International Women's Day 2022

ECW celebrates the role of education in advancing gender equality and building the women leaders of tomorrow.

By Education Cannot Wait

March 7^th, 2022

"Education is the spark that will ignite our efforts to empower women worldwide as the agents of change – and actioners of humanity – that will build a more equal, more sustainable world." ~Yasmine Sherif, ECW Director

The road to gender equality begins with girls' education. Educating girls, especially those left furthest behind in emergencies and protracted crises, is critical to the COVID-19 recovery plan, addressing the climate crisis, and to ensuring equal and prosperous societies.

On this year's International Women's Day - "Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow" - join Education Cannot Wait and partners as we celebrate the power and achievements of women – especially in the fields of inclusive education, gender equality and sustainability.

Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls is hardwired in the design and implementation of ECW's investments worldwide. Since its inception, the Fund has reached over 2.2 million crisis-impacted girls with continuous education support.

These are the inspiring stories of how ECW is investing in girls and empowering women changemakers around the globe – as we join hands in our mission to ensure that every child is able to access a safe, inclusive quality education.

Sharmin Akther, a class teacher in Bangladesh, interacts with her students. © UNICEF Bangladesh

Numbers at a Glance

2.5x: Girls are 2.5 times more likely to be out of primary school if they live in conflict-affected countries.
26%: Only about a quarter of the poorest girls living in crisis-affected countries complete lower secondary education.
20 million: Approximately 20 million girls globally may never return to the classroom after the pandemic.
9 million girls: ECW's goal is to reach a total of 15 million girls and boys by 2026, including 9 million girls and adolescent girls.

Maria Alberto, Mozambique

Teacher Maria Alberto in her classroom preparing for the day's lessons. © ECW/Manan Kotak/2019

Frontline champion and teacher Maria Alberto is no stranger to adversity. In 2019, devastating Cylones Idai and Kenneth hit her community in Mozambique. The cyclones left immense destruction in their wake, claiming hundreds of lives and tearing apart homes and schools.

ECW funding in Mozambique and neighboring countries supported the rehabilitation of classrooms, establishment of temporary learning spaces, and distribution of learning and teaching materials. Maria Alberto and other educators also received training to teach children about disaster preparedness and facilitate the psychosocial support students needed to begin healing.

Through their dedication, teachers like Maria Alberto were able to restore a sense of normalcy in the lives of their students, helping them to cope with their challenging situations.

"Once [children] started to regain their confidence, despite the difficult situation, it is our duty as teachers to help them to take the next steps and bring them back to a normal life and continue their education with bright future prospects."

Liliana, Ecuador

Liliana provides emotional, social and psycho-educational support to students in need. © UNICEF Ecuador/2020/Arcos

Psychologist Liliana Palate is part of the Department of Student Counseling in Ecuador and provides social, emotional and psycho-educational support to students and families that need it. Though her outreach, she identifies the roadblocks students face to inclusive quality education and helps create an action plan to overcome them.

Thanks to an ECW-funded initiative with UNICEF Ecuador – which has donated 4,335 data plans and 899 tablets to teachers and counselors to promote contact between students, families and the educational community – Liliana has been able to continue her support for the vulnerable members of her community amidst the pandemic.

With her new tablet, Liliana is able to communicate with students like Jair, whose intellectual disability makes learning challenging. Her pedagogical and psychosocial support is ensuring that Jair stays in school and thrives!

"Many families do not have internet and with tablets we can communicate through calls. In Jair's case, I communicate with him and his mother through calls and WhatsApp and I also make face-to-face visits to follow up on his process."

Aicha, Chad

Aicha rests with her son in the nursery during a break from teaching. © JRS West Africa/Irene Galera

Aicha juggles teaching five hours a day at the local school with her home responsibilities as a mother of five. Though she works the same hours as a man, domestic duties await her in the afternoon, making it difficult for Aicha to find a moment to rest as she must prepare for the next day’s class at home.

In refugee and local communities across Chad, thousands of girls drop out of school due to early marriages and pregnancies. With limited assistance from their husbands and public institutions, many women struggle to maintain a job while taking care of their families. ECW's investments in early childcare and education in Chad, implemented by Jesuit Refugee Service, are helping them continue their studies and careers.

The establishment of ECW-funded nurseries next to the school in the Kounoungou Refugee Camp – which hosts Sudanese citizens fleeing conflict in Darfur – is providing a safe childcare space so that students and teachers are able to return to school with the peace of mind that their children are being well-cared for nearby.

Thanks to the nursery, young mothers like Mourra and teachers like Aicha can now work two hours, breastfeed their children during breaks, and return to their work after.

“The nursery helps me a lot since my mind is calm while I [teach]. I leave my baby here and I am sure that he is safe and well-cared for.”

Mona, Yemen

Teacher Mona Almatari, from Wadi Hala village in Yafe’e. © UNICEF Yemen/UN0462109/Fadhel

Mona is a teacher from Wadi Hala village in Yemen. She has dedicated her life to supporting girls in her country to access quality education and harness it to build a brighter future for themselves, their families and all of Yemen.

For girls in the country, education means represents safety and opportunity in a world turned upside-down by civil war, widespread famine and other crises. COVID-19 has put further strain on Yemen’s education system. ECW investments, implemented by UNICEF Yemen, are providing safe learning spaces, supporting the development of home-based learning strategies and ensuring that teachers, like Mona, continue to be paid in affected regions.

"My happiest moment was when I completed my Intermediate Diploma Certificate and started teaching students in my region."

Kadijah, Ethiopia

Kadijah Hussein, PTA member of Chamuk primary school. © Save the Children/Dereje/2021

Kadijah is a Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) member of the Chamuk Primary School in Ethiopia and has been for the past 30 years. She believes in the power of education, having seen its transformative power in the lives of her own children – though she didn't have those same opportunities in her childhood.

Through ECW-funded Save the Children programmes in Ethiopia, Kadijah has been receiving training in promoting school hygiene and sanitation and encouraging parents to send their children to school – especially children living with disabilities, like young Ali. She uses her skills to provide support for vulnerable students and advocate for inclusive education in the internally displaced persons site in Chamuk where she works.

"Even though I am illiterate, I have sent all my children to school. Seeing the achievement of my children, I am motivated to contribute more as a PTA member for my community."

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