By Trish Tierney, a member of the Global Giving Network steering committee
A few weeks ago, a friend sent me a link to a Fast Company article titled “The Unique Challenges of Being a Middle-Aged Woman Entrepreneur.” It took me several long minutes to realize that she was sending it to me because I am one of those. I’ll gladly claim the entrepreneur part; it was the ‘middle-aged’ label that I did not immediately identify with, even though it is accurate.
There are, clearly, downsides to aging (why do people keep calling me ma’am?!). However, there is also much beauty in this stage of life, reflectiveness and a respect for history that is hard to come by in your youth.
Especially as I’m in the midst of launching my own women’s organization, WAKE, I find myself seeking inspiration, learning, and collaboration with the incredible women, and men, who have come before, laid the groundwork, and achieved so much. The team at Global Greengrants Fund falls squarely in that category.
Let me tell you about an event I participated in that was co-hosted by Global Greengrants and the International Network of Women’s Funds. It was both a celebration of climate justice and women’s rights, as well as a call to action to direct critical resources to the intersection of these two issues. I found the panel informal, interactive, and inspiring.
That evening, the speakers made the case that women’s rights and climate change are intertwined. They encouraged donors and activists to see climate change interventions as a critical entry point for promoting women’s equality in terms of land rights, economic and cultural rights, access to decision-making processes, and political participation.
I have spent most of my career dedicated to international development, particularly women’s education and leadership. However, I have always thought of the environment as a separate issue, albeit an important one, and one on which I want to educate myself and get involved in supporting. Slowly but surely, Global Greengrants has helped me see that these issues—women’s empowerment and the environment—are not separate but integrally linked.
Once stated, this seems so simple and clear. And yet, so often programs, activities, and resources are designed and allocated along distinct lines.
There is a strong case for integration; at the Global Greengrants’ event, I learned some startling facts:
Did you know that women and kids are 14 times more likely to die in climate disasters than men? Or that 40 percent of women human rights defenders attacked in Mesoamerica are defending their natural resources?
I applaud Global Greengrants for leading the way and encouraging collaboration for the greater good of both climate change and women’s rights. The organization has a special knack for zeroing in on critical issues, identifying and communicating sensible and straightforward solutions, and then challenging the rest of us to join them.
During the evening’s panel discussion, I stood behind a lively, fun-loving group of women who had participated in a human rights conference that day. They actively listened and contributed to the conversation, linking arms and leaning on each other in a sense of camaraderie.
Then, first one, then another, and soon a whole cluster of them sat down on the floor. Don’t get me wrong, the hotel reception room was nice and the event well-done. But there were no chairs, and these women had had a long day. They simply decided it was time to sit down. They could listen and participate just as well from the floor, and soon many others were laughing and joining them.
I have found myself at many such events enjoying conversations and simultaneously dreaming of a place to rest. Honestly, though, I never, ever thought of just sitting down.
That night, right in front of me, there was this fabulous group of women just plunked down on the carpet. I loved it, the honesty and simplicity of it. These women, and their actions, seemed wonderfully, beautifully representative of what Global Greengrants was saying about climate justice and women’s rights.
They appeared to me totally dedicated, focused, serious yet fun-loving, brave and to-the-point. These women are dedicating their work and their energies to protecting our Earth, preserving and saving their communities, and taking small, brave steps that can lead to great, collective action. By doing so doing, they are changing the way we think and act.
I urge you to read Climate Justice and Women’s Rights and take at least one bold and brave action to support women and the ground on which we all sit.
Trish is the Co-Founder of WAKE, the Women’s Alliance for Knowledge Exchange. She is the former Executive Director of the Institute of International Education, where she directed the Center for Women’s Leadership Initiatives. Prior to joining EII, she was Program Manager at Cisco Systems, Inc., on a team that established the Cisco Networking Academy Program in 50 of the world’s least developed countries, with an emphasis on gender inclusion. She was a Program Manager at the World Bank and a volunteer teacher in Namibia with WorldTeach, and holds a B.A. in English Literature and Gender Studies from the University of Notre Dame, and an M.A. from Johns’ Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.