Women

A foreign domestic worker looks after her elderly client. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wongjunhao/5427024831/">Jerry Wong (flickr)</a>

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The female remittance economy: A hidden global network of mothers and money

Developing-world mothers, too poor to feed their families, are increasingly finding work abroad and sending the fruits of their labor to the children they will not raise.

Although Pakistani women have generally been excluded from land ownership, flood recovery is prompting the government to take action. Photo: Miguel Samper for Mercy Corps

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Empowering Women in the Recovery from Pakistan’s Floods

Severe weather has proven to be a catalyst for women’s rights in rural Pakistan.

Glasses were one of the first products to use microconsignment, which required training on reading eye charts and providing eye care. Photo:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/joshsamson/3702875851/sizes/m/in/photostream/">GoRun26 (flickr)</a>

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Microconsignment: The Microfinance Alternative

Chances are you're pretty familiar with microfinance. But have you ever heard of microconsignment? Microconsignment is similar to microfinance in a lot of ways, but with a unique twist.

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Afghanistan's Women Mean Business

This has been reposted from the Mercy Corps blog.

Women at a microfinance meeting in India. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mckaysavage/2229763779/in/photostream/"> Mckay Savage (flickr)</a>

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Microfinance Isn't a Magic Bullet

Microfinance was once the poster child for poverty alleviation. Hailed as an alternative to dangerous loan sharks, it quickly gained momentum and support from governments and NGO's alike.

Human trafficking is a very profitable, low risk business venture. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/samuelr/2212313791/">Samuel Ronnqvist (flickr)</a>

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Fighting Slavery With Economics

Modern slavery takes many forms.

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Kabul's First Skatepark

In a place ravaged by years of war, there is something new taking place: Afghan youth propelled by a deck on four wheels and armed with an abundance of self confidence and a new pair of skate shoes.

Rajan taught his father how to write his name and is now teaching his mother and older sister to do the same. Photo: Leah Hazard/Mercy Corps

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Ninety-eight. That's the number of kids in Rajan Tiru's class. He's in class nine — the equivalent of ninth grade in the U.S. Next year he'll be in class 10 and will need to pass a big exam so he can continue his studies.

More women than men work in food preparation, one of the job categories expected to grow most in the U.S over the next decade, according to the Atlantic. photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/give2tech/3642436650/">Give2Tech (flickr)</a>

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Are Women Taking Over the Economy?

Are women taking over the economy?

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Spotlight on Young Global Leader: Heather Fleming

Heather Fleming has been named one of the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders for 2010.

The Uniform Project funds helps provide uniforms like these for underprivileged school children in India. Photo: <a href=" http://www.flickr.com/photos/opoponax/2319081821/sizes/m/"> the opoponax (Flickr)</a>

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A Little Black Dress Sends 264 Children to School for a Year

Take one basic little black dress (LBD), a cool girl from India, sustainability, and education for underprivileged children… What do they all add up to?

Indian women are profiting from increased access to feminine hygiene products. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mckaysavage/2229752965/">Mcaysavage (Flickr)</a>

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Can Tampons Prevent Poverty?

How are poverty and women’s periods related? Let me list the ways... Without access to products like tampons or sanitary napkins, women are less healthy, less educated, and less productive — all effects that contribute to poverty.

A young girl in Nepal. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/samgrover/3176230852/sizes/m/">Sam Grover (Flickr)</a>

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An Old Story, a New Ending

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. The average family scrapes by on $210 a year. So poor families often look to more drastic ways to earn money to get by. For some this means selling their daughters into domestic slavery for a mere $40 a year.

This displays large disparities between male and female literacy by country, where female literacy is comparably lower. © Copyright SASI Group (University of Sheffield). Photo: <a href="http://www.worldmapper.org/display.php?selected=198"/>Worldmapper</a

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Where Cell Phones Are Required for Class

Roughly 44 percent of women in Pakistan are literate, according to 2008 figures from the Pakistani government.

The laws relating to men and women's economic participation are equal in only a small minority of countries. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/colleen-lane/4523323053/" target="_blank">The-Lane-Team (flickr)</a>

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In Search of a Rare Legal Equality

Women who control the family purse strings are often thought to be better at pulling their families out of poverty than men because they're more likely to spend their funds on things like education and food.