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Focus on Women
"People often ask: What can be done to defeat hunger? My answer is simple: empower women, because women are the secret weapon to fight hunger." -- WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran
Women make up a little over half of the world's population but in many parts of the world, especially in Asia and South America, they are more likely to go hungry than men. This is because women often have unequal access to resources, education and income, and because they participate less in decision-making.
But women are not merely victims of hunger. They are also the most effective solution to combating and preventing hunger. In many countries, women make up the bulk of agricultural labourers and are the backbone of food production systems.
Women also play a key role in guaranteeing food security for the household. Experience shows that in the hands of women, food is far more likely to reach the mouths of needy children. Learn more
Focus on Women - Stories
Investing In Bulls, Woman Begins To Escape From Poverty
In Shahinoor’s household there were days when she struggled to put even one meal on the family table. She and her husband are among Bangladesh’s ultra-poor; those with no land, no assets and little hope of breaking out of hunger and poverty. But a new programme to unlock the entrepreneurial spirit of Bangladeshi women has transformed her life.
Food Aid Brings Fresh Water To Nepalese Village
Kanukura, 33, says that carrying water up the mountain slopes to her village used to be the hardest part of her day. It’s a job that mainly fell to women in this part of Nepal, who faced a backbreaking climb when they needed water. But that’s changed now, thanks to a new village tap, from which women like Kanukura can get clean drinking water whenever they need it.
In Colombia, Food Assistance Is Part Of Response To Violence Against Women
In Colombia, WFP assists many victims of sexual and gender-based violence, providing them with food assistance as they recover. As part of her work for WFP, Mariangela Bizzarri recently visited a town on Colombia's Pacific coast to meet some of these women and to assess the impact of the violence they have experienced. She sent us this personal account of one day of meetings.
Afghanistan Diary - Day Six
On the final day of Silke's trip to central Afghanistan, she meets three women, each of whom impress her with their determination to improve their own lives, and those of their families and their community. One of them is thrilled at simply having a job in a government office. As a child the idea of working outside her home had seemed impossible.
