Archive for category: Women’s Empowerment

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Updates on SDG 5 in Bolivia: Small Loans Empower Women

SDG 5 in Bolivia
Nearly four in 10 women in Bolivia live in poverty. Fundación Jubileo analyzed 2024 data from Bolivia’s National Institute of Statistics. It found that 38.2% of women live in poverty, compared with 37.1% of men.

Sustainable Development Goal 5

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 aims “to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”

Updates on SDG 5 in Bolivia often focus on national data, but one organization shows how local work can contribute to the goal. Two educators founded Pro Mujer in El Alto in 1990. It reports reaching 1.8 million Bolivian women.

Why Poverty Hits Bolivian Women Harder

Fundación Jubileo links the gap to women’s lower access to formal jobs, their heavier load of unpaid work and barriers in the economy and education system.

According to UN Women’s undated country profile, Bolivian women aged 15 and older spend 23.1% of their time on unpaid care and domestic work. That is nearly double the 11.9% that men spend.

Many women turn to the informal economy to earn an income and provide for their families. According to an International Labour Organization study cited by United Nations Development Programme, eight in 10 Bolivian women work informally.

A 2024 UNDP study surveyed 818 informal women entrepreneurs in four cities: La Paz, El Alto, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz. It found that 73% work up to 72 hours a week and 76% are the heads of their households.

From El Alto to Bangladesh

Pro Mujer started when women in El Alto asked for financing to support their families and continue their education. In 1990, educators Lynne Patterson and Carmen Velasco were providing food to women living in poverty in the city.

In response to the women’s request, Patterson and Velasco traveled to Bangladesh. There, they learned how microfinance works from Muhammad Yunus. Yunus founded Grameen Bank and pioneered small loans for people living in poverty. The pair then brought the model back to Bolivia.

More than three decades later, the need remains urgent. In a 2023 commentary, Pro Mujer CEO Carmen Correa cited CAF figures showing that only 49% of women in Latin America and the Caribbean had a bank account. She also wrote that 70% of women entrepreneurs in the region had no access to financing.

Group Loans Without Collateral

Pro Mujer lends through communal banks. These are groups of women who lack collateral and support one another when a member cannot make a payment.

According to Pro Mujer General Manager Oscar Cabrera, trust between women replaces the property that banks usually require. Pro Mujer also pairs these loans with health services and business training.

This approach relates to SDG target 5.a, which calls for women’s equal access to “financial services.”

Pro Mujer became a regulated development finance institution in 2017. In November 2022, CAF approved a loan of about $3 million. The loan was intended to fund microloans for around 3,750 low-income clients, mainly women.

Results for Bolivian Women

Updates on SDG 5 in Bolivia rarely capture work at this local level. According to Pro Mujer, in 2022 it provided:

In a later announcement, Pro Mujer said five new branches brought its total in Bolivia to 53. Pro Mujer also reported that 82% of its clients said their quality of life had improved and 75% said their business income had increased.

According to its 2025 annual report, Pro Mujer provided more than 142,900 loans across Latin America that year. It disbursed more than $238.8 million and reached more than 221,000 people through its financial services programs.

Digitizing Tools for the Future

Updates on SDG 5 in Bolivia also point to new digital tools. Pro Mujer now offers QR code payments and customer service through WhatsApp. It also trains women to market their businesses on Facebook and TikTok. Its “Mujeres Plateadas” program teaches technology skills to women over 60.

This training relates to SDG target 5.b, which calls for using technology “to promote the empowerment of women.”

UNDP identifies older women with limited digital skills as one of the most vulnerable groups of informal workers.

According to Pro Mujer’s 2025 annual report, the organization has worked with 2.8 million women across Latin America over its history.

Pro Mujer’s journey began in 1990, when a group of women in El Alto asked for help. Today, it offers small loans, practical training and digital tools to women across Bolivia. For readers following updates on SDG 5 in Bolivia, its work shows how wider access to finance and technology can contribute to gender equality.

– Kerry Heywood

Kerry is based in London and focuses on Business and New Markets, and Technology and Solutions for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash

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Against All Odds – Supporting Women’s Education in Afghanistan

Women's Education in Afghanistan
Education for girls and women in Afghanistan has seen a dramatic reversal since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. During the previous two decades, access to education had expanded considerably. By 2021, almost one million girls were enrolled in secondary education. Since then, girls have been prevented from attending education beyond grade six, and women have been excluded from attending university since December 2022. Afghanistan is now the only country in the world where secondary and higher education is closed to girls and women.

This problem continues to grow in both scale and scope. UNICEF reported in August 2026 that more than 2.6 million girls had been denied secondary education since 2021. An April 2026 UNICEF analysis estimates that in 2024, 3.8 million girls aged 7–18 were out of school, including more than 2.6 million adolescent girls. Such restrictions illustrate the scale of the challenge facing aid organizations in providing women’s education in Afghanistan.

Efforts by UNICEF and UNESCO

UNICEF is one of the largest organizations supporting education in Afghanistan. For children unable to attend school, UNICEF supports community-based education, temporary learning spaces and other forms of alternative education. These programs allow children to continue learning outside formal school settings.

UNICEF also supports teachers, learning materials and education infrastructure. Its programs are particularly important for children living in rural or conflict-affected areas, where access to formal schools can already be difficult. In January 2026, UNICEF and UNESCO reported that approximately 2.2 million adolescent girls had been prevented from attending secondary school and emphasized the need to maintain access to primary education and alternative learning opportunities.

UNESCO has similarly developed community-based education, literacy, skills-development and vocational programs that can provide women’s education in Afghanistan. These are particularly important for women who have been excluded from universities and other formal education. UNESCO reported in 2026 that nearly 70,000 learners had benefited from its programs, with women representing approximately 73% of participants.

Local Initiatives and International Support

These initiatives provide an important educational lifeline, but they cannot completely substitute for formal secondary schools and universities. A girl studying through a community program does not necessarily receive the same qualifications or opportunities as someone attending a recognized secondary school.

Alongside large international organizations, Afghan-led groups have developed more discreet methods of keeping girls and women in education. Some operate virtual classrooms, while others provide small-scale community or underground education. These organizations can be difficult to identify publicly because revealing the identities of students, teachers or locations may expose participants to risks.

The Initiatives and Their Accomplishments

An Afghan activist and former teacher established Afghanistan Education Action (AEA) following the Taliban takeover. Its online school was established in 2021 and operates undercover due to restrictions on girls’ education. The school currently reports around 820 students attending daily lessons and more than 84 subjects. These include mathematics, science, computer science, English, Persian literature, art, philosophy, women’s health and calligraphy. Approximately 70% of its students are women and girls. Its international school also helps students work toward formal qualifications.

Other Afghan-led organizations use similar approaches. LEARN Afghan, for example, operates digital and community-based education programs, while Gahwara has developed virtual and in-person educational opportunities for girls and women. The discreet nature of some of these programs means that publicly available information about their scale is necessarily limited.

U.K.-based charity Children on the Edge (COTE) has played an important supporting role in Afghanistan Education Action. Following the establishment of the online school, Children on the Edge helped AEA develop its organizational structure, fundraising and administration. It also supported AEA in becoming an independent U.K.-registered charity and helped establish additional educational programs.

Children on the Edge reports that AEA’s online school provides daily education to more than 800 students. AEA reports more than 84 subjects and a network of more than 400 volunteer teachers and administrative staff. This type of support is significant because it attempts to go beyond simply providing lessons. AEA’s programs aim to preserve a pathway toward formal qualifications, higher education and international scholarships.

Community-Based Learning and Future Prospects

Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the UN global fund for education in emergencies, has also supported education programs in Afghanistan. Its approach focuses heavily on community-based learning, enabling children excluded from education to continue studying. Programs supported through ECW have reached hundreds of thousands of children, with girls making up a substantial proportion of those helped.

Large organizations such as UNICEF and UNESCO provide community-based education and support for primary-age children, while organizations such as AEA, LEARN Afghan and Gahwara attempt to reach older girls and women who have been excluded from formal education. Children on the Edge demonstrates how smaller international charities can support Afghan-led initiatives with funding, administration and international connections.

Ultimately, organizations working to provide women’s education in Afghanistan face many challenges which demonstrate both the importance and limitations of international intervention. Organizations operating on the ground help provide education, qualifications, technology and hope to thousands of girls, but they do not provide the same scale or recognition as a functioning national education system could. The long-term solution therefore remains the restoration of girls’ access to secondary and higher education, while organizations such as UNICEF, UNESCO, Afghanistan Education Action and their partners continue to provide alternative routes to learning in the meantime. Therefore, continued funding of such programs is vital in order to bridge that gap while restrictions on formal education for Afghan women remain.

– Mark Hooley

Mark is based in Edinburgh, UK and focuses on Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Women’s Economic Participation in Sao Tome and Principe

Women's Economic Participation in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe is a small island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western coast of Central Africa, with roughly 220,000 residents. Women’s economic participation in Sao Tome and Principe trails men’s on several measures. The World Bank’s Gender Data Portal indicates that although Sao Tome and Principe behaves similarly to other lower-middle-income countries, its performance on indicators related to women’s economic empowerment more closely resembles its low-income neighbors. The country, however, has made strong legislative strides to safeguard women’s rights, such as passing a Gender Parity Law and reforming labor codes. A more recent program developing women’s economic positions while supporting local agricultural businesses looks promising.

Where Inequality Stands

Women’s economic participation in Sao Tome and Principe is close to men’s on paper, but participation is low for everyone. Available World Bank indicators point to barriers to economic opportunity, although measures of employment, labor-force participation and earnings should not be treated as interchangeable. Among those who work, women are slightly more likely to be in vulnerable employment (35.8% versus 34.2%), and the 2025 youth unemployment rate was 9.4% for women and 8.3% for men. UN reporting indicates that women face economic disparities, but gross national income per capita is not a direct measure of the wage gap.

Educational attainment also paints a similar picture. Research that UNESCO conduced found that the gender gap in school exclusion has almost disappeared, with the out-of-school rate among girls of primary and secondary school age falling from 47% to 28%, compared to a rate of 27% among boys. However, while parity has been achieved in primary and lower secondary education, women trail behind men in educational attainment. Although enrollment numbers are equal at the start, post-secondary education remains scarce for women. With a high adolescent fertility rate, pregnancy remains one of the leading reasons girls leave school early, sharply lowering retention and transition rates into secondary education. Recognizing this, the Disciplinary Act was removed in 2020, which prohibited pregnant girls from attending classes or school activities.

The Gender Parity Law

Women’s economic participation depends partly on who makes public decisions and who holds public jobs. The Gender Parity Law, adopted in 2022, sets a minimum 40% representation threshold for women and men in covered political and public decision-making bodies. The National Assembly approved it unanimously on July 28, 2022, and it entered into force 60 days after its publication on Sept. 19. That was after the September 2022 election, in which women won 8 of 55 seats (14.5%), down from 25.4% in 2018.

The UN declares the government has met the 40% target, and the World Bank reported that women held 41.7% of ministerial positions in 2024, but only 14.5% of parliamentary seats. However, even though targets have been met, the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law 2026 report scored Sao Tome and Principe’s legal frameworks at 68 out of 100 and experts’ perceptions of enforcement at 48 out of 100. The parity law can affect representation, but it does not by itself demonstrate better employment or income outcomes. One of the largest new projects is in fishing, a sector the 2023-2027 National Development Plan prioritizes for poverty reduction, and the project’s funder has written women’s access into its design.

Investing in Fishing Communities

Fishing is important to livelihoods and food security, and the government is supporting infrastructure and training in the sector. The African Development Bank (ADB) approved a $21.9 million grant for the Blue Economy and Fisheries Infrastructure Rehabilitation and Maintenance (BEFIRM) project. Running from 2026 to 2030, it will rehabilitate three fishing ports, replace 400 wooden canoes with fiberglass vessels and add six cold storage facilities and four refrigerated trucks.

The ADB expects it to directly benefit 30,000 people along the fish value chain, mainly small-scale fishers, processors and traders. At least 50% of its training and cooperative support will target women and youth, with specific provisions for women-led small businesses and cooperatives. An ADB official said women are central to the fish value chain but struggle to access equipment, finance and markets, and that the project will give women fish traders and processors infrastructure, training and pathways to formalize and scale their businesses. These are targets, not results, and the ADB’s release does not say how many of the direct beneficiaries will be women. The ADB says the project aligns with the 2023-2027 National Development Plan, which prioritizes the blue economy for poverty reduction.

Looking Ahead

Both the parity law and the BEFIRM project are young, and neither has yet shown results for women’s incomes. Whether they improve women’s economic participation in Sao Tome and Principe will depend on how they are conducted in the coming years.

– Anjali Pathak

Anjali is based in London and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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South Sudan Women and Their Empowerment

South Sudan WomenAccording to the World Bank, around four in five people in South Sudan live in extreme poverty, among the highest rates in the world. Grassroots enterprise projects such as the South Sudan Women Social and Economic Empowerment Project (SSWSEEP) help women and their communities build local business skills so they can obtain jobs and rise out of poverty. FAO programs support women farmers and entrepreneurs with training in vegetable production, irrigation, climate-smart agriculture and livestock-related livelihoods to strengthen household nutrition and income. The Construction of Women Economic Empowerment Centers (WECCs) provides skills training, financial literacy and vital support services for survivors of gender-based violence (GBV).

South Sudan Women’s Social and Economic Empowerment Project

While the $70 million International Development Association (IDA) grant was approved in 2022, the current World Bank reporting describes the four-year SSWSEEP implementation as a $52 million project. While UN Women supports the implementation, the 2022 World Bank report says that the financing was an IDA grant. This support helps female entrepreneurs formalize and scale up their business activities and helps survivors of GBV access vital services that enable them to recover and rebuild their lives.

Survivors of GBV receive immediate safety and crisis intervention, health care and medical support, mental health and psychosocial support, and legal and economic empowerment. These services help women in poverty increase their social status in society. They provide access to education, training, business services and financing. As Aya Benjamin Warile, the Minister of Gender, Child and Social Welfare for South Sudan indicated, “empowering women to participate fully in civic and economic life will make South Sudan more prosperous and peaceful.”

Agricultural and Agrifood Training

FAO-backed programs are helping some women farmers move from subsistence production toward more climate-resilient, market-oriented agriculture through training, tools and field-based support. The FAO has supported South Sudan’s food security, resilience and climate-smart agriculture in response to conflict, displacement and climate shocks. The organization has also supported development in the livestock sector, which gives millions of people in South Sudan a vital source of food, income and cultural identity. These programs show how targeted agricultural support can strengthen resilience and income opportunities.

Community Centers and Safe Spaces

Empowering South Sudan’s women and girls is the first step in fostering peace. In a country where four out of five people are in extreme poverty, women and girls ravaged by conflict, submerged by floods, and affected by repeated natural and human-made disasters are now caregivers, breadwinners and protectors for families and communities. Survivor networks and referral services empower women to support each other in seeking safety and recovery from GBV. In the business sector, villages provide women with savings and loan associations that enable them to start profitable enterprises so they feed their families and send children to school.

The Women’s Social and Economic Empowerment Project (WSEEP), in collaboration with the World Bank and UN Women, has four components that show the steps to empower women. The project centers on providing community empowerment support to women and girls, establishing a women’s economic opportunity facility, enhancing services for survivors of GBV and strengthening the institutional capacity of the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare.

Women’s Economic Community Centers

The construction of five new women’s economic community centers (WECCs) in states across the country will enable the provision of social and economic services for women and girls at satellite sites in these states. The WECCs will offer integrated services such as starter kits and grants, GBV response and referrals, and training in business, leadership, financial literacy, advocacy, and peacebuilding. The second component of WSEEP allows technical assistance and grants for women-led small and growing businesses. Enterprises will be sustained through crucial investments such as purchasing key equipment, accessing digital technologies and upskilling staff.

Services for GBV Survivors

The third component of WSEEP provides critical services for GBV survivors, including a national GBV hotline and the establishment of a new safe house for survivors in Juba. The hotline gives GBV survivors access to psychosocial support, health, police, child support, legal aid, and shelter offered by a toll-free 24/7 line. The safe house provides affordable basic protection services and resources like accommodation, protection, clothing, medical care and counseling and legal support.

Policymaking

Under the fourth component, the Ministry for Gender, Child and Social Welfare focuses on policymaking and coordination on South Sudan women empowerment issues. The component trains and accredits ministry social workers to address GBV cases, support family mediation, meet ministry needs and finance training, workshops and conferences. By addressing the weaknesses and strengths of the challenges that women in the poverty-stricken country of South Sudan face, the WSEEP aims to help South Sudanese women live better, more productive lives.

– Stephanie Ou

Stephanie is based in San Jose, California/Santa Clara County, United States and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Women’s Employment and the Gender Wage Gap in Djibouti

Gender Wage Gap in DjiboutiWomen in Djibouti face barriers that can make it harder to find stable jobs and earn an income. Although Djibouti has laws supporting equal pay, there is not enough recent data to calculate a reliable direct gender wage gap. Instead, available data show differences in employment and informal work between women and men. These differences can help show some of the larger challenges women face in the labor market.

The World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law data gave Djibouti a score of 87.5 out of 100 in 2025 for its legal framework on pay. This score measures whether certain laws supporting equal pay are in place. It does not measure how much women and men actually earn or whether employers consistently enforce equal-pay laws. Therefore, the score shows the country’s legal framework but cannot be used as a measurement of Djibouti’s actual gender wage gap.

Unemployment

One challenge facing women in Djibouti is unemployment. According to the UN Women Data Hub, the unemployment rate for women ages 15 and older was 35.9% in 2017, compared with 22.1% for men. These figures are from 2017, so they should not be treated as current 2026 unemployment rates. However, they show that women faced higher unemployment than men in the available data.

Women also had a higher rate of informal employment. In 2017, 64.9% of women’s non-agricultural employment was informal, compared with 45.3% for men. Informal employment can make it harder for workers to access protections and stable employment conditions. More recent information is needed to determine how these differences have changed.

The lack of current gender data is another challenge. UN Women reports that Djibouti has gaps in important gender-related data, including information about the gender pay gap. Without reliable and updated information about wages and employment, it is difficult to measure the size of the pay gap or track changes over time.

What the Data Can Tell Us

The available information does not provide a reliable current percentage for the gender wage gap in Djibouti. However, the differences in unemployment and informal employment show that women and men do not have the same experiences in the labor market.

The World Bank’s 2026 Djibouti Economic Monitor also reports that unemployment is particularly high among women and young people and that informal employment remains widespread. The report uses evidence from Djibouti’s first nationally representative Labor Force Survey, providing newer information about the country’s labor market.

Collecting more information about women’s and men’s wages, occupations, working hours and access to different types of employment could make it easier to understand pay differences in Djibouti. Better data could also help policymakers identify areas where women face the greatest barriers.

A Program Supporting Women’s Economic Opportunities

One example of an initiative addressing women’s economic opportunities in Djibouti is the World Bank-supported Djibouti Support for Women and Youth Entrepreneurship Project. The project was approved in 2018 with $15 million in financing. It aimed to improve economic opportunities for women and young entrepreneurs by supporting new businesses, entrepreneurship training and access to financing.

The project worked with entrepreneurs through training, business-development services, grants and business-plan competitions. By the time of its completion, 2,359 beneficiaries had received grants, with women making up 60% of grant recipients. The project also provided 4,938 training-completion certificates and supported the registration of 740 new businesses. Women accounted for 55% of the entrepreneurs accessing project-supported services who registered new businesses.

These results show how programs can address some of the barriers that limit women’s participation in the economy. The project focused on helping women gain business skills and access to financial resources rather than directly measuring or closing a gender wage gap. Since Djibouti still lacks reliable direct pay-gap data, programs like this provide one way to expand women’s economic opportunities while better employment data is collected.

Looking Ahead

The gender wage gap in Djibouti cannot currently be measured reliably because important wage data are missing. However, available employment data show differences between women and men in unemployment and informal employment.

Improving gender-related labor data would make it easier to identify pay differences and track progress. At the same time, programs that provide women with business training, financing and employment opportunities can help address some of the barriers they face in the labor market.

Djibouti’s legal framework also provides a starting point. The country received an 87.5 out of 100 score for its legal framework on pay in the World Bank’s 2025 data, but that score does not show whether women and men actually receive equal wages. Combining legal protections, programs that expand women’s economic opportunities and better data collection could provide a clearer picture of women’s employment and pay equality in Djibouti.

– Neha Veerepalli

Neha is based in Redmond, WA, USA and focuses on Good News and Celebs for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Women Entrepreneurs in Fiji and Economic Opportunity

Women Entrepreneurs in FijiWomen entrepreneurs in Fiji are playing an increasingly important role in the country’s economic development, particularly through tourism and small businesses. Across urban centers, rural communities and local markets, women are creating businesses that provide income for their families while contributing to their communities and the wider economy. However, many women continue to face barriers to finance, markets, training and technology.

The Growing Role of Women in Fiji’s Economy

Women already make a significant contribution to Fiji’s business sector. In 2024, the Fijian government reported more than 5,500 registered women involved in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), alongside 18,742 self-employed women and 4,650 women working in handicrafts. Tourism provides important opportunities for women to turn traditional skills, local knowledge and cultural practices into income. Women participate through handicrafts, food businesses, cultural experiences, accommodation and tour services. These enterprises can connect rural and maritime communities with both local and international visitors. When women generate their own income, they can also strengthen household financial security and create opportunities for others in their communities.

Women’s Entrepreneurship and Poverty

Supporting women entrepreneurs in Fiji is also relevant to poverty reduction. Poverty remains a significant challenge in Fiji, with 24.1% of the population living below the national poverty line in 2019-20, according to the World Bank. Poverty was even higher in rural areas of Fiji’s main islands, at 36.2%, and reached 39.2% in the outer islands. Supporting women entrepreneurs in these communities can help create household income and local employment opportunities, linking women’s economic empowerment with broader poverty-reduction efforts. Entrepreneurship cannot eliminate poverty by itself, but sustainable women-owned businesses can provide additional household income and create economic activity within communities. This is particularly relevant in rural areas, where tourism, agriculture, handicrafts and food businesses can provide alternatives to limited employment opportunities.

Barriers Women Entrepreneurs Face

Despite their contribution, women continue to experience significant challenges when starting and expanding businesses. Women-owned MSMEs represent 19% of MSMEs in Fiji and face an estimated $111 million in unmet credit demand. Limited collateral and traditional lending requirements can make it difficult for women to access finance. Women also face unequal unpaid care responsibilities. UN Women reports that women and girls aged 15 and older in Fiji spend 13.9% of their time on unpaid care and domestic work, compared with 4.9% for men. Limited access to digital technology and e-commerce is another challenge, particularly for tourism businesses that increasingly depend on online marketing, digital payments and booking platforms.

Training and Organizations Supporting Women

Training can help women develop the skills needed to build sustainable businesses. In 2024, Fiji’s Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection, with support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, provided women in villages in Moala with training in bookkeeping, marketing, branding, inventory management and saving strategies. There are also measurable results from financial-literacy programs. UN Women reported that 190 women from four Fijian markets applied financial-literacy skills in 2024. Of these, 75 transitioned to formal banking through a structured savings program, while 90 vendors began using digital tracking tools and organized financial records. The Women Entrepreneurs Business Council (WEBC) supports women through training, networking and connections to business-support organizations. It has also worked with the Fiji Development Bank, recording measurable progress in expanding finance for women entrepreneurs. By November 2023, the Fiji Development Bank had approved more than 1,000 loans specifically for women-owned businesses, worth approximately FJ$2.5 million. By 2024, the number of active women-led accounts had risen to 2,943, compared with 490 in 2021, while women accounted for 30.31% of the bank’s total loan portfolio value. FemLINK Pacific is another organization supporting women’s participation and leadership in Fiji. Through its community media and development work, FemLINK helps women in rural and marginalized communities have greater opportunities to share their experiences, participate in decision-making and raise issues affecting their livelihoods. This type of community-level support can complement financial and business programs by strengthening women’s voices and connections within their communities.

Expanding Access to Finance

Fiji has also introduced its first MSME Strategic Plan for 2025-2030 and a National MSME Database, intended to improve access to government support for entrepreneurs, including women-led businesses in rural and maritime areas. These initiatives demonstrate why supporting women entrepreneurs in Fiji requires more than providing loans. Women also need access to training, technology, markets, networks and opportunities to participate in economic decision-making. Tourism offers a particularly important pathway because women can build businesses around Fiji’s local products, culture and knowledge while connecting directly with visitors. Women are business owners, market vendors, producers and community leaders. With stronger access to finance, training, technology and markets, more women entrepreneurs in Fiji could develop sustainable businesses, strengthen household incomes and contribute to more inclusive economic development.

– Lilia Clark

Lilia is based in Oxford, UK and focuses on Business and New Markets for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Pexels

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Roots of South Sudan: Beadwork Offering Independence

Roots of South SudanYears of economic hardship and violence have severely impacted South Sudanese livelihoods. Prolonged instability and extensive displacement have uprooted millions of people from their homes, disrupted economic activity and increased economic insecurity. The World Bank reports that conflict and significant economic dislocation contributed to South Sudan’s poverty headcount rising from 51% in 2009 to 82% in 2016.

Women’s financial stability is further affected by conflict and displacement, which can worsen existing inequalities. Against the backdrop of the country’s escalating humanitarian crisis, UN Women reports that women and girls face particular challenges.

Displacement, however, does not take away women’s existing skills and knowledge. Some South Sudanese women are using traditional beadwork to turn a cultural skill into a source of income. Roots of South Sudan is a craft-based organization founded in Juba in 2009 that provides employment opportunities through traditional handicrafts such as beadwork for internally displaced South Sudanese women, as well as Sudanese and Ethiopian refugee women.

The organization helps displaced women turn their existing skills into income while maintaining cultural traditions by connecting traditional handicrafts with resources and wider markets.

Economic Barriers Facing Displaced Women

Conflict and displacement can disrupt livelihoods, making it more difficult for women to access the resources needed to provide a consistent income. Only five percent of women in South Sudan had an account with a formal financial institution in 2017, compared with 13% of men. The World Bank also notes that women’s participation in income-generating activities is limited by restricted access to markets, financial services, business training and productive resources. UN Women notes that access to capital, savings and skills can help displaced women increase their economic stability and diversify their sources of income.

Despite these barriers, South Sudanese women continue to draw on skills that can support their livelihoods. For example, women have passed traditional beadwork from one generation to the next, preserving a skill that can also provide an opportunity to generate income. Andariya documents the relationship between women’s livelihoods, cultural continuity and beadwork.

From Traditional Skill to Livelihood

Launched in Juba in 2009, Roots of South Sudan uses traditional beadwork to provide economic opportunities for internally displaced South Sudanese women from various ethnic backgrounds, as well as Sudanese and Ethiopian refugee women. Roots of South Sudan reports that its programs have provided economic, educational and trauma-healing assistance to more than 500 women, including internally displaced and refugee women.

Roots supports women in turning their existing skills into products that can reach wider markets by providing materials, training and other forms of support.

Market access is a key part of this model. Through its partnership with MADE51, a UNHCR initiative that helps refugee artisans reach international markets, Roots connects artisans with customers outside South Sudan.

Through collaborations such as the IBU Movement, Roots also provides opportunities for training, product development and capacity building. These forms of support allow women to build on existing skills while creating opportunities to earn an income from their work.

According to Roots of South Sudan, its members have generated more than $950,000 in direct income since 2011, with each member’s income estimated to support six to 10 family members. The income generated through beadwork can therefore extend beyond individual artisans to support households that depend on their earnings.

Rebuilding Independence and Community

Roots’ model focuses on building on displaced women’s existing skills rather than treating them solely as recipients of aid. Its Juba center brings together women from different South Sudanese communities, giving them opportunities to work together and exchange cultural knowledge and experiences.

Garland highlights how artistic activities such as beading can create spaces where South Sudanese women interact, share knowledge and discuss their experiences and culture. For women who have experienced displacement, these spaces can give traditional craft a role beyond income generation while helping maintain cultural connections and relationships across communities.

Preserving Culture

South Sudanese beadwork has cultural significance in addition to its value as a handcrafted product. While the practice itself is passed down from one generation to the next, beads, colors and designs can convey identity, social belonging and traditions. Cultural Survival and the Metropolitan Museum of Art document the cultural significance of beadwork across African communities.

For displaced women, continuing these practices can provide a way to build on existing skills while maintaining connections to their cultural heritage. Research on South Sudanese beadwork also shows how women adapt the craft as their circumstances change.

The expansion of traditional craft markets can create income opportunities while also raising questions about cultural ownership and fair compensation for artisans. Africa Press highlights the commercial potential of South Sudanese crafts, while Roots of South Sudan describes how the organization provides materials and helps artisans sell their work domestically and internationally.

Beadwork therefore carries both cultural and commercial significance, allowing a skill passed down through generations to become a potential source of income.

Craft-Based Livelihoods

Beadwork alone cannot solve the underlying causes of poverty, violence and displacement in South Sudan. However, when women have the means and opportunity to earn from skills they already possess, craft-based work can contribute to rebuilding their livelihoods. In addition to teaching women how to produce crafts, Roots’ production model helps remove some of the practical obstacles that can prevent women from engaging in paid employment by providing childcare, meals and transportation alongside organized orders and access to materials.

Other livelihood projects similarly combine skills development with practical financial support. For instance, UNHCR has provided start-up grants, digital access and vocational training to refugees and host communities. These examples suggest that the viability of craft-based livelihoods depends not only on the skill itself but also on creating the conditions that allow women to turn that skill into a steady source of income.

Final Thoughts

Conflict and displacement can take away livelihoods and increase economic insecurity for women and their families, but they do not take away the skills women already possess. Beadwork demonstrates how these existing skills can generate income while helping women rebuild their livelihoods and maintain cultural traditions. Roots’ experience suggests that addressing poverty does not always require women to start from scratch; economic opportunities can also be built around the knowledge and skills they already possess.

– Zeba Vagh

Zeba is based in Melbourne, Australia and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Remittance to Nepal Grows Safer as Transfers Go Digital

Remittance to NepalAfter eight years working in hospitality in Japan and South Korea, Surendra Bal returned home and opened a guest house in Bhojpur district, sourcing vegetables and meat from his own farm instead of buying them elsewhere. “I am able to serve organic meals to my guests,” Bal, 48, told the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in 2022, adding that the arrangement also creates work for his neighbors.

In hill villages across Nepal, a monthly transfer from a family member working in Qatar or Malaysia often decides whether a household eats well, keeps a child in school or repairs a leaking roof. Remittances to Nepal now reach well over a third of the country’s households, and new research shows the money is arriving faster, cheaper and more securely than at any point in the past 30 years, partly thanks to a new generation of digital transfer systems.

A Quarter of the Economy

Remittance to Nepal accounted for 26.3% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023, one of the highest ratios in the world, according to a June 2025 report by the Centre for the Study of Labour and Mobility (CESLAM). Nepali migrant workers sent home approximately $10.76 billion that year, a sum exceeding the combined value of Nepal’s foreign aid, tourism income and exports. Drawing on four editions of the Nepal Living Standards Survey, the report notes that the share of households receiving remittances increased from 10.8% in 1996 to 35.6% in 2023, while the average amount received per household rose by 17 times over the same period, from 18,215 Nepalese rupees (about $330) to more than 315,000 Nepalese rupees (about $2,413).

A Growing Role for Women

Women remitters represent a small yet rapidly growing share of the total. Only 4.5% of remitters were women in 2004, and they contributed only 1.3% of the total value remitted that year. By 2023, women made up 19.9% of remitters and accounted for 10.4% of remittances sent to Nepal, reflecting a broader rise in women’s labor migration over the same period. Women remitters still transfer smaller average amounts than men, mostly because more of them work in lower-paying jobs or in India, where wages for migrant labor remain relatively low.

Formal Channels Replace Informal Ones

The formalization of remittance to Nepal has accelerated sharply over the past decade. Informal channels made up just 7% of the money entering the country in 2023, a drop from 30% in 2011. These informal channels include personal couriers, cash carried home by returning workers and hundi, an unregulated network of brokers who move money between countries through trusted contacts rather than physically transferring cash, verified using a code passed between sender and recipient. Banks and licensed remittance service providers now carry 92.8% of the total value of remittance to Nepal. Recipient households cited daily consumption as the leading use of that income (72.3%), followed by loan repayment tied to the cost of migration itself.

Provincial Gaps Remain

These benefits do not reach every part of the country evenly. Households in Gandaki, Koshi and Bagmati provinces received an average of more than 400,000 Nepalese rupees (about $3,000) in 2023, while those in Sudurpaschim, Karnali and Madhesh received roughly half that amount (about $1,500). The gap traces back largely to destination, meaning migrants from lower-receiving provinces more often work in India, where average earnings and remittance amounts fall short of those from the Gulf states, Malaysia or higher-income countries such as Australia and Japan.

A New Digital Corridor

A new digital payment corridor could help to close the gap. In June 2026, the Nepal Clearing House Limited (NCHL) and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launched a real-time digital remittance service linking Nepal’s National Payments Interface with India’s Unified Payments Interface, targeting the single largest and lowest-earning corridor in Nepal’s remittance system.

Nepal and India conduct an estimated $1.5 billion to $2 billion in annual financial transactions, with much of it still carried in cash across the open border, according to NCHL Chief Executive Officer Neelesh Man Singh Pradhan. The new system lets Nepali workers in India send money directly through mobile banking apps instead. Eight Nepali banks, including Nabil Bank, Everest Bank and more, connect to the platform, and each transaction carries a service charge of just 150 Indian rupees (about $1.55). Nepal Rastra Bank designed the service to discourage informal networks like hundi and to give migrant workers greater control and security over their earnings, according to central bank spokesperson Guru Prasad Paudel.

Closing the Rural Gap

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have pushed for similar progress nationwide. The two organizations convened a panel in 2024 that found rural financial inclusion still trails urban areas by 10 percentage points and that high transfer costs continue to push some remitters toward informal channels. Government incentives, such as preferential access to company share offerings for migrant workers, are helping narrow that gap alongside continued investment in digital transfer systems.

Looking Ahead

As more of the money flowing into Nepal moves through transparent, low-cost digital corridors, the millions of families who depend on remittance to Nepal stand to keep more of what their families abroad send home, and to receive it faster and more safely than ever before.

– Naveeshaa Rengasamy

Naveeshaa is based in Lille, France and focuses on Global Health and Celebs for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Updates on SDG 5 in Haiti  

SDG 5 in HaitiThe United Nations’ fifth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 5) aims to achieve gender equality through the empowerment of women and girls. It involves addressing concerns such as gender-based violence, maternal health, economic opportunity and representation in government.

In Haiti, the achievement of SDG 5 and other development goals has been hindered by decades of political instability, social unrest and natural disasters. Some of the main barriers to women’s equality in Haiti include widespread sexual violence and limited access to economic opportunities. 

SDG 5 Indicators in Haiti

Despite progress in some areas, the Sustainable Development Report asserts that major challenges remain for Haiti’s achievement of SDG 5. This assessment is based largely on the following indicators:

  • Maternal Health – Haitian women have poor access to maternal health services and limited agency over decisions regarding their own health care. As a result, Haiti has a lifetime maternal death risk of one in 67, the second highest outside of Sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Education – Gaps in educational attainment between boys and girls have narrowed in recent decades, as school attendance has increased overall. However, adult men are more likely to have completed secondary and tertiary schooling, reflecting women’s historic disadvantage. In 2017, 26.1% of men in urban areas had pursued higher education compared to 14.9% of women.
  • Employment Opportunities – Relative equality for women in terms of labor force participation has been achieved. However, gendered segregation within the labor market confines women to certain low-wage industries, such as retail, trade and textile manufacturing.
  • Representation in Government – The Haitian Constitution requires that women hold at least 30% of posts in public administration. Haiti’s Parliament, last active in 2019, failed to meet this quota, with women holding 2.5% of lower house seats and 3.6% of senate seats.

Seven male members made up the Transitional Presidential Council, which originated in 2024 to reestablish democracy amidst the ongoing power vacuum and rise of armed gangs.

Haiti’s Current State: Displacement and Sexual Violence 

Since the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, armed gangs have gained control more than 90% of the capital, Port-au-Prince and major roads throughout the country. As of October 2025, gang violence had forcibly displaced 1.4 million people.

In this climate of violence and instability, women and girls are especially vulnerable. In makeshift camps, a lack of security puts women at risk of sexual violence. Armed gangs often use rape as a tactic of fear or coercion. Of the 5,857 reported cases of sexual assault in 2024, 64% were attributed to armed gangs and 61% of victims were internally displaced persons.

Survivors of sexual violence lack support and legal recourse, as systems for addressing sexual abuse in the camps are lacking or nonexistent. U.N. programs currently in place aim to train police officers to prevent sexual violence.

Moving Forward: UN Efforts and Haitian-Led Organizations

The United Nations currently has a number of programs in place to make progress towards SDG 5 in Haiti. Current UN Programmatic Interventions aim to address sexual and gender-based violence in Haiti, protect and empower displaced women, and enable women’s political participation.

Several Haitian-based organizations, many of them women-led, are working to address these issues on the ground. 

Nègès Mawon, a female-founded organization, has been working since 2015 to provide support to survivors of sexual violence, including medical care, legal support, economic assistance and psychological services. The organization’s safe houses provide a refuge for women escaping domestic and gang violence. In reference to the ongoing state of violence and instability in Haiti, co-founder Pascale Solages stated, “Women and girls are the first victims of this crisis.” In 2024, Nègès Mawon provided support to 1,800 women and girls. 

Another Haitian-based feminist organization is Marijàn, which originated in 2020 to promote gender equality and defend the rights of women and girls in Haiti. The organization’s program on gender-based violence provides psychological, legal and medical support to survivors. Marijàn uses education programs, community mobilization and political advocacy to further its mission of justice and dignity for women and girls in Haiti.

Although many challenges remain and Haiti is not on track to achieve SDG 5 by 2030, the efforts of United Nations agencies and Haitian-based NGOs have the potential to address the current humanitarian crisis in Haiti and its disproportionate effects on women.

– India Kaz

India is based in Seattle, WA, USA and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash

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Stitch by Stitch: Afghan Women Fight Poverty with Zardozi

ZardoziAccording to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), nearly 85% of Afghan women rely on less than $1 a day to successfully support their families while facing barriers to education, employment or economic authority within the household. Since 2020, the UNDP reports that Afghanistan that a devastating 29% economic downturn has gripped the nation, prompting women to find creative solutions in their fight against poverty.

Cherma Dozi, a well known and traditional Afghan embroidery style, celebrates underappreciated culture in the Middle East. It stands as one of many Zardozi patterns that showcases regional culture and beauty. Taking advantage of this common hobby is Zardozi, which is a nongovernmental organization (NGO) that takes its name directly from the Afghan embroidery it promotes. It teaches women and girls in Afghanistan to create traditional stitching, protecting their economic opportunities under an oppressive government. This organization seeks to help women and girls find viable employment, participate in local markets and amplify their voices in the government.

Protecting Women

Zardozi embroidery utilizes basic fabrics that often fill Afghan homes and in local markets. Located in community spaces, Zardozi runs an embroidery business program, teaching women to sell their creations for profit. By learning how to sew this embroidery upon dresses, shirts and traditional attire, the program helps the girls to become proficient in sewing, embroidery and business skills. Nearly 1,000 Afghan women participate in the program. They currently operate four main centers in the cities of Kabul, Mazar, Jalalabad and Herat. These women also earn grants of $100 to get started. Notably, Zardozi formulates connections with local merchants and stores to purchase their goods.

Zardozi invites all women to participate, from advanced to beginners, all women, no matter their age. Nearly 2.2 million Afghan girls receive no formal schooling, emphasizing the importance of these programs. Serving as a vital alternative to typical school, these women learn, bond and grow as empowered leaders. By partnering with local markets, these women gain economic footing under an oppressive government. They develop a larger societal presence, stable connections and continued business growth even after graduating out of the program.

Preserving Culture

Historians believe Zardozi originated in Persia, and it remains a popular Middle Eastern embroidery technique. Throughout generations, women pass down familial techniques, formulating unique designs based on regional location and cultural lineage. More than 500 years old, Zardozi derives its name from two Persian words: “zar,” meaning gold, and “dozi,” meaning embroidery. It has appeared throughout history on traditional, royal attire for Asian countries. Using stones, beads and metallic thread, Zardozi creates stacked designs with layers of details and heavy material. Designs leap from the outfit, often favoring bright colors to symbolize luck and creativity.

Utilizing this ancient technique as a business foundation, Zardozi preserves key Afghan culture in the process. According to the University of London, traditional Afghan embroidery faces the risk of dying out due to a lack of interest from younger generations, volatile markets and competition from machine made products. Zardozi empowers these women to commercialize their products, protecting this vital craftsmanship from extinction.

Helping Afghanistan

Zardozi’s program transforms a traditional hobby into a powerful monetary asset, tackling systemic poverty in an innovative way. The program equips Afghan women with the market tactics, accounting basics and business skills to develop a sustainable livelihood.

As families pass down unique forms of Zardozi stitching from generation to generation, they teach young girls these sustainable practices allow them to support themselves while keeping their heritage alive. With Zardozi, women learn key skills and receive essential monetary support to combat local poverty, moving them one step closer to true economic gain, stability and a brighter future for all in Afghanistan.

– Maya Tung

Maya is based in Summit and focuses on Good News and Technology for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Pixabay