The United Nations (UN) set a goal of achieving gender equity by 2030. A new report indicates meeting this goal will be impossible due to deeply rooted biases against women around the world in heath, education, employment and the halls of power, the United Nations said.
The report paints a grim picture of the gender gap, and the ‘lacklustre commitment’ globally to equality for women. It was noted that funding for programmes promoting gender equality and female empowerment globally is ‘inadequate, unpredictable and inconsistently distributed’
“The world is failing women and girls,” UN Women, the agency promoting gender equality, and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs said in “The Gender Snapshot 2023” report.
According to the UN’s findings, “active resistance to gender equality and chronic underinvestment are key factors in slow progress and, in some cases, reversals of gains already made”. It said “unequal access to sexual and reproductive health, unequal political representation, economic disparities and a lack of legal protection, among other issues, prevent tangible progress”.
It is interesting to note that this report comes out at a time when men are claiming victim status because they are not able to keep up economically in those circumstances wherein women have been empowered to some degree. Men are now demanding additional funding to help them compete.
Link to the full article:
One: CARE Releases Inaugural Women’s Economic Justice Impact Report: “Helping Women Earn, Save and Invest”
ATLANTA—SEPT. 19, 2023— CARE USA’s Women’s Economic Justice (WEJ) practice today announced the release of its first-ever Impact Report, “Helping Women Earn, Save and Invest.”
The report describes WEJ’s accomplishments in advancing economic justice for women worldwide, including the success of its savings groups, which have improved the lives of 17.7 million people around the world, 78 percent of whom are women. CARE has also improved access to finance or business-related skills for more than 150,000 entrepreneurs, 68 percent of whom are women.
“Approximately 2.4 billion women worldwide lack the same economic rights as men, and at CARE, we believe the power to make economic decisions is a fundamental right regardless of gender,” said Madhu Deshmukh, Vice President of Program Strategy and Innovation at CARE.
Featuring innovative programs designed in collaboration with local actors, governments and private sector entities, “Helping Women Earn, Save and Invest” highlights key accomplishments and impact stories organized around WEJ’s four strategic interventions:
- Economic Growth Designed for Women: WEJ has been at the forefront of shaping economies to be more inclusive and responsive to women’s needs.
- Private Sector Collaboration: In partnership with companies ranging in size from small startups to leading multinational corporations such as Cargill, Hershey, Mars, Mastercard, and Target, CARE helps unlock capital and builds more equitable systems for women who participate in markets as workers or customers.
- Local Partnerships: Collaborating with governments and civil society actors, CARE’s advocacy has successfully led to implementing savings groups in government policies and programs in Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Malawi, Morocco, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Vietnam and elsewhere.
- Digital Inclusion: To bridge the digital gender divide and unlock economic opportunity, CARE has invested in digital platforms, training, and gender norms interventions so women have improved access to technology, information, and tools.
About CARE
Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package®, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside women and girls. With proper resources, women and girls have the power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. This year, CARE and partners worked in 109 countries implementing 1,600 poverty-fighting development and humanitarian aid projects and initiatives that reached 174,000,000 people.
To learn more, visit www.care.org
Two: Honeyland Fund Now Accepting Grant Applications
The Honeyland Festival is a new event showcasing the best in Black expression. From food and spirits to music and art, the two-day festival will soon take over Crown Festival Park at Sugar Land, outside of Houston, on November 11-12, 2023.
This week, the Honeyland Festival launched the application page for their grant funding which aims to invest up to $1 million in grants over the course of three years, to support Black creators and innovators and bring awareness to emerging talent in entertainment, events and hospitality. The fund will channel support towards community-based initiatives and projects that encapsulate the values of the Honeyland Festival and will serve as an effective vehicle for positive societal change. The deadline to apply is October 9, 2023.
Grants will be made both to businesses and to the festival’s non-profit partners. Proceeds from Honeyland Festival ticket sales will also go towards an education-based grant. Awardees for all three types of grants will be announced closer to the festival, happening November 11 & 12, 2023 at The Crown Festival Park in Sugar Land, TX.
The Honeyland Festival is a beacon of Black expression, celebrating the richness and diversity of Black culture, cuisine, events, art, and entrepreneurial spirit. The Honeyland Fund is an extension of this celebration – an active step towards fostering equity and promoting Black excellence.
To be eligible for the grant opportunity, applicants must meet the following criteria: Applicants should be Black creators or Black-led organizations, both for-profit and non-profit, and based in the United States. The grant welcomes individuals and entities from various interest sectors, including hospitality, food & beverage production, agriculture, arts and culture, music, design, sports, social enterprises, and community development. Programs and businesses should have a demonstrated positive impact on their communities, showing a clear vision for growth and development. Alignment with Honeyland Festival’s commitment to fostering Black expression and innovation is a key requirement. Additionally, applicants must submit a comprehensive business plan or project proposal that proves the viability and sustainability of their venture. Honeyland Festival food, beverage and marketplace vendors are particularly encouraged to apply.
For additional information on the Honeyland Festival, please see the links below:
https://travelnoire.com/honeyland-festival-texas
Three: Shining a Light on Child Marriage at the United Nations General Assembly
Child marriage is an atrocity that often goes overlooked and underfunded, perpetuating a cycle of inequality, oppression, and suffering for girls worldwide. Shockingly, every 3 seconds, a girl under the age of 18 is forced into a union that is devoid of love or choice. According to UNICEF, a staggering 720 million women alive today were married as children, and an estimated 12 million girls will become child brides this year alone.
This issue is particularly relevant given the current discussions at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and the upcoming International Day of the Girl on October 11.
Princess Mabel Van Oranje recognized the urgency of addressing child marriage and founded the organization, VOW for Girls. VOW’s approach leverages love, happiness, and joyful celebrations to combat this deeply ingrained issue. Inspired by the idea that love can drive change, VOW invites couples celebrating their weddings or other significant life events to register with VOW. Remarkably, 100% of the funds raised through these celebrations are channeled directly to underfunded local organizations working to advance girls’ rights.
VOW believes locally-led solutions are the only way to end the global child marriage crisis, which is why we fund grassroots efforts to support every girl to own her future. Some of the programs VOW supports include continued education, job training, leadership clubs, access to health services, and advocating for girls’ rights.
To read more about VOW and the issue of child marriage, please use this link:
Four: African Philanthropy Conference 2023: Philanthropy at an Inflection Point
Since its inception, the African Philanthropy Conference has provided an opportunity for partners and sectoral stakeholders to strengthen networks and support research that will accelerate the understanding of the practices that aid the maturity of the fields of African philanthropy and social investment.
This year’s 4th Annual African Philanthropy Conference in Saly, Senegal in August 2023, was hosted by TrustAfrica, African Philanthropy Forum (APF), Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investments (CAPSI), African Philanthropy Network (APN), East African Philanthropy Network (EAPN), and Southern Africa Trust. The theme was “African Philanthropy at an Inflection Point”.
As the journey into the future continues, this conference was charged with the responsibility of unraveling the issues that lie within the annual themes and to devise the way forward for philanthropy.
Some or the results of the conference::
- A long form conference report from Ese Emerhi, Alliance Regional Representative for Sub-Saharan Africa
- An interview with Mamadou Biteye of the African Capacity Building Foundation, the need for changing mindsets, how we scale up our work to show impact, and the process of reimagining the aid system
- Reflections from delegates and speakers
To visit the website of the Conference, please use the link below:
https://www.alliancemagazine.org/conf-report/african-philanthropy-conference-2023/
Five: NCRP Identifies Philanthropy’s Best & Boldest Leaders in Announcing the Winners of Its 2023 Impact Awards
This week, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) proudly announced the winners of its biennial celebration of philanthropy’s best actors, the IMPACT Awards.
- The Raikes Foundation (“Changing Course” Award for Incorporating Feedback)
- The Black Immigrant Bail Fund run by Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) and African Bureau for Immigration & Social Affairs (ABISA) (“Get Up, Stand Up” Award for Rapid-Response Grantmaking)
- The Solidaire Network (“Mover and Shaker” Award for Bold Peer
- Organizing) and the New York Women’s Foundation (“Smashing Silos” Award for Intersectional Grantmaking) were chosen by a committee of distinguished philanthropic and nonprofit leaders for displaying the kind of exemplary leadership and funding practices that philanthropy should be pursuing in service of the common good.
In addition, Non Profit AF’s Vu Le was also announced as the inaugural winner of the NCRP’s “Pablo Eisenberg Memorial Prize” for Philanthropy Criticism. The award was established late last year in honor of NCRP’s Founding Board Chair Pablo Einsenberg, who passed away at age of 94.
“The leaders and organizations honored this year by NCRP don’t need extensive data sets, surveys, or focus groups to know how to support communities,” said NCRP President & CEO Aaron Dorfman, “They have done the work to understand that the urgency of the moment requires both the rapid and bold flow of resources to movement groups…”
Winners will be presented their awards at a ceremony in Los Angeles, California on October 18 during the 2023 CHANGE Philanthropy Unity Summit. The three-day conference looks to create a diverse and safe space to gather and deepen individual and institutional practices that advance equity with an intersectional lens and community at the center.
Click here to find out more about the award winners, reaction quotes to their selection,and the criteria the Selection Committee used to choose the honorees.
ABOUT NCRP
The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) has worked since 1976 to ensure that the sector is transparent with, and accountable to, those with the least wealth, power and opportunity in American society.
Through storytelling, advocacy, and research efforts in partnership with grantees, NCRP works to serve public purposes in pursuit of justice.
ABOUT THE 2023 IMPACT AWARDS
Since 2013, NCRP has awarded 29 Impact Awards in recognition of support, leadership and partnership with grassroots organizations and community leaders around LGBTQ rights, minimum wage, environmental justice, health equity and other critical issues. This year, we will add a fifth, the Pablo Eisenberg Memorial Prize” for Philanthropy Criticism, in honor of NCRP’s founding board chair. The biennial event has been traditionally held on the last night of Change Philanthropy’s Unity Summit.
ABOUT THE CHANGE PHILANTHROPY’S UNITY SUMMIT
This year’s Impact Awards — and the 2023 Unity Summit in general — are expected to be the biggest yet, with over 1200 people expected to attend the conference from Oct. 16-19th.
To visit the website, please use the following link:
https://www.changeunitysummit.info/
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