Grassroots women's groups going it alone, despite rhetoric on gender... International Women's Day

Under a twinkling chandelier in a gilded room at the Irish embassy in London,

Binti Ali Kiza walked slowly to the podium. She looked nervous and cold, despite the blanket over her shoulders and the woollen cap on her head, but her voice was firm as she said: “This is the voice of a grassroots woman.”

The Kenyan activist had flown from her home on the humid Indian Ocean coast to take part in a Women in Power event organised by UN Women and VSO to celebrate International Women’s Day. 

As world leaders debate what to include in the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) that will define the global agenda for the next 15 years, there is much talk about the need for gender parity. There is much talk about giving women like Kiza a voice in global decision-making.

But if talk is cheap, then the actual support given to women’s groups, like Kiza’sSauti Ya Wanawake (the Voice of Women), seems cheaper still.... [...] theguardian.com