Banyan Global staff around the world joined the international community in celebrating International Women’s Day, commemorated on March 8, 2020. This year’s theme, “Each For Equal,” focused on the benefits of gender equality and a gender equal world.

Banyan Global staff on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Improving Market Partnerships and Access to Commodities Together (IMPACT) Program participated in International Women’s Day celebrations in Tulear, Madagascar during the week leading up to March 8. The IMPACT access to finance team partnered with the Malagasy Ministry of Population to support activities on March 3 focused on “Building Economic Self-Reliance”, including presentations on strengthening access to finance for women. There were also demonstrations about income-generating activities for women: producing smoked fish and creating useful items from trash, such as jewelry from recycled paper and hand brooms from plastic bottles. Iony Rasamoela, Banyan Global’s access to finance team lead, introduced IMPACT to attendees before the program’s partner banks presented on their products and services for women entrepreneurs. Banyan Global staff on the IMPACT gender and social inclusion team also attended some of the events in Tulear, including the health-themed activities on March 5.

The USAID-funded Feed the Future Strengthening Value Chains (SVC) Activity in Democratic Republic of Congo also celebrated International Women’s Day with a celebration in the project office on March 13, following a gender and social inclusion training for staff. The SVC gender, youth, and social inclusion team led a training for SVC staff on gender integration in agriculture value chains, reinforcing everyone’s roles and responsibilities to support gender and social inclusion in their work. The team also familiarized staff with the Gender Action Learning System tools, which are applied by the SVC gender team to strengthen gender equality within beneficiary households and cooperatives.  

Victoria Rames, Chief of Party on the USAID-funded Gender Integration Technical Assistance (GITA) task order, traveled to North Macedonia ahead of International Women’s Day to present findings from Banyan Global’s country-level gender analysis to the U.S. Embassy and implementing partners. While there, Ms. Rames also provided attendees with gender integration training. In addition, Ms. Rames led a discussion with young people from five American Corners in Skopje, Struga, Tetovo, Stip, and Bitola on gender equality challenges and opportunities in the North Macedonian context. Participants shared their thoughts in-person at the American Corners in Strupa and Skopje and virtually from the other locations, leading to a lively discussion on professional opportunities for women, gender-based violence, and girls’ education and health.

In Honduras, the USAID-funded Empleando Futuros project shared a series of social media cards on International Women’s Day with quotes about gender equality in Honduras. The inspiring messages came from project beneficiaries, partners, government counterparts, and other stakeholders, highlighting the importance of gender equality in the workforce and beyond.

Finally, Banyan Global staff on the USAID-funded Sustaining Health Outcomes Through the Private Sector (SHOPS) Plus project participated in the project’s social media campaign. Staff from Tanzania, Senegal, Madagascar, and the United States made the #EachForEqual sign with their hands and shared messages to support the theme.