Women volunteers play a life-saving role in the earthquake response
When the earthquakes struck southeastern Türkiye on February 6, the Community Volunteers Foundation immediately deployed its volunteers to the storage units in earthquake zones to …
Spreading digital literacy and radical love to combat online gender-based violence
Dilanaz Güler is a 19-year-old gender equality activist from Türkiye. An advocate against femicide and online gender-based violence, she also works to promote digital literacy …
Promoting innovation to shatter gender stereotypes
Laith Abu-Taleb is a 28-year-old gender equality activist and tech entrepreneur from Jordan. A youth mobilization specialist for UN Women’s Arab States regional office, he …
African Girls Can Code Initiative builds digital skills and momentum towards a better future
In the rural Rwandan village where Chantal Niyonkuru grew up, access to digital technology was basically non-existent. But when she was selected to attend one …
Albanian teens declare war on violence against women using technology
Jonada Shukarasi is one of three 16-year-old girls who developed an app aimed at tackling the severe problem of domestic violence across Albania. Called GjejZâ …
A mother learns, produces and builds independence in a Sri Lanka village
Author: Zafran Packeerally* Eluthoor, Sri Lanka — Things were not easy for Uma Maheswary and her husband when they returned to Sri Lanka after the country’s long …
How male champions are helping to end gender-based violence in Uganda
“As a male champion, I strive for gender inclusiveness and making gender parity a priority,” says local government Community Development Officer, Wilfred Nyeko. “Being a …
Stories from Afghanistan – Babuna
“I AM WORRIED ABOUT THE VILLAGE GIRLS AND MYSELF. WE ASK YOU TO HELP US.” My name is Babuna. I was a teacher in the Panjwai …
Stories from Afghanistan – Mobina
“Despite all the unfairness, oppression, injustice and difficulties, I keep going on. I want to be a changemaker.” I am student in the Education Department at Jawzjan University, …
In a municipality in Timor-Leste, a father is taking action to prevent violence
Bento Pereira is a farmer in a rural community located south-west of Timor-Leste’s capital Dili. Together with his four sons, daughter and wife, they have …
Stepping up for women and girls during the flood crisis in Pakistan
To ensure that women and girls receive the support they need in times of crisis, Fouzia Yasmin, Senior Manager at Pakistani mental health organisation Rozan …
Pushing forward: Protesting women’s rights abuses in Iran
Mana Shooshtari is an Iranian American feminist activist and organiser whose work—spanning issues like immigration reform, gun violence prevention and sexual and reproductive health and …
In the words of Salma*: “We, as women and girls, deserve better.”
Trigger warning: The following includes descriptions of gender-based violence. Salma*, 26, a Lebanese mother of 3 girls, was 13 years old when she eloped with …
Displaced Yet Resilient: Hardship and Joy in an Afghan Refugee Camp in Peshawar
Marjan*, a 27-year-old Afghan single mother, goes to young bride’s houses in the Afghan refugee community in the Khazana Camp in Peshawar, Pakistan, to help …
For more livable communities, more women leaders are needed in waste management in Sri Lanka
Authors: Marlon Ariyasinghe, Boost Metrics* Illustrations: UN Women Sri Lanka/Boost Metrics Colombo, Sri Lanka — Improving waste management starts at home, but its benefits go well …
No peace without women: Afghan activists on why women’s representation matters
The Taliban takeover of Kabul on 15 August 2021 erased years of hard-won progress towards national peace and security. In the year since, the regime …