Friday 8th March 2013 is International Women’s Day, a very special 24 hours for everyone to come together to celebrate the empowerment of women. It is a great day to reflect on how females are now receiving better opportunities for education and jobs, and also to help raise awareness on the gender gap that unfortunately still remains. Concern Worldwide work in tackling hunger, but believe that they cannot address extreme poverty without looking at gender inequality.
Many women across the world are still disadvantaged in terms of what they are entitled to, and their opportunities to work, study and learn. For example in Malawi, gender inequality creates a cycle of vulnerability and poverty. Our picture show Doris Malinga, who is a lead farmer in Concern’s Conservation and Agriculture programme. She has been trained to dig planting basins and prepare ‘mulch’, which helps to protect the soil from the baking sun. Thanks to her involvement, Doris and her family now have enough food to eat.
Doris said –
I harvest the crop and have enough food for my family. I also get more yield from a small piece of land and it means that I can spend more time with my family. I have so many friends who also want to try conservation agriculture, so I have been showing them what I have learnt.
Doris’ story just goes to show that change is slowly beginning to happen across the globe, as more and more women are given the chance to address their health and financial needs. As the change in attitude towards women’s participation and ability in agriculture continues, they now feel more confident in producing greater yields through support from Concern Worldwide.
Here’s hoping that more is done to invest in female farmers so they can overcome the challenges and issues that still exist around the world. Women are just as vital a part of agriculture and food production as any man, so let’s celebrate their role on Friday 8th March for International Women’s Day 2013.
If you would like to support Concern Worldwide, why not purchase a virtual charity gift for a friend or loved one from our dedicated page? Here you can find out more about their work, and how you can help provide much needed funds so they can continue to help some of the world’s poorest people.
