Conversation 1: The Power of Girls’ Education and Women’s Leadership To Transform Communities, Countries and Economies.
Over 11 million girls may not go back to school after the COVID-19 crisis, according to UNESCO. These young women and girls do not only face structural barriers to their education rooted in poverty, but also in gender inequality and child, early and forced marriage.
However, women-led peer networks can play an important role in protecting vulnerable girls and ensuring their rights are respected. There is tremendous power to be harnessed in local women leaders who can change the status quo from within. So how do we support them?
This event, hosted by Devex in partnership with the Hilton Foundation, will explore how the power of communities can help keep girls in school and ensure that future generations can, in turn, become future leaders – inspiring young girls to pursue the education needed to improve their economic, social, and political power. Together with global and local leaders with lived experiences around these issues, we’ll also draw attention to what must be done to scale their impact and support these organizations to reach even more girls.
Conversations will draw on the far-reaching ripple effects of education – from decreasing child, early and forced marriages to encouraging women entrepreneurs – and highlight why we need to invest more in women-led communities to support the local and sustainable change needed to break cycles of poverty for women everywhere.
Speakers
Dr. Shungu Gwarinda, Director of Programmes of the Graça Machel Trust
Fadzi Whande, Senior Diversity & Inclusion Adviser, Executive Direction and Management, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Angeline Murimirwa, Executive Director – Africa, CAMFED
Moderator: Kate Warren, Executive Vice President, Devex
Time: 10 A.M. ET/ 4 P.M. CET
Location: Virtual
Date: Thursday, October 28, 2021
