Early Intervention Results in Greater Gains for Girls
If leaders are made, and not always born, then why not begin nurturing women leaders as soon as possible? Dr. Angela Reddix’s Envision Lead Grow program intercepts girls at 10 years old. Over the course of eight years, the program nurtures their entrepreneurial skills as they become “girl bosses.” Reddix was not content with building […]
Gender-Based Violence and Tourism
Although the study of gender as a pertinent issue within tourism and hospitality has been on the agenda for 30 years, women continue to face injustice. Women make up between 60 and 70% of the labour force internationally (Baum, 2013), but are far more likely than men to be found in lower-paid, unskilled jobs. Women […]
How Women Farmers and Entrepreneurs Can Build Resilience during COVID-19
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Virginie Adounon faced significant challenges with her business. In 2017, the 30-year-old mother of five decided to open a beauty salon in Bohicon, a city in southern Benin. Her shop was constructed out of bamboo, and during the rainy season, water would pour in from the ceiling. “I had no […]
How to boost GDP in emerging economies? Invest holistically in girls
When women are given greater opportunity to participate in the labour force, economies grow, and societies prosper. But until now, very little research has gone into the economic potential of girls, in particular, adolescent girls, in achieving growth and prosperity. New research from Citi Global Perspectives & Solutions (Citi GPS) and Plan International shows that […]
How the development of women leadership generates positive impact
For more than two years I have been working directly with projects linked to gender equality in multicultural contexts. Explaining inequalities and its structures is crucial to understand how we engage on an agenda of development toward a future where people can thrive in balance with the planet. To comprehend the origins of gender inequality, […]
The COVID-19 Pandemic is Jeopardizing Women’s Ability to Earn a Living. Here’s How We Can Respond.
Elisabeth Atchade’s cashew orchard in central Benin feels like a world away from the epicenters of the COVID-19 pandemic. But when the government instituted lockdowns and travel restrictions in an effort to stop the spread of the disease, the impact on the mother of four was very real. “The start of the COVID-19 pandemic coincided […]
Addressing gendered and other inequalities will be central to COVID-19 recovery
Beyond COVID-19: grassroots visions of change This article is part of an IIED series that brings together forward-looking responses on specific themes in reaction to the coronavirus pandemic, drawing on our partners’ insights and providing a platform for voices from the global South. Here, IIED researcher Alice Sverdlik looks at the impacts of the virus on women and girls. Lamented as a […]
Unlocking the potential of young entrepreneurs to navigate COVID-19
COVID-19 will disproportionately impact young people, women, and other underserved groups in the same way that the 2008 global financial crisis did. Two out of five under 30s have already reported a reduction in their income since the start of the pandemic and for many this will be the second global economic crisis that they […]
Renewable energy investments can boost the Caribbean’s sustainable recovery: Innovative financing approaches
Unlocking an economic boost by investing in renewable energy can be a pillar of the COVID-19 recovery, but will require significant work to align actors across the sector. From a technical point of view, financial mechanisms and instruments can be designed to de-risk projects and the region can expand its ability to attract investment dollars […]
Demonstrating a business case for agroecology
In April 2019, Practical Action announced the start of a partnership with the IKEA Foundation designed to demonstrate that a business-led approach to agroecology is possible. Agroecology is a form of regenerative agriculture that is based on the principle of WORKING WITH rather than WORKING AGAINST nature. In practice, this means harnessing the synergy between […]
How Africa is using medical drone delivery to combat COVID-19
The Covid-19 pandemic has introduced extraordinary challenges for health systems and communities around the globe. Countries are faced with surging demand on hospitals, keeping vulnerable populations safely at home, and effectively managing scarce resources like test kits, personal protective equipment, and, someday hopefully soon, a vaccine. As policymakers search for solutions in real-time, many are […]
How solar-powered tablets are educating rural communities about COVID-19
“We use solar-powered tablets to conduct community education campaigns on financial education, contraception and HIV, health, vaccinations, civic education, and now to inform communities about measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” says Dayn Amade, founder of the Tablet Comunitário/Community Tablet. In the wake of the outbreak of the novel corona virus and realizing the need to […]
How impact investing can boost rural economies during and after the COVID-19 pandemic
About two-thirds of the 600 million people living in extreme poverty around the world live in rural areas, and the COVID-19 crisis is exacerbating every challenge they face. Rural communities often lack access to proper infrastructure, health care, markets, education and finance. As the world goes digital in the face of the pandemic, people without […]
Informal women workers organize and learn to safely recycle e-waste in Manila
As the world continues to produce, buy, and discard newer and more advanced electronic devices and appliances, countries are also facing the growing problem of what do with the waste generated when these products are discarded. If not properly processed, this e-waste (also known as waste electrical and electronic equipment or WEEE), poses a serious […]
Saving the lives of the rich and the urban poor through cross-subsidisation
LifeBank is a medical company based in Lagos, Nigeria. It uses data, technology and a smart logistics system to deliver blood and oxygen from labs across the country to patients and doctors in hospitals. LifeBank is also building a movement of 1 million voluntary blood donors to improve Nigeria’s blood supply. Since 2016, LifeBank has […]
Building a commercial buffalo dairy in Laos: five minutes with entrepreneur Susie Martin
Q 1. What is your inclusive business model? Laos Buffalo Dairy is a commercial buffalo dairy in the heart of Laos. Our production facility makes yogurt, cheese and ice cream for sale on local and overseas markets. Locally, we distribute to highend hotels and restaurants and have a shopfront for tourists looking to visit and […]
Investing in inclusion delivers green and fair outcomes
Far from the COVID-19 global headlines, a movement is underway in Peru. An alliance of local green enterprises is leading the charge to Buy Local – and it is proving key for supporting small businesses through and beyond the pandemic. With close to 90% of employment in the country in small businesses, the role that […]
Scaling the Impact of Digital Financial Services: The Opportunity and Imperative during COVID-19
“Being paid into an account is much safer. During Corona, if I were paid in cash, I would have had to go to the factory in person and disinfect the money as my colleagues did when they received their salaries in the envelope.” Ibrahim, Garment Worker, Egypt For Ibrahim, as for many low-income workers in […]
If it is broke, do fix it Rebuilding better agriculture and food systems – and what business can do to help
In various places and to varying degrees, September has been a month of return – to socialising, to school, to the office and maybe, if we just squint hard enough, to some version of normal. Let’s hope we don’t also return to our old thinking around livelihoods, agriculture and business’ role in both. From Europe […]
Supporting Women’s Wellbeing through Flexible, Digital Earning Opportunities
The WTO has recently predicted that the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic will be disproportionately felt by women, with a ‘pink collar recession’ threatening to roll back the gender equality gains of recent decades. In the UK, there are indications that women are bearing the brunt of redundancies, mothers are more likely than fathers […]