The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Canadian Minister of International Development & Pacific Economic Development, recently visited MEDA’s Resilience and Inclusion through Investment for Sustainable Agrikultura (RIISA) project in Mindanao, Philippines.
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.
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.
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.
Last week, MEDA participated in International Development Week by highlighting the critical issues that matter to Canadians and those who work in international development.
This week, MEDA will examine several key themes, including the role of localization, biodiversity, gender equality and social inclusion, and market systems.
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.
MEDA’s Nicaragua Country Director, Dr. Cony Peralta, was awarded on February 1st by the Canadian High Commission with a Leadership award in recognition of her commitment to achieving gender equality through the Technolinks+ project. Cony helped build broad networks and relationships with local communities, public institutions, and international and local organizations.
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.
Agriculture pays the bills in Kenya, supporting 80% of the country’s population. However, small businesses and farmers in Kenya often lack access to the business supports they need to prosper. Without access to technology, agricultural inputs, business services, and finance businesses and farmers in Kenya struggle to get by. Women-led businesses often face even stricter challenges.
MEDA – Mennonite Economic Development Associates – is an international economic development organization that creates business solutions to poverty.
MEDA International is a Canadian non-share capital not-for-profit corporation incorporated under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act.
Mennonite Economic Development Associates is a 501(c)(3) status non-profit organization in the United States: EIN 23-7398678. Mennonite Economic Development Associates of Canada is a registered charity in Canada: No. 107 691 057 RR0001.
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