Last week, in celebration of International Women’s Day, the CIPE Development Blog focused on stories of women’s empowerment from around the world:
- Teodora Mihaylova kicked off the week, writing about how truly democratic governance requires full participation by women.
- In Ecuador, more women than men are now becoming entrepreneurs. Brenda Sumba, a participant in the CIPE-supported Emprendedores Ecuatorianos program, shared her thoughts on entrepreneurship and women’s economic empowerment.
- In the latest Economic Reform Feature Service article, based on a Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Google Hangout, CIPE partners from Nicaragua, Jordan, and Bangladesh discuss how societies can support women in the economy.
- Mentors and role models are one the best ways to encourage more women to become successful entrepreneurs. In Serbia and Nicaragua, CIPE is supporting mentorship programs that connect women with more experienced mentors to help them start and expand their own businesses.
- CIPE has been supporting a network of South Asian women’s businesses associations to share lessons and build their capacity for advocacy. Now, some of these organizations are using their skills to achieve real advocacy successes.
- Despite advancements in women’s political participation, the word “businesswoman” is still news in Nicaragua.
- What role do men have in women’s empowerment? The UN’s HeForShe campaign has already enlisted more than 200,000 men and boys, and is now calling for more institutional support — including from the business sector.
- Finally, CIPE-Atlas Corps ThinkTankLINKS fellow Lawrence Yealue, II wrote about how Accountability Lab is helping women in Liberia tell their stories.
And don’t forget to check out our Women’s Day Facebook photo album!