From where I stand: “Although women farmers work hard, many remain poor due to multiple barriers”

Date: Tuesday, October 12, 2021

Mariamu Rasidi Tungu is one of the many women farmers in rural Tanzania. Together, UN Women and UNFPA are jointly supporting them to increase their production, and train them in new skills to boost their incomes, economic resilience and agency.

Women farmers in Rwanda improve post-harvest handling

Date: Monday, October 11, 2021

Post-harvest handling remains the number one problem for farmers in Nyarunyinya due to old fashioned methods and the use of rudimentary tools. In this rural area of Rwanda, farmers lose up to 40 per cent of their agricultural products during post-harvest production as much is wasted at every stage from the start of harvesting to the marketplace.

Addressing the digital gender divide in Africa through the African Girls Can Code Initiative

Date: Thursday, October 7, 2021

As we celebrate International Day of the Girl Child, we hear from some of the participants of the African Girls Can Code Initiative as they share what they learned on this journey, and how they are using their newfound skills to benefit their communities.

What does gender equality look like today?

Date: Wednesday, October 6, 2021

A new global analysis of progress on gender equality and women’s rights shows women and girls remain disproportionately affected by the socioeconomic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, struggling with disproportionately high job and livelihood losses, education disruptions and increased burdens of unpaid care work. Women’s health services, poorly funded even before the pandemic, faced major disruptions, undermining women’s sexual and reproductive health. And despite women’s central role in responding to COVID-19, including as front-line health workers, they are still largely bypassed for leadership positions they deserve. We’re breaking down some of the findings from the report, and calling for the action needed to accelerate progress.

Burundi: UN Women strengthens usage of digital management for young girls and boys in cooperative groups

Date: Wednesday, September 29, 2021

The UN Women office in Burundi, in collaboration with the Ministry of East African Community Affairs, Youth, Sports and Culture, on September 21 to 23, hosted more than 60 girls and boys, members of the Ruyigi cooperative groups, to an information and exchange session on digital management.

Keeping Kenya’s women-led businesses afloat during COVID-19 lockdown

Date: Monday, September 27, 2021

As Kenya adopted containment measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, many small business operations were hit hard.

Being silent is no longer an option: traditional leaders of Africa intensify their efforts to end child marriage, female genital mutilation and other harmful practices

Date: Friday, September 24, 2021

Traditional leaders of Africa confirm their commitment in joining hands with UN Women and taking bold action to end child marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM) and other harmful practices. They aim to reach new members and communities to join the movement as champions for gender equality and positive masculinity.

From where I stand: “These new drought-tolerant groundnut seeds I planted are performing wonders!”

Date: Thursday, September 23, 2021

Georgina Eunice Gama, 39, is one of 10,100 Malawian women farmers who has adopted climate-smart modern farming technology with support from UN Women.

Women farmers in Malawi welcome new technology

Date: Thursday, September 23, 2021

Smallholder agriculture is characterized by labor-intensive tasks and limited use of improved technologies, which together compromises the productivity of the sector. At the household level, reducing and redistributing the time spent by women on unpaid care and domestic work is key to improving their opportunities to participate in productive activities.

From where I stand: “Communities need to know their rights. The major problem is the lack of awareness, they simply do not have information.”

Date: Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Esther Kangogo is 65 years old and lives in Uasin Gishu County of Kenya’s Rift Valley. She is a senior figure in her community with over twenty years of experience in community conflict management. Her family’s property was destroyed during the post-election violence of 2007/08 and has used the experience to advocate louder than ever for peace.

In the words of Rosemary Cheptai: “Lasting solutions require bringing all communities together and finding a common ground.”

Date: Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Rosemary Cheptai, 50, lives in the Mount Elgon region of Kenya’s Rift Valley. She has been a member of her district’s local peace committee (LPC) for 11 years. As a proponent of peace, Rosemary has successfully navigated conflicts in the community by raising awareness of land rights in a region experiencing decades-long conflict over land.

Valley rifts: building peace out of Kenya's tribal conflicts

Date: Tuesday, September 21, 2021

Kenya’s Rift Valley runs from the country’s northern edges in Turkana and down to Nairobi. The region contains 14 counties, over 10 million people, across two hundred thousand square kilometers. Its fertile highlands produce world-renowned tea and its vibrant agriculture sector earns it the title of the country’s ‘breadbasket.’ But it is also a region that experiences complex cycle of violent conflict, dominated by land disputes and political power struggles between tribes. Rosemary Cheptai and Esther Kangogo are two women who have witnessed conflict and helped bring peace.

From where I stand: If girls are not economically empowered, they cannot meaningfully participate in a peace process

Date: Tuesday, September 21, 2021

Agua Afisa is a 27-year-old graduate of Information Technology from Makerere University. In 2020, Afisa was trained by UN Women’s implementing partner Coalition for Action (CoACT) as a Young Woman Peace Ambassador. With financial support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Uganda, UN Women is partnering with CoACT to implement project ‘Amplifying Women’s Agency for Peacebuilding.’

In the Words of Aluben Ampurire: Despite differences and misunderstandings, there is always a better way than to resort to violence.

Date: Friday, September 17, 2021

Aluben Ampurire is a Male Change Agent from Katojo village, Biharwe division in Mbarara district in Western Uganda. Aluben, with 35 other men, is working to change the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) trajectory in his community.

Uganda flags off implementation of NAP III on UNSCR 1325

Date: Tuesday, September 14, 2021

The Government of Uganda has begun implementing Uganda’s 3rd National Action Plan (NAP) on Women, Peace and Security (WPS). NAP III is a five-year plan focusing on implementing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325), which addresses the disproportionate impact of conflict on women and girls and recognizes the critical role women currently and could play in peacebuilding.

Ending violence against women in Uganda takes a step forward with critical law reforms passed in Parliament

Date: Friday, September 10, 2021

Overhauling outdated and discriminatory legislation is essential to ending violence against women and girls, and the women’s movement in Uganda has ensured an incredible leap forward was taken in 2021.

Burundi: Women's organizations and the media sensitized on the "Generation Equality Campaign" accelerating women's empowerment

Date: Thursday, September 9, 2021

UN Women office in Burundi in collaboration with the Ministry of National Solidarity, Social Affairs, Human Rights and Gender organized an information and awareness-raising workshop on the "Generation Equality Campaign" on September 2, 2021, attended by more than 100 people from women's organizations and the media. The aim was to take consensual, concrete, and feasible initiatives in a more concerted and coordinated manner accelerating the implementation of the Beijing Action Plan in Burundi over the next five years.

Women’s Rights Violations Will Not be Tolerated in Kyerwa: District Commissioner Mwaimu

Date: Thursday, September 9, 2021

District Commissioner Rashid Mohamed Mwaimu of the Kyerwa District of Kagera Region in Northern Tanzania has called on all residents to ensure that the rights of women and vulnerable groups in his district are respected.

UN Women Promotes Women Smallholder Farmers and Tackles GBV in Singida and Shinyanga Regions

Date: Thursday, September 9, 2021

A year after the launch of the Realizing Gender Equality through Empowering Women and Adolescent Girls programme in Tanzania’s Singida and Shinyanga Regions, UN Women has made significant strides in improving the lives of women smallholder farmers. Through funding from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the three-year programme will reach over 48,000 of the furthest behind households in Ikungi and Msalala Districts in Singida and Msalala Regions respectively.

Increasing Media Capacity to Promote Women’s Leadership Vital

Date: Thursday, September 9, 2021

Issa Yussuf is a journalist and human rights activist with over 20 years of experience working in the media. His passion for journalism led him to develop a keen interest in gender equality issues, having witnessed many of the challenges that women and girls on the island are faced with including the persistent discriminatory norms and attitudes that play a significant role in impeding women’s participation in decision making.