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We are working to transform lives in 23 of the world's poorest countries.
Read our 2021 annual report
Concern's objectives, activities and achievements in 2021 can be found in our new annual report.
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Gender equality
Why gender equality? Gender inequality is globally the most common form of inequality and remains a major obstacle to the eradication of poverty. We specifically focus on gender equality as a means to significantly reduce inequalities and empower people living in extreme poverty to improve their lives.
Across the world, so many women and girls still do not have access to or control over resources and services. They live in fear of gender-based violence (GBV), are denied education and have no say over decisions in their homes. Gender equality forms a major pillar of Concern’s Strategic Plan (2021-2025) and is a key area of focus for all programmes in livelihoods, health and education.
And we are seeing an impact.
"We started to realise that a lot of roles in the home can be done by anybody. By sharing these we can see the changes in the welfare of the family and how women are treated."
Latest achievements
Achievements
- In 2021, Concern produced an issue of the magazine ‘Knowledge Matters’ focusing on lessons learned from our Gender Equality programming.
- In Niger, 43% of households reported that women are now at least consulted in key areas of household decision-making, an important improvement from last year (18.5%).
- Every programme that Concern implements is 'gender sensitive' - meaning it identifies and takes into account the different needs, abilities, and opportunities of girls, boys, women and men.
Rukia Mohamed Issack (Project Officer Durable Solutions) and Najma Mohamed (Vice Chair Hanano School Club) facilitated a GBV prevention and awareness raising session. Across Somalia/Somaliland, Concern staff and project participants came together to commemorate #16DaysofActivismAgainstGBV through awareness raising and experience sharing events. Photo: Hassan Isgowe/Concern Worldwide
Zainab Thorlley (8yrs, left) and Isatu Forna (10yrs, centre), students in class 3 at Patiful Mayeppuh SDA Primary School, Tonkolil District, Sierra Leone. Students in schools and adults in communities are being taught about ‘Social and Emotional Learning’ (SEL) and ‘School-related Gender Based Violence Prevention and Response’ (SRGBV). Photo: Michael Duff/Concern Worldwide
A Community Dialogue session is held monthly in Masokoray Community and facilitated by Concern BLN Officer Salamatu Magdalene. Community Dialogues bring together all members of the community to discuss way to improve gender equality and tackle issues including gender based violence. As part of the sessions community members are encouraged to roll play actions that promote gender equality. Photo: Michael Duff/Concern Worldwide
Bilkisu Jah and Roseann Kanu, Concern Worldwide Freetown. 16 days of Activism 2021, Orange the World: End Violence Against Women, 25th November to 10th December 2021. Photo: Charlotte Woellwarth/Concern Worldwide
Students at Patiful Mayeppuh SDA Primary School take part in an after school SEL (Social Emotional Learning) session. The session is facilitated by Class 1 teacher Kadiatu Bangura and integrates gender equality issues as well as school related gender based violence (SRGBV). Photo: Michael Duff/Concern Worldwide
A Community Dialogue session is held monthly in Masokoray Community and facilitated by Concern BLN Officer Salamatu Magdalene. Community Dialogues bring together all members of the community to discuss way to improve gender equality and tackle issues including gender based violence. As part of the sessions community members are encouraged to role play actions that promote gender equality. Photo: Michael Duff/Concern Worldwide
A closer look at our approach to gender equality
Here are just some of the ways our gender equality programming is helping to change the lives of women, men and children around the world.
Gender sensitive to gender transformative
Our ultimate aim is to move from 'gender-sensitive' to 'gender-transformative' on all programmes. This means working with communities to develop programmes that transform the root causes of gender inequality at many layers of society – from the individual to the institutional and national. Concern has partnered with Sonke Gender Justice to provide technical support and capacity building to our staff on approaches to gender transformation.
Engaging women
Engaging men
Conflict and gender equality
Positive results
Engaging with men doesn’t mean that women lose out. Based on Concern’s positive results using the approach in Tanzania, Liberia and Sierra Leone, we believe that engaging men is an essential element of women’s empowerment so that benefits are brought to children, women and men themselves.
He would say you're a woman, you can't say anything. When we are like this we can't make money. Before we had lots of conflict in the household, and lots of problems. Concern taught us in the training how to manage money together and husbands changed after this. Now we plan together and he doesn’t use the money alone.
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