Gender equality key to development

Grassroots organizations, Empowered by Light and Empower Generation, are killing two birds with one stone: bringing clean energy to rural Nepal, and creating jobs for Nepalese women in the environmental sector. By helping to install electricity-generating solar panels, which simultaneously prevents illegal animal poaching, women are provided not only with a stable income and a ladder to reliable economic growth, but also with a rich work-life balance, allowing them to become “clean energy entrepreneurs” while continuing to care for their families and tend to their village’s needs.

Sheroes’ Hangout is a cafe entirely run by acid attack survivors in Agra, India. Acid attacks are unfortunately still prevalent worldwide, usually as a result of a woman turning down a man's advances, but punishment for committing these crimes is still lackadaisical. This cafe, founded in 2006 by an activist organization called Stop Acid Attacks, allows women to not cover their faces, talk openly about their attacks, and just be comfortable with themselves.

Sweden has a reputation for being one of the most socially-progressive and gender-equal countries in the world. This article breaks down the different policies that Sweden has become so famous for and looks at its myriad of effects on citizens. Author Irin Carmon concludes that this case study tells us that working towards gender equality will be long and arduous and not always perfect, but entirely possible.

Since beginning office Senior Chief Theresa Kachindamoto, tribal ruler of the Dedza District in central Malawi had one mission: To end child marriages. “In 2017 alone, the chief annulled some 200 child marriages in her district. During her 14-year reign, she has terminated the marriages of roughly 2,600 child brides and helped the girls finish their education, often by subsidizing their school.”

Laila Haidary is breaking with tradition, she owns her own restaurant in Kabul, and forms part of a growing trend where women are owning or managing restaurants and denting the male dominated industry. “This idea in itself had its own challenges because our extremely conservative society does not always approve of artistic expressions. Added to that, the fact it is run by a businesswoman makes many people uncomfortable,” she says.”

Three women have embraced the use of solar technology to become clean energy entrepreneurs. They are helping bring light, efficient cookstoves, and energy to their communities, while reducing carbon emissions and empowering other women along the way.

HelpMum works to reduce maternal and infant mortality by training community birth attendants on modern and safe delivery methods, as most traditional birth attendants lack proper training. Along with training sessions, the group also provides birth kits, or resources to help with the delivery process. So far, HelpMum is present in six states and has trained over 2,000 community health workers.

An initiative run by the UN Refugee Agency in Cairo called NilFurat teaches women in countries around the Nile and Furat rivers creative skills for them to make a living. The women learn skills like hand sewing, machine sewing, product design, startup management, and financial literacy. The program focuses on supporting artisans who come from disadvantaged or underemployed backgrounds and works to foster a supportive community amongst women coming from Egyptian, Syrian, Ethiopian, and Sudanese backgrounds. The group is growing quickly and still faces challenges, but its members are optimistic.

In Diepsloot, South Africa, a small office called Lawyers Against Abuse offers legal support for sexual assault cases in a violent city that traditionally does little to address the issue. The organization offers lawyers, victim advocates, legal counseling, and therapy as they go through the process. Since 2015, they have helped more than 800 women and secured 28 convictions.

A haute cuisine restaurant in the Spanish city of Jerez offers employment only for people with disabilities who are left out of the mainstream workforce. The restaurant employs 20 people with conditions ranging from Down's syndrome to cerebral palsy, and they say that they are treated just like anyone else and that it has transformed their lives. The restaurant has also caught people's attention for the food alone and even receives recipes and guest chefs from the top chefs in the country.