This monthly e-publication of the WOW! (Work of Women) program at World Neighbors provides WOW! members with regular updates on concerns affecting women in the developing world. Each issue contains a brief overview on the topic, a profile of World Neighbors involvement in the area, resource suggestions for learning more and ideas for taking action.

For a subscription to this timely and insightful resource, join WOW! Your membership fee and any donations support the work we do around the world. We also invite you to scroll down to view a selection of archived issue briefs.

 

Muslim Women and Social Justice

September 2007

 

The image we often have in the West of Muslim women is of a veiled, submissive woman who is confined to her home and under the control of a husband, father or brother. We envision someone without opinions or voice.

 

While some Muslim women do experience severe discrimination, this often stems more from local culture than from religious belief. The vast reach of Islam through many countries and regions has created a religion and religious culture that is very diverse and complex—and about which it is difficult to generalize. Scholars and other religious leaders offer varied interpretations of Islam as it relates to religious practice in daily life. As with most other religions, women’s status and role within this religious community is influenced by religious texts, but also to a large extent by history and cultures of the Islamic world. Read on!

Photo source: www.milligazette.com.

Valuing Women's Work

August 2007

Women earn approximately 10 percent of the world’s total income, but they are responsible for up to 60 percent of the work performed in some areas. Our economic system is based on the notion that the best way to measure the value of work is through the money that is paid for it. The problem with valuing work solely through monetary transactions is that a large segment of the population, primarily women, receives no pay for a big portion of the work they perform.   Read more!

A New Century for Timor Leste

July 2007

The almost 1 million people who call Timor Leste home have a history of colonization and occupation, which continues to present challenges for the East Timorese. Women, especially, face numerous struggles. Today, Timor Leste has one of the world’s highest fertility rates and at the same time has one of the highest maternal mortality and infant death rates. An East Timorese woman in rural areas can expect to have 7 or 8 children during her lifetime.  Read the issue brief!

 

Marriage: For Adults Only

June 2007

In many parts of the world, a romantic view of marriage is not a part of people's expectations. Expectations for marriage vary widely around the world. For example, in most traditional societies males and females are expected to marry—and for girls, this is often seen as the way she will be able to survive economically away from her family of birth. Child marriage - marriage before the age of 18 - continues to be an urgent problem in a number of regions of the world. Read the issue brief!

Supporting Healthy and Empowered Mothers

May 2007

Motherhood should be a rewarding and fulfilling experience. But for far too many women, it is life-threatening. A woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth every minute of every day throughout the year—more than 500,000 women a year.This problem is overwhelmingly one of less developed countries. This WOW! e-brief identifies the major risks that women face and ways that World Neighbors is applying low-cost, low-technology solutions that are helping. Read the issue brief!

Climate Change and the World's Poor

April 2007

The major findings from this—the most comprehensive report to date on the science of climate change—indicate that there is general agreement that it is already occurring, and a majority of the change is due to human causes. What does this news mean to already struggling communities? What is the role of development work in helping people in developing countries avoid the worst consequences of the change? Read the issue brief!

Ending Impunity for Violence Against Women: An Achievable Goal

March 2007

 

In keeping with the United Nations theme for International Women's Day 2007, this issue brief highlights gendered violence and efforts to end it. World Neighbors staff share some examples of what prevention work looks like in our field sites and the innovative ways that women challenge the social "acceptance" of violence against women. Read the issue brief!

"A Different World Is Possible": The 2007 World Social Forum

February 2007

In Nairobi, Kenya, observers estimate that between 20,000 and 60,000 people converged in January for the seventh annual World Social Forum. They came from every corner of the world—from Asia and the Pacific, from the Americas, from Europe and especially, this time, from Africa. World Neighbors staff from East and West Africa were also there. Read the issue brief!

Water: The Essential Element

January 2007

Water is essential to life on earth, but it is so much more than that. Our relationship with water is more than just survival. A diverse culture has sprung up around water and its significance, suggesting many social, cultural, political and economic understandings. Our examination of water in this e-brief takes a look at water and women in the developing world, focusing mainly on selected aspects of water scarcity and quality. Read the issue brief!

 

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