Women and girls

Girls speak up and fight back for a safer world

Wed, 03/24/2021 - 04:20

COVID-19 lockdowns have increased the risk of gender-based violence. In Nepal, our self-defense classes help girls grow stronger in body and mind.

Three Nepalese girls pose with hands out in front of them.

3 ways our teams are challenging gender norms around the world

Fri, 03/05/2021 - 12:47

Mercy Corps team members share three ways they are busting harmful gender norms in their communities and countries.

A group of young people pose together outside a temporary structure they designed and decorated themselves.

Talk is cheap: The women, peace and security agenda

Fri, 11/20/2020 - 01:54

What should have been the culmination of an entire year celebrating milestones for women and gender equality, passed almost unnoticed.

Women and children wait in line for a monthly food distribution in Fulatari camp.

Why women are crucial to our COVID-19 response

Mon, 10/19/2020 - 06:42

The pandemic is pushing women into poverty at a faster rate. We’re ensuring women have the financial tools, information and leadership to push back.

An adult sits and waits for coffee to brew inside her home in Ethiopia

For working mothers in Ethiopia, a better life starts with affordable daycare

Mon, 03/02/2020 - 01:55

Finding affordable daycare is just another hurdle working mothers must overcome in Addis Ababa, the capital of and largest city in Ethiopia. One woman is committed to helping them.

Mercy Corps Programs Personnel works with local recipient.

How rural women are cashing in on the milk business

Fri, 02/28/2020 - 06:32

We connected milk producers in remote areas with a milk processing factory to buy their milk, strengthening the dairy chain and improving lives every step of the way.

Four women in Ethiopia wearing bright colors and walking behind a donkey

The gift of a lifetime: A mother builds a better future for her daughter

Thu, 02/20/2020 - 09:10

A story of how Mercy Corps is empowering women in Nepal to break the cycle of poverty and transform their lives

The dream that launched Lourdes

Mon, 02/17/2020 - 02:02

In the remote mountains of Timor-Leste, 15-year-old Lourdes had a crazy dream. Today, with help from Mercy Corps, that dream is now in motion.

Living in the remote mountains of Timor-Leste, 18-year-old Lourdes studied by solar lamp for years until her family received electricity. Now she’s preparing to attend university in Dili, the nation’s capital, where she dreams of being Minister of Education. Photo: Ezra Millstein/Mercy Corps

How investing in women can help a community

Thu, 02/06/2020 - 03:17

Lucy was born with drive and ambition, but had no clear path to success. Then, she got involved in a Mercy Corps youth program in Kenya. Today, she's chasing her dreams and helping others chase theirs, too.

Lucy at a counter across from a man on a computer, smiling and holding a cell phone, notepad and pen.

Q&A: Working with communities to stop gender-based violence

Fri, 01/31/2020 - 03:59

Women in conflict-affected countries are especially vulnerable to violence. Learn how we're leading the fight to stop gender-based violence in CAR.

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