Use technology.

In Tanzania, a training program through a partnership by the Land O’ Lakes International Development, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Development Lab and USAID is designed to transform women-only agricultural tasks into activities where husbands and wives work together.

Report

Closing the gender gap: Learning from value chain development in Africa and Asia

This paper explores how projects that strengthen the abilities of women farmers to produce for the home and market can change gender relations.

Report

The Gender Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index

A 17-country pilot analysis of the conditions that foster high-potential female entrepreneurship.

Paper

Women’s work: Driving the economy

Goldman Sachs spoke with three international leaders — Gro Brundtland, Melanne Verveer and Jacqueline Novogratz — about how leadership, policy and capital can help better employ women.

Report

Empowering the third billion

The Third Billion Index ranks countries based on how they effectively empower women as economic players. Where does your country rank?

Program Overview

Women mentoring women

Mentoring is a great way to share knowledge with those aspiring to follow the same occupational path. Here’s a chance for women business owners to help create a future generation of female entrepreneurs.

Blog

How to advance women’s rights amid global change

Here are some of the trends in funding for efforts to advance women’s empowerment.

Column

The Results are In: Women are Better Leaders

A recent study found that in most competencies relating to leadership, women outscored men.

Video

Camel milk and Anolei women changes lives

Able to produce milk year-round and to endure conditions that would halt the milk production of, or even kill, other livestock, the camel is being touted as a drought-resistant alternative to traditional livestock in the Horn of Africa. With help from SNV and partners, the Anolei women of Isiolo in northern Kenya have demonstrated that camel milk has the potential not just to help feed families, but to build businesses.

Column

Bangladesh women find liberty in hard labor

This article profiles 19-year-old Mukhta Mollah, one of the 350 factory workers at Beauty Garments. She earns $20 a week working eight hours or longer each day, six days a week. Although her salary may not amount to a lot, working in the factory has given her a measure of independence.

Case Study

Lighting a Billion Lives throughout India

See how U.K. support is helping women living in poverty to become solar energy entrepreneurs in India.

Profile

The Ideas Exchange and Journey Map

Here's an example of a JBS innovation that facilitates collaboration, information sharing and cross-fertilization of innovative ideas, effective strategies and promising practices among grantee organizations.

Article

In Haiti, (more than) a win-win toilet solution

Sanitation is perhaps “unsexy.” But one toilet technology now being tested in Haiti is eyed to boost local income and help solve the country’s cholera and deforestation crises.

Article

A tale of three innovative projects

From using circus performances to spread messages about water and hygiene in Nicaragua to helping the Gambia produce locally made cheese for the first time, UNOPS often brings an innovative approach to the projects it manages.

Video

Can technology stop gender-based violence?

A quick review of some of the emerging technologies that help address violence against women.

Blog

Thunderclap it: How to get the message across on female genital mutilation

Through the crowdspeaking platform Thurderclap, the February 2014 campaign by the U.K. Department for International Development to draw attention to female genital mutilation reached 5.4 million social media accounts.

Report

Please share: The JBS Virtual Collaboratory

The Virtual Collaboratory (from the words “collaboration” and “laboratory”) is a suite of custom-designed and licensed software tools that operate over a wide range of bandwidth capabilities and computer platforms. Its process model can be applied to any topic to facilitate collaboration among researchers internationally.

Report

Closing the Gender Gap: Learning from Value Chain Development in Africa and Asia

This paper explores how projects that strengthen the abilities of women farmers to produce for the home and market change gender relations.

Profile

Bringing humanity into development: The story of IDSP

A glimpse into the approach of the Institute for Development Studies and Practices, an open learning institution based in Pakistan, to ensure young people have access to mainstream education and livelihood opportunities.

Video

Gender-based violence and innovative technologies

Experts from the Woodrow Wilson Center, USAID, CARE and Population Reference Bureau give their take on the effectiveness and ethics of using technologies to address gender-based violence.

Slideshow

10 #DevReads on how She Builds Innovations

Here are 10 books to read about how women are changing the world of technology.

Database

WomanStats: The most comprehensive database on the status of women

The WomanStats database has qualitative and quantitative information on more than 360 indicators of women's status in 175 countries. Access to the database is free of charge.

Article

One step to saving a million lives

In Nigeria, the government has partnered with an international NGO to improve health services in order to reduce its maternal and child mortality rates, one of the world's highest. So what's their plan?

Article

Women masons lead the way to sanitation in Vietnam

Vietnamese mason Nguyen Hong Toan comes from the remote province of Dien Bien. With its low literacy levels, high ethnic diversity and challenging sanitation conditions, the far northwestern province is one of Vietnam’s least developed. However, Toan’s posture reflects self-confidence as she shows off a toilet she has recently constructed for a local household. “Before the training course I was an assistant mason and when I stood on the scaffold people would stare. Now I feel confident,” she says.

Article

Hungry? Try a microfranchise

Could microfranchising help social entrepreneurs feed the poor? That's what the MamaCarts founders thought — and they're now testing their ideas in Benin.

Book

Rising Stars: Developing Millennial Women as Leaders by Elisabeth Kelan

This book uses the lens of Millennial women to reveal how organizations can understand young professional women and develop them as leaders.

Report

The Mobiles for Youth Workforce Development Landscape Review

Because girls and young women have less access to information and communication technology as well as to education, training and employment, initiatives should be designed from the beginning with gender inclusivity in mind. But devices alone won't overcome the cultural and social barriers girls and young women face.

Video

How to Start a Movement

Derek Sivers explains how movements really get started. Hint: Followers are underestimated because they turn lone nuts into leaders.

Website

Gendered Innnovations

Stanford University uses gender analysis to create new knowledge particularly in the science, health and medicine, engineering, and environment fields.

Video

Sustainable Gender Equality

How we can view all kinds of publicly funded services we provide to our citizens through a lens of gender equality.

Article

The 'Good School' method

The learning environment plays a big role in keeping children in school. In Uganda, a nonprofit has developed a method to not only improve literacy but also prevent violence against children in schools.

Report

Gender at Work: A Companion to the World Development Report on Jobs

How women face gender gaps economically, socially, and legally.

Report

The Catalog: Version 1.0

The U.S. Agency for International Development looks at how advancements in science and technology can provide solutions to some of our most intractable global problems.

Article

Fixing health supply chains, saving lives

Every year, millions of children die before they reach their fifth birthday, mainly due to preventable diseases. In Malawi, a U.S.-based development group is employing an approach that can boost health product availability, which is seen as critical to saving people’s lives in hard-to-reach areas.

Article

Towards a Change of Culture Leading to a Gender-Balanced Approach

A look at what progress has been made in strengthening equal rights for women, and what challenges remain.

Slideshow

Top 10 #devreads on how girls' empowerment is key to the future of development

Here are 10 books that highlight the impact of girls’ empowerment.

Article

Voices from Afghanistan: Youths open up about women's status and empowerment

Find out what hundreds of young Afghan men and women say about what needs to be done to improve local governance and empower women in their country.

Photo stories

How family planning is changing lives

An international NGO is giving what one in four Malawian women want: access to lifesaving contraceptives. Here's the story.

Case Study

Preventing dropouts, promoting girls’ voices in Morocco

In Morocco, more than 300,000 children, many are young girls, stop attending school each year. A project funded by USAID and implemented by Creative Associates International sought to find out why and help the government reduce the dropout rates.

Report

Study: Women with disabilities in Europe and Eurasia

This report explores the unique challenges facing women with disabilities, in contrast with the challenges facing men with disabilities and women without disabilities, including an analysis of gender in the context of disability in the sectors in which USAID typically works, such as health and sexual violence.

Video

Gender policies at UNOPS workplace

UNOPS gender policies foster a workplace where men and women have equal opportunities for career advancement, have work-life balance considerations, and work effectively together to enable access to basic services and opportunities, where they are most needed around the world.

Report

STEP-Up Zambia: A new approach to learning

In Zambia, schoolchildren are overcoming their struggles mastering basic skills, thanks to the government’s national reading initiative. The campaign is supported by USAID's Strengthening Educational Performance project, which is implemented by Chemonics.

Infographic

At a glance: Early and forced marraige

How many girls in the developing world are forced into marriage before they turn 15? Quite a lot.

Report

A transformative, stand-alone goal on gender equality, women's rights and women's empowerment

What targets would a stand-alone post-2015 development goal on gender equality and and women's empowerment have? A proposition from U.N. Women.

Article

Leuk Saroeun's story

Women community leaders are key to achieving the goals of the Cambodia Rural Sanitation and Hygiene Improvement Program. Here's the story of one of these women leaders, Leuk Saroeun, and her work as a village chief and focal point to promote sanitation and hygiene.

Blog

Communities in Mali lead the way

Local communities in Mali make a public declaration against female genital mutilation, a milestone in the fight to end the tragic practice.

Blog

Female-Targeted Programs As Seen Through Different Lenses

What appears to be simple and clear cut for implementers may not always generate the same response from researchers. Creative Associates International’s Gender in Development Senior Associate Rekha Mehra discusses their unique perspectives.

Paper

Education for girls: Alternative pathways to girls' empowerment

What are multidimensional educational investments? Gender and youth expert Cynthia B. Lloyd looks at efforts by donors and NGOs to provide girls with competencies beyond educational basics and explains why there's a need to better understand this emerging topic.

Report

EU's contribution to the Millennium Development Goals: Key results from European Commission programs

How have programs financed by the European Commission contributed to the Millennium Development Goals? With results covering the period 2004-2012 and featuring a section on gender equality and women's empowerment, this publication provides some answers.

Article

Women empowering women to overcome gender-based violence in Colombia

In Colombia, female agents of change are helping victims of gender-based violence reclaim their voices, lives and rights.

Toolkit

Toward Gender Equality in Europe and Eurasia: A Toolkit for Analysis

The go-to guide for the U.S. Agency for International Development's mission staffers working in the E&E region about conducting gender analysis in the context of project design.

Report

Gender inequality and fragility in the post-MDG framework

What actions can be taken to ensure a more coordinated approach to addressing fragility and gender inequality in the post-2015 framework? This paper highlights some practical examples and sets out some key recommendations.

Podcast

The truth about female genital mutilation

What is female genital mutilation? Hear from some of the women who experienced it.

Report

Motherhood in childhood: Facing the challenge of adolescent pregnancy

A girl who becomes pregnant — regardless of the circumstances — is one whose human rights are undermined, argues this report by the U.N. Fund for Population Assistance. Can investment today help girls unleash their full potential to shape humanity's future tomorrow?

Blog

1 billion rise to tackle violence against girls and women on V Day

"We are working to give girls and women voice, choice and control — including control over their own bodies — to tackle this pandemic of violence," said Lynne Featherstone on Valentine's Day 2014. The U.K. parliamentary undersecretary of state for international development called on everyone to join a global campaign raising awareness on gender-based violence and outlined the Cameron government's 2014 priorities in its campaign to improve the lives of women and girls worldwide.

Report

Opening doors for students in Georgia

Primary school teachers across Georgia are learning new ways to teach reading and math, opening doors for their students’ futures.

Photo stories

Women working for a safer South Africa

In South Africa, the Isibindi Child and Youth Care, a nonprofit supported by the U.K. Department for International Development, helps protect children from violence by creating “safe park” sessions where they can play and receive advice and counseling. Check out these photos to learn more.

Report

Evidence-based approaches to protecting adolescent girls at risk of HIV

This document outline ways to help prevent adolescent girls from contracting HIV, including successful examples from developing countries.

Photo Slideshow

14 Powerful Photos Show a Side to Afghan Women That Americans Never See

Images in Western mainstream media typically depict Afghan women as oppressed, miserable and more often than not, burqa-clad. These 14 photos show what real women in Afghanistan are like.

Video

Quality health care reaches remote Peru

The dedication of health workers like Senaida Mariñas and use of a performance improvement methodology developed by USAID through a program managed by Chemonics have led to better health outcomes in Peru's San Martin region.

Report

Advancing gender equality: Promising practices

A compilation of lessons learned and results on empowering women and promoting gender equality to help inform the post-2015 development agenda setting.

Blog

Let's break the cycle

In January 2014, a global campaign to put an end to female genital mutilation kicked off. Efua Dorkenoo, program director of End FGM/C Social Change Campaign, welcomes ideas on how a global movement to end this crime against women should look like.

Report

Saving lives through patient-oriented health care

In 2008, Peru’s San Martin region had high mortality rates. But since January 2010, no mother has lost her life to pregnancy or childbirth, after the Lluyllucucha health network adopted a methodology developed through a USAID project managed by Chemonics which entails monitoring, assessing and implementing best practices in providing health care.

Infographic

At a glance: Status of young girls in developing countries

Question: What's the hardest setting in the game of life? Answer: A young girl in a developing country because her health, wealth and rights are rock-bottom.

Video

Savings for health

In Nigeria, more than 90 million people live on less than $2 a day. See how Chemonics and USAID are empowering women in northern Nigeria through integrated training on best practices in nutrition and household economic strengthening.

Article

Water in Asia: The story beyond the headlines

It may not seem like a big deal at first glance, but Asia's sustainable development in part rests on efforts by women to become more involved in water management.

Website

Women's empowerment post-2015

How can the post-2015 development agenda accelerate progress toward women's empowerment? Government and thought leaders shared their views at the European Development Days 2013 in Brussels.

Infographic

At a glance: Female genital mutilation

The number of women around the globe who have undergone female genital cutting is staggering.

Video

Sweet smell of success: Women beekeepers in Ethiopia

Watch how beekeeping in Ethiopia changed Tenaye Eno's life by enabling a better future for her family and community.

Video

Women as a force for change

The world is making significant progress toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals. But we can’t fully achieve them by 2015 and break the cycle of poverty by leaving half the world out: women.

Photo stories

How to break the cycle of female genital mutilation in Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, increased awareness of personal tragedies caused by female genital cutting is changing minds about the harrowing tradition.

Article

Tightrope-walking and “gender judo”: What women have to do to get ahead

An interview with Joan Williams, author of "What Works With Women at Work," about biases that hold women back, and how to fight them.

Blog

How the US can honor International Women’s Day

Here are some concrete steps that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry could take to demonstrate the government's commitment to prioritizing women and girls’ health and development in U.S. foreign policy.

Report

Does gender make a difference? Perspectives from an English-speaking country

The dominant construct of "leadership" in the English-speaking world is bound by a masculinist construct associated with aggressiveness, forcefulness, competitiveness and independence, writes Cushla Scrivens. But there are other constructions of leadership that may legitimate the experiences and aspirations of leaders in early childhood settings.

A conversation in partnership by:

Devex
UNOPS
Millennium
jbs
UKAid
Creative
Chemonics

Cover photo by:
UNOPS