Sowing Seeds of Hope and Resilience: Creating a Legacy for Maasai Women
During our recent group trip, WECO founders Rebecca and Jenny sat down with Hellen Nkuriaya, founder of the Tepesua CBO, to learn more about her powerful work lifting women out of poverty and providing pathways to education for underprivileged Maasai girls. Hellen shared the story of how her work began: as a former primary school […]
Preventing FGM Through Girls Education and Mentorship
Guest Blog By Arushi Singh Beyond the sweeping global statistics around gender inequality lies a region where the weight of tradition presses heaviest: in East Africa, elevated rates of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) paint a stark and compelling picture of a deeply entrenched practice. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), FGM is defined as […]
Navigating the Road Ahead: Life After USAID Cuts
At WECO, news of the recent U.S. foreign aid freezes has been deeply troubling, and our team wanted to share a few thoughts to help explain how these decisions have the potential to erase years of progress in global development. We are angry, frustrated, and concerned about the realities facing communities of people—many of whom […]
Investing in Women: A Path to Sustainable Development and Economic Growth
Guest Blog By Elizabeth Cannon Investing in women is not just a moral imperative—it’s an economic strategy with substantial returns. Gender-lens investing (GLI) has emerged as a pivotal approach in the global financial landscape, aiming to close gender gaps and promote equality. This investment philosophy recognizes that empowering women can lead to transformative economic and […]
Advancing Maasai Women’s Rights in Kenya
In Kenya, women’s rights have undergone a significant transformation over the past 20 years, particularly in Maasai communities where traditional roles once confined women to domestic duties and subservience to men. Historically, Maasai women have had no voice and little power in community affairs, with a social status equivalent to that of children. With the […]
Feminism is the Future
Why Men Should Be Feminists and Allies in the Fight for Gender Equality In our quest for a more equitable, just, and sustainable future, the role of feminism is key. While the movement has historically been associated with women’s struggles for equality, the fight against gender discrimination benefits everyone, regardless of gender. There are myriad […]
The Power of Social Enterprise
Social enterprises blend financial success with social impact, creating self-sustaining engines for change. WECO’s partnerships in India and Costa Rica show how adaptability builds community resilience.
The Road to Café: A Day with ASIPROFE
Our recent visit with women-owned coffee cooperative, ASIPROFE, began with a two-hour bus journey from San José to the small town, La Legua de Asseri, winding through the beautiful mountain landscapes of Costa Rica’s premium coffee-growing region, Tarrazú. Getting to the village involves navigating the curvy, steep roads with little signage, along streets lined with […]
The Gendered Reality of Climate Change
This year we have been inundated by so many things happening from all directions, it’s hard to choose what to focus on. For the sake of this end of the year blog, we’re choosing to discuss two of the most pressing issues we see as inextricably linked: climate change and gender equity. As we leave 2021 […]
