Mrs Tsitsi Masiyiwa is an African philanthropist and social entrepreneur who has devoted much of her life to empowering disadvantaged children through education and harnessing technology to create employment opportunities for young people.
After the Millennium development goals (MDG’s) ran for its stipulated number of years, the United Nations in 2015 came up with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) which singled out women-related issues as one of its key focuses. There have been several efforts geared towards not only bridging the gender gaps across the world, but also ensuring that women empowerment that will on the long run yield financial independence among women serves as a veritable tool to achieve these goals. Several organisations and individuals have come together in different forms to contribute their quota towards improving the mode of living for women who largely feel vulnerable and marginalized and one of these organizations is the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). For decades, USAID has partnered with the Government of Jordan and civil society organizations to support the well-being and empowerment of women and girls. With an education system that…
By: Dave Willis One of the most frustrating challenges in a marriage happens when one spouse is doing the majority of the work and the other spouse seems content to be “lazy.” I often hear things like, “I just don’t know what to do! I feel like I’m carrying everything by myself and he/she doesn’t seem to care.” That’s certainly a lonely and frustrating situation, and if you’re currently facing the unique challenges of a lazy or disconnected husband or wife, here are a few ways you may be able to help the situation… COMMUNICATE your frustrations but DON’T NAG. It’s natural to want to talk with sarcasm, nagging and criticism when your husband doesn’t seem to be “getting it,” but those negative approaches rarely have any positive impact. Instead, look for ways to communicate your needs and frustrations with more care and less criticism. Most people respond better to…
By: John Namkwahe Ismail Mohammed, 35, a resident of Mkunwa in Mtwara rural district and a peasant farmer of cassava and cashewnuts, had never before heard of gender equality and he didn’t have the slightest idea what the word ‘gender’ really means. He is married to Mwanaasha Juma and the two have been blessed with two children; a daughter (10-year-old) and a son (6-year-old). Due to lack of knowledge about gender equality, Ismail admits to committing a number of social injustices such as depriving his wife of her basic rights. Such a misguided attitude towards his wife consequently led to unending misunderstandings in the family. Ismail now regrets his former dictatorial demeanor and looks to God for forgiveness. Ismail represents a number of men with the same overbearing attitude towards their spouses; an attitude that has seen women being deprived of their rights such as right of ownership, freedom of…
Despite the challenges women in the middle east have faced trying to do the things they love best, there are some who have defied the odds and forged ahead as entrepreneurs in their regions. Randa I. Abdou is the CEO/Chief Strategy & Creative Officer of Creative Lab Group Egypt and here is her story:
Gambia’s first-ever female presidential candidate recently said it was time for President Yahya Jammeh “to go”, promising to rejoin the Commonwealth community and set the country on a path to prosperity. Isatou Touray, a development expert and campaigner against female genital mutilation, railed against the “lavish” lifestyle she said Jammeh enjoyed while ruling one of Africa’s poorest nations, and accused him of sowing division between communities. Jammeh is expected to win a fifth-term at the helm of the poor West African nation in the December election. “(Jammeh’s) style is not only flamboyant and lavish, but gross,” Touray told a press conference announcing her candidacy. “It is time for him to go.” She said she would stand as an independent candidate in the polls, and would “steer the Gambia towards a direction that will enable it to respond to the needs and aspirations of the people”, by focusing on welcoming back…
Google, Yahoo and Microsoft will block online ads for gender determination tools in India, following an order by the country’s top court. India’s health ministry told the Supreme Court that the companies had agreed to block 22 key-words relating to pre-natal gender testing. The court had earlier told the companies to adhere to India’s laws or “cease operations” in the country. India has one of the most unbalanced gender ratios in the world. In 1961, there were 976 girls for every 1,000 boys under the age of seven. According to the latest census figures released in 2011, that figure had dropped to 914. The issue prompted India to ban pre-natal sex determination via ultrasound scans in 1994, but many parents still have them done illegally. India outrage over ‘gender test’ remark The petition filed by Sabu George alleged that advertisements and information on pre-natal gender tests and clinics were…
