As we approach International Women’s Day, the spotlight intensifies on the critical role of investing in women and girls in global development efforts. Achieving gender equality and social inclusion is a foundational element for cultivating inclusive societies that thrive economically and socially. With over 342 million women and girls at risk of living below the poverty line by 2030, the need for targeted investment has never been more urgent, from sustained financial resources to education, health, economic empowerment, and protection against violence and exploitation. World Vision is joining humanitarian organizations across the world to renew the call for accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and fostering a world where they are empowered and valued.
At the core of World Vision’s approach is the strategic integration of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) across programs. By prioritizing GESI, World Vision aims to tackle the multifaceted challenges women and girls face, including child marriage, sexual and gender-based violence, poverty, and economic inequality. This approach ensures that efforts in combating gender inequality and violence, promoting health and education, advocating for policies and funding, and fostering economic empowerment are inclusively designed and implemented to include and benefit women and girls, creating an environment conducive to their success and well-being.
In addressing gender-based inequality and violence, World Vision works with entire communities — women, girls, men, and boys — to transform discriminatory practices, ranging from harmful social and gender norms to sexual and gender-based violence. For example, in Nicaragua, the Prevent Domestic Violence, Promote Gender Equality, and Transform Communities on the Caribbean Coast project enhanced gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response by strengthening the technical skills of community service providers, improving shelters, and challenging harmful gender norms that perpetuate violence. This 2.5-year State Department-funded project used a survivor-centered approach to improve survivors’ access to quality services, safety, well-being, and economic empowerment. In South Sudan, the Prioritizing GESI Across Health Interventions in Western Equatoria project focuses on ensuring equitable access to quality health services for all and strengthening health systems. Using a multisectoral approach to address the social determinants of health, World Vision created a conducive environment for mainstreaming GESI in the health system, building the capacity of health providers and ensuring equal access to and use of health services, and improving health-seeking behaviors of vulnerable populations, encouraging them to exercise their rights to obtain health services.
In the health sector, World Vision’s holistic investment in women and girls ensures positive health outcomes throughout her life—from reproductive and maternal to newborn, infant and adolescent—at household, community and national levels. This includes initiatives that encourage healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies and integrate family planning into health counseling. By partnering with faith leaders and communities, we can address broader issues of gender equality and women’s economic empowerment, ensuring lasting impacts on households and communities.
Recognizing that government policies, legislation, and funding can protect and empower safety, health, and opportunity for girls and women, World Vision advocates at the national and global levels for sustained government funding and policies that directly impact the lives of women and girls globally. This includes pushing for foreign assistance that supports initiatives aimed at ending child marriage and providing essential services like clean water, vaccines, and disaster relief. Such funding, though comprising less than 1% of the U.S. federal budget, is vital for the recovery and empowerment of communities facing extreme poverty. By securing foreign assistance for essential services and championing legislation aimed at ending violence against children, World Vision plays a crucial role in creating safer, more equitable communities.
The transition to a sustainable economy for communities affected by weather extremes and disasters is paramount in creating a resilient future that values the contributions and well-being of women and girls. This shift recognizes the disproportionate impact of economic and environmental challenges on marginalized groups and emphasizes the need for solutions that promote environmental sustainability alongside social inclusion. World Vision’s investment in programs like USAID-funded SPIR II exemplifies our dedication to women’s economic empowerment within a resilience framework.
Rahila’s life took a turn when she joined Village Economic and Social Association (VESA), supported by the USAID BHA-funded SPIR II program, which World Vision leads in Ethiopia. A 35-year-old mother of four, Rahila gained skills through capacity-building sessions focused on income-generating activities like poultry production, saving and lending, and home gardening, as well as promoting transformation of social and gender norms and nutrition and health practices. These sessions not only equipped her with valuable skills but increased her confidence and opened new opportunities for her and her family. Today, Rahila proudly owns several livestock and actively practices home gardening. She secured a loan through the savings group and engages in trade during market days. Her children now attend school, and her communication with her husband has vastly improved, leading to joint decision-making and shared responsibilities at home.
In 2023 alone, SPIR II trained more than 1,800 new adult Village Economic and Social Associations with more than 36,000 members — more than half of which are women.
By improving the skills, resources, power, and agency of women, and addressing inequitable norms and laws, World Vision is fostering an environment where both women and men can prosper equally, contributing to sustainable economic growth and resilience against poverty.
Next week, World Vision is highlighting our efforts to address gender inequality and sexual and gender-based violence at the 68th session of the United Nations Council on the Status of Women, where we are co-hosting two events with our partners in the Faith Actors Consortium to End Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (FACE). A key component of World Vision’s approach is engaging faith leaders as catalysts in changing harmful attitudes and behaviors in their communities. By educating faith leaders on gender issues and emphasizing the unique giftedness and important role of women in families and communities, women are empowered to influence their own futures, girls have improved opportunities to attend school, and churches become centers of justice against gender inequities in their communities. These events will highlight lessons learned, promising practices, and sustainable work towards gender equality and social inclusion in diverse social, cultural and religious contexts.
Through high-level events like these, World Vision is amplifying our efforts to combat sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and promote gender equality and social inclusion. By focusing on empowering women and girls, improving access to services for survivors of SGBV, and ensuring equitable health services, World Vision is not only comprehensively addressing gender equality and social inclusion but also shaping a world where women and girls are not only protected but empowered to achieve their full potential.
As we commemorate International Women’s Day, take a moment to learn more about this awareness day and how you can be involved:
- View or download our GESI Approach and Theory of Change, which outlines our multi-faceted process of transformation that promotes equal and inclusive access, decision-making, participation, and well-being of the most vulnerable; transforms systems, social norms, and relations to enable the most vulnerable to participate in and benefit equally from development interventions; builds individual and collective agency, resilience, and action; and promotes the empowerment and well-being of vulnerable children, their families, and communities.
- View or download our Toolkit for Integrating GESI in Design, Monitoring and Evaluation for resources to help you and your staff design inclusive relief and development programming or our Reference Guides, arranged by sector, presenting practical guidance for GESI integration with attention to standards and best practices—including those to prevent SGBV.
- Learn how you can use your voice to advocate for foreign assistance and end violence against children.
Together, we can forge a path towards a future where every woman and girl has the opportunity to live a life free from violence and discrimination, empowered to reach their highest potential.
