Megan Gieske is a storyteller and photographer based in Cape Town, South Africa.
A 1-hour drive from Johannesburg, rolling amber hills replace the concrete and skyscrapers of downtown. This is Tarlton. Here Vutlhari Chauke, the woman behind the agricultural business VT Harvest, is fighting against gender stereotypes and disempowerment, and she is bringing other women along with her.
Down a long dirt road, 10 greenhouses stand out against the slanting light of the afternoon sun. Women bend over crops of rocket, mint,...
Girls and Women
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on women and girls. From threatening girls‘ education and taking a toll on women‘s work, to impacting maternal and reproductive care, the effects of the pandemic have more severely impacted women compared to their male counterparts. Thankfully, the world has an opportunity to change that.
At the Generation Equality Forum, a global gathering in Paris on 1-2 July focused on advancing gender equality, leaders will be presented with an opportunity to ensure...
Nearly a year and a half into the crisis, COVID-19 has taken as many as 12.7 million lives and cost the world economy trillions of dollars. It is threatening to push 115 million more people into extreme poverty, with women and girls fairing the worst.
In Africa, the aftershocks of the pandemic are particularly profound. Throughout West Africa, the price of staples is up 40% over a five-year average. At one point, Nigeria was spending 99% of its revenues on...
Megan Gieske is a storyteller and photographer based in Cape Town, South Africa.
Disclaimer: This story contains accounts of gender-based violence. Each of the girls mentioned has agreed to share their stories in the hopes of inspiring others.
In Cape Town, South Africa, young girls are reclaiming their voices and their power. Their motto is “wathint’abafazi wathint’imbokodo,” which is isiXhosa for “you strike a woman, you strike a rock.” At The Justice Desk’s Mbokodo Club, young survivors of gender-based violence between the...
After surviving 17 years of domestic abuse, Lilian Ocholla separated from her husband a year ago. She has overcome many challenges and, with the help and support of her family, is focused on improving her well-being and building a better future for herself and her children.
Today, the 39-year-old mother and farmer who is part of Hatching Hope in Kenya is challenging gender-based violence by setting up what is fast becoming a successful poultry business. “My mom used to organize...
Megan Gieske is a storyteller and photographer based in Cape Town, South Africa.
Behind the Table View police station in Milnerton, Cape Town, the Community Intervention Centre, painted a dazzling white, shines as a beacon of hope for women fleeing gender-based violence. Two women, Tam and Duduzile, sit in the welcome area. They are champions of women’s empowerment who are retelling their stories to anyone feeling trapped in the same circumstances they faced.
The mission of the Community Intervention Centre (CIC) is...
Ashlegh Pfunye and Iyunoluwa Ademola-Popoola are Youth Leaders for Global Partnership for Education. They raise awareness of the barriers to education and aim to increase the ambition of leaders for financing education and development.
It is undeniable that COVID-19 has altered how we live and work. Lives continue to be lost, and hospitals and health workers have been overwhelmed with patients suffering from the virus. Though efforts such as social distancing, wearing of masks, and bans on large gatherings have...
By March 2020, UNESCO reported nearly 3 million students across the world had their education disrupted due to COVID-19 after just 13 countries saw school closures. By April 2020, 194 countries instituted countrywide school closures affecting 91% of enrolled learners.
Disruptions to students’ academic years can have extreme consequences. Just three months of missed schooling can result in 1.5 years of learning loss years later. This is the impact COVID-19 is having on school-aged boys and girls across the globe.
Unfortunately,...
Maryjacob Okwuosa, Mukhtar H. Modibbo are Youth Leaders for Global Partnership for Education. They raise awareness of the barriers to education and aim to increase the ambition of leaders for financing education and development.
The impact of COVID in Nigeria
The advent of the COVID pandemic has not only revealed the poor state of infrastructure and facilities in the health sector of Nigeria but also revealed the reality of the dilapidation and poor funding of the education sector. Aside from the...
No one has been completely immune to the impacts of COVID-19, although some groups have felt these impacts more acutely. Our recent coverage has highlighted COVID-19’s impact on girls and women: girls’ education is under threat; maternal and reproductive care is being compromised; women’s and girls’ unpaid work is increasing; and we’re seeing elevated rates of intimate partner violence.
Here, we spotlight three different women-led grassroots organizations that are identifying COVID-19’s unique impacts on women and girls and are responding...