Empowering Women & Girls
Ensuring women and girls have the same rights and protections as men and boys
Empowering women and girls can reduce poverty significantly because they are more likely to go to school, find good jobs and access resources. This, in turn, can lead to economic growth and improved livelihoods for families and communities.
Empowerment projects often reduce gender-based violence. When women and girls have economic and social autonomy, they are better equipped to protect themselves and challenge harmful norms and practices. By addressing gender disparities and enabling women and girls to reach their full potential, we can create a more equitable, prosperous and sustainable world for everyone.
In 2022-2023, 24,960 community members (12,568 women, 1,115 men, 9,221 girls and 2,056 boys) participated in projects focused on empowering women and girls as well as persons who identify as 2SLGBTQ+. These are some of the results achieved:
- In Pemba, Mozambique, $69,623 in loans were disbursed to women entrepreneurs engaged in trading sweet potatoes, tomatoes, dried and fried fish, chicken, bananas, coconuts, beans, corn, peanuts, dried cassava, prepared food and cakes;
- In Uganda, 1,310 girls and women and 538 boys and men participated in training on resilience and safeguarding against teen pregnancies, early marriages and transmission of sexually transmitted infections among youth;
- Help Lesotho staff and GIRL4ce members helped community members identify and address the myths and cultural norms that perpetuate gender-based violence, during six radio broadcasts;
- In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1,021 survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (118 girls and 903 women) received skills training to earn an income, as part of reintegrating into their communities where conflict over natural resources is common;
- In Zambia, seven sensitization sessions reached 3,814 (110 women, 2,273 girls, 111 men, and 1,320 boys) community members to increase their awareness on early, child and forced marriages and sexual and reproductive health and rights through poems, songs and role-playing.