Supporting a new generation of green and social entrepreneurs
Throughout our global network, we are seeing more and more young entrepreneurs build businesses that deliver profit with purpose. They are the new generation entrepreneurs working to solve some of the greatest environmental and social challenges of our time and will play a vital role in creating a more equitable and sustainable world for us […]
GBV and Domestic Violence in Ukraine and How Businesses Can Help
This in-depth article on Gender-Based violence in Ukraine was commissioned by Business Fights Poverty, with the support of Avon. Domestic and gender-based violence is a phenomenon of constant concern in the world. Fighting it is the focus of many international organizations, human rights defenders, and socially responsible businesses. Unfortunately, as a reasonably stable phenomenon (i.e. […]
Engendering Regeneration for Supply Chains that Last
In a decade marked by climate shocks, pandemia, and global interconnection, the call to #InvestInOurPlanet is top of mind for individuals and companies – not just for Earth Day but for the future of life and business as we know it. Food and beverage corporations sense the urgency to transition to more renewable sources for […]
Inclusive business models can help close the gender gap
Even a successful inclusive business model does not automatically eliminate long-held prejudice and bias against women. “Supporting women in agriculture is the right and smart thing to do” – this has been our motto at GROW Liberia for the last five years. But what does this mean in practice? How do you convince partners – many of whom […]
Race to the top: How we pushed supermarkets to take human rights seriously
“Five kilos of extra beans on each worker’s table,” says Joseraldo Medeiros, a union leader in Brazil’s fruit exporting region of Rio Grande do Norte. “If we hadn’t fought for this, workers would not have received [the equivalent of] five kilos of beans in their salary.” The five kilos of beans cost 40 reais, or around $8, […]
Women at the Center of Africa’s Post-Pandemic Recovery
Every year, Women’s History Month is a chance to celebrate women of the past who have shaped the Africa we have become – and to highlight African women who are making history today. History will look kindly on the women whose pioneering responses to the pandemic saved many lives. Women like Dr Tlamelo Setshwaelo, who […]
The Ukraine Crisis: Responding to Evolving Needs
It’s just over a month since Russia invaded Ukraine and nearly 3,000 civilians have been killed, with the figure feared to be much higher. Over 10 million and counting have been forcibly displaced within Ukraine and neighbouring countries. According to the Ukrainian Economy Minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, since 24 February, Ukraine has suffered nearly US$565 billion […]
It’s time to collect more and better gender-disaggregated supply chain data
The reality, however, is that most supply chain data is largely gender blind, meaning it views workers as a homogenous group. This lack of gender-disaggregation limits our understanding of certain risks, disparities, and inequities that may be gender sensitive. It also impedes our ability to determine whether supply chain programmes and initiatives are having equal outcomes […]
Comic Relief and Jersey Overseas Aid are making a difference
As Red Nose Day 2022 returned on Friday 18th March, we wanted to celebrate some of the incredible work our partners are doing to help change lives in communities around the world. We have been working with Jersey Overseas Aid (JOA) since 2018, running a jointly funded four-year programme which aims to bring about financial […]
Using gender data to translate inclusion strategies into programming reality
At GROW Liberia we love data! And as an economic development programme we must love data: we count the number of jobs created, incomes improved, number of partners, amount of fertiliser sold and on goes the list. Data is essential for accountability to funders, in our case Sida. It is also essential for iterative, results-driven […]
How the business community is stepping up in support of Ukrainian children and their families
The war in Ukraine has taken a harrowing toll on children. Since the beginning of the conflict, more than 1 .5 million children have fled the country and millions more are caught up in the escalating violence. Like all children driven from their homes by war and conflict, Ukrainian children arriving in neighbouring countries are […]
Switching to digital delivery during COVID-19: Key lessons
Existing inequalities relating to caregiving, to the digital divide, and to inadequate financing have been exacerbated during the pandemic—particularly in low and middle income countries—and overall, women-led businesses have generally seen larger declines in sales and profits, and have been more likely to close down (at least temporarily). ‘Life has been anything but business as usual for […]
Empowering women and inspiring youth: Reflections from Stephanie Lamma Ewi
A new wave of corporate sustainability is approaching; one in which conventional corporate ‘sustainability’ strategies are set to be replaced by new levels of ambition centred around creating a ‘just and regenerative’ future. Guided by a new north star – an economy that sustains the wellbeing of all and the capacity of our natural world […]
A Fairer Future for All Means Gender Equality Now
Women have long been the backbone of our planet’s agricultural production. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that women today make up 60 to 80 percent of the farmers present in non-industrialized countries and that up to 70 percent of agricultural labour in some countries comes from women alone. This is a staggering number. […]
Turning an Onboarding Exercise into a Knowledge Hub for Gender Mainstreaming
When I joined iDE as the gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) manager in April of 2021, it had been years since I’d worked in the international development sector. In truth, I was feeling like a fish out of water. During my onboarding process, I learned all about iDE and our founder Paul Polack who […]
What is a value chain? And why you should care.
Several years ago the women of Bihani Dairy, a Heifer-supported agricultural cooperative in southwestern Nepal, had an idea: Provide a collection center for milk produced by the area’s dairy farmers, an enterprise move that would reduce waste and offer farmers, who were otherwise forced to sell as quickly as possible for below-market fees, a chance to create […]
Living income and gender: adopting gender transformative approaches to improve livelihoods
The concept of ‘Living Income’ has grown in popularity as a way to improve livelihoods for smallholders. It goes a step beyond traditional notions of poverty alleviation: recognising that a household income can come from multiple sources and emphasising decent living and resilience over basic subsidence and survival. Where does gender come into this conversation? […]
Spotlighting Fairtrade and Aldi UK’s ‘Dignity for All’ – a programme for female flower workers
“Women have the potential of taking up leadership positions and roles, unlike in previous years when women were considered irrelevant and/or unable to lead and work equally as men”. This sentiment may seem like a given to most readers, but for the 25-year-old flower farm worker from Ethiopia who said these words it was a […]
Women as drivers of climate resilience
Mars, like many companies, has long-standing commitments to support climate action (SDG 13) and gender equality (SDG 5). But we haven’t always looked at the intersections between these two areas. As we progress our Net Zero Commitment and our Cocoa for Generations plan, it is becoming clear that the two issues are inextricably linked. Women […]
Business and the Ukraine Crisis: Supporting Women and the Most Vulnerable
At the heart of Business Fights Poverty is our focus on harnessing business to support the most vulnerable people and communities around the world. Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, and unleashed a humanitarian crisis, business has been quick to respond. There is an ever-growing list of businesses taking action—through their philanthropic giving to […]