EMPOWER! : A Podcast of Inspiring Stories on Women's Empowerment

Economic deprivation and economic exclusion of women is connected to gender-based violence (GBV). In this episode, Rana Al-Motairi and Reine Musharbash from the International Rescue Committee (IRC) explain how they use women's economic empowerment as an entry point to engage men and boys in the prevention and reduction of GBV in refugee camps and the wider society in Jordan. Paired with economic interventions, gender discussion groups encourage a shift towards more equitable power relations within the households. Moreover, in the so-called engaging men in accountable practice interventions, men are challenged to rethink their belief systems, guided by the voices of women in their community.

Refugees, especially women, are often excluded from financial services because they are regarded as too high-risk and "unbankable". In this episode, Bdour Al-Hyari from the Jordanian Microfund for Women (MFW) tells us how they successfully developed holistic financial products according to the needs of Syrian women refugees. To more effectively make use of MFW’s loans, the beneficiaries can pair them with diverse capacity-building and training offers. The programme allowed to build trust in refugees within financial institutions and strengthened the business case for their financial inclusion. MFW empowers Syrian and Jordanian women to become entrepreneurs and improve their livelihoods.

Lorsque son mari est tombé malade, cette mère de famille a contracté un microcrédit et est devenue entrepreneuse en savon artisanal, employant dix personnes. Elle peut maintenant envoyer ses enfants à l'université. Elle fait partie d'un programme de développement économique local soutenu par DDC à Koutiala, au Mali. Dans cet épisode, vous entendrez Hamet Cissé, ancien Chargé de Programme Développement Rural et Point Focal Genre au Mali. Les principaux piliers du programme sont les produits de microfinance pour accroître l'inclusion financière des femmes et le soutien à la formalisation des entreprises dirigées par des femmes. De plus, dans le cadre de la stratégie de genre, des comités de pilotage au niveau communal comprenant les conseillers municipaux et conseillères municipales ainsi que les femmes, les jeunes et les personnes en situation de handicap sont créés afin d'intégrer leurs besoins dans la planification du développement. 

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Connecting economic and political empowerment in Mali - The success story of a woman entrepreneur

When her husband fell ill, this mother took out a microcredit and became an artisanal soap entrepreneur with ten employees and can now send her children to university. She is part of a local economic development program supported by DDC in Koutiala, Mali. In this episode, you will hear from Hamet Cissé, who used to be a Rural Development Program Officer and Gender Focal Point in Mali. Important pillars of the program are microfinance products to increase women's financial inclusion and support for the formalization of women-led businesses. Moreover, as part of the gender strategy, steering committees at commune level that include municipal counselors as well as women, youth, and people with disabilities are created to ensure their needs are incorporated in development planning. 

Returning survivors of human trafficking in Bangladesh are faced with stigmatisation and discrimination by their families and communities. In this episode, Dipta Rakshit from Winrock International talks about the hardships of returned trafficking survivors and how the project Ashshash supports them in rebuilding their lives. As part of the project’s holistic approach, trafficking survivors access skills and entrepreneurship training to enter the job market or start their own company – taking their destiny back into their own hands.

In this episode, Nathalie Paarlberg talks about Turquoise Mountain and the work they do with women weavers in Myanmar. Myanmar has a long artisanal tradition of weaving, and Turquoise Mountain ensures that the weavings are spread throughout the world. The organization not only helps female weavers earn an income, but also encourages them to pass on an ancient tradition with special fabrics like silk to the next generation, preserving one of Myanmar's cultural assets.

In this episode Yasmin Kayali shares the story of Shatila Studio, a social enterprise based in a refugee camp in Lebanon. The Shatila Studio not only allows women to develop an artisanal skill and generate income, it also provides a safe space for its community of women who have overcome incredibly difficult obstacles.   

In this podcast, Fauna Ibramogy explains how they use a gender transformative approach in Mozambique to create structural change in the perception of gender norms and promote equality in rural communities. Fauna Ibramogy is a national programme and gender focal point at the Swiss Embassy in Mozambique.  

Raising awareness of privilege and prejudice is key towards a more just society. In this podcast, Vesna Bajsanski-Agic the director of the Mozaik Foundation, a start-up incubator in Bosnia & Herzegovina, tells us how they are addressing privilege & prejudice, and how something as simple as being thoughtful in the use of language may encourage young women to become entrepreneurs.  

In this podcast, Federico Restrepo Sierra from the Impact Hub in Medellin shares how to improve gender equality through women economic empowerment. Their program for women entrepreneurs provides them with tools, benefits and connections to even the playing field and pave their way to success.

Las mujeres rurales tienen el potencial de ser creadoras del desarrollo de destinos sostenibles. En este podcast, Rocío Rojas, de Turistech LivingLap (y ganadora del premio a la mejor iniciativa de integración de la perspectiva de género en PesLatam) habla de Redintur, un proyecto en Perú en el que se empodera a mujeres y niñas de zonas rurales a través de la cocreación de conocimiento. Centrándose principalmente en la formación en gobernanza participativa, proyectos de innovación y liderazgo, se capacita a las mujeres para desarrollar un turismo que las beneficie a ellas, a su patrimonio cultural y al entorno natural. 

Rural women carry the potential to be creators of sustainable destination development. In this podcast Rocio Rojas, from Turistech LivingLap (and winner of the Best Gender Mainstreaming Initiatives of Enterprenours in PesLatam) talks about Redintur, a project in Peru where women and girls from rural areas are empowered through the co-creation of knowledge. Focusing mainly on training in participatory governance, innovation projects and leadership, women are enabled to develop tourism that benefits them, their cultural heritage and the natural environment. 

In this podcast we will learn how the project "Mercados Rurales" in Bolivia came up with a concrete idea to improve women's economic empowerment by redesigning boxes for fruit vendors in markets. Rocio Tarraga (Swisscontact Women Empowerment Consultant) also shares how they used a Gender Mainstreaming Business Model and other approaches to make that happen.

In this podcast our guest is Peter Sidler, Head of the Domain Employment and Income, in the Swiss Embassy in Tanzania. 

We will talk about including gender in a tender process, what is important for tendering, and how you can win one.