A bit of good news from Afghanistan! As this story shows, it’s possible to have a good time in Kabul, and it’s possible for one woman, against the odds, to own and run a business in this male dominated society. Meena Rahmani, 28, borrowed money from her parents and opened a 12-lane bowling alley in the […]

In 2011, the EnACT programme in Algeria put a special emphasis on supporting the inclusion of women and youth in international trade, specifically focusing on raising awareness of Web marketing  and e-commerce solutions as affordable and efficient tools to conduct business through the World Wide Web, their benefits and their techniques. Jointly with the Ministry […]

Azad Foundation is challenging stereotypes in India. It is fighting discrimination against women and girls. The Foundation’s mission is “livelihoods with dignity for women.” Azad Foundation has reached into the slums of Delhi, recruiting young women to help them become breadwinners, while simultaneously giving them a profession, empowerment and confidence. It does this through one of […]

The International Trade Centre’s EnACT programme is working in Jordan to create sustainable economic opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by connecting them to international markets and non-traditional high-end buyers. In September 2011, three Jordanian handicraft manufacturers were introduced to the French market through a unique business meeting with the Louvre Museum in Paris. […]

A promising and feasible way of addressing global hunger is described in an article by Amanda Richardson, Fellow at the Landesa Center for Women’s Land Rights. Here’s an excerpt: “…even though in general the land women own is usually smaller and of poorer quality than land men own, [according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of […]

Giving Women is a non-profit association based in Geneva. Its members support selected projects directed at women and/or founded by women. Village Exchange International-Ghana (the VEG Project) is one such venture. It aims “to improve the lives of women in poverty through a combination of income-generating activities, education, and financial services.” Specifically, the project promotes “the self-actualization of Ghana’s […]

Africa is a contender, along with Australia and New Zealand, in a project to build a really huge telescope – the Square Kilometer Array. Although the decision on where to build it won’t be known until late March or early April at the earliest, the project is already in full swing. Made up of 3,000 […]

Unite for Sight, an organization founded in 2000 to provide “high quality eye care for all,” was created by Jennifer Staple-Clark. The non-profit’s website celebrates having provided eye care services to 1 million people, performed over 36,800 sight-restoring surgeries and trained 7,450 fellows to help eliminate preventable blindness. The eye care is administered by local […]

Ada Lovelace, born Augusta Ada Byron, Lord Byron’s daughter, was the first to suggest a computer program, back in 1842. She was a formidable mathematician and writer. When translating Italian engineer and mathematician Luigi Menabrea’s memoir on Charles Babbage’s proposed general-purpose machine, the Analytical Engine, Lovelace added her own notes, which contain a method for […]