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| Advocates and Secures Ground-breaking MCC Gender Policy |
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Women are at greatest risk of being poor worldwide, but their needs are rarely prioritized by development assistance programs that are meant to reduce poverty. When a new international assistance program, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), was announced by President Bush, Women Thrive led a group of organizations to convince the MCC to chart a new course by making gender a central part of its work. In 2006, the MCC adopted a far-reaching policy, unprecedented in its scope, that incorporates gender analysis into all aspects of its programming. The MCC’s commitment to gender is already impacting $2.3 billion worth of projects worldwide. In Lesotho, for example, it has catalyzed legal reforms that have given married women new rights, including the right to own property and take out a loan. Prior to this change, married women were considered minors. In countries as diverse as Nicaragua, Armenia and Mali, local gender experts are being hired to ensure that women’s needs are being taken into account in agriculture, infrastructure, education and microfinance projects. Moving forward, we will evaluate the gender policy’s implementation, monitor its effectiveness on the ground, and continue to push for change. |
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 25 June 2008 ) |