In the words of Topister Juma: “... I do not follow people into their homes – they come to me for help and I become the target.”

Date: Monday, November 25, 2019

Topister Juma has been fearlessly defending human rights for over 12 years in the coastal region of Kenya. As a field officer for Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI), Topister specializes in cases of gender-based violence (GBV) and women affected by violent extremism. As she deals with painfully sensitive cases of abuse her own safety is threatened, becoming a target simply for seeking justice.

In the Words of Dorcas Amakobe:“We take girls when they are nine years old and give them a chance to be bold”

Date: Thursday, July 11, 2019

Dorcas Amakobe is the Executive Director of “Moving the Goalposts”, a sport for development organization based Kilifi, a coastal town in Kenya. As part of a UN Women programme funded by the Government of Japan on enhancing women’s active participation in prevention of violent extremism in Kenya, the organization ran a project that provided livelihood skills training and helped build financial independence of young women engaged in its sport programme to build their resilience in Kilifi, Mombasa, Kwale and Tana River County in the coastal region, where youth, including young women, are vulnerable to the spread of violent extremism. Using football as a tool for empowering girls and young women, Moving the Goalposts is helping girls and women stand on their own feet and make their mark, both on and off the field.

Empowering women through climate-smart agriculture in the DRC

Date: Monday, November 14, 2016

How are women in the DRC affected differently or disproportionately by climate change? The Democratic Republic of Congo’s economy is based on farming and forestry. Women constitute 52 per cent of the Congolese population and a large proportion of them are involved in agriculture—in some countries, women make up to 80 per cent of all farmers. Climate change has led to consistently higher temperatures, heavier floods and drought, impacting crops. As majority of farmers and small...

In the words of Edith Chukwu: I want to see a world free of violence against women and girls

Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Edith Chukwu, a 29-year-old Girl Guide and peer educator from Nigeria, is among a team of lead trainers in Zambia for a workshop to roll out a unique non-formal education curriculum to prevent violence. She shares her story, in her own words…

In the words of Evelyn Amony: “I was forced to become one of his 27 'wives' ”

Date: Thursday, May 8, 2014

Evelyn Amony was abducted by the Ugandan rebel group known as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) when she was only 12 years old. For nearly three decades, this rebel group has committed a range of atrocities including the abduction of children, rape, killing, maiming and sexual slavery. Today Evelyn is Chair of the Women’s Advocacy Network, comprised of over 400 formerly abducted and war-affected women, many of whom are speaking out and effectively advocating for gender justice in Uganda. In her own words, she tells her story…

How I firmly said NO to an early and forced marriage

Date: Tuesday, March 4, 2014

In the words of Martha Ntoipo, a 33-year-old Maasai activist from Tanzania. She works for the Pastoralist Information and Development Organization (PIDO), a community development organization which she founded in 2010, which works in the fields of health, women economic empowerment, gender equality and human rights, environmental conservation and research.

Empowering Kenya’s Maasai women through greater voice and rights

Date: Monday, March 3, 2014

In the words of Beatrice Sisina Shanka, a 26-year-old community activist from the Inkinyie community. She works for Il’laramatak Community Concerns (ICC), a non-governmental organization that addresses human rights and development concerns of pastoralist (nomadic livestock herding) indigenous peoples of Kenya, with a focus on women and girls.

All We Ask for Is Peace: Voices of Women from South Sudan

Date: Wednesday, February 19, 2014

A blog post on LinkedIn by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, on the situation women and girls are facing in South Sudan.