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How Gender Lens Investing Can Reduce Global Poverty

global_poverty
In recent years, businesses, wealth management firms and private investors have put increasing funds into impact investments, which aim to create positive social change for people in need. Gender lens investing, which is focused primarily on yielding benefits for women and girls, is becoming a higher priority for those making impact investments.

Gender lens investing works in a combination of three ways. First, investments increase the amount of funding available for female entrepreneurs. Second, funds can create employment opportunities for women while supporting companies that hire women, particularly in leadership positions. Third, gender lens investing can be used for companies that help women through products or services. Microfinance initiatives, such as providing clean-burning stoves to women in Africa and Latin America, and job training initiatives, such as training women in Southeast Asia to sew, are examples of gender lens investing.

Gender lens investing promotes gender equality, which promotes economic growth. Gender equality through economic growth is a key tenet of development finance. Empowering women through employment provides families with more income to meet health care, nutrition and safety needs that can be a burden on families, especially those in poverty. In Latin America, for example, there was a 30 percent reduction in extreme poverty between 2000 and 2010 following the growth of women’s income.

Investing in women fighting to get themselves and their families out of poverty is an essential strategy to make progress in the movement against global poverty. The gap between men’s and women’s income, while present in the developed world, is significantly larger in developing countries. For example, there is a $287 billion credit gap for female entrepreneurs owning small and medium enterprises, primarily in Latin America. Supporting these women through gender lens investing makes a statement towards gender equality and women’s empowerment in conjunction with providing more social mobility for impoverished families.

Wealth management firms, investors and companies worldwide are paying attention to this disparity, which is a critical step toward making significant change for women around the world. A 2015 survey by The Global Impact Investing Network, a nonprofit advocacy group, found that one third of those surveyed were interested in gender lens investing domestically and abroad. The Global Impacting Investing Network tracks 300 funds, and 130 of these have taken part in gender lens investing. Veris Wealth Partners, a wealth management firm, has utilized $800 million for impact investments; gender lens investing is the number one strategy.

Some investors may be concerned or put off by the possibility of reduced financial returns that may be part of gender lens investing, especially in comparison to more high-risk, traditional investments. However, with gender lens investing comes an increase in the quality of life for many, specifically through the reduction of global poverty, a reduced disparity in men’s and women’s incomes and the empowerment of women. Both now and further down the line, as has been true for previous investments in international development, gender lens investing has the capacity for significant social change.

– Priscilla McCelvey

Sources: Forbes, New York Times
Photo: Forbes

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ONE Launches Poverty Is Sexist Campaign

ONE

Gender equality is a basic human right that dignifies not only what each sex deserves, but what the social relationships between sexes must entail. According to the UNDP, the majority of children not attending school are girls, and nearly two-thirds of women in the developing world work informally without pay. Furthermore, “despite greater parliamentary participation, women are still outnumbered four-to-one in legislatures around the world.”

ONE launched its Poverty Is Sexist campaign in solidarity #WithStrongGirls. The social media-driven platform asks young girls and women everywhere to strike a pose and post it online with the hashtag #Strengthie. Participants are encouraged to tag women in their lives whose strength they admire, and share a link to ONE.org so that friends and family can also join in the movement. Beyond the hashtag, though, Poverty Is Sexist asks the world to pay closer attention to global gender imbalances. According to the organization, nearly half of women’s skills are overlooked, compared to just 22 percent of men’s. Whether these gender prejudices come from cultural or legal institutions, the group’s campaign advocates for greater change across the board.

Women play vital roles in global markets. ONE reports that in Sub-Saharan Africa, half of the agricultural labor force is female. African women also contribute greatly to the health sector by being healthcare providers and primary caregivers.

Poverty Is Sexist is targeting the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals in order to safeguard the needs of women and girls.

Beyond Poverty Is Sexist, the ONE Blog shares how female empowerment is advancing around the world. There are stories of how breakdancing is encouraging physical and mental endurance among women, and how sewing machines are financing educational equality. The organization often spotlights independent blog publications; Indego Africa, a nonprofit social enterprise in Rwanda, published Photo Essay: Radiant Women of Rwanda, which was an exposé celebrating the 30 seamstresses working at the Umutima cooperative in Myamirambo, Kigali, Rwanda. The portraits drew upon the joy, pride and independence each woman possessed in her life.

– Lin Sabones

Sources: ONE 1, ONE 2, ONE 3, ONE 4, ONE 5, UNDP
Photo: New Internationalist

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Sexuality Education in Côte d’Ivoire Revamped by the Zero Pregnancies in School Campaign

Youth pregnancies in Côte d’Ivoire declined by an astounding 20 percent since the Zero Pregnancies in School Campaign began in 2013, according to the United Nations Population Fund. This campaign is part of a nationwide plan, supported with technical and financial assistance from UNFPA, to enable young people to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.

During the 2012-2013 academic year, 5,076 students became pregnant in primary or secondary school, reported the Ivorian Ministry of National and Technical Education. While the teen-age birth rate globally is 50 per 1,000 girls, in Côte d’Ivoire, the number is 125.

The 2013 UNFPA State of World Population report found that 7.3 million girls, 18-years-old and younger, give birth each year in developing countries. This reality is both a health issue as well as a development issue. Many pregnant girls are forced to drop out of school creating downward-spiraling repercussions of limited prospects.

“It is deeply rooted in poverty, gender inequality, violence, child and forced marriage, power imbalances between adolescent girls and their male partners, lack of education, and the failure of systems and institutions to protect their rights,” said Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, UNFPA Executive Director.

The high birth rates in Côte d’Ivoire undermine the country’s ability to take advantage of a demographic dividend. A demographic dividend is a window of opportunity to hasten economic growth when a population’s age structure shifts from one with fewer people of working age (15 to 65) to one with fewer dependent people (under 14 and over 65).

In response to this situation, the Ivorian Council of Ministers formally adopted the accelerated pregnancies reduction plan on April 2, 2014. The plan is a comprehensive program that integrates sexuality education in Côte d’Ivoire, teaching over several years starting in 4th grade to provide age-appropriate information at each stage.

Based on human rights principles, sexuality education encompasses more than sex education. The fundamental components of the curriculum feature the information about the human body, contraception and sexual and reproductive health. This includes knowledge about sexually-transmitted diseases and the effects of early pregnancy. The curriculum also addresses the issues of child marriage and gender-based violence so that human rights, gender equality and the empowerment of young people is advanced.

The comprehensive program offers other school activities beyond the classroom. Nationally, student clubs are being formed to raise awareness, and an arts and culture festival is planned where students can display their creative endeavors, such as plays, poems, stories and drawings about pregnancy in school. UNFPA has helped the government open a call center that provides free, confidential information. To disseminate information about health and services, various media, such as leaflets, videos, radio announcements and SMS messages will be disseminated.

Much of the needed education involves demystifying contraception and pregnancy. Amina, a pregnant student, revealed: “I did not take contraceptives because my mom told me that it might make me sterile.” Some girls are also told that not getting pregnant by age 15 or 16, “is a problem,” remarked Clarissa, 22.

The Zero Pregnancies in School Campaign was launched in Bondoukou, the most affected area in Côte d’Ivoire. Students in the region brought banners to the event with such messages as “Zero pregnancy in school, I endorse it,” “You don’t get a child pregnant” and “I am a child. A child doesn’t bear a child. A child goes to school to succeed.”

The government is making even further changes. Laws have been introduced that increase penalties for the sexual abuse of minors. Most significantly, this includes sanctions against teachers who abuse their students. Girls are often pressured into sex with teachers in order to get good grades.

Additionally, the government is planning to build better housing for the 10,000 to 15,000 students in cities that must board. This will enable the young students to have proper housing where boys and girls do not have to share a room.

The government also no longer expels girls when they are pregnant, and girls are returning to school after giving birth. Amina told UNFPA, “My mom takes care of my baby when I come to school.” Clarissa’s mom also takes care of her son. Clarissa explained to UNFPA that she still has her dreams: “I lost a school year,” but “I want to become a teacher.”

– Janet Quinn

Sources: UNFPA, UNFPA, Demographic Dividend, UNFPA
Photo: Flickr

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Specialized Healthcare for Transgender Troops

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A new study published earlier this month in the New England Journal of Medicine should dispel financial worries about allowing transgenders in military troops.

As the Pentagon moves to allow transgender people to serve in the U.S. military, debate has risen concerning the potential specialized healthcare they might require. This new study shows that the total cost of providing transition-related healthcare to transgender troops would be $5.6 million per year.

While that’s a high number, taken in the context of the entire U.S. military budget, it’s almost microscopic. The Defense Department’s annual healthcare budget currently sits at around $48 billion. When placed against this number, the potential $5.6 million required for transgender troops amounts to less than one-hundredth of a percent.

“Under any plausible estimation method, the costs are minimal,” Aaron Belkin, the study’s author, said in a statement. “Having analyzed the cost that the military will incur by providing transition-related care, I am convinced that it is too low to warrant consideration in the current policy debate.”

One of the criticisms being leveraged against this move is that the military will become a “magnet employer” for those seeking free health care. Belkin, however, denies this as a possibility, noting that the military has grown smaller over the years and that the Australian military has seen no negative impact from implementing the same reform.

According to the study, over roughly the past four years, 13 out of 58,000 total Australian troops underwent gender transition surgery. This averages out to around 1 soldier per 11,154 a year. In the United States, that ratio would be around 192 soldiers undergoing gender transition surgery annually out of a total 2,136,779 troops.

“What the research shows is that if you’re going to lift the ban, it doesn’t make sense to do so unless you also provide medically-necessary care,” Belkin said.

– Alexander Jones

Sources: Nejm, USA Today, Wall Street Journal
Photo: Russia Insider

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Helping Female Farmers in Tanzania

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Female farmers are often less successful than males mostly due to gender inequality. Females have greater difficulties in securing land rights and accessing the necessary resources to properly run a farm. In Tanzania, for example, female farmers produce 14% less than male farmers. In Africa, almost half of all agricultural workers are women; therefore, farms across the continent are not as productive as they could be.

If women were treated equally in the agricultural sector, farm production would increase by up to 30% per day and feed 150 million more people each day, which would have the power to drastically reduce world hunger.

Undoubtedly, the mention of “reality television” procures an image of Kim, Khloé and Kourtney or that HGTV series where they renovate rundown homes, but how can reality television fit into this issue? Well, in Tanzania, “reality television” resonates most closely with the popular series starring female farmers.

About 25 million people throughout Tanzania tune into Mama Shujaa wa Chakula, or Female Food Heroes. The show focuses on female farmers sharing farming techniques, attending agriculture training sessions and learning lessons on finance. Female Food Heroes also, of course, includes competitive challenges.

The entertainment of the show comes in the form of these challenges; this season, for example, participants must create a tool, test new cooking techniques and embark on a treasure hunt. The show will shoot for three weeks in August, where a winner is selected through viewer votes and a panel of judges.

Created by Oxfam, the series seeks to empower female farmers and educate them on progressive farming techniques, while providing the stars of the show a place to demonstrate and voice their agricultural aptitude. Oxfam is an international organization dedicated to ending global poverty, composed of 17 individual organizations working together with partners and communities.

Although about 75% of farmers in Tanzania are women, gender inequality overlooks their involvement. The show, however, spotlights and praises female farmers for their contributions and actually provides the means for them to efficiently farm.

The overall winner will receive a $10,000 cash prize, but other prizes include solar panels, irrigation tools and harvesting machines. Perhaps the greatest prize of all, however, is the status and respect each contestant leaves with. Female Food Heroes provides female farmers with the opportunity to fight against global poverty and gender biases.

– Sarah Sheppard

Sources: Take Part, PRI , OXFAM 1, OXFAM 2
Photo: Flickr

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Implementing Gender Sensitive Health Policy

Health Policy
A recent report, “Women and Health: the key for sustainable development,” emphasizes why gender-sensitive health policy is important. Gender-sensitive health policy answers the call to value women, compensate women, count women and be accountable to women.

In the past, women have been excluded from educational and economic opportunities, and this has contributed to the lack of development in many countries, as well as gender inequitable societies.

Oportunidades, a cash-transfer program in Mexico is an example of the kind of work that gender-sensitive health policy supports. Money is provided to families who ensure that their children attend school and maintain the health of their families. The project compensates for the obstacles that girls have traditionally faced in attending school (boys favored over girls) by providing larger benefits to families for specifically allowing their girls to attend school.

It is critical that the environment in which these types of policies are enacted is enabling. Women should be able to fulfill leadership roles in the development of these types of policies to ensure that their voices are heard.

When women secure leadership roles in family life, in addition to political efforts, they are more likely to make decisions that will benefit their communities.

For example, in the Philippines, the money that women provide for their families has helped to increase the consumption of protein and calories to avoid malnutrition.

Gender-responsive programs can be implemented in the agricultural sector. In Burkina Faso, plots owned by women are 30 percent smaller than men’s because they do not have access to the labor and fertilizer that men rely on. Programs that offered avenues for women to access labor and fertilizer for their land would minimize this disparity.

The Women and Health report’s significant conclusion states that gender-responsive policy can “accelerate sustainable development”. Women are valuable assets to their community. When this is recognized and addressed in policy, there is massive potential for a reduction in poverty and increased quality of life.

-Iliana Lang

Sources: The Lancet
Photo: Flickr

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Beijing’s Ban on Smoking

Ban_on_Smoking
Though the June 1st ban on smoking wasn’t the first of its kind in Beijing, it may be one of the most effective. The ban comes at a time when China has the highest number of male smokers. It is estimated that one-third of all cigarettes sold globally are produced by China National Tobacco Corporation, with 43% of tobacco produced in China.

The high rates of smoking in China, and in particular Beijing, are especially concerning. About 60% of male doctors smoke and few associate the habit with health problems other than vascular ones. Without the widespread knowledge and dissemination of the risks associated with tobacco smoking, people often have little incentive to stop.

China’s smoking problem is also largely a cultural one, concentrated in masculinity. While an estimated 45% of men smoke, only about 2.1% of Chinese women do. However, when looking at the plethora of health problems that stem from smoking, men, women, and children are all affected. The high volume of smokers combined with the thick covering of smog cloaking entire cities creates a pocket of pollution where the effects of second-hand smoke are exacerbated.

The latest ban introduced in Beijing bans all smoking in indoor places with an added level of severity-fines. People who act against the ban are subject to fines of $32 and businesses that allow people to smoke on their premises will be fined $1,600. In the past two months, about $16,000 has been collected in fines from the ban, but in the coming months that amount may rise. The Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning has discussed the possibility of increasing fines for individuals to $800. What’s more is that any person who violates the law three times is subject to being publicly named on a government website, a clause that aims to shame.

Upon the initial implementation, support was strong and people seemed excited. However, as is the case with most past similar bans, the popularity fades and as the attention slips away so does the people’s enthusiasm and commitment. On the contrary, this particular ban has shown more promise. Almost two months post-implementation, the ban still sees support from pop culture icons and a visible decline in indoor smoking. With Beijing getting a little extra focus from the Chinese government for being the capital, perhaps this particular ban will see greater success than past ventures. If the abstinence continues, Beijing will be able to serve as an example to other cities around the country, and the overall rate of smoking will likely decline.

Although such a decline in vast numbers of Chinese smokers will affect the nation’s economy slightly, the overall benefits to health seen in both men and women will create a healthier working class that will reciprocate any losses by boosting the workforce and spending. Also as smoking rates decline, women will face fewer health risks imposed by their male counterparts, which will make for a more fair environment for women, although China continues to struggle in gender equality, it is a step. Like all newly implemented programs and policies, the ban can only restrict smoking so far, but it is a very positive step for Beijing and for China. In order for China to fully reap all of the rewards from smoking reduction, a cultural change is needed, which is often times the harder of the two to enact.

– Emma Dowd

Sources: BBC, CNN, FP
Photo: Flickr

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Harry Styles Speaks In Video About Education

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On July 27, Harry Styles of One Direction spoke in a video sanctioned by his campaign, action/1D, about his views on global education and those who deserve a better quality of life.

“I want to live in a world where every child can go to school,” Styles said at the beginning of the video.

Styles, along with bandmates Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Niall Horan, recently launched the action/1D campaign to inspire fans and promote awareness for global education, poverty, climate change, disease and inequality.

With action/1D, supporters can get involved in the campaign by posting pictures and videos that correspond to a topic related to the cause. Fans of One Direction can also catch the boys in videos where each band member will begin with the phrase: “I want to live in a world where…”

In Styles’ video, he spoke about how much he enjoyed school, and the children that he met in Ghana who dream of getting an education. These children cannot afford school, Styles said, and they spend their days working instead of learning.

“At the moment, they have to work all day every day just to earn enough to eat,” Styles said.
The “What Makes You Beautiful” singer brings light to a continuing problem.

According to UNICEF, there are almost 624,000 children not in primary school. Those who do receive an education do not learn the tools required to be successful in secondary school or professional work.

“Often, the school environment is not conducive to learning: classes are overcrowded, water and sanitation facilities are lacking and trained teachers and school books are in short supply,” UNICEF reports.

For those children with disabiliites, education is even more difficult to attain. According to the 2010 national census, 20% of children with physical disabilities are not attending school.

In addition, gender inequality does not provide for an equal amount of girls in school as boys. The national average amount of education is seven years, and in Northern Ghana, girls attend school for just three years.

“Making education available to 100 percent of people around the world is one way to ensure that poverty declines,” the article said.

Along with The Borgen Project, Styles and other members of action/1D agree that education a key to ending extreme poverty. One Direction’s campaign, which is associated with a similar organization, action/2015, seeks to create a world where education, along with health, climate change and inequality, are no longer a problem.

This year, two U.N. summits will gather some of the most influential people in the world. During each conference, these leaders will formulate plans to fix these issues.

With the help of these conferences, numerous humanitarian organizations and Styles, extreme poverty just might end; as Styles pointed out in his video, this change can begin with education.

“Going to school could literally change their lives, but for now, all they can look forward to is a life of struggle, and they deserve so much more,” he said.

Action/1D asks fans of the band to group together to make a difference. To contribute to the cause and to learn more about the campaign, visit the action/1D website.

– Fallon Lineberger

Sources: Action/1D 1, Action/1D 2, Action/2015, The Borgen Project, United States Census, Twitter, UNICEF
Photo: Sugarscape

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Do Gender Equality Programs Work in Developing Countries?

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Until now, there has been no method to assess the effectiveness of Gender Equality Programs (GEPs) in developing countries. In July 2015, UN Women published a research report entitled “The Effect of Gender Equality Programming on Humanitarian Outcomes.” The researchers developed a unique assessment tool, Gender Intensity Measure, to analyze data and determine the degree to which gender equality and women’s empowerment are perceived to be effective by the beneficiaries of GEPs.

The research, commissioned by UN Women, was conducted by the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex in 2013 and co-funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development of Canada. IDS collected and analyzed information from four case-study locations: Nepal, the Philippines and two sites in Kenya: the county of Turkana and the Dadaab refugee camps.

The research study surveyed over 2,000 households in crisis and focus groups in the four locations. The Gender Intensity Measure interviewed women as well as men, humanitarian workers and community leaders to determine how gender-sensitive programs promote gender equality and empower women—and why.

The report confirms that the quality of life for all community members is improved with GEPs. The study measured improved humanitarian outcomes as well as gender equality for all community members. Specific examples of the effectiveness of GEPs from each of the four sites include:

In Nepal, women were able to afford school fees and supplies for their children because of programs that promote income-earning opportunities for women.

In the Philippines, hunger was decreased by 37 percent in households where women reported being more satisfied with the availability of gender equality programming.

In Dadaab refugee camps, 70-90 percent of pregnancy deliveries were attended by skilled personnel due to programs encouraging women to utilize safer delivery options.

In Turkana, the proportion of literate children per household rose by 4.8 percent, due to increasing the Gender Intensity Measure from low to high.

In the Philippines, Nepal and Turkana, women noted greater decision-making power when humanitarian services were considered to be gender-equal.

In Dadaab, women noted greater empowerment and young girls’ aspirations increased when women held leadership roles in the implementation of humanitarian services.

“The Effect of Gender Equality Programming on Humanitarian Outcomes” also provides guidance as to how to increase the effectiveness in the future. For example, two issues that need improvement are increasing awareness of GEPs and the involvement of men and boys in order to empower women.

Prior to this unique research, GEPs were measured only on paper by how well they prioritize gender equality programming according to the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Gender Marker. The Gender Marker rated aid proposals only to see if they were designed well, meaning if they would satisfactorily benefit women, men, girls and boys equally. The Marker also predicts (but does not measure) the effectiveness of a program.

Humanitarian programs that promote gender-sensitive programming are crucial to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. “Empowering women and girls is not only the right thing to do: It’s also smart economics and vital to ending poverty and boosting shared prosperity,” according to the World Bank.

– Janet Quinn

Sources: U.N. Women 1, U.N. Women 2, WHO Western Pacific Region, IRIN, World Bank
Photo: Why Poverty

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Ultimate Frisbee Encourages Prosperity in Chennai

Ultimate Frisbee Encouraging Prosperity in Chennai - TBPUltimate frisbee has been adopted in the slums of India as a team-building exercise to encourage unity and prosperity. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation sponsored the Sundance Institute Short Film Challenge in 2015, which gave immediate attention to “175 Grams,” a movie about ultimate frisbee and the team united by the sport.

Sports have rules and require dexterity. Ultimate frisbee gives players the freedom to set their rules without referees. It is a leisure sport in the United States, where teams wear matching uniforms and have decorated discs. Often times, events are scheduled at parks, where participants plan day-long activities.

The challenge by Sundance asked for submissions of videos or fictional narratives featuring positive stories about individuals or groups who are beating poverty. There were 90 countries that participated, but a moviemaker in India named Mirle won the competition with his documentary of teens in India’s slums who play ultimate frisbee.

Of the 1.1 billion residents in India, approximately 231,631,442 have been recorded as living in poverty, as of 2010. In coastal areas, fishermen live in depleted conditions. The environment deteriorates because it is vulnerable to natural disasters.

Manu Karan spent time in Boulder, Colorado and returned to Chennai, a city on the coast, in 2007 to complete his MBA program. He had learned how to play ultimate frisbee while in Colorado and brought the game back with him, becoming the founder and president of Chennai Ultimate Frisbee.

The city has 300 players and is home to most of India’s participants in the sport. Children of fishermen, ragpickers and shopkeepers watch other players and eventually join the fun.

Ultimate frisbee cut into bad habits adopted by teens, bringing purpose to lives that had previously felt directionless. These adolescents would often steal mangoes and get into fights on the streets. But all, even those who didn’t have shoes, televisions or enough money to play other sports, were welcome to play ultimate frisbee.

This sport can lift people out of poverty and halt repetitive bad habits. A code of ethics is passed on to both participant and bystander. “175 Grams,” the film created for the Sundance Institute Short Film Challenge, features a team called Fly Wild, where a certain player is determined to continue schooling and maintain a humble reputation.

Teams contain a mixture of social divisions. Many players have different backgrounds, speak different languages, follow different religions and have different amounts of wealth. Men and women are mixed together in teams. There are usually three women for every four men.

Because of this sport, teenagers are learning how to respect others and dress professionally. Nongovernmental organizations such as Pudiyador and IndiCorps are using the sport to educate youth about leadership practices, the importance of unity and gender equality.

Facing separate creeds used to be intimidating, but ultimate frisbee essentially forces others to interact or reconcile, ignoring these differences for the sake of sport. People from the slums and people from upper-middle class families inspire each other. The poor aspire to learn English and desire higher education and opportunity.

Dan Rule, the coach of Australian ultimate players, helped to develop low-cost ways to keep Chennai’s under-23 team players in shape since they do not have access to a gymnasium or other basic equipment. The players of the Australian ultimate team also donated cleats to the players.

It has been seven years since the game was introduced to Chennai. The players of India’s first under-23 team are scheduled to fly to London in mid-July for an opportunity to compete for the World Championship. They have already won 11th place in competition for the World Championship in Dubai.

There are approximately five million people enjoying the sport in the United States. Ultimate frisbee creates family ties, inspires children and gives adults the opportunity to share their excitement for the game.

Fly Wild and U23 are responsible for shaping lives. People in impoverished India are encouraged to rise out of poverty. Teams are inspiring and uniting the youth of their communities through the sport.

– Katie Groe

Sources: Global Post, Fast Company, Rural Poverty Portal, Huffington Post
Photo: Global Post