Podcasts have exploded into popularity in recent years. In fact, there’s over 800,000 podcasts out there, and about 62 million listeners in the U.S. every week. Whether you’re a long-time listener or looking for a place to start, we’ve got a great list of podcast episodes for you. As a bonus, each one of the episodes listed below covers an important issue, so you can learn something new while you listen. Cry Power The Cry Power podcast — hosted by artist Hozier...
Lulu Gaitan Kayage is a woman ahead of her time. She is one of the few female boxers in Tanzania and she is fighting for recognition of women in the heavily male-dominated sport. “In Tanzania, there is the belief that women boxers are not yet a thing,” says 30-year-old Lulu.  But Lulu has been boxing since she was 18 years old, and she won her first international match in South Africa in 2013 when she was 23.  Since then, she has won...
It’s no secret that water is vitally important; it is one of the absolute essentials for life. And its impact extends far into other important issues — including issues that impact poverty. Here are four such issues where poverty and water intersect: Health Proper hygiene is one of the best ways we have to ward off preventable diseases. The current COVID-19 pandemic is driving this point home stronger than ever, as hand-washing is one of the best tools we have in slowing...
For this year’s International Women’s Day, we focused on the need to accelerate progress towards global gender equality. It’s going to take almost 100 years to achieve gender equality for all women everywhere. This is unacceptable. Progress is far too slow. We require new and radical solutions, and to think the unthinkable in order to get there faster. None of us are equal until all of us are equal. Women in leadership Ahead of IWD, our CEO Gayle Smith was in...
Gender inequality affects women and girls in a multitude of ways, including access to health services. When it comes to vaccines, the overall news is positive: globally, boys and girls are immunised at similar rates. However, there are variations from region to region, and this doesn’t account for specific health needs based on sex. HPV is one of the most pressing gender-specific diseases that can be prevented with a vaccine. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a key player in preventing...
After the #MeToo movement pulled back the curtains on sexual assault and harassment, gender equality efforts are on the rise. It’s the year of the woman, there are viral “feminist” videos and gendered media campaigns — and even in donor countries development strategies are catching on: women, girls, gender equality, female, and feminism are popping up everywhere in government’s foreign aid strategies.  Following trendsetters Sweden and Canada with their 2014 Feminist Foreign Policy and 2017 Feminist International Assistance Policy respectively,...
Apps have the power to massively impact society and affect change where it’s needed most. Historically, tech and app development has been a male-dominated industry, but more girls and women are getting involved and bringing their innovations to the table. We’ve put together a list of five apps developed by girls who are using tech to change the world: The Restorers Photo pulled from Dorcas Wangari’s report “The App and the Cut.” Watch the full report here. In...
The 2020 Gates Letter, marking the 20th anniversary of the Gates Foundation, dropped this week. Each year, the Gates annual letter makes an argument for what, why, and how we should invest to make the most meaningful impact on the world. It paints a portrait of where the world has been, where it currently is, and where it can go with the right action. This year, the letter takes on the theme of “swinging for the fences,” which is advice...
In 2019 everything was on the line — and we held the line. So much of what we care about was on the line last year. We faced some major roadblocks as we kept on fighting to build the world we want to see — one where everyone, everywhere can lead a life of dignity and opportunity. The world has made massive progress in reducing poverty, but extreme poverty in Africa is rising, and inequality is increasing across the globe. Over...
With so much news on political infighting and royal departures, it’s easy to miss some crucial stories that highlight key global issues and show progress on Global Goals. So we’ve rounded up six underreported stories that you might have missed in January, including Gavi’s anniversary, the potential of Fitbits to track infectious disease outbreaks, and new efforts to tackle corruption. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, turns 20 World leaders recently gathered for the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Among...