Asia

On Monday, March 8, the world will celebrate the tremendous achievements of women across the globe. In the last year, the COVID-19 crisis has illuminated the essential role women play in society and the disproportionate burdens they carry in their everyday lives. Read five inspirational stories of women leaders who have overcome significant challenges to create a brighter future, then vote on your favorite story.

While this year has challenged all of us in so many ways, it has also allowed us to see how interconnected we all are – no matter who we are or where we’re from. How has COVID-19 affected your life? Take our poll, then meet TechnoServe clients – smallholder farmers and entrepreneurs in the developing world – who are experiencing similar situations.

In Andhra Pradesh, India, women like Nimmaka Varahalamma are working with TechnoServe to gain the skills and confidence they need to successfully lead farmer producer organizations in their communities.

In India, women farmers often face challenges accessing the same information, networks, and capital as their male counterparts. TechnoServe is helping women like Rajkumari Akhilesh improve their livelihoods and overcome significant obstacles by starting their own microenterprises.

When the first cases of COVID-19 emerged early last year, the phrase “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” took on new meaning. But for many women around the globe, “staying home” was not a pre-pandemic choice, and it will remain a reality long after the health crisis is over. Learn how TechnoServe is working to find and implement solutions that free up time for women to pursue their economic dreams outside of the home.

For over 50 years, TechnoServe has helped hardworking women and men in the developing world gain the skills, connections, and confidence to create self-sustaining businesses and build a path out of poverty. In part three of this series, we ask a few of these farmers and entrepreneurs to share how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their lives and how they are coping with its effects.

In India, women often face gender-specific challenges that limit their ability to achieve their full potential. TechnoServe is working to identify and support women leaders in male-dominated spaces, such as in farmer producer organizations throughout the states of Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

For over 50 years, TechnoServe has helped hardworking women and men in the developing world gain the skills, connections, and confidence to create self-sustaining businesses and build a path out of poverty. In part two of this series, we ask a few of these farmers and entrepreneurs to share how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their lives and how they are coping with its effects.

Technology has the potential to address many of the world’s most pressing development challenges. But some of the biggest failures incorporating technology in development contexts result from solutions that don’t fit the target users’ needs and capabilities. In his first regular column on applying technology to solve development problems, Director of TechnoServe Labs Dave Hale discusses the first step for developing technology solutions: understanding the end user.