Blog

Stories from the work MEDA does around the world.

How technology unleashes women’s potential

Delving deeper into the topic of “knowledge is power: harnessing technology for greater gender equality.” Exploring the challenges that women face in accessing ICTs and the opportunities that these technologies provide for empowering women.

MEDA releases updated Gender and Environment-Mainstreamed Business Improvement Tool

In 2022, MEDA decided to synthesize learnings and update the GEM Framework based on the feedback received from clients and the changing needs of the sector. The revised GEM Framework and its accompanying manual now include a comprehensive approach that encompasses not only gender equality but also diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Water is precious: let’s protect it on World Water Day 2023

On March 22, 2023 at the UN Headquarters in New York City, the first global UN conference on water in 46 years will be held. The conference aims to build new commitments, pledges and actions by Governments and all stakeholders towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, and water-related targets across all SDGs, in order to move us collectively towards the Water Action Agenda.

How social norms impact women entrepreneurs’ access to finance

Women’s economic empowerment (WEE) is integral to the growth of any economy. However, women entrepreneurs face restrictive social norms, attitudes, and practices that exclude them from fully participating in the economy, including from accessing financial resources.

Bridging the Digital Divide on International Women’s Day

For International Women’s Day, we are pleased to share some of the International Women’s Day events MEDA staff will be participating in. This year’s theme is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.” We encourage you to join us where possible. We hope that our International Women’s Day content and events will give you some useful insights that will shape your thoughts about how we can advance gender equality, at home and beyond.

How partnerships drive prosperity for local Haitian businesses

Haitian businesses have the raw talent and ambition to create businesses. But in Haiti, they face an uphill struggle. The cost of borrowing is high. The business development services provided are not tailored to the needs of MSMEs. MSMEs also find hiring a trained and skilled labor force difficult due to few educational opportunities, and many skilled professionals have emigrated to other countries.

Four things we learned from Let’s Talk Agriculture, episode nine with Jennifer Denomy, MEDA’s Technical Director, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion

A recent episode of the “Let’s Talk Agriculture” podcast focused on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) and included an engaging conversation with MEDA’s Technical Director, GESI, Jennifer Denomy. Jennifer Denomy and podcast host Sharon Idahosa explore why GESI in agriculture matters, the challenges that exist, and how gender equality benefits businesses, farms, and the world in general.

Does biodiversity matter to small-scale producers?

It would be simple for most development organizations, including the UN, to say that biodiversity matters to everyone. This is why most high-income countries, particularly those involved in COP15, provide investment support to tackle biodiversity problems. For lower to middle-income countries such as the Philippines, the question is, does biodiversity matter to political leaders?

How digital finance creates decent work for women in agriculture

With equal access to resources, women could contribute much more to the economy. The FAO estimates that if women farmers (43 percent of the agricultural labor force in low and middle-income countries) had the same access as men, agricultural output in 34 low and middle-income countries would rise by an estimated average of up to four percent. This could reduce the number of undernourished people in those countries by as much as 17 percent, translating to 150 million fewer hungry people.

Listen to our take on the state of agriculture today!

We’re pleased to announce that we’ve joined the podcast universe! Four MEDA staff members have contributed to the “Let’s Talk Agriculture” podcast that focuses on gender equality and social inclusion, agricultural financing, climate finance, and how to build inclusive agrifood market systems [Insert link].

When you subscribe, you’ll be able to hear the following:
Zakaria Isshaku, episode 6 – Building an inclusive agrifood market system [Insert podcast link and photo]

Agri-food market system expert Zak Issahaku breaks down what agri-food market systems are and their value to communities worldwide.

Dennis Tessier, episode 7 – Climate finance for sustainable agriculture [Insert podcast link and photo]

In this episode, Dennis explores how climate finance can play an essential role in mitigating the effects of climate change on the environment and communities in the Global South. This episode also covers MEDA’s services to its clients to adopt environmentally sustainable agricultural practices.

Regina Nyakinyua, episode 8 – On innovations for inclusive agricultural financing [Insert podcast link and photo]

Regina talks about the major challenges of agricultural finances and the current opportunities. The episode also covers MEDA’s unique approach to agri-finance.

Jennifer Denomy, episode 9 – Gender Equality and Social Inclusion [Insert podcast link and photo]

In this episode, Jennifer talks in detail about the value of gender equality and social inclusion in agriculture and how this will benefit communities, and the challenges and ways that local business owners can use to overcome gender equality challenges.

Stay in the loop! Remember to sign up for “Let’s talk Agriculture” for the latest podcast episodes.
The Storehouse [Insert link] has more content for you to explore. Read more to find out how MEDA provides those living in poverty with technical assistance and decent work opportunities to create prosperity for themselves, their families, and their communities.