Women’s Empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa

Technical Approaches

Women’s Empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa

The Corus International family of organizations has worked throughout Sub-Saharan Africa for over five decades with a focus on improving women’s health, addressing gender-based violence (GBV), supporting girls’ education and advancing women’s economic and social empowerment.

IMA World Health leads health programming for Corus, strengthening health systems to improve the lives of millions of women with integrated interventions that combat GBV, expand social and behavior change communication around women’s empowerment and promote access to family planning and maternal, newborn and child health care.

Leading Corus’ women’s and girls' socioeconomic empowerment work, Lutheran World Relief and CGA Technologies strengthen market access for women entrepreneurs and support youth changemakers to advance girls’ education and build social protection systems. Additionally, Ground Up Investing, Corus’ impact investing practice, uses an equity stake model in Sub-Saharan Africa to grow mission-driven enterprises which generate increased income for smallholder producers and increase access to opportunity for women and youth. Together, we deliver meaningful impact and have played a pivotal role in transforming women’s lives across the region.

We employ a gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) lens throughout programming in Sub-Saharan Africa utilizing our IDEAL approach, which stands for intersectionality, delivery, equity, access and leadership. The approach, originally developed to prioritize women's voices and needs in agricultural communities, can be applied across sectors to recognize how individuals' diverse identities, such as age, race, religion, geography, class and gender, influence their access to resources and opportunities for equitable participation in decision-making processes. This inclusive strategy also informs our comprehensive technical approach for preventing, mitigating and responding to GBV in all of its forms.

Our work to champion women and girls is also guided by our longstanding accompaniment methodology, which centers individuals and organizations from the communities we serve as the primary agents of change. We collaborate with local experts, trainers and organizations to ensure that interventions are contextually relevant and responsive. In prioritizing capacity strengthening and partnership, we understand that our role may take various forms depending on local priorities and sustainability needs. Whether acting as technical specialists, conveners or intermediaries, Corus organizations facilitate connections between local partners, the government and the private sector, enabling communities to access knowledge, resources and networks for long-term inclusive development.

 

Download Now Jul 10, 2023