CARE Canada
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Women and girls are the hardest hit by conflict and disasters but often have little or no say in the design and delivery of humanitarian aid. CARE’s Women Lead in Emergencies approach is the first practical toolkit for frontline humanitarians to support women to take the lead in responding to crises that directly affect them and their communities. Here are some of the lessons we have learned piloting this approach with women’s groups in the Omugo refugee settlement in Uganda.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have undoubtedly been, and continue to be, terrible for individuals, communities, and countries. Yet the crisis provides a unique opportunity to build forward rather than fall back. We are seizing this moment to help build a world that is more equal. The world we want to live in is one where discrimination and privilege do not determine how much food you eat, how safe you feel or how you provide for yourself or your family. The world we wa...nt to live in truly includes all genders, races, abilities, religions, classesidentities of all social and political stripes. A gender-just future needs her leadership. Because the world is better when SHE LEADS TOO. Photo: Jorja Currington/CARE

Meet Ana Esther Andarcio and Aleida Betancourttwo incredible farmers working hard to build bright futures for themselves, their families, and communities in Cuba. With support from CARE en Cuba, Ana Esther and Aleida now have irrigation systems and the means to grow successful crops. Most importantly, these two women embody strength, hard work and determination. Click on the photos below for more details!

"Building forward' requires more than a return to pre-COVID-19 economic and societal stability. It requires a whole new set of building blocks...Only when we can honestly say that we are putting our local partners’ needs, perspectives and desires front and center, above our own organizational survival, will a better world be possible." - CARE Canada's Simran Singh and Jessie Thomson https://care.ca//building-forward-localization-and-decolo/

In the final episode our of #March4Women podcast series, we speak with the incredibly inspiring Everjoice Win about localization and decolonization of aid in international development and humanitarian workand how women are leading the way. Listen to the full episode at https://care.ca//15-minutes-on-localizing-and-decolonizin/

In case you missed it, check out the third episode of our #March4Women podcast series where we speak with our amazing CARE Canada Board member, Cindy Karugia! Cindy is a Financial Advisor and passionate advocate for gender equality, multiculturalism, and inclusive leadership. Listen now, and get ready to be inspired! Full episode: https://care.ca//15-minutes-on-financial-and-corporate-in/ P.S. You can also find us on Spotify and iTunes

This is a global pandemic and it requires global solutions. None of us will be safe until all of us are safe. I believe it’s a moral obligation but it’s also, frankly, a practical obligation. CARE Canada President and CEO Barbara Grantham https://futureofgood.co/400-million-international-covid-19/

It's international #PodcastDay! We'd be remiss if today of all days we didn't remind you to listen / follow / subscribe to our podcast, 15 Minutes to Change the World (the name says it all)! You can find us on Spotify, iTunes & on https://care.ca/podcast/ We're always looking to chat with and shine some spotlight on amazing, inspiring people and organizations that are making a difference, whether it be in their communities or around the world. Have a great idea for a guest? Let us know in the comments!

CARE's global COVID-19 response would not be possible without our incredible and dedicated CARE staff, partners and supporters around the world. Thank you so much for helping to ensure that our most vulnerable citizenswomen and girls in developing countrieshave the information, tools and support they need to keep themselves safe from COVID-19 and the opportunity to lead in their communities. The world will only be safe when all of us are safe. There is still much to do, but we can do it together! Find out more about how we're helping communities around the world to respond COVID-19 and build back stronger at https://care.ca/projects/coronavirus-covid-19/

"Today's announcement at the UN General Assembly, together with last week's announcement that Canada will support the COVAX facility, demonstrate that Canada is delivering on its Throne Speech commitment to support a just, global recovery," said CARE Canada President and CEO Barbara Grantham. "A global pandemic calls for global solutions. I am optimistic that Canada's strong leadership will inspire others to do their part in defending development gains and putting equity at t...he centre of our efforts to confront this pandemic." https://care.ca//care-canada-applauds-canadian-leadership/ Canada’s International Development Global Affairs Canada

"In a new study conducted by CARE, a non-profit international aid organization, investigators have found that while almost nobody is spared from the anxiety, worry and overall emotional fatigue of the coronavirus pandemic, women are almost three times as likely as men to report suffering from significant mental health consequences (27% compared to 10%), including anxiety, loss of appetite, inability to sleep and trouble completing everyday tasks." https://time.com/5892297/women-coronavirus-mental-health/

Last week, people around the world participated in Global Day of Climate Action, striking to demand action against climate change. To date, the protests, inspired in large part by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and her Fridays For Future movement, have taken place on every continent and involved more than 13 million people. In Africa, activists such as the late Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan environmental and political activist who began protesting on environmental issues in the ‘70s, have paved the way for a new generation of activists. Meet three African environmental activists who are taking action in their communities and mobilizing their peers in rallying for climate justice. https://care.ca//three-environmental-activists-making-a-d/

Schitt's Creek is not only a great Canadian show that promotes inclusion, acceptance and love in all forms, but its castincluding CARE Canada supporter Annie Murphydo so much to raise awareness and funds for causes that matter. See how Annie and the rest of the cast have used their fame to inspire action: https://www.globalcitizen.org//schitts-creek-stars-inspir/

Here's one great (and easy!) thing you can do today on global day for climate justice: Listen to climate activists Dominique Souris and Ana González Guerrero, co-founders of Youth Climate Lab. They speak about the importance of creating a space for youth in the fight for climate justice, the amazing work they're doing, and what YOU (and all of us!) can do. Listen: https://care.ca/20//15-minutes-on-youth-and-climate-change P.S. You can also find our podcast, 15 Minutes to Change the World, on iTunes and Spotify #FigthClimateInjustice #FridaysForFuture #ClimateAction

We're living in the midst of a pandemic, but climate action is more important than ever. As society is starting to open up in many places in the world, global emissions and resource use is rapidly increasing and we are running out of time. Today, September 25, is a global day of action, led by amazing youth activists. People all over the world will be uniting for the first global climate action of 2020, and we should all be a part of it. This is not a time to be silent. Check out https://fridaysforfuture.org/september25/ for details and to get involved! #FightClimateInjustice #FridaysForFuture

COVID-19 has exposed and exacerbated deep inequalities around the world. We've adapted our work to reach more people, with women's needs and voices front and center. Only by including women in the COVID response can we achieve equitable recovery. #SheLeadsInCrisis

Women and girls are the most impacted when food is hard to come by, but they are the least considered in tackling the global food crisis. See how women and girls are disproportionately affected by hunger and why tackling gender inequality must be at the core of the response to the food crisis. https://care.ca//we-are-having-a-global-food-crisis-and-w/

Today on World Peace Day, we wanted to share this quote from Hafsat Abiola, Nigerian human rights, civil rights and political activist. Today we are thinking about all people around the world affected by conflict, and we recognize the role we all can and must play in influencing those in power to commit to peace for everyone, everywhere.

In case you missed it, last month on our podcast we spoke with Beth Woroniuk, Policy Lead at Equality Fund. Beth highlights the lasting impact that comes from investing in women and how COVID-19 threatens the progress that has been made towards equality around the world. Listen: https://care.ca/2020/08/15-minutes-on-investing-in-women/

The COVID-19 pandemic has eliminated 277 billion hours of paid work as of June 30th, the equivalent of 400 million full-time jobs. Unlike previous economic crises, those job losses are hitting women the hardest. But there's hope. In communities around the world, entrepreneurs like Clarisse (pictured below), women in savings group, CARE’s staff, and our local partners, are coming up with solutions to help people find jobs, create jobs, and cope with unemployment. Find out how: https://care.ca//i-still-have-hope-overcoming-unemploymen/

COVID-19 has forced us all to change in ways we never imagined. For CARE, it has transformed the way we work in every country and every project. Not all change is badwe’re getting smarter about working with local partners, finding ways to travel less, adapting faster, getting better at quickly analyzing and sharing data, and listening more to what peopleespecially womentell us they need. Those changes can show us how to build a better world, and how to build a better CARE. Take a look at how our programming during the pandemic has transformed CARE and our work: https://care.ca//transforming-covid-responses-finding-new/

We are very excited to welcome Cindy Karugia, Dr. Victoria Lee, Lisa Raitt P.C., and Dr. David Turpin, CM, FRSC to the CARE Canada Board of Directors! Please join us in welcoming these dynamic community leaders to the CARE team. https://care.ca//care-canada-welcomes-new-members-to-boar/

Women entrepreneurs are essential for the economic recovery of households, communities, and sectors during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Thinking outside the box, however, will always be limited by systemic barriers, including access to finance, ability to market products, social norms, and the level of awareness and capacities. More support is needed, which is why CARE and many others are working to help people around the world build and grow resilient businesses that will lead to bright futures. CARE's OBADER project, funded by Canada’s International Development Global Affairs Canada and with support from local partners, is supporting low-income entrepreneurs and employees to increase their economic power and prosperity. CARE Palestine - West Bank/Gaza https://buff.ly/3bQRbTM

If half of the world's population continues to have fewer rights and opportunities (think something as simple as having a bank account or starting a business) than the other half, inequality will continue to fuel poverty. Women’s economic empowerment describes how we help women unleash their potential to earn and save. CARE works with women to help them access the resources, tools, skills and power to change their own lives. Here's the incredible impact our savings groups (Village Savings and Loan Associations) have had since 1991. Find out more: https://care.ca/earning-and-saving/

A massive fire has broken out at Beirut port, a little over a month after the explosion that ripped through the city killing nearly 200 and leaving 300,000 homeless. CARE is monitoring the situation and is ready to provide support to as many people in need as possible. We can see a large column of black smoke billowing into the sky over Beirut. Through the city, we can smell burnt oil. The information we have received so far shows there is is no risk of explosion and the authorities are trying to reassure the population. But people in Beirut are in a state of panic that the fire might get worse. The wait is excruciating." ~ Gul Rehman, CARE Lebanon, Deputy Country Director, based in Beirut : Ramzi Saliba/CARE

Just in time for back-to-schoolWe are absolutely thrilled to announce an incredible partnership with Ipsos that will be taking place in the Mantapala refugee settlement in Zambia! The Ipsos Foundation-funded project will build three new classrooms in the new Mantapala primary school, which will be dedicated to vocational training like wood and metal work, sewing, and more. The new classrooms will reach more students with smaller class sizes and will provide much-needed spe...cialized training to all students in the Mantapala refugee settlement. Students will gain technical skills that will better allow them to secure a job in the future or to create small businesses, as employment opportunities are rare in the settlement. These wonderful new classrooms are also being built with environmentally sustainable materials, preserving the surrounding natural forest by using sun dried, not charcoal fired, bricks. A HUGE thank you to Ipsos Canada and to our incredible team at CARE Zambia for making this wonderful project a reality. These classrooms and the knowledge they will bestow will help Zambia’s future leaders to realize their dreams. Stay tuned for more details as the project moves forward! #IpsosCAREbuilds https://care.ca//ipsos-partners-with-care-canada-to-build/

"Despite the challenges, my daughter will continue her education. She has all the privilege and resources in the world to achieve her dreams. And while girls in places like Malawi do not have these same guarantees, I know that my colleagues at CARE, countless community volunteers and local partners and parents on the other side of the world are doing their best each day to make education accessible, even in a time of COVID-19. I am grateful to everyone who is working so hard to ensure that kids around the world can have what we all want for our children and our future leaders: health, happiness, safety and unlimited potential." ~CARE's Jessie Thomson https://care.ca//more-than-learning-going-back-to-school-/

We love this advice from author Toni Morrison to students. We're wishing everyone heading #BackToSchoolwhatever that looks like in your part of the worlda safe and happy return. You all inspire us with your intelligence, enthusiasm and action to make this world a better place not only for yourselves, but for us all.