Regional/Global
She Told Us So (Again)
COVID-19’s impacts around the world are worse than they were in September 2020. Far from a return to “normal,” women and girls CARE works with around the world are saying that their situation continues to get worse as COVID-19 drags on amid other crises. Fati Musa in Nigeria says, “Women have suffered a lot during the pandemic, and we are not yet recovering from this hardship.” 55% of women were reporting gaps in their livelihoods as a priority in 2020. Now that number is 71%. For food insecurity, the number has jumped from 41% to 66%.
Since March of 2020, CARE—and more importantly, the women CARE works with—have been warning that COVID-19 would create special challenges for women and girls, above and beyond what men and boys would face. Tragically, these women were exactly right. What they predicted even before the WHO declared a pandemic has come true. In September 2020, CARE published She Told Us So, which showed women's and men's experiences in the pandemic so far. In March 2022, updated data shows that the cost of ignoring women continues to grow. For more than 22,000 people CARE has spoken to, COVID-19 is far from over. In fact, the COVID-19 situation has gotten worse, not just for women, but for men, too.
Ignoring the voices of women, girls, and other historically marginalized groups has worsened the situation for everyone—not just for women. Men are more than twice as likely to report challenges around livelihoods, food insecurity, and access to health care as they were in 2020, and are three times more likely to report mental health challenges—although they are still only two-thirds as likely as women to report mental health as a priority. As women burn through their coping strategies and reserves, men are also facing bigger impacts over time.
Women have stepped up to the challenge—especially when they get support from each other and opportunities to lead. They are sharing information, preventing COVID-19, and using their resources to support other members of their communities. 89% of women in savings groups in Yemen are putting some of their savings to help others. Women are stepping into leadership roles, "We are women leaders in emergency . . . we have the capacity to say: I have a voice and a vote, I am not going to stay stagnant . . . (participant, Colombia). In Niger, women are saying, “Now we women are not afraid to defend ourselves when a decision does not suit us. We will say it out loud because our rights are known and we know the ways and means to claim our rights.”
Those accomplishments are impressive, but they come at a cost. The constant struggle for their rights, and for even the most basic necessities, is taking its toll. Women are almost twice as likely to report mental health challenges as they were in 2020. As one woman in Iraq describes, “If any opportunity appeared, the man would be the favorite . . . This psychologically affected many women, as they turned to household work which included preparing food and cleaning only.”
To understand these challenges and create more equitable solutions, CARE invests in listening to women, men, and people from marginalized groups to understand the challenges they face, what they need, and the ways in which they lead through crisis. This report represents the voices of more than 22,000 people in 23 countries since September of 2020.
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Since March of 2020, CARE—and more importantly, the women CARE works with—have been warning that COVID-19 would create special challenges for women and girls, above and beyond what men and boys would face. Tragically, these women were exactly right. What they predicted even before the WHO declared a pandemic has come true. In September 2020, CARE published She Told Us So, which showed women's and men's experiences in the pandemic so far. In March 2022, updated data shows that the cost of ignoring women continues to grow. For more than 22,000 people CARE has spoken to, COVID-19 is far from over. In fact, the COVID-19 situation has gotten worse, not just for women, but for men, too.
Ignoring the voices of women, girls, and other historically marginalized groups has worsened the situation for everyone—not just for women. Men are more than twice as likely to report challenges around livelihoods, food insecurity, and access to health care as they were in 2020, and are three times more likely to report mental health challenges—although they are still only two-thirds as likely as women to report mental health as a priority. As women burn through their coping strategies and reserves, men are also facing bigger impacts over time.
Women have stepped up to the challenge—especially when they get support from each other and opportunities to lead. They are sharing information, preventing COVID-19, and using their resources to support other members of their communities. 89% of women in savings groups in Yemen are putting some of their savings to help others. Women are stepping into leadership roles, "We are women leaders in emergency . . . we have the capacity to say: I have a voice and a vote, I am not going to stay stagnant . . . (participant, Colombia). In Niger, women are saying, “Now we women are not afraid to defend ourselves when a decision does not suit us. We will say it out loud because our rights are known and we know the ways and means to claim our rights.”
Those accomplishments are impressive, but they come at a cost. The constant struggle for their rights, and for even the most basic necessities, is taking its toll. Women are almost twice as likely to report mental health challenges as they were in 2020. As one woman in Iraq describes, “If any opportunity appeared, the man would be the favorite . . . This psychologically affected many women, as they turned to household work which included preparing food and cleaning only.”
To understand these challenges and create more equitable solutions, CARE invests in listening to women, men, and people from marginalized groups to understand the challenges they face, what they need, and the ways in which they lead through crisis. This report represents the voices of more than 22,000 people in 23 countries since September of 2020.
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Don’t Leave Them Behind: Global Food Policies Continue to Fail Women (December 2021)
811 million people in the world are going hungry, half a million of whom are on the brink of starvation. Clearly, current approaches are simply not enough to meet the scale of the crisis we are facing. If we continue to do what we have always done, we will continue to see the same problem: people going to bed hungry. We must find better solutions to prevent and end hunger—especially if we are going to meet the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030.
One of the first things we can do is consider who is going hungry. Using the term “people” hides part of the problem: gender inequality. Globally, women are 10% more likely to go hungry than men, and that gap is growing. In Somalia, for example, men are eating smaller meals; women are skipping meals altogether. We see this inequality play out at the international level, too—global solutions consistently ignore women, their rights, and the critical role women play in food systems.
Of 84 global policies and plans designed to address hunger released between September 2020 and December 2021, only 4% refer to women as leaders who should be part of the solution or provide funding to support them. 39% overlook women entirely. This is unacceptable. Ending hunger will take everyone’s talents, opinions, and work. It requires promoting equality, respecting rights, and truly listening to the people who are on the frontlines of the problem. Local food producers and leaders—especially women—must be a core part of the solution.
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One of the first things we can do is consider who is going hungry. Using the term “people” hides part of the problem: gender inequality. Globally, women are 10% more likely to go hungry than men, and that gap is growing. In Somalia, for example, men are eating smaller meals; women are skipping meals altogether. We see this inequality play out at the international level, too—global solutions consistently ignore women, their rights, and the critical role women play in food systems.
Of 84 global policies and plans designed to address hunger released between September 2020 and December 2021, only 4% refer to women as leaders who should be part of the solution or provide funding to support them. 39% overlook women entirely. This is unacceptable. Ending hunger will take everyone’s talents, opinions, and work. It requires promoting equality, respecting rights, and truly listening to the people who are on the frontlines of the problem. Local food producers and leaders—especially women—must be a core part of the solution.
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Fast and Fair Vaccine Update August to October 2021
CARE's Fast and Fair initiative supports countries to equitably deliver COVID-19 vaccines through four pillars: Advocate, Facilitate, Protect and Mobilize.
CARE has identified 22* countries (and counting ) with strong capacity, partnerships, and readiness to scale.
As of October 2021: 126.2 million people have been vaccinated in areas where CARE is providing meaningful and significant promotion for vaccination rollout. We have also supported mass media messages promoting vaccines to 263 million people. Read More...
CARE has identified 22* countries (and counting ) with strong capacity, partnerships, and readiness to scale.
As of October 2021: 126.2 million people have been vaccinated in areas where CARE is providing meaningful and significant promotion for vaccination rollout. We have also supported mass media messages promoting vaccines to 263 million people. Read More...
Gender Gaps in Vaccines November 2021
COVID-19 vaccinations are quickly becoming a story of inequality. Gender inequality is a critical part of this story. In 22 of 24 countries where CARE has data, women are less likely to be vaccinated and less likely to feel vaccines are safe.
There are massive local and global gaps in who can get vaccinated. Only 4.5% of people in low-income countries are vaccinated, and 79% of vaccinations have been in wealth countries. Tragically, wealth and geography are just two factors that skew access to vaccines. Another is gender. In many low and middle-income countries, women are less likely to get COVID-19 vaccines than men are. This compounds gender inequality women are already facing in health and decision-making Read More...
There are massive local and global gaps in who can get vaccinated. Only 4.5% of people in low-income countries are vaccinated, and 79% of vaccinations have been in wealth countries. Tragically, wealth and geography are just two factors that skew access to vaccines. Another is gender. In many low and middle-income countries, women are less likely to get COVID-19 vaccines than men are. This compounds gender inequality women are already facing in health and decision-making Read More...
Who pays to deliver vaccines? An Analysis of World Bank Funding for COVID-19 Vaccination and Recovery
The World Bank is one key source of funding in the global push to vaccinate 70% of the world’s population against COVID-19. Many actors point to this as the funding that will cover any additional delivery needs for COVID-19 vaccines that national governments cannot meet. With $5.8 billion in funding already approved out of a $20 billion commitment, the World Bank funding is an important part of the picture, but the World Bank alone cannot cover the full gap in vaccine delivery needs.
Reviewing 60 funding agreements from the World Bank on COVID-19 vaccination and recovery shows the following insights.
• There is still a gap in delivery funding. The World Bank is currently funding $1.2 billion in vaccine delivery—10% of the total funding allocated for COVID-19 recovery. If that trend applies to the rest of the $20 billion commitment, World Bank funding will cover a between $2 and $4 billion—well below the $9 billion that ACT-A estimates as the lowest possible investment to vaccinate 70% of the world’s population. In contrast, $3.1 billion is going to purchase vaccines.
• Health workers remain underfunded. Only 15 of 60 agreements, just 25% detail provisions to pay health workers. Of those, 7 explicitly fund surge capacity, 3 provide for ongoing salaries, and 4 allow for hazard pay to health workers.
• Countries are taking on debt to rollout COVID-19 vaccinations. 86% of the funding in this analysis is in the form of loans. That gives countries debt that may weaken future pandemic preparedness rather than reinforcing health systems.
• All funders should adopt the World Bank’s commitments to investments in gender equality. 90% of the agreements in this analysis refer to gender inequality and many make corresponding investments—like requiring that 60% of vaccine leadership positions are women—to overcome these barriers. Earmarking exact funds going to advance gender equality would provide further transparency. Nevertheless, this consistent and concrete commitment is commendable, and all actors should strive to replicate it.
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Reviewing 60 funding agreements from the World Bank on COVID-19 vaccination and recovery shows the following insights.
• There is still a gap in delivery funding. The World Bank is currently funding $1.2 billion in vaccine delivery—10% of the total funding allocated for COVID-19 recovery. If that trend applies to the rest of the $20 billion commitment, World Bank funding will cover a between $2 and $4 billion—well below the $9 billion that ACT-A estimates as the lowest possible investment to vaccinate 70% of the world’s population. In contrast, $3.1 billion is going to purchase vaccines.
• Health workers remain underfunded. Only 15 of 60 agreements, just 25% detail provisions to pay health workers. Of those, 7 explicitly fund surge capacity, 3 provide for ongoing salaries, and 4 allow for hazard pay to health workers.
• Countries are taking on debt to rollout COVID-19 vaccinations. 86% of the funding in this analysis is in the form of loans. That gives countries debt that may weaken future pandemic preparedness rather than reinforcing health systems.
• All funders should adopt the World Bank’s commitments to investments in gender equality. 90% of the agreements in this analysis refer to gender inequality and many make corresponding investments—like requiring that 60% of vaccine leadership positions are women—to overcome these barriers. Earmarking exact funds going to advance gender equality would provide further transparency. Nevertheless, this consistent and concrete commitment is commendable, and all actors should strive to replicate it.
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Learning to Listen: Regional Partnerships and Impacts
In 2017, CARE asked, “What will it take to scale our impact by 10 times more than we currently do? What about 100 times?” Part of the answer to that, with significant unrestricted investments from 2017-2020, were CARE’s Impact Growth Strategies. These aim to address the “missing middle” by supporting the skills, staff, and connections needed to bring our work together across regions and partners.
A recent review of these 4 regional platforms—Equal value, equal rights (EVER) in LAC; Women on the move (WoM) in West Africa; Her harvest, our future (HHOF) in Southern Africa; Made by Women in Asia Pacific—shows significant return on the investment. These returns merit continued investment in regional platforms that take creative approaches to partnership, local leadership, and the evolution of CARE’s operating models.
• Contributing to impact for 12 million people, with potential impact for 78 million more people impacted over the coming years.
• Paving the scaling pathways by demonstrating different models of partnership, design, evidence, impact, and fundraising. These experiences provide valuable experience and evidence of what works (and doesn’t) and how to continue our ambition of sustainable impact at scale.
• Demonstrating concrete tools and ability to center the voices of the people we serve, in new partnership models, feedback systems, power structures, and evidence. This includes crucial lessons on how to live out our strategic goal of being locally led and globally connected.
• Mobilizing resources by contributing to roughly $100 million in new restricted and flexible funding.
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A recent review of these 4 regional platforms—Equal value, equal rights (EVER) in LAC; Women on the move (WoM) in West Africa; Her harvest, our future (HHOF) in Southern Africa; Made by Women in Asia Pacific—shows significant return on the investment. These returns merit continued investment in regional platforms that take creative approaches to partnership, local leadership, and the evolution of CARE’s operating models.
• Contributing to impact for 12 million people, with potential impact for 78 million more people impacted over the coming years.
• Paving the scaling pathways by demonstrating different models of partnership, design, evidence, impact, and fundraising. These experiences provide valuable experience and evidence of what works (and doesn’t) and how to continue our ambition of sustainable impact at scale.
• Demonstrating concrete tools and ability to center the voices of the people we serve, in new partnership models, feedback systems, power structures, and evidence. This includes crucial lessons on how to live out our strategic goal of being locally led and globally connected.
• Mobilizing resources by contributing to roughly $100 million in new restricted and flexible funding.
Read More...
Gender Gaps in COVID 19 Vaccines
COVID-19 vaccinations are quickly becoming a story of inequality. Gender inequality is a critical part of this story. In 16 countries where CARE has data, women are less likely to be vaccinated, and less likely to feel vaccines are safe.
There are massive local and global gaps in who can get vaccinated Only 1 9 of people in low income countries are vaccinated, and 79 of vaccinations have been in wealth countries Tragically, wealth and geography are just two factors that skew access to vaccines Another is gender In many low and middle income countries, women are less likely to get COVID-19 vaccines than men are This compounds gender inequality women are already facing in health and decision making Read More...
There are massive local and global gaps in who can get vaccinated Only 1 9 of people in low income countries are vaccinated, and 79 of vaccinations have been in wealth countries Tragically, wealth and geography are just two factors that skew access to vaccines Another is gender In many low and middle income countries, women are less likely to get COVID-19 vaccines than men are This compounds gender inequality women are already facing in health and decision making Read More...
Our Best Shot: Frontline Health Workers and COVID-19 Vaccines
Fully realizing the social and economic benefits of halting COVID-19 requires investing in a fast and fair global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. CARE estimates that for every $1 a country or donor government invests in vaccine doses, they need to invest $5.00 in delivering the vaccine.
Investments in frontline health workers are a critical component in this comprehensive vaccination cost. Of the $5.00 in delivery costs, $2.50 has to go to funding, training, equipping, and supporting health workers—especially women—who administer vaccines, run education campaigns, connect communities to health services, and build the trust required for patients to get vaccines. For these investments to work, they must pay, protect and respect women frontline health workers and their rights—a cost that is largely absent from recent WHO estimates on vaccine rollout costs. No current global conversations or guidance on vaccine costs includes the full cost of community health workers or long-term personnel costs.
Investing in a fast and fair global vaccine distribution will save twice as many lives as maximizing vaccine doses for the wealthiest countries in the world. Even better, investing in vaccine equality will speed up economic recoveries in every country in the world. For every $1 invested in vaccines in less wealthy countries, wealthy countries will see $4.80 of economic benefit because economies can fully re-open sooner. Failing to make this investment could cost wealthy economies $4.5 trillion in economic losses.
Current global debates are focused so narrowly on equitable access to for vaccine doses that they largely overlook the importance of delivering vaccines—and the key role women frontline health workers play in vaccine delivery. Of 58 global policy statements on vaccines, only 10 refer to the costs of delivery at all—and these are primarily technical advisories from the World Health Organization. No government donors are discussing the importance of vaccine delivery systems that are necessary to ending COVID-19. Only one statement—from Norway—refers to the importance of women health workers as part of the solution to ending COVID-19.
As new and dangerous strains of COVID-19 emerge in countries that are struggling to access the vaccine and control the pandemic, every day we wait for fair global vaccination allows for more contagious strains that spread around the world. The more chances the virus has to mutate in non-vaccinated populations, the higher the risk for everyone. Comprehensive global vaccine delivery plans that make sure the vaccine gets to people who need it—and that those people are ready to get the vaccine when it arrives—are the only way to end this threat. No one is safe until everyone is safe.
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Investments in frontline health workers are a critical component in this comprehensive vaccination cost. Of the $5.00 in delivery costs, $2.50 has to go to funding, training, equipping, and supporting health workers—especially women—who administer vaccines, run education campaigns, connect communities to health services, and build the trust required for patients to get vaccines. For these investments to work, they must pay, protect and respect women frontline health workers and their rights—a cost that is largely absent from recent WHO estimates on vaccine rollout costs. No current global conversations or guidance on vaccine costs includes the full cost of community health workers or long-term personnel costs.
Investing in a fast and fair global vaccine distribution will save twice as many lives as maximizing vaccine doses for the wealthiest countries in the world. Even better, investing in vaccine equality will speed up economic recoveries in every country in the world. For every $1 invested in vaccines in less wealthy countries, wealthy countries will see $4.80 of economic benefit because economies can fully re-open sooner. Failing to make this investment could cost wealthy economies $4.5 trillion in economic losses.
Current global debates are focused so narrowly on equitable access to for vaccine doses that they largely overlook the importance of delivering vaccines—and the key role women frontline health workers play in vaccine delivery. Of 58 global policy statements on vaccines, only 10 refer to the costs of delivery at all—and these are primarily technical advisories from the World Health Organization. No government donors are discussing the importance of vaccine delivery systems that are necessary to ending COVID-19. Only one statement—from Norway—refers to the importance of women health workers as part of the solution to ending COVID-19.
As new and dangerous strains of COVID-19 emerge in countries that are struggling to access the vaccine and control the pandemic, every day we wait for fair global vaccination allows for more contagious strains that spread around the world. The more chances the virus has to mutate in non-vaccinated populations, the higher the risk for everyone. Comprehensive global vaccine delivery plans that make sure the vaccine gets to people who need it—and that those people are ready to get the vaccine when it arrives—are the only way to end this threat. No one is safe until everyone is safe.
Read More...
Working with Youth at Risk in the Balkans Case Study
Capturing 5 different models of working on prevention of radicalization and extremism in 5 countries in the Balkans capturing core impact elements on youth, parents, teachers, and other relevant stakeholders/community members that is developed by CARE and partners. (Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Albania, Croatia) [52 pages]. Read More...