March 8th is International Women’s Day – celebrated to recognise the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women across the world. This year, the theme for International Women’s Day is “#EmbraceEquity” which seeks to drive worldwide understanding of why Equal opportunities aren’t enough! Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities. Equity, however, recognises that each person has different circumstances, and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.
March 8th is International Women’s Day – celebrated to recognise the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women across the world. This year, the theme for International Women’s Day is “#EmbraceEquity” which seeks to drive worldwide understanding of why Equal opportunities aren’t enough! Well Grounded is an international non-profit organization that works to support the development of civil society organisations in Africa, helping them to reach their full potential and achieve real, positive change for environmental justice.
Our Women’s Leadership Development Programme is working towards women’s empowerment and gender equality. It also embraces gender equity: seeking to build a more just and sustainable world by supporting women leaders in natural resource management.
We provide training, mentorship, and networking opportunities to women leaders from across the Congo Basin, with a focus on those who work on natural resource management issues.
Our aim is to help women overcome the barriers that prevent them from playing a more significant role as they are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation, climate change, and unsustainable resource use, and they often face multiple forms of discrimination and marginalization that limit their participation and decision-making power in these areas. Well Grounded seeks to address this imbalance by providing women with the skills, knowledge, and support they need to become effective leaders.
On International Women’s Day 2023, we would like to embrace equity for the women leaders in natural resource management with whom we work. They represent great role models for challenging the gender bias and inequality that prevent all women from playing a more significant role in shaping the world around us. Together, we can create a better future for all, where women’s voices are heard, and their contributions are valued.
Marie BWAMI BYAKALILANWA is the focal point of the Coalition of Women Leaders for the Environment and Sustainable Development (CFLEDD) in South Kivu, DRC and coordinator of the Association for the Community Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB). She has benefited from several training courses run by Well Grounded which focus on the leadership of women and indigenous peoples. Today she applies the skills acquired to a wide range of development and conservation activities.