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For a long time, women’s empowerment has served as a development buzz word, often with a shortsighted focus on offering women low-paid work like hairdressing, sewing or cooking. There is an appealing simplicity to the argument for investing in women and girls: ‘They have so much potential, get them into work and poverty will disappear’, or ‘Get them into school and child marriages will decrease’, ‘Give them a goat or a cow and they will change the world!’…
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Significant philanthropic and development resources have sustained this appealing yet simplistic narrative. Greater care must be taken to understand the complexity of women’s mindsets and living conditions to lift them and their communities out of poverty.
A new breed of risk-taking philanthropists are building new pathways for women’s empowerment, some by building entire ecosystems to support women, others by focusing on sustainable economic independence. |
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In a recent Oxfam report on inequality, India ranked 147th out of 157 countries in the Commitment to Reduce Inequality index and 151st on the index for Public Spending on Healthcare, Education and Social Protection. According to Thomson Reuters Foundation, India has become the world’s most dangerous country for women.
Gender justice and women’s empowerment is EdelGive Foundation’s objective. EdelGive works to strengthen the collective representation of women, especially in the workforce, by bringing critical stakeholders together – women and men, conventional social actors such as NGOs and new entrants focusing on venture philanthropy. ‘We believe it is only at that level of collective engagement that needs can be better communicated and the scale and magnitude of change required for women’s rights can be achieved” Shah emphasized. EdelGive uses distinctive tools to support women’s social and economic empowerment. As an example, Shah described the Influencers: ‘They are a significant and influential group of women and men who are iconic leaders and opinion makers across sectors, with an intent and ability to lend their voice to the concerns of and challenges to women empowerment.’ Through their identity, networks and resources, the group aims to enable millions of nameless, faceless women marginalized by caste, culture, geography, economic status and other differentiators to participate actively in the social, political and cultural spheres. Another group empowered by EdelGive Foundation, survivors of trafficking have become forceful advocates against this abhorrent practice. |
While EdelGive works on women’s empowerment and gender equity in India, a leading Turkish family has been at the heart of educating girls and providing the necessary physical infrastructure for reaching their full potential. Aydin Dogan Foundation has focused on girls’ education for the last 15 years.
Thirty-three dormitories have been built, fifty thousand scholarships offered, schools and other infrastructures provided; but the foundation goes further by offering women microcredits as they move toward economic independence. Additionally, Aydin Dogan has been a leader in promoting women’s rights through lobbying and campaigns against child marriage and domestic violence. ‘We work collaboratively with other foundations, civil society groups and government for increased impact and scaling-up of our projects’, explains foundation director Candan Fetvaci. ‘We are constantly seeking ways to innovate and engage young girls and women in our programs. Our aim is to close the skills gap and prepare these young women for the 21st century.’ Its activities in this area, conducted under the motto “Empowered Girls, Empowered Future,” aim to support the development of the economy and raise up a qualified workforce while also enabling young women to participate as socially engaged, industrious individuals. |