CARE strives for a world that is equal for women and girls.
We cannot eradicate poverty while inequality persists. Discrimination against women and girls is an injustice, and also weakens global security, development, the economy, food security, health, climate, and the environment.
While we seek greater equality for all people, we know that discrimination harms and disadvantages women and girls in greater numbers than any other group, and together with our partners, we pay particular attention to how our programming, advocacy, and partnerships include, enable, and impact women and girls.
In nearly every country, women earn only a fraction of what men do, and discrimination against women and girls fuels food insecurity, safety risks, and exclusion from life-saving services and opportunities.
CARE responds to the needs of women and girls by:
- Prioritising their safety in emergencies and conflict
- Supporting better health outcomes for mothers and their babies
- Supporting communities to establish village savings and loan schemes
- Supporting education initiatives in communities where girls are at greater risk
- Developing initiatives like Lendwithcare that supports improved livelihoods
Fast Facts
More than 60% of the world’s hungry are women and girls, at the same time, women and girls disproportionately bear the burden of meeting their families’ food and care needs.
Globally, one in three women has experienced physical and/or sexual violence, most often at the hands of an intimate partner.
Women in paid jobs globally, only make 77 cents for every dollar earned by men.
Impact stories
Umbelina in Timor-Leste
Umbelina is a member of the local Suco (village) Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) in rural Viqueque in Timor-Leste. In her community, steep slopes and tall trees surrounding the area have made the local villagers vulnerable to the effects of extreme weather events. Amid this, Umbelina notices that women and girls in her community are often severely impacted.
“Women in labour would suffer the most during rainy seasons. Road paths would be destroyed, and when women are due to give birth, it was difficult for the ambulance to reach our location to take them to a nearby health facility”, says Umbelina.
Umbelina’s opportunity to influence change came about when she joined the SDMC, formed and regularly convened with the support from the Disaster READY project. With her involvement in the project, she regularly participates in leadership training that boosts her confidence to advocate for meeting women and girls’ needs in municipal disaster preparedness and risk reduction initiatives.
Now that she is aware of the impact she has on her community, she is actively encouraging other women to participate in local decision-making processes to accomplish one common goal; reducing the detrimental impact disasters have on women and girls.
*Disaster READY is supported by the Government of Australia and has a focus on ensuring vulnerable groups are represented and heard in disaster preparedness, management, and risk reduction activities.
Siutit in Tonga
In Tonga, CARE partners with Talitha Project to equip adolescent girls to contribute to a resilient economy and society.
The Tonga Young Women’s Economic Resilience (TYWER) project is being piloted in three locations – two communities on the main island of Tongatapu and St Joseph’s Community College in Ha’apai. The Talitha Project team have adapted the Village Savings and Loans (VSLA) approach specifically for adolescent girls in Tonga. This includes engaging with community leaders and families, providing life skills trainings to girls to boost self-esteem and confidence, training on financial literacy and management, and support for them to establish income generating activities, which will contribute towards the girls’ and their families’ long-term goals.
The Talitha Project installed a sewing hub at St Joseph’s to support girls’ livelihoods and income generation skills. The sewing hub was launched by Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Tonga and Niue, His Eminence Soane Patita Paini Cardinal Mafi. Fifteen students are taking part in this initiative learning financial literacy, including how to set up savings and leverage loans to improve income generation. Talitha Project is working towards having the sewing club’s training recognised as part of the Level 1 curriculum, which would enable students to stay longer in their home community before moving to the main island for further studies.
“I am thankful to be part of TYWER. I enjoy learning about financial literacy, how to budget and save. I am able to manage my money wisely for my ‘needs’ not my ‘wants’. Before, every time I got my hands on money I would spend it on junk food. I should have saved that money for something more useful. This program helps us young girls to set goals and manage finances responsibly to achieve those goals,” says Siutiti Faka’osifolau, who is a TYWER project participant at St Joseph’s Community College.
