In celebration of the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day on March 9, 2011, BRAC Uganda asked it’s staff and program participants to think about the meaning of International Women’s Day. Specifically, the initiative aimed to create awareness and explore widely held perceptions of International Women’s Day. Broadly, the initiative sought to bolster BRAC’s commitment to establish a gender sensitive working environment.
Altogether, 55 responses were collected from staff and members of the Empowerment and Livelihoods for Adolescents Program (ELA). While many responses highlighted the value of women’s work, others focused on issues of empowerment, dignity and justice. Many respondents also emphasized women’s rights as a matter of national development for Uganda.
The responses, which were compiled into a word cloud, reaffirm BRAC’s commitment to achieving gender equity. Some of you may be wondering “with all this talk about International Women’s Day, what about men?” In keeping with BRAC’s gendered approach to addressing equality, BRAC Uganda will launch a similar initiative on November 19, 2011, International Men’s Day. Stay tuned!
BRAC Uganda is also celebrating the expansion of a $45 million partnership with the MasterCard Foundation to scale BRAC’s innovative microfinance multiplied model. Announced yesterday at the Skoll World Forum, this partnership will enable BRAC to expand its current network of 85 branches to 129 branches, benefitting more than four million poor Ugandans.