Browse by Theme: Women's Economic Empowerment

The IMF World Bank Annual meetings set the big picture on global finance – this year talk was how to cope with slowing growth rates in emerging economies. CARE went to ensure that some of the conversation focused on how those living on less than $2 a day manage their finances and why more banks should support the Linking for Change Savings Charter. Here’s what we found...

CARE International and the Fairtrade Foundation are hosting an event at this year’s Labour Party conference to bring together business, civil society and politicians – Inclusive chocolate? How can private sector partnerships ensure women farmers and workers get a bigger chunk of the benefits?

CARE's conference on Women, Migration and Development (July 2014), organised in partnership with the Overseas Development Institute, examined the extent to which migrants the world over suffer stigma and discrimination. The conference included a session on the media and its role and responsibility in shaping policy and opinion on migration. Delegates discussed the way in which negative portrayal of migrants in the media contributes significantly to reinforcing prejudices and presents a big obstacle to challenging negative attitudes and stereotyping around migration.

There are 2.5bn people who are financially excluded – who have no access to basic financial products, like savings, credit or insurance. I’ve just been to Kenya to visit Banking on Change, a programme which is changing that. I met young men and women who have joined savings and loans groups set up by CARE Kenya through Banking on Change, a partnership between CARE, Plan and Barclays. Here are five things that the visit impressed on me.

A researcher working for CARE International sent me an expert survey. The questions began, “What is your definition of women’s economic empowerment?” I thought long and hard. I finally answered: An economically empowered woman is one who can leave home if she has to.

The World Bank is starting to put the money behind its thinking on Fragile States. However, as a 10-year evaluation of its work in fragile and conflict affected states shows, getting the finance might have been the easy part.

Today marks the start of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence, which focuses for 2013 on the theme of militarism. The past year has seen the British Government and others make sexual violence as a weapon of war a political priority as never before – with a particular focus on seeking prosecutions to end impunity for such crimes.