Stories
- COVID-19 (46)
- Ending violence against women and girls (11)
- Economic empowerment (6)
- Domestic violence/interpersonal violence (4)
- Health (4)
- Gender equality and women’s empowerment (3)
- Macroeconomic policies (2)
- Markets (2)
- Women with disabilities (2)
- Anti-violence interventions (2)
- Humanitarian action (2)
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Tuesday, October 27, 2020
Thirteen-year-old Lydia Mwela from Zambia has observed too many girls in her community becoming pregnant, suffering gender-based violence and testing positive for HIV. She does not wish to end up in a similar situation herself. Through knowledge she is gaining at school, she has become empowered to make her own informed choices and create the future she dreams of for herself. She is learning about healthy relationships, good values, the human rights she is entitled to, and sexual and...
Monday, September 28, 2020
For women around the globe, access to safe and dignified menstruation is a fundamental need. However, during pandemics like the current COVID-19, access is limited, and it is even worse in quarantine facilities leaving women and girls struggling with both the pandemic and the challenges of access to this commodity. The pandemic has shone a light on the challenges including menstruation that women and girls face in the quarantine facilities.
Monday, September 28, 2020
Meymuna Ahmed, 34, works in her home county of Wajir, North-East Kenya. Graduating in Nutrition and Public Health in 2009, she immediately applied her skills to assist her community, working on humanitarian programmes related to drought. For the past six years, she has been empowering women and girls in her community.
Women take a lead to fight GBV during COVID-19 in Tanzania
Wednesday, September 9, 2020
A community-based network of women in Mufindi, has teamed-up with UN Women in Tanzania, Unilever Tea Tanzania and the Local Government Authority in a campaign that is fighting to end violence against women and girls in the district.
Sunday, September 6, 2020
“ With the onset of COVID-19, my life changed. I sew and sell garments from my veranda at home but gradually customers stopped coming. Radios would air messages urging people to stay home, this was very bad for my business. I went from receiving ten to fifteen requests to make or repair clothes to only two orders a week. This worried me because I have two small children who rely on proceeds from tailoring for food and other basic needs. In early June (2020), my former...
DRC takes a step towards zero tolerance against gender-based violence
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Women and girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo are still the first victims of conflicts and socio-cultural practices that relegate them to second class citizen. In 2018, more than 35,000 cases of sexual violence were still recorded, the majority of them in the East. During the COVID-19 epidemic, violence increased by 99% in North Kivu Province. To respond the situation, the Deputy Minister of Planning and the Minister of State for Gender, Family and Child launched the new revision of the National Strategy for Combating Gender-based Violence (SNVGB) on Thursday, August 27, 2020 in Kinshasa.
Sunday, August 30, 2020
From 19 to 21 August 2020 in Ebolowa, UN Women in partnership with the National AIDS Control Committee (CNLS) organized a workshop to develop the performance framework of HIV action plan on religious communities and to sensitize key religious leaders on quality messages to prevent HIV and GBV during in the context of COVID-19. The objective of this workshop was to finalize national HIV action plans of religious denominations in the context of COVID-19and to build the capacity of religious leaders in sensitization and community mobilization messages for the HIV response.
Monday, July 20, 2020
Women-led businesses are more vulnerable to closure than those led by men in the era of the novel coronavirus, due to women’s limited access to finance, shifts in consumer behavior, and the increase in women’s household care responsibilities as a result of extended lockdowns. All across the continent, the coronavirus pandemic is wreaking economic havoc and hitting women the hardest, with women-led Small and Medium-sized Enterprises(SMEs) at greater risk of closure as they tend to be smaller and on average, operate in lower profit margin, service-based industries.
UN Women and UNDP support vulnerable women in South West and North West Regions of Cameroon
Thursday, July 16, 2020
In Bamenda, on July 16 2020, 21 participants took part in the official launch of the project: “Support for women's socio-economic activities around the value chains induced by COVID-19 in the North-West and South-West Regions of Cameroon”, initiated jointly by UN Women and UNDP, in the conference room of the Regional Research Delegation of the North-West region in Bamenda.
Friday, July 10, 2020
UN Women, the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative of the African Development Bank and ImpactHER will host a virtual high-level panel discussion on empowering women entrepreneurs in the fight against COVID-19.
National Rural Women Structure of Liberia raises awareness on COVID-19
Friday, July 10, 2020
With support from UN Women, the National Rural Women Structure of Liberia is sensitizing women in rural Liberia on measures to prevent themselves and their families from COVID-19. During a recent awareness raising campaign, Mrs. Kebeh Monger, National President of the Rural Women Structure of Liberia, encouraged women to observe health protocols put in place by the Government of Liberia to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Liberian Female owned tailoring businesses get a boost
Friday, July 10, 2020
As part of its continuous effort to support the Government of Liberia to prevent the spread of COVID-19, UN Women on Friday 26 June 2020 signed a partnership agreement with the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (MGCSP) to empower women-owned tailoring businesses affiliated to the Liberia National Tailoring Union to produce 10,000 masks that will be distributed to women, girls and children in Montserrado and Margibi counties in Liberia.
From Where I Stand: As a woman, practicing self-isolation in a home setting is next to impossible
Friday, July 3, 2020
I am a mother of twins aged 1.7 years, and I was breastfeeding yet I had to spend long hours at the Coronavirus Treatment Unit working from 8:00 am till 8:30 – 9:00 pm. Hence, they ended up refusing to breastfeed because I was not breastfeeding regularly. But at least they are eating food which comforted me. With young children, I have to be extremely careful, which is rather difficult considering that when the first case...
Sunday, June 28, 2020
UN Women in partnership with its local implementing partner, TPO have been carrying out Psychosocial support in the quarantine centres as well as the refugee settlement. So far since the COVID-19 period, a total of 2107 refugee and hosts (1560 F and 547 M) have been reached with Psychological first aid, psychoeducation, basic counseling, specialized counseling, recovery follow up and messaging on prevention of SGBV and COVID-19.
Saturday, June 27, 2020
Monica Chiwalo is 82 and mostly dependent on her children. She raised four children on her own after the death of her husband. The COVID-19 outbreak in Tanzania has devastated the livelihoods of families that rely on the informal sector and have no safety nets. Elderly women like Chiwalo are especially vulnerable to its health and economic impacts. Their voice and experience must be included in recovery efforts.
Monday, June 22, 2020
Health Assistance Kenya 1195 (HAK) is a free-to-call helpline for survivors of all forms of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) – and its saving lives. The Nairobi-based service is set up to give immediate assistance to the public in the event of SGBV. It operates 24-7 and is taking more calls than ever.
Monday, June 22, 2020
Since 2018, UN Women Kenya in partnership with the Government of Japan has been using a multi-sectoral approach to bring gender equality to Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement and Dadaab Refugee Camp. The “Leadership, Empowerment, Access & Protection in Crisis Response” targets four interconnected areas that develop livelihoods of women and girls; educate men and boys; and contributes to sustainable peace in communities.
Friday, June 19, 2020
By 9:00 a.m., the morning sun already feels hot in the Bidibidi settlement for refugees and displaced persons, located in the Yumbe District of Uganda. A steady file of women gathers around a borehole to collect water. They will repeat this chore again in the evening.
UN Women Partners with Private Sector to Improve Hygiene at Safe Markets
Friday, June 19, 2020
In the wake of COVID-19 outbreak and restrictions in movement, the local vegetable markets provide multiple roles. While they offer convenience in accessing fresh produce, sustain women vendors as their source of livelihoods, they are also a potential source of contamination and spread of the coronavirus.
The impact of COVID-19 on women: Nicole GAKOU, Senegalese female entrepreneur
Friday, June 19, 2020
Nicole Gakou is an engineer in information systems and a business manager. She is also the President of the Union of Women Entrepreneurs of Senegal (UFCE). In this interview with UN Women, she sheds light on the impacts of COVID-19 on businesses led by women. The UFCE includes 500 women distributed in the regions of Dakar, St Louis, Ziguinchor, and Thiès who are active in all sectors of activity. Today, 46% of these women are in agro-food processing (agriculture, livestock and fish farming), 36% in services, and less than 1% work in laboratories of cosmetic industry. Over 90% of UFCE members are in the formal sector and the rest of the members are accompanied to achieve this.