Blog: Girls and Women

Passionate. Powerful. Inspiring. These were the words that came to mind when I first heard about Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai.

The past year has been a big one for girls’ education: from the tragic shooting and inspiring recovery of Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai to the release of Girl Rising by famed documentary filmmaker Richard Robbins…

While the World Health Organization (WHO) just released a report on violence against women, it may not fully capture the adverse effects of violence on a woman’s reproductive health (RH).

“I want to serve the people. And I want every girl, every child, to be educated.” These are the powerful words of Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani teenage girl who was shot by the Taliban last year when returning home from school…

“We believe adolescent girls are the most powerful catalysts for change on the planet,” wrote UN Foundation President & CEO Kathy Calvin and Nike Foundation President & CEO Maria Eitel in a piece that appeared on the Guardian website this week…

The hidden subtext of the Women Deliver 2013 Conference in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, the largest global health event of the decade, is all about breaking taboos: Taboos about women and power, about sex, about relationships between men and women, and about the role of global institutions in quite simply talking about sexual health.

Half way around the world at the 2013 Women Deliver conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, government leaders, NGO representatives, corporate leaders and other health-focused groups have come together to use their collective voice to call for action to improve the health and well-being of girls and women. At the conference Lakshmi Puri, Acting Head of UN Women, summed it up best when she said, “It is time to move sexual and reproductive health, women’s rights and gender equality from the sidelines to the center of the frame, to the center of all discussions…”

Mothers shape the lives of children, impact communities, and sustain nations through their nurturing and work, serving as a lifeline for future generations to come. When a mother dies, her absence is felt throughout the world. Her children have a difficult time surviving and her family suffers, leaving a community more vulnerable to health and economic disparities.

In Washington, budgets can often be synonymous with battles, and this spring has been no exception. International assistance can often be a source of battles, though it represents less than 1% of the total budget.

Yesterday, more than 4,400 people from around the world gathered in person and online to discuss motherhood as part of Mom+Social, the first-ever event focused on motherhood and the role of social media, technology, and philanthropy to improve the health of moms and children everywhere…