General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: 10 reasons why girls and women are essential to ending extreme poverty [View all]sheshe2
(83,751 posts)Nutrition
Poor nutrition is a central cause for poor health and development outcomes for women and children and a contributor to gender inequality through lowered productivity. More than 55 million children in Sub-Saharan Africa are affected by stunting and 46% of pregnant women are anemic. Poor breastfeeding practices mean that infants do not get the nutrition they require in the first several months of life.
rsz_ruth-oniango
Health
In Africa, more women (58%) than men live with HIV. Many women still lack access to quality health services and programs that will enable them to stay healthy.
Agriculture
Investments in sub-Saharan African agriculture are 11 times more effective at reducing poverty than investments in other sectors. As one half of the agriculture labor force, women make a critical contribution, yet lack adequate resources for food production (i.e extension services, financing, etc.).
70 of Africas top female scientists recently received the AWARD (African Women in Agricultural Research & Development) Fellowship and work hard to increase womens participation and productivity in agriculture. The AWARD Fellowship cultivates female leadership in agriculture through the mentoring and training of female agriculturalists in Africa to provide support to value chain research, gender responsiveness, and designing innovations for smallholder farmers. Recipients of the award have varied focus, including clean energy technology for smallholder farmers or empowering rural women through capacity building in agriculture extension, nutrition education, and livelihood programs.
More http://www.one.org/us/2015/03/19/leading-african-women-in-development/