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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Insights from
Administrator Shah
HAITI
The Most Resilient
People on Earth: Haiti
Still Standing After
Trio of Disasters
Faced with Destruction,
Earthquake
Responders Address
Immediate Suffering
Mangoes and Tees: the
Next Phase of Haitian
Recovery?
Mobile Banking: Will It
Transform Haiti's
Transactions?
2010—The Year in
Review
Voices from the Field
With a Roof Over Their
Heads…
Your Voice: Dèyè Mòn
VIEW ISSUE
HOME PAGE
Haiti / Women in Development
February/March 2011
Why Women?
Mary Ellen Duke
W
Mary Ellen Duke
Bita Rodrigues, USAID
hy women? This should not be a question. Of course, women—especially since we
make up 50 percent of the world's population! Every day we read or hear about how
girls and women are excluded or absent from places like the secondary school classroom or
the boardroom, and even from the World Economic Summit at Davos—where only 16 percent
of participants had a second X chromosome.
But what we need to see, read, and hear about are
those girls and women who are present and
accounted for; and who are already making a
difference in their countries, their region, and, more
importantly, their communities. This is where role-
modeling begins.
Over the years, from Honduras to Sri Lanka to
Southern Africa, I've heard girls and boys around the
globe list politicians, musicians, and sports stars as
role models. But what about the role models in their
own backyards? Young girls in Brazil now know that a
woman can become president. This is exciting. But
wouldn't it also have been exciting to follow Dilma
Rousseff's pre-presidential path along the way? And what about the other inspiring girls and
women who aren't in the national spotlight?
In Egypt, girls and women are out in the street, making their voices heard. Egyptian feminist
Nawal el Sadaawi said in a recent interview that women who rarely leave their houses were
now protesting in Tahrir Square. Girls and women across all levels need to be seen, heard,
and celebrated so that other girls and women can learn from their experiences and perhaps
dare to do something they thought was just for boys or men. The multiplier effect can be a
powerful tool, especially in development.
There was a saying in my grandmother's day that a lady should have her name in the
newspaper only three times in her life: when she is born, when she gets married, and when
she dies. Well, those days are long gone. While we have television, radio, and Internet, we
WHO WE ARE WHAT WE DO WHERE WE WORK RESULTS & DATA NEWS & INFORMATION WORK WITH USAID
JOIN
Find out about career
opportunities at USAID
ACT
Learn how you can get involved
and lend a hand.
PARTNER
Find business and funding
opportunities.
COMMENT
Make a general inquiry or
suggest an improvement.
CONNECT SEARCH
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RSS Linked YouTu
Stay
Conne](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/29a89ba3-c384-4918-9d88-6620b941edca-150902112703-lva1-app6892/85/why-women-frontlines-februarymarch-2011-us-agency-for-international-1-320.jpg)
![Why Women? | FrontLines February/March 2011 | U.S. Agency for International Development
http://www.usaid.gov/news-information/frontlines/haitiwomen-development/why-women[6/4/2015 4:59:16 PM]
Gen Mòn
WOMEN IN
DEVELOPMENT
Why Women?
Accelerating the Global
Health Initiative:
Cambodia's HIV/AIDS
Efforts Put Women in
the Driver's Seat
Combating Early
Marriage from the
Ground Up
Interview with Donald
Steinberg
Yemeni Communities
Unite Against Child
Marriage
Mozambique Scientists
Out to Prove Women
Can Set a New Course
for Agriculture in Their
Country and Beyond
The Superwomen
Rebuilding Haiti
Giving Women More
Credit
U.S. Moves to Fulfill
U.N. Resolution on
Women, Peace, and
Security
EXTRAS -
FEBRUARY/MARCH
2011
Carp Comeback Is Nod
to Uganda's Revamped
Aquaculture Industry
also have town hall meetings, peer education groups, and travelling theater troupes. We need
to employ each and every communication tool available to tell stories of those girls and women
who are making things happen from the bottom up.
Buses and Chickens, Whatever It Takes
My friend Busisiwe Mamba is a primary school principal in Swaziland, where tuition fees were
only recently eliminated for just the first two grades. In addition to running the school, she does
anything and everything—from raising chickens to taking public transport to Mozambique to
deliver a funding proposal—to feed her students or pay their school fees. She is true a role
model, though she is largely unsung.
There are countless other women out there undertaking like feats of dedication, compassion,
and resilience. So, why haven't we seen or heard their stories? Why aren't we hearing about
women who are in the emerging farmers' programs or the girls who are leading after-school
clubs?
Just look around you, every day there is a girl or a woman in your backyard making a difference
—you probably haven't heard about her.
In this issue we'll introduce you to 11 talented Mozambican women scientists who have been
recognized for their work in agriculture; they have all broken barriers on their paths to
academic excellence. And they all have a story to tell and serve as an inspiration not only for
girls who are interested in science but, for those who girls, boys, and parents who think
science is just for boys.
Let's start to get the word out about these women, and all of the women and girls whose good
works stretch from the smallest grassroots movements to the most revered halls of parliament.
We don't need to wait for a woman to become president to talk about her. Now is the time to
support and celebrate those community role models making a difference in their own
backyards.
And if we do support and celebrate these women, maybe next time when I visit a school, the list
of role models will include the names of a neighborhood health worker, an auntie, or a
grandmother.
Mary Ellen Duke has been the gender adviser for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS
Relief and USAID in Maputo, Mozambique, since 2009. She previously worked for the Centre
for Development and Population Activities and the Salesians of Don Bosco on girls' education,
life skills, and technical training programs in Bolivia, Honduras, Lesotho, Nigeria, South Africa,
Sri Lanka, Swaziland, and Zambia. In the 1970s, her seventh-grade teacher told her she didn't
really need math because she was a girl. She often wonders how quick he could do currency
conversions in his head while conversing in a language other than English.
Last updated: May 20, 2015
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- 1. Why Women? | FrontLines February/March 2011 | U.S. Agency for International Development http://www.usaid.gov/news-information/frontlines/haitiwomen-development/why-women[6/4/2015 4:59:16 PM] USAID Leadership Home » News & Information » Frontlines » Haiti / Women in Development » Why Women? INSIDE THIS ISSUE Insights from Administrator Shah HAITI The Most Resilient People on Earth: Haiti Still Standing After Trio of Disasters Faced with Destruction, Earthquake Responders Address Immediate Suffering Mangoes and Tees: the Next Phase of Haitian Recovery? Mobile Banking: Will It Transform Haiti's Transactions? 2010—The Year in Review Voices from the Field With a Roof Over Their Heads… Your Voice: Dèyè Mòn VIEW ISSUE HOME PAGE Haiti / Women in Development February/March 2011 Why Women? Mary Ellen Duke W Mary Ellen Duke Bita Rodrigues, USAID hy women? This should not be a question. Of course, women—especially since we make up 50 percent of the world's population! Every day we read or hear about how girls and women are excluded or absent from places like the secondary school classroom or the boardroom, and even from the World Economic Summit at Davos—where only 16 percent of participants had a second X chromosome. But what we need to see, read, and hear about are those girls and women who are present and accounted for; and who are already making a difference in their countries, their region, and, more importantly, their communities. This is where role- modeling begins. Over the years, from Honduras to Sri Lanka to Southern Africa, I've heard girls and boys around the globe list politicians, musicians, and sports stars as role models. But what about the role models in their own backyards? Young girls in Brazil now know that a woman can become president. This is exciting. But wouldn't it also have been exciting to follow Dilma Rousseff's pre-presidential path along the way? And what about the other inspiring girls and women who aren't in the national spotlight? In Egypt, girls and women are out in the street, making their voices heard. Egyptian feminist Nawal el Sadaawi said in a recent interview that women who rarely leave their houses were now protesting in Tahrir Square. Girls and women across all levels need to be seen, heard, and celebrated so that other girls and women can learn from their experiences and perhaps dare to do something they thought was just for boys or men. The multiplier effect can be a powerful tool, especially in development. There was a saying in my grandmother's day that a lady should have her name in the newspaper only three times in her life: when she is born, when she gets married, and when she dies. Well, those days are long gone. While we have television, radio, and Internet, we WHO WE ARE WHAT WE DO WHERE WE WORK RESULTS & DATA NEWS & INFORMATION WORK WITH USAID JOIN Find out about career opportunities at USAID ACT Learn how you can get involved and lend a hand. PARTNER Find business and funding opportunities. COMMENT Make a general inquiry or suggest an improvement. CONNECT SEARCH Faceb Twitte RSS Linked YouTu Stay Conne
- 2. Why Women? | FrontLines February/March 2011 | U.S. Agency for International Development http://www.usaid.gov/news-information/frontlines/haitiwomen-development/why-women[6/4/2015 4:59:16 PM] Gen Mòn WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT Why Women? Accelerating the Global Health Initiative: Cambodia's HIV/AIDS Efforts Put Women in the Driver's Seat Combating Early Marriage from the Ground Up Interview with Donald Steinberg Yemeni Communities Unite Against Child Marriage Mozambique Scientists Out to Prove Women Can Set a New Course for Agriculture in Their Country and Beyond The Superwomen Rebuilding Haiti Giving Women More Credit U.S. Moves to Fulfill U.N. Resolution on Women, Peace, and Security EXTRAS - FEBRUARY/MARCH 2011 Carp Comeback Is Nod to Uganda's Revamped Aquaculture Industry also have town hall meetings, peer education groups, and travelling theater troupes. We need to employ each and every communication tool available to tell stories of those girls and women who are making things happen from the bottom up. Buses and Chickens, Whatever It Takes My friend Busisiwe Mamba is a primary school principal in Swaziland, where tuition fees were only recently eliminated for just the first two grades. In addition to running the school, she does anything and everything—from raising chickens to taking public transport to Mozambique to deliver a funding proposal—to feed her students or pay their school fees. She is true a role model, though she is largely unsung. There are countless other women out there undertaking like feats of dedication, compassion, and resilience. So, why haven't we seen or heard their stories? Why aren't we hearing about women who are in the emerging farmers' programs or the girls who are leading after-school clubs? Just look around you, every day there is a girl or a woman in your backyard making a difference —you probably haven't heard about her. In this issue we'll introduce you to 11 talented Mozambican women scientists who have been recognized for their work in agriculture; they have all broken barriers on their paths to academic excellence. And they all have a story to tell and serve as an inspiration not only for girls who are interested in science but, for those who girls, boys, and parents who think science is just for boys. Let's start to get the word out about these women, and all of the women and girls whose good works stretch from the smallest grassroots movements to the most revered halls of parliament. We don't need to wait for a woman to become president to talk about her. Now is the time to support and celebrate those community role models making a difference in their own backyards. And if we do support and celebrate these women, maybe next time when I visit a school, the list of role models will include the names of a neighborhood health worker, an auntie, or a grandmother. Mary Ellen Duke has been the gender adviser for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and USAID in Maputo, Mozambique, since 2009. She previously worked for the Centre for Development and Population Activities and the Salesians of Don Bosco on girls' education, life skills, and technical training programs in Bolivia, Honduras, Lesotho, Nigeria, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, and Zambia. In the 1970s, her seventh-grade teacher told her she didn't really need math because she was a girl. She often wonders how quick he could do currency conversions in his head while conversing in a language other than English. Last updated: May 20, 2015 SUBSCRIBE Use the form below to subscribe to the FrontLines mailing list. Search
- 3. Why Women? | FrontLines February/March 2011 | U.S. Agency for International Development http://www.usaid.gov/news-information/frontlines/haitiwomen-development/why-women[6/4/2015 4:59:16 PM] First name: Last name: Your email address: * Help / Unsubscribe BACK ISSUES Science, Technology, Innovation and Partnerships Foreign Aid Impact in U.S. and Abroad Afghanistan Power/Trade Africa Grand Challenges for Development Maternal & Child Health The End of Extreme Poverty Energy/Infrastructure Depleting Resources Open Development/ Development & Defense Aid in Action: Delivering on Results Feed The Future Water & Neglected Tropical Diseases Risk, Resilience, and Media New Players and Graduation Youth & Mobile Technology Economic Growth Child Survival & Ethiopia Edition Democracy, Human Rights & Governance Subscribe
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