Investing in women's economic empowerment changes lives

Around the world, women do not have the same access to resources and opportunities as men. This means that half of humanity cannot reach their full potential.

Zemzem Nori lives in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. She is a mother, a farmer and an entrepreneur. In recent years Zemzem, like many women in Ethiopia, has been impacted by the pandemic, locust invasions, severe drought, and armed conflict, which caused her to struggle to feed her family and send her kids to school.

Zemzem's life changed completely when she joined a CARE savings group. "I used my savings and my loan to survive. It was like I took a shortcut. I was able to buy things and keep going during the crisis."

With the training and knowledge she gained from the CARE project, she is runs a successful business baking bread and delivering it all over her area.

"Now, I can buy what I need and what my children need. I can send my children to school. I can buy nutritious food and clothes for them. Now, I can buy oil, potatoes, tomatoes, sugar, and lentils. I can also buy sanitary pads. These are all things that I could not buy before, but I can now. Now I have an income."

When we support women like Zemzem, they can provide for themselves, their families and strengthen their communities—meaning more people can withstand crises, just like Zemzem's family did.

"Now I see what I am capable of, which motivates me. It means I can do more. I want to keep going and keep moving forward."

Investing in and promoting women's economic empowerment is not only the right thing to do—we must do it to achieve a better, more equal world for all. Sign if you agree!