Closing the Gender Gap

Closing
the
gender
gap
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Closing
the
gender
gap
Copyright © 2016 Adam Smith International
The material in this publication does not imply the expression of any opinion
whatsoever on the part of Adam Smith International. Maps represent approximate
border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement. All reasonable
precautions have been taken by Adam Smith International to verify the information
contained in this publication. However, the published material is being distributed
without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied.
Results expressed in this publication are from Adam Smith International
implemented programmes in 2014/5
3

gend
gen der
/d ndə/
noun
3
4

er
the physical and/or social condition of
being male or female
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Adam Smith International has spent the last 20 years dedicated to reducing aid
dependency in some of the world’s most complex environments. We are wholly
committed to sustainable development that addresses the underlying causes of
poverty, but this will not be possible without addressing gender inequality.
Equality benefits everyone, not just women. If girls’ attendance in secondary
education increases by just 1%, a country’s entire GDP can increase by 0.3%;
if women farmers have the same access to land and fertilisers as men, then
agricultural output could increase by 4%. This is why we are working to fix systemic
challenges that cause gender disparity.
A child’s access to education is a human right, yet 62 million girls are out of school.
Pakistan is still a key country of concern, but we have already made significant
progress towards increasing female enrolment in primary and secondary school.
Recognising that some cultural norms require women to be educated separately from
boys, we partnered with the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to establish 1,000
community schools for girls. We also launched a voucher scheme in six districts,
enabling girls who cannot access government schools to attend low cost private
schools. As a result of these initiatives 42,000 more girls are now in primary school.
A further 406,712 girls have received stipends to support their secondary schooling.
We also worked with the Government to monitor 28,000 public schools for the first
time, resulting in a 26% increase in student attendance. In Punjab, we worked with
the Government to provide free schooling for children in communities more than
1km away from an existing school, and at the same time, to mobilise communities to
demand better education for all children, especially girls.
When we invest in women and compensate for historical and social disadvantages,
countries prosper and poverty is reduced. All too often, women’s economic
contributions go unquantified, their work is undervalued and their potential left
unrealised. Our broad range of private sector development programmes are
supporting adolescent girls and women obtain high quality skills and transition into
formal employment and ensuring women are not excluded from economic markets.
Our work in Nigeria alone has increased the incomes of over 393,000 women by an
overall total of more than US $25million .
Violence against girls and women has a profoundly negative impact on the
individual, family, community – and national development. Women who experience
physical or sexual violence – over 1 in 3 globally – are less likely to complete their
education, find it harder to earn a living, and are more vulnerable to maternal death.
We are working to strengthen women’s representation, and professional capacity in
key security and justice institutions in Afghanistan, Malawi and Somaliland.
We are proud of our achievements so far, but recognise there is more to do. Key
areas of development, such as climate change, extractives and governance have
historically been viewed as gender neutral, or even gender blind. We aim to go
beyond what is expected of us as a development partner to ensure women play
a central role in all our work. We have collected the thoughts and experiences of
international experts and shared our lessons and case studies from across the world
to contribute to the gender debate and, hopefully, show the possibility of equality, for
the benefit of all.
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34
44
56
68
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ECONOMIC GROWTH
EDUCATION
GOVERNANCE
JUSTICE & SECURITY
CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
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ECONOMIC
© Richard Broom
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GROWTH
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© R A Sanchez – istock
49% of the world’s working women are in
vulnerable employment.
Less than 20% of landholders are women.
Women spend at least 16 million hours a
day collecting drinking water. Men spend
just 6 million hours.
ECONOMIES HAVE
THE TYPES OF
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LAWS THAT RESTRICT
JOBS WOMEN CAN DO
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Making markets work for women
The global labour market is failing women. Only 50% of women are
engaged in work worldwide. Women remain more vulnerable to
exploitation and violence and are often unable to access lucrative
industries. It doesn’t stop there: globally, women earn about 23%
less than men.
Yet, women are a powerful economic resource. Increasing the
participation of women in the labour market can stimulate growth
and increase household incomes worldwide, and as managers
of household finances, boost the amount of money available for
children’s education. Undoubtedly – everyone is better off when
women earn.
In agriculture, women make up 43% of the labour force in
developing countries, but statistics often underestimate the amount
of work women actually do. Despite many women being excluded
from formal, big corporate markets, there is a huge opportunity for
women to strengthen the economy of developing countries.
To ensure change is sustainable, women must be included in
economic markets. Making Markets Work for the Poor (M4P) – an
approach which changes market systems to benefit the poor – aims
to ensure the inclusion of women by breaking down barriers of
market access such as unaffordability and lack of information.
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Chinumaya
Darai, 28,
grows tomatoes,
but only for
domestic consumption.
She, like many in
Dumsichaur – a small rural
village in Nepal – is dependent
on her husband’s income from
overseas employment to provide for
the rest of her family.
This changed when she visited a local seed
wholesale company. With 500sq metres of land,
Chinumaya was advised to start testing off-season
tomato cultivation and started planting higher quality
seeds. “Now we get so much more income from this
land because we know the right seeds to plant and when
to plant them. Next season, we are planning to expand tomato
cultivation,” says Chinumaya.
© narvikk – istock
By helping a small, local business understand the needs of potential
customers, local economies are stimulated to serve the poorest and
enhance household economies. The SAMARTH-NMDP programme has
increased the incomes of over 300,000 smallholder farmers and small-scale
entrepreneurs to reduce poverty and empower women.
www.samarth-nepal.com
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© Peeter Viisimaa – istock
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WOMEN DOING BUSINESS
Nigeria has one of the lowest rates of female
employment amongst countries with a similar gross
national income – It is time for change.
Nigeria is the economic powerhouse of West Africa. Though
rich in natural resources – petroleum accounts for 85% of
government revenues – it also boasts fast-growing telecoms and
financial services industries. But not everyone is benefiting;
women least of all.
Around 6 million young Nigerian men and women enter the
job market annually, but only 10% secure a role in the formal
economy, and just one third of these are women.
We speak to three businesswomen from across Nigeria to find
out what needs to change.
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How did you become an
entrepreneur?
Laraba Tanko: I am 35. I was
born into a peasant family in
a remote village called Rafi-
Roro. I only went to primary
school, but now I have a
market stall. I established
my business 20 years ago,
selling grains. I need to be
an independent woman so I
can set a good example to my
three children.
Hajia Saratu Umar: I grew
up in Kano, in the north. I
started selling food 40 years
ago because, like Laraba,
I wanted independence. It
is not good if you have to
ask your husband for every
little thing. Today I am not
feeling very well, but I am still
at my stall because I need
the money: it is better to
experience pain in the body
than pain in the mind.
Olakitan Wellington: My
first job was with a plastic
manufacturing company. I
was there for two years and
I learnt a lot about running a
business. Now I run a financial
literacy training business. I
wanted to have control over
my schedule so I would have
enough time for my four
children.
Was it easy?
Laraba: It was very difficult for
me, being from a poor family.
Since I was a child, I’ve had
to work hard. The conditions
at the market are really bad
too. But recently our local
government started providing
basic facilities, including toilets
and drinking water.
Olakitan: A lot of women go
into business without any plan
or knowledge. I made the same
mistake and had a terrible
experience: tax men would
come and threaten me with
ridiculous bills; even bigger
than my income! I had to pay
and nearly lost all my money.
What would encourage
more women to get into
business?
Laraba: I would like to grow
my business, but I don’t have
the capital. Where do I get a
loan? Banks won’t lend to us.
Women are held back because
we have no finance and it
takes years for us to save.
Olakitan: I would add that
bureaucracy in banking
procedures and high interest
rates makes it difficult for us
to get funding. We need to
understand how to register
our business and how to apply
for a bank account; all of this
is very complicated if you
don’t have any education. I
also want to know how best to
reinvest my earnings so I can
make more money.
What are the challenges?
Laraba: Gender inequality is
a major challenge for us. We
have more difficulty getting
capital and our culture doesn’t
allow us to do certain things.
For example, we are not
allowed to run our business
late at night. We are also
forced into doing menial jobs,
such as cleaning and we don’t
get paid as much as men.
Olakitan: In Nigeria, a woman
is expected to put her family
first and she often can’t give
her business the time and
attention it needs. A man can
go on a business trip without a
second thought, but the woman
has to think of her children and
the home. Husbands also don’t
like women working because
they think it might cause
infidelity or expose their wife to
sexual harassment.
Has the status of women
changed?
Laraba: It is taxing to be a
woman here, especially without
education. I am always being
reminded that it is a man’s
world. Only with education and
skills can we change the status
of women. I think it is slowly
improving.
Hajia: I agree with Laraba;
but life for women is better
than before. Women are now
employed; even old women
like me are getting trained
in things like midwifery. We
can make three in one day. If
we have a skill, we won’t be
penniless and dependant on
our husbands.
www.gemsnigeria.com
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Nigeria is struggling to attract foreign
investment due to security concerns and
poor infrastructure. To combat growing
poverty, Nigeria must find a way to improve
its value chain and create wealth – for both
women and men.
One solution is to invest in small, local
businesses. Establishing a small enterprise
can be difficult in any country, but it is
especially challenging in Nigeria where
entrepreneurs have to contend with
limited access to finance, high costs and
excessive red tape in business registration
procedures, and complex tax regulations.
To help the Nigerian Government improve
the business investment climate, the UK
government and Adam Smith International
are upgrading and streamlining legislation
and administrative procedures to encourage
the establishment and growth of small
businesses.
New payment systems, including direct-tobank
payments, and simplified tax forms
have been introduced. Tax-for-service
agreements between trade associations
and local government have been created,
defining how government revenues should
be reinvested in the economy. Publicity
campaigns have been launched to ensure
business owners are aware of their rights
and responsibilities.
In just six months, 517,000 women have
seen an increase in their income. There
is much more to be done, but change is
happening.
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5,500,000
Trips have been taken by women
RESULTS
through NIAF facilitated
transport Networks in
Nigeria
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Nigerian Infrastructure
Advisory Facility
The Nigeria Infrastructure
Advisory Facility (NIAF) works
across infrastructure sectors
to remove bottlenecks to
infrastructure delivery. It does
this through mobilising expert
teams to provide technical
advice on policy and strategy,
planning, project implementation
and private sector investment.
RESULTS
Find out more:
www.niafng.com
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RESULTS
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RESULTS
,Women’s net
incomes have been
increased IN DRC,
Nepal, Nigeria,
Malawi, SIERRA
LEONE & KENYA
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Amina Badi is a
selfemployed
Kenyan
businesswoman.
Based in
Mombasa she
now runs her own
business thanks
to training from
the Kuza skills
development
programme.
Finding work in Mombasa, my home city,
is difficult. There aren’t many jobs and
most people left school at a young age,
like me.
I’ve had few choices in life. I married young,
but it didn’t work out. I argued with my
husband all the time so I left with our small
child. As a single parent, I desperately
needed income. Cooking was something I
could do, so I started selling food I made
from home; many women do it. Almost all
business people here sell on the street.
It is now four years since I ventured into
business, but anyone will tell you it is only
courage that keeps you going. This kind of
business can be very demoralising. At the
end of the day, if your food doesn’t sell you
have to throw it away.
Unemployment is a
challenge that needs
serious attention.
In Kenya’s second
largest city 86% of
young people do not
have a formal job.
We hear Amina Badi’s
story
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IT IS ONLY COURAGE
that keeps you going
Another problem is being a woman. In Mombasa, we
face more hurdles in business. We get harassed on
the street which is frustrating and difficult to deal with.
We get told to move and have to pay taxes which
don’t exist; corruption here is very bad. There are also
some cases where husbands are jealous of their wife’s
success. They fear their wife could cheat if she is
financially independent.
Luckily, we have a strong community which runs a
welfare group for women. This is where I learned about
the Kuza business training programme. I thought I
would not qualify because I was uneducated, but it
turns out the training was actually for people like me.
The Kuza scheme helped me determine profit and loss
and taught me how best to manage my savings. Before
I used to just sell homemade pastries, but now I have
diversified my produce.
By learning how to run a business, people like me
have more chance of building a proper business:
raising finance, getting insured, making contacts with
bigger businesses, being protected from illegal taxes
and being able to negotiate better with wholesalers.
I don’t want to just
survive, I want security &
success.
www.thekuzaproject.org
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Making Girls & Women
The challenge of measuring gendered impact in
private sector development
Put simply, gender is no longer a “nice-to-have” - it’s a must-have. Recognising that women bear a
disproportionate poverty burden relative to men, practitioners and donors have sought to integrate
gender considerations into private sector development. But this is not so simple.
In addition to economic factors, the rigidity of socially ascribed gender roles and women’s limited access
to power, education, training and productive resources mean that it is often more difficult to reach, and
positively impact women. This is particularly true when applying an approach such as Making Markets
Work for the Poor (M4P). This approach – which changes economic market systems to benefit the poor
– does not engage women directly, instead it seeks to facilitate gender-responsive systemic change by
incentivising people to adopt inclusive business practices.
Measuring the impact of private sector development programmes on poor women is equally complex.
Whilst in most development sectors defining female beneficiaries is relatively simple, in private sector
development, the generation, retention, and control of income makes this more complicated.
Imagine then, as part of a M4P programme, low-income farmers are connected to commercial farms to
increase the income of the smallholder farmer.
Unpacking
the “Black
Box”
Whilst a woman cultivates her own land and sells the increased or higher-quality yield herself is likely to
count as a beneficiary, what about a husband and wife team? Do both count as beneficiaries? Does it
depend on the division of labour or the nature of their contribution? Or is it automatically accrued by the
husband regardless of the wife’s contribution, in accordance with traditional norms? Does it matter who
collects the revenue? Or how the money is distributed and used?
Understanding the gendered impact of private sector development is challenging because households
and (micro) enterprises often coalesce within poor communities. This means it is common for multiple
individuals – often of different genders – to contribute to commercially productive activity.
Some or all of these individuals may benefit from interventions, though the ways in which they benefit can
vary: from improved access to agricultural products, land, or credit; to increased incomes; to a reduction
in unpaid care work; to strengthened agency at a family or community level. They may experience no
benefit at all, or the intervention could cause harm.
Whilst there is no agreed approach to beneficiary reporting in private sector development, the most
common practice is to count only the head of the family unit or enterprise unit, which is often the same
individual. Problematically, this masks others’ contribution to productive activity, including women, men,
children, and labourers. This method almost always determines a male as the beneficiary.
Who to
Count?
This approach is limiting and can distort the reality because impact on female members of male-headed
family units are not captured in a programme’s monitoring and evaluation. Women are often counted as
a beneficiary only if they are divorced, widowed, or because of male migration. And although impacts
are much easier to attribute in female-headed households, a true understanding requires a more acute
exploration of mixed-sex, male-headed family and enterprise units to disentangle who benefits from (or is
harmed by) the market system intervention, and how.
Other programmes count all those in the family or enterprise unit, including paid or unpaid labourers.
This approach assumes – often incorrectly – that any increase in unit income has positive and equal
benefits for all those contained within it and simplifies the real gendered impact of the programme.
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Count
Whilst alternative approaches do exist, for example, gendering time contribution to productive activities
or household disaggregated income and expenditure surveys, these are restrictively expensive,
burdensome to deliver at scale, and often do not address other gendered data collection issues, such as
concerns around the gender objectivity of survey respondents.
A New
Approach
In response to these challenges, Adam Smith International has developed a set of pioneering guidelines
to improve the ability of practitioners to understand and measure the gendered impact of private sector
development programmes. They comprise a three-step process that supports existing programmes to:
• choose one approach to counting beneficiaries, apply this consistently across all interventions, and
recognise the gendered implications of their given approach;
• adapt existing standard measurement tools (including surveys, key informant interviews, and focus
group discussion methodologies) to collect data designed to unpack intra-household gender
dynamics as they relate to income increase;
• design and deliver qualitative analysis to add greater nuance to the sex-disaggregated beneficiary
data reported at impact level.
In using these guidelines, SAMARTH, a Department for International Development funded marketdevelopment
programme in Nepal, observed that in cases where households consider themselves
to be male-headed, women are actually the primary contributors to vegetable farming, and have
greater decision-making authority on how the income is spent. In this case, conventional measurement
approaches would tend to count the male head of the household as the beneficiary, whereas the
approaches outlined in Adam Smith International’s guidelines more accurately attributed the benefits to
women engaged in the household. This is because the measurement tools used enabled SAMARTH
to capture more nuanced information about the relative contribution of men and women to the
increased income and the benefit derived from it. This has enabled SAMARTH to tell a much richer
story of their impact on women and working-aged girls, particularly those in mixed-sex, maleheaded
households.
Ultimately these guidelines will serve both to prove impact through monitoring and
evaluation systems and to improve impact through intelligent, adaptive programme
design across our private sector development portfolio.
Empowerment
Income Increase
Access
The Guidelines for Measuring Gendered Impact in Private Sector
Development will be launched at the Donor Committee for Enterprise
Development’s Global Seminar 2016.
Put simply, gender
equality is no longer
a nice-to-have
it’s a must-have
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© zodebala – istock
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Men often benefit from mining, whilst the
social disruption falls heavily on women.
There is a vast knowledge gap: the effect of
mining on women is rarely known.
Women are seldom consulted by mining
companies before lands are leased: they
often lose their land and access to cash
income from artisanal mining.
Displaced and disposed, many women
are stranded with no form of resettlement,
rehabilitation or government assistance.
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Mining, men & migration
Mining specialist Nellie Mutemeri talks about the adversities
women face in a heavily male dominated industry
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”
What
challenges have you
faced in the mining industry?
I’ve been in the mining sector
all my professional life, so the issue
of gender has always been present.
Along the way, by nature of being
a woman, you get drawn into these
discussions.
I began my career in the UK in
the 1980’s as one of two girls in a
class of 24, then as a post-graduate
student and later as a professional.
I would go underground and
you could see that people were
shocked I was in a mine and not a
miner!
A few years ago, I was
subjected to abuse on a trip
to a mining site, but generally
discrimination is based on attitude.
Often you are made to feel like what
you are doing is trivial and people
make fun of gender initiatives. I sat
in an interview and was once asked
“Would you choose a team of women
or a team of men?” A question I
refused to answer. Women are not
always taken seriously, particularly
in mining companies.
How do
human rights issues
feed into the mining industry?
One could argue that women
are excluded from accessing license
opportunities to set up privatelyowned
and regulated mines because of
low levels of education. Without simple
literary skills, women are unable
to fill in the licensing form, and are
subsequently held back from putting
a case forward to access finances and
own property. They start one step
behind. In areas where this is the main
source of work, women have to find
another way to sustain their income.
Women are left with so little choice
that sex work often becomes the only
option. With the growth of informal
mining sector, the law has a large role
to play to protect women’s livelihood
opportunities. Women are literally on
the periphery – sitting outside of the
mines selling food, or worse, they are
selling their bodies.
You
mention gender
initiatives; could you
elaborate?
To shift attitudes there needs
to be a greater effort to have
gender equality in the workplace.
Women in mining is an issue that
has little awareness because it
is never talked about and the
fault lies in consultation – women
are not consulted despite being
stakeholders. Women are not given
a voice and are excluded from
policies and strategies. I see my
role as an advocate for sector-wide
change. As a respected practitioner,
I think people are seeing the
value in bringing women into the
conversation.
“
Women are left
with so little
choice that
sex work often
becomes the
only option
they have.

Informal mining
neglects safety standards and
puts health at significant risk
- are women aware of these
dangers?
When women enter poorly
regulated mines there is the potential
for a mother who is responsible for
feeding her family to die. In South
Africa I saw a disused mine being
illegally extracted by workers with no
shoes, no helmet and using candles in
an underground coal mine – a hazard,
since an explosion could happen at any
time. People were so desperate, men
and women kept digging to get coal to
sell despite the site being closed and
unsafe.
In Mali, women are working in
mining sites with artisanal miners and
extracting gold by rubbing mercury
with their bare hands. I saw a woman
sat with her baby breastfeeding
with one hand and rubbing mercury
concentration in the other – directly
exposing her child to poison. She had
no idea of the consequences.
You’ve
worked extensively across
Africa; do you see the
issue of increasing female
representation as continentwide,
or are some countries
making progress?
There is a higher level of
awareness in some countries.
Tanzania is a model for other African
countries; the Government is really
getting involved and supporting the
mainstreaming of gender through
platforms such as the Tanzania
Women Miners Association. In a lot
of other African countries there
is so little awareness that it is not
even talked about, let alone on the
agenda.
If mining companies have a
gender equality charter to abide by
they could have targeted support for
women, particularly on the technical
side. This might stem the tide of
women drifting from the technical
fields to what is often referred to as
softer skills, like community affairs.
On the ground, women working
in mines are exposed to severely
dangerous environments, which
raises human rights issues and
abuses.
Finally,
migration is having a
large impact on employment
worldwide. What impact is this
having on women in mining?
Migration means communities
are changing and people from
different cultures and values are
coming together. Cultural beliefs and
stigma can heavily affect women,
particularly in informal mining
communities, so women become more
vulnerable to abuse.
Dr Nellie
Mutemeri
is a senior
specialist at
AngloGold
Ashanti and
an Associate
Professor at
the Centre for
Sustainability
in Mining and
Industry at the
University of
Witwatersrand,
South Africa.
“
Women working in mines are
exposed to severely dangerous
environments, which raises
human rights issues and abuses.
”
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Education
35© Olli Stewart – greenshoot.org

An increase of 1% in girls’ secondary
education attendance adds 0.3% to a
country’s GDP.
An extra year of secondary school can
increase a girl’s potential income by 15 to
25%.
Every 3 seconds, a girl is forced or coerced
to marry.
If all girls had secondary education in sub-
Saharan Africa and South and West Asia
child marriage would fall by 64%.
62 MILLION
GIRLS ARE OUT OF SCHOOL
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Pakistan’s
constitution commits the country to the provision of quality education
for all children. Despite efforts to improve access, this commitment is
far from being realised. A lack of reliable data makes it difficult to assess the number of out of
school children, but estimates indicate an alarming 25%.
Analysis of education indicators shows that access to schooling across the country is marked
by deep disparities based on gender, geographic location and wealth. Gender inequality is
evident in school enrolment: nearly 40% of primary school age girls are not attending school,
compared to 30% of primary school age boys.
There are a range of barriers to school attendance. One of the most important is finance.
Children from poorer households in rural areas and urban slums have the highest probability of
being out of school. Children belonging to low-income families are nearly six times more likely
to be out of school compared to children growing up in richer households.
Boys are affected, but girls are more: where families can afford to educate only one child, girls
are often left behind. Financial barriers range from the inability to afford school fees (despite
the provision of low fee private schools), to the inability to afford uniforms and school books,
which have implications for children not only accessing schools but staying in school for longer.
Another financial barrier is the opportunity cost of education: children who are not in school are
able to support their families through labour wages or domestic work.
In the more conservative parts of Pakistan, girls may have limited access to schooling because
mobility is both a geographic and a cultural challenge. In a context where females are seldom
seen outside their homes, there may be cultural barriers that prevent girls travelling to school.
Added to this limitation, is the distance between schools and homes, with girls discouraged
from walking long distances to access schools because of safety concerns. The challenge is
the need to raise awareness and change mindsets, but also to ensure that schools are located
near the community, and that transport options are available.
Some progress has been achieved. In Punjab, according to Nielsen Household Surveys, the
participation rate for girls has increased from 83% in November 2011 to 89% in June 2015.
One successful approach, adopted in Punjab and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has involved
partnering with the private sector. Under the DFID-funded Punjab Education Sector Programme
2, civil society organisations and the Punjab Education Foundation provide free schooling for
children across low performing districts of Punjab, in areas where there are no schools within 1
km of the community. The project also includes community mobilisation, to build awareness of
the benefits of education for all children, especially girls.
Others 3%
Health of child
Special Education
8%
8%
Reasons for a child
not going to school in
Punjab %
Access
16%
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The DFID-funded Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Sector
Programme supports similar work. KP’s Elementary
Education Foundation has established over 1,000 girls
community schools to provide quality education to 48,767
out of school children (of which 69% are girls) from families
who are not willing or able to send their daughters to an
unfamiliar and distant location to study, which is often the
case with government schools. After five years of schooling,
girls receive a certificate, which is valid for continuing
education in government schools.
Within the same programme, a voucher scheme was
launched which allowed out of school children living in
areas without government schools, to obtain an education
in nearby low cost, private schools free of cost. The scheme
has been operational in six districts and has seen over
17,000 out of school children enrol into private schools.
Nearly half of them are girls.
Adam Smith International is implementing both
programmes.
Mindset
30%
Financial
35%
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11,232
NIGERIA
RESULTS
68,049
KENYA
40

RESULTS
437,000
PAKISTAN
Number of girls
benefiting from
improved quality &
access to education
41

1,000
GIRLS COMMUNITY
SCHOOLS BUILT
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,
North-West Pakistan
RESULTS
OVER
28,000
GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS
MONITORED MONTHLY FOR
THE FIRST TIME
42

RESULTING IN A
26%
RESULTS
INCREASE IN STUDENT PRESENCE
43

© sadikgulec – istock
44GOVERNANCE

45

average % of women
parliamentarians
41.5%
Nordic countries
Europe
(excluding Nordic
countries)
23.6%
26.3%
Americas
Middle East
& North Africa
22.2%
Sub-Saharan
Africa
46

Asia
18.5%
16.1%
68.8% Rwanda has
one of the highest
number of women
parliamentarians
worldwide.
Pacific
15.7%
47

COMMUNITIES
during
Conflict
© J Carillet – istock
48

Girls and women in Syria face regular
violence; many are exhausted trying to
keep their family safe, whilst struggling
to find food, water and shelter. They are
often the main providers of the household, but
during the brutal conflict women have also been
subject to arrest, detention, physical abuse
and torture. The rise of ISIS is also threatening
their equality with reports suggesting it is
“legitimate” for girls to be married to fighters
at the age of nine and emphasising their
role as wives, mothers and home-makers.
Funded by the UK Conflict Pool and the
European Union, Adam Smith International
has been working in partnership with
communities in contested parts of Syria to
deliver basic services. Such areas have no
formal governance, limited public services and
are plagued with hundreds of armed militia.
The Tamkeen project, which means
‘empowerment’ in Arabic, is providing
grants which communities use to plan and
implement projects. The purpose is to help
communities to meet their basic needs
and to strengthen the emerging system
of local governance in the country.
Community representatives form Tamkeen
committees which receive a block grant
and training in community participation,
budget prioritisation, project design
and implementation to ensure that good
governance principles inform the actions of
the committee throughout the project cycle.
The programme is not just delivering projects; it
is stimulating the demand for good governance,
holding decision-makers to account and
reducing conflict by bringing fractured
communities - both men and women - together
for a common goal. Tamkeen committees work
together with existing local councils and nongovernmental
organisations to assess community
needs: delivering services that benefit the
community. It is paving the way for when a
legitimate, formal administration develops.
Women & Power
Even before the Syrian conflict, women were
rarely involved in political decision-making in
rural areas. Women were overlooked due to a
lack of confidence in their abilities and social
taboos around men and women working together.
Tamkeen has begun to break the taboo of female
involvement in governance. Women’s subcommittees
are being formed in communities
which have low female participation. This
allows women to be included in the governance
process without causing social disruption,
and creates a space where Tamkeen can
provide targeted mentoring and capacity
development for women in its communities.
A women’s sub-committee in Aleppo has
designed and implemented a skills training
centre. More than 100 women have signed
up, courses are being delivered and a
women-led management team is already
planning how to expand its offering using
fee revenue that is being collected.
Overcoming
stereotypes
Initially, some committees begrudged women
making decisions about public services: it was
considered culturally inappropriate. Forcing
committees to allocate some of their funds to
a women’s sub-committee could have caused
conflict and resentment towards women.
Instead, Tamkeen provided an incentive: an
additional US $5,000 per community as a
matching grant for projects implemented by,
and for, women. Since the community stands
to gain an extra US $5,000 in funding, it has a
strong motivation to allocate part of its existing
grant to the women’s sub-committee. Now
sceptical members of the community have
begun to see the impact women can have on
good government and societal development.
Despite a bloody and unforgiving conflict,
localised, modest positive change is happening.
49

50
CREATING A DEMAND FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE

ONGOING ONGOING impending: WE HOPE
There is no legitimate national
governance. Militia controls
governorates and local councils are
weak. Most governance structures
are male-only and exclude women
from decision making. Communities
are left without any services and
society disintegrates.
Temporary Tamkeen Committees,
which include women, are formed
and partially merge with local
councils to start strengthening local
governance. Public services are
provided. There is popular demand
for good governance in and around
Tamkeen areas and traditionally
male-only councils see the benefit of
women in decision making positions.
Local councils are strengthened,
adopt good governance and are
better positioned to stand up to
armed groups.
A demand for good governance
spreads and becomes more
entrenched, it is replicated in more
areas and more levels. It influences
peace dialogue and the formation of
new state/government structures.
www.project-tamkeen.org
51

www.project-tamkeen.org
© Girish Chouhan – istock
has dominated global headlines
Syria for more than four years:
chemical weapons, terrorism, refugees.
It is a seemingly endless crisis.
The big question, the one that keeps diplomats
awake at night is: how do we make this stop?
The answer is not simple. Syria has become
a political and moral minefield; aligning
and dividing countries across the world.
Meanwhile, nine million Syrians are homeless.
Many live in neighbouring refugee camps
without any sense of belonging or legal
employment opportunities, while others choose
to risk their life travelling in tiny, dangerous
boats to seek asylum in Europe. But let us
not forget those who are still living in one
of the world’s most complex conflicts.
Nadya is from rural Damascus. Like many
Syrians, she is highly qualified. Nadya has
a degree in philosophy and psychology
and a diploma in education. She was also a
former headmistress. She could have fled,
but decided to stay. “I was a teacher when
the revolution began. My school was bombed
so I became an activist. I opened my own
children’s centre in Mleha, my hometown.”
After her school was attacked, her home was
bombed too. Today, Mleha is unliveable.
The carcasses of collapsed buildings
litter roads and soldiers roam around
deserted, hollowed blackened cars.
“I lost everything. My family left. But I persevered.
I moved to a nearby town and opened an
education centre for women. At first, all the
teachers were volunteers, but then I got funding
and was able to pay their expenses. Now over 80
students are enrolled. They tell me how my centre
has given them more control over their lives.”
Tamkeen, a UK and EU-funded programme
to increase good governance through service
delivery in opposition-controlled Syria and is
funding Nadya’s education centre. Tamkeen
is also helping her re-establish the children’s
centre she lost when Mleha was destroyed.
52

Nadya
“I have been able to re-establish the
children’s centre I had dreamt of.
We call it ‘Home of Hope’ and we
offer educational, recreational and
psychosocial support for children.
“We have trained over 250 teachers
and hired psychotherapists to offer
psychosocial support to hundreds of
children affected by poverty, depression,
and fear. We have a small playground,
called the ‘happiness corner’ but the
facilities are indoors to keep our children
safe from bombing,” says Nadya.
Nadya painted bright pictures all over
the walls. “I want the centre to be an
inspiring place for children to learn.
A place where they can heal and forget
what is happening outside. You have
to understand that we are under siege
and have suffered immensely.
“Life has become so difficult because even
the basic necessities are scarce or too
expensive. The price of a kilo of sugar has
increased more than 10 times. People are so
poor they search for food in the rubble,” she
says pointing beyond the centre’s gates.
Nadya has been deeply affected by the
devastation that has unfolded in her country.
But she is determined to stay and give
the next generation a brighter future. We
must not forget Nadya and the millions
like her trying to stabilise Syria. It is the
one investment no one can dispute.
Nadya is
a former
headmistress
turned activist
from rural
Damascus.
She started her
own education
centre for
war affected
children from
Mleha.
53

THE UNTOLD STORY OF WOMEN
History often downplays a woman’s role and her contribution to society. Somalia’s
history is no different: it focuses on unified stories of successful men, yet for
women, different identities emerge depending on clan and region.
A woman’s involvement in society often reflects her sense of responsibility, which
changes during her lifetime. By documenting the stories of Somali women, one
can see that a woman’s experiences are not collective and each individual’s
experience is unique within a particular historical and social context.
Women are also typically associated with traditional female activity
and employment – mother, carer, wife, cook, nurse. Women
are rarely in positions of political or economic power.
The Somalia Stability Fund is a multi-donor fund which
aims to change that. It is supporting the strengthening
of women’s leadership and participation in decision
making and supporting women in the private sector
through job placement schemes and youth
entrepreneur grants. We hear from Suad Ismail,
a young entrepreneur aiming to change the
traditional image of Somali women.
Suad is not the kind
of person to say no to
a challenge: she plans to
open the first women only
gym in Somaliland’s capital.
As an information technology graduate
and previous owner of a kindergarten, Suad
is one of many young Somalis trying to break
the mould by starting up a business of her own.
But Hargeisa is not conducive to business.
The unemployment rate for 14-29 year olds is
67%, a statistic that becomes even more worrying
when over 70% of the population is under 35”.
Suad’s enthusiasm and business acumen may not be enough
to keep her ventures alive. Unlike start-up companies in the UK,
Somali businesses do not have easy access to loans and support.
In an atmosphere of financial uncertainty where banks
are few and skittish, starting up a functioning corporation
and finding the right staff is a huge challenge.
This lack of financial literacy and capital is being addressed by projects such
as the Somalia Stability Fund’s Youth Enterprise Initiative. The initiative, led by a
consortium of Somali companies, is providing over 200 small businesses with financial
training and selecting a smaller group of 15 to receive loans and further support.
The project ensures that the young Somali entrepreneurs know that the loans
are Halal (in accordance with Islamic financial rules) and are part of a legitimate
operation that will monitor and support their growing enterprises.
The risk involved with starting up a Somali business for Suad is a painful reality. This new
initiative will provide more women like Suad with the confidence needed to let their companies
flourish and help to improve the homeland that they will never stop believing in.
“I have high hopes for the future,” says Suad, “soon things will change for the better”.
www.stabilityfund.so
54

IN SOMALIA
I am the sister of the martyr.
I am the aunt of the potato seller at the local market.
I am the daughter of the local sheikh.
I am the injured of the revolution. The protester. The jailed. The
detained.
I am the tortured. The exiled. The kidnapped. The raped.
I am the veiled. The non-veiled. I am a beautiful soul.
I am a Somali woman.
My skin is of ebony and ivory. I am young by spirit. Old by
experience.
I am the pregnant. The wife. The single mother. The widow. The
godobtiir and godobreeb tool
forcing me into marriage as the compensation payment for another
clan’s peace settlement.
I am a Somali woman.
Yet I am not a victim. I am a leader.
Not a woman leader. But a leader who happens to be a woman.
I clean up the streets of my nation. I rise up the past. The present
and the future generations.
I brought the Nobel Peace Prize to Somalia.
I am a Somali woman.
I speak out for my son at school.
I speak up for my daughter in the madrasa.
I pray for my ancestors and for my older son in jail. For my mother
in the hospital.
I speak out for our artists whom they keep bombing in theatres and
on the streets.
I am a Somali woman.
I speak out for my mind. I am the pulse of the people.
I live in the city. In the town. In the rural areas. In the suburbs. On
the mountains. Along the borders.
I am in Garowe. Mogadishu. Afgoye. Erigavo. Hargeisa. Galkayo.
Bosaaso. Beletweyne. Badhan. Bocame. And every corner where there
is life and sound.
I am a Somali woman.
I am synonymous with strength and victory.
I celebrate sisterhood. I celebrate motherhood.
I boost the economy. I advance the technology. I give life to the
community.
Do I deserve to be equal to you?
Yes I do. Because I am a woman.
A Somali woman.
Sahro Kooshin
55

JUSTICE
© Amisom
56

SECURITY
57

© Amisom
58

97% of military peacekeepers and 90% of
police personnel are men.
One in three women are likely to experience
physical or sexual violence.
The economic costs of violence against
girls and women can be 3.7% of a country’s
GDP.
59

Somaliland
FEMALE POLICE
INVESTIGATORS
TRAINED
RESULTS
OF THESE:
RECEIVED FURTHER TRAINING AS A
1 LEAD COUNTER-TERRORISM INVESTIGATOR
RECEIVED FURTHER TRAINING AS CRIME
5 SCENE EXAMINERS
RECEIVED FURTHER TRAINING IN TRAINING
2 OF TRAINERS
RECEIVED FURTHER TRAINING IN CRIME
SCENE AND FORENSIC PHOTOGRAPHY
6
FEMALE COUNTER-
TERRORISM
INVESTIGATORS
TRAINED
0
1FEMALE POLICE
INVESTIGATOR
– INTELLIGENCE
SPECIALIST
TRAINED
9
FEMALE FINGERPRINT
SPECIALISTS TRAINED
SEXUAL OFFENCES TRAINING COURSE
12
POLICE OFFICERS
6
60
MEMBERS OF THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL’S OFFICE
HAVE PARTICIPATED – 9 OF THE
PARTICIPANTS WERE FEMALE

Malawi
5 28
OF THE
INVESTIGATORS RECRUITED FOR
OUR INVESTIGATOR TRAINING
COURSE ARE WOMEN – HIGHER
THAN THE OVERALL NATIONAL
AVERAGE
Afghanistan
125
LEGAL PROFESSIONALS TRAINED ON HOW TO
HANDLE CASES INVOLVING FEMALE DETAINEES
RESULTS
THIS INCLUDES:
3FEMALE COUNTER-
TERRORISM PROSECUTORS
FEMALE COUNTER-
10 TERRORISM JUDGES
1FEMALE HUMAN RIGHTS
MONITOR
61

Over the past 22 years the semi-autonomous region of Somaliland
has steadily recovered from civil war to make impressive strides
towards democratic governance and political stability. However
the state remains fragile and faces substantial threats to safety
such as violent crime, arms trafficking, and terrorism.
We have been working with the Ministry of Interior and Somaliland
Police Force to bring about institutional change and develop
necessary counter-terrorist operational capabilities, whilst ensuring
women – for the first time – are central to institutional development.
62

63

Women, Peace & Security
– a women’s issue?
The landmark United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution
1325 on Women, Peace and Security was the first resolution to
formally recognise that women and girls are uniquely affected
by conflict. Over the last 15 years, seven resolutions have followed
and highlight how women play both a role in conflict prevention and
resolution, as well as the maintenance of peace and security.
Member states are required to provide better protection against
sexual violence; improve the political participation of women;
provide access to justice and services towards the elimination
of gender discrimination; and to enhance the incorporation of
gender into conflict processes. This includes peace negotiations,
humanitarian planning, peacekeeping operations and post-conflict
governance.
The evidence that links gender equality with a country’s
prospects for peace
The work of Valerie Hudson and Mary Caprioli, authors of ‘Sex and
World Peace’ and others demonstrate that the best predictor of a
state’s peacefulness is how well its women are treated. The larger
the gender gap between the treatment of men and women, the more
likely a country is to be involved in conflict, to be the first to resort to
force in such conflicts and to experience higher levels of violence.
Kathryn Lockett
is a Senior
Development
Consultant
specialising
in gender,
violence and
conflict and a
Senior Gender
and Conflict
Adviser
in the UK
Stabilisation
Unit.
New analysis by the Centre on Conflict, Development and
Peacebuilding also illustrates how the inclusion of women leads to a
much higher rate of sustaining peace agreements. In addition, the
World Bank has long confirmed the link between gender equality
and improved economic and development outcomes, which in turn
has been found to indirectly increase a country’s stability through its
impact on GDP.
It is therefore unsurprising that UN Women identifies the need to
include information on gender equality when undertaking conflict
analysis. They recommend collecting country-level data on the
extent of gender equality under the law, the percentage of women
in parliament, state responses to gender-based violence and female
literacy rates, amongst others. By monitoring gender equality in
fragile and conflict-affected states, we learn crucial information not
only about the situation for women in that context, but potentially
about that country’s long-term risks of violence conflict.
Protecting girls and women against sexual and gender-based
violence in conflict is crucial to upholding human rights and
preventing death, disability and lost quality of life for survivors, their
families and communities. Yet, beyond the protection agenda, more
information in this area can provide us with essential information
about the acceptability of violence and domination within a culture.
64

Strong evidence exists to suggest that norms (held by
both women and men) related to male authority, male
sexual entitlement, acceptance of wife beating and female
obedience increase the likelihood that individual men will
engage in violence – and not just violence against women
and girls. Recent findings by a UN multi-country study led
by Partners4Prevention found that most men who had raped
another man, or men, had also raped a female non-partner.
Recent findings also show a culture of violence increases
the likelihood of violence against women. This is particularly
meaningful when we consider how sexualised violence against
males during conflict, whilst increasingly being reported, is
likely to be much higher than is generally assumed or publicly
admitted.
The same UN study confirmed the inter-generational effects of
violence: that witnessing or experiencing domestic violence in
childhood increases the likelihood of violence perpetration in
later life, as individuals learn to use violence to exert influence
and control. As such, working with families to tackle harmful
gender norms, habits and behaviours to reduce sexual and
gender-based violence against women and girls may offer
an entry point to reduce violence more broadly. Much can
be learned from the best practice of programmes that have
successfully worked with communities to change harmful
gender norms within communities, such as Promundo’s
Programme H, research into young men showing genderequitable
attitudes; Raising Voices’ SASA!, a programme
designed to address the core driver of violence against
women and Stepping Stones’ resources to raise awareness of
gender issues.
The promotion of women and girls’ rights in situations of
conflict and fragility is a moral imperative that is all too
relevant in the ongoing conflicts of today. Yet, women, peace
and security’ is so much more than just a ’women’s issue.’
Analysing indices of gender equality in a particular context
can give us vital clues about the general level of inequality,
intolerance and exclusion within a society.
Collecting data on gender norms can also help us assess the
acceptability of violence and domination over others. From
such data, we can programme for change towards more
stable and peaceful societies.
65
© Amisom

It’s
time to redefine
masculinity
© D Berehulak – istock
66
I
have worked in Somalia for several years.
There have been huge efforts to focus on the
development of girls and women, and rightly
so. Somalia’s maternal mortality rates are
amongst the highest in the world, women are
rarely involved in political decision-making and
violence is not uncommon. But after these years
of working in Somalia I ask myself if this focus on
women is enough to achieve gender equality? I
don’t think so. Without understanding the Somali
definition of masculinity we don’t stand a chance
to reach equal opportunities for both men and
women?
Yes, promoting gender equality from a women’s
perspective is important, but alone it will not
take us all the way. A wife could start working,
but what happens when her husband feels
inadequate and uses domestic violence to assert
his authority? A woman could be appointed as
a Minister (to fill a quota), but will men respect
her decisions? Businesses are encouraged to
employ more women, but what happens when
only menial ‘feminine’ jobs are offered? We have
to be careful of development symbolism. We
have to support men if we are to advocate for a
new gender-friendly policy climate. If Somalia
is expected to expand its definition on what it
means to be a woman, it is crucial we redefine
what it means to be a man.

The discourse of war
War can have a tremendous impact on gender. In Europe wars have helped the process
of gender equality, but in a conflict with fundamentalist ideology driving one of the parties
this process is reversed. Al Shabaab – a predominately male Islamist militant group –
plays into traditional stereotypes and has narrowed gender definitions. Al Shabaab has
had a dominating influence and is based upon a religious discourse which makes it very
hard for men and women to refine themselves outside traditional roles – not least for their
own security.
In a context influenced by a dangerous insurgency, a strong counter narrative is needed
to deflect a fundamentalist agenda. A new discourse will open up a space for both men
and women to find their own personalities in a wider definition of what it means to be a
man, and what it means to be a woman.
Redefining masculinity – how can it be done?
What can we learn from other countries? Let’s take Sweden. Granted, the cultural and
social context is completely different, but the examples are relevant. In Sweden, women
are given equal rights at work — and men equal responsibility at home. Many men no
longer want to be defined just by their career or ability to provide; raising their children at
home is as important. Sweden became the first country to replace maternity leave with
parental leave, and businesses expect employees to take leave irrespective of gender.
Hence, much of the gender equality has been achieved because family life and work has
been easier to combine, both for men and women. Female employment rates and GDP
surged as a result. Gender equality in Sweden is promoted as cultural pride and men are
at the heart of the gender-equality debate.
Erik Pettersson
is a former
programme
officer with
the Embassy
of Sweden in
Nairobi.
Sweden still has a long way to go but there is a fundamental lesson that is not being
adopted in development policy: giving focus to reforms in the family-work nexus. Any
cultural shift is a long, slow process but it is far more important than typical female
inclusion targets. As the example from Sweden shows, it is time to think about how we can
support a process of redefining masculinity to create a better enabling environment for
gender equality.
67

68

© Jonas Restle
69

70

On average, natural disasters kill more
women than men.
The indirect effects of climate warming
have greater consequences for women.
Rising temperatures mean an increase in
the transmission of malaria and pregnant
women more susceptible to malaria-carrying
mosquitoes.
Yet women contribute less to climate change
and produce less greenhouse gas emissions
than men.
71

RESULTS
29,000
water points, such as wells & dams, have
been located & mapped in Sierra Leone
which enabled the government to better
respond to the Ebola crisis.
72

Ensuring access to a water sources for
1,050,016
girls and women
RESULTS
73

y 2050, 56%
of crop production
will be negatively
affected by climate
change. We must act
fast.
do you think of when you hear the
What word farmer? Perhaps you envisage a
sturdy man in overalls standing alone in his corn
field. Sweat trickling down his skin after many
hours toiling in the sun; resting his spade across
his right shoulder as he surveys his farm. Perhaps
he makes his way over to a bright red tractor, his
heavy boots sinking into wet soil. Let’s say his
name is John.
But John is not your typical farmer. In most of
sub-Saharan Africa, John does not exist. In
Africa, John is most likely a woman. In fact,
women farmers constitute up to 70% of Africa’s
workforce for food production. They labour small
farms, producing haphazard crops for personal
consumption. They are guaranteed to be amongst
the world’s poorest, earning less than US $1.25
a day. Rarely will they have access to advanced
equipment, like tractors.
A woman farmer will never have the same rights
or privileges as John. Even though they work
more than men, they receive significantly less
benefits. They are 10 percent less likely to
access credit to invest in their farms than their
male counterparts. Women farmers are 50% less
likely to access fertilisers, high-quality seeds,
mechanical tools and equipment. And even
though two in three farmers are female, men own
99% of Africa’s land.
On top of this, climate change is risking
livelihoods. With a global temperature rise comes
erratic and extreme weather. If rainfall does not
come when it should,
or too much falls at
once, then not only will
farmers have less food,
but the chances of selling
excess produce disappears
– and along with it, the chance
to afford ‘luxuries’ such as
education.
By 2080, Africa’s annual average
temperatures are expected to rise by
3-4°C; this seems a small increment, but it
is far above the United Nations’ catastrophic
limit of 2°C. Extreme heat-waves that we
only experience every couple of centuries
will become normal during summer months. By
2050, scientists are expecting that 56 percent
of all crop production in Africa will be negatively
affected by climate change. This will pose an
enormous threat to the livelihoods of African
women who will be disproportionately affected.
Let’s envisage a female farmer in 10 years’ time,
let’s say her name is Amri. She receives a text
message warning her about a likely drought.
Amri’s community, however, has a small irrigation
system draining water from a nearby dam; now
she can ensure the system is working so she
won’t be affected. Her hands reach into a large
brown fabric sack and she begins planting
weather resilient seeds she has purchased with
money borrowed from a bank; her output has
dramatically increased. With knowledge of market
prices she has decided to invest her money in
74

cotton seeds. With additional funds
from cotton sales she will manage to pay
the education fees for her two children.
But Amri’s story will only become a reality if
we mainstream gender in improving access to
finance, increase female participation in local
farming bodies, provide climate resilience
training for female farmers and advocate for
legislation promoting female ownership. Only
when women have the same access to benefits
as men will Africa’s food security increase and
the poverty gap close.
Yet international
development funding for
agricultural programmes has decreased and
gender is rarely discussed. This must be urgently
reversed. 70% of Africa’s agricultural workforce
depends on it.
Adam Smith International is designing and
implementing the Climate Smart Agriculture
Programme (CSAP) on behalf of the UK’s
Department for International Development. CSAP
will catalyse climate resilience and food security
for vulnerable African communities focusing on
women farmers and benefiting over two million
people.
© Tarzan9280 – istock
75

Solar power brings new opportunities
for women
Risking their health, and often their lives, the
smell of diesel from generators made the air
putrid and filled the clinic with poison at night.
Even if the generator-powered lanterns were
able to provide light, there was no guarantee that
enough electricity was left to refrigerate lifesaving
vaccinations.
Despite this, generators and lanterns were until
recently the only way medical clinics in Nigeria
could stay open at night, which they did, albeit
inefficiently.
“Now there is light everywhere, in every corner.
There is light!” shouts Matron Nesisi, a health
worker at a clinic based just outside of Lagos.
The stable provision of electricity now means
women can deliver their children safely and
immunisations can be given early enough to
prevent the spread of infection and disease.
For a clinic with only 36 beds but the only clinic
to support the entire community, resources
are everything. The introduction of solar power
has reduced the cost of health services and is
increasing the number of people the clinic can
treat.
cannot afford electricity so use a lot of firewood
and charcoal.” Soaring maintenance costs and
harmful emissions from generators are no longer
the only way to power households. Solar also has
the potential to reform business opportunities.
Matron Nesisi suggests “Solar power could
provide huge benefits for women engaging in
business. Many are market vendors who sell
chicken, turkey and other poultry. They could use
solar power for ovens to prepare the food and
Now there is light
everywhere, in every
corner. There is light!”
broadcasts Matron Nesisi,
a health worker at the Epe
PHC clinic in Nigeria.
ensure it is hot. It will improve the standard of
living. Those who are selling drinks can sell them
cold. Solar power would be able to increase the
income of women who could use refrigeration
and cooking in market stalls to extend food shelf
life and save costs by reducing food waste. It
means they can also sell frozen foods.”
The current state of the energy market in Nigeria
is failing women. The cost to replace generators
is inaccessibly high and there are no incentives
for greener energy contracts to replace inefficient
and harmful energy supplies. A solar programme
is supporting the Government and private sector
providers to commercially finance and support
energy provision through competitive solutions
for Nigerians.
In 2014, Nigerians spent over US $185 million on
importing generators and this is set to increase
by 8.7% – a situation that has been dubbed an
“epileptic power crisis” by local media. After
two years of working at the clinic, Matron Nesisi
believes that renewable energy has empowered
communities by giving women in Nigeria an
unspoken and underrated freedom. Choice.
She explains, “We use a generator in our own
home. This is very expensive and it is not normal,
however, we have no choice. The vast majority
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Reducing emissions and generating income
that is currently wasted on energy can now be
used to support the household. Matron Nesisi
reflects on the wider conversation around
solar energy, “People need enlightenment.
They need education to get enlightened
so that their children can get educated.
Electricity could greatly help this in education.
It would enable studying for students and
keeping schools open for longer,” she says.
Small-scale innovations such as the
introduction of solar power in health clinics
provides tangible and sustainable change.
Renewable energy addresses more than just
climate change; it stimulates the production
of food and gives women opportunities to
develop entrepreneurial businesses to reduce
inequalities.
Matron Nesisi’s clinic is a symbol of catalytic
change. It is more than a business model;
it is a successful health intervention and an
opportunity to address global challenges.
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