What Makes Us Stronger

It’s thirty years since more than eight hundred thousand people were killed in the Rwandan genocide. In the aftermath of the violence, Rwandans have worked hard to rebuild a devastated and divided country. In this episode, Nisha hears from Emerence, one of thousands of ordinary Rwandans who were asked to do something extraordinary: forgive the people who killed their families.  Nisha also talks to Berna Rusagara, the Executive Director of Women for Women Rwanda, our sister organization, about what the women of Rwanda can teach the world about peace, resilience and forgiveness.    *A warning that this episode contains content you might find upsetting including references to violence and sexual violence. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One in three women will experience some sort of physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. However, women’s rights experts have long argued that there are practical steps that can be taken to prevent and end the cycle of violence against women and girls - if only governments are willing to invest in them.   In this episode, we’ll hear from Rose in the DRC about her experience and Nisha talks to Dr Leyla Hussein, a renowned psychotherapist who provides support to survivors of sexual violence and is a global campaigner for gender rights.    *A warning that this episode contains content you might find upsetting, including references to sexual violence and FGM*  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Afghanistan, where women’s lives are severely restricted, defying the system can be dangerous. In this episode, Nisha talks to Nidhi Dagur, Director of Global Communications and External Events at Women for Women International who recently visited Afghanistan to find out how women there are daring to stand up for their rights, despite the risks.   Find out more about our #SheDares campaign and donate to receive a #SheDares bracelet handmade by women survivors of war at womenforwomen.org/SheDares See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Women in sub–Saharan Africa face the largest digital gender gap in the world. They’re 37 percent less likely than men to use the mobile internet, despite extensive mobile coverage across the continent. But when women access digital financial tools, the evidence shows they take control of much more than just their finances. In this episode, Elizabeth in Nigeria tells us how getting to grips with technology has changed her life in unexpected ways. Nisha also talks to Nabila Aguele, former special adviser to Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and new Women for Women International Board Director about why it’s so important for communities to close the digital gender gap. For more information about us, visit Womenforwomen.org See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Season Two of What Makes us Stronger is coming soon with more stories of courageous women in conflict zones. In the coming episodes, host Nisha Singh, hears from women in Nigeria about the technology that is changing their lives in ways they didn’t expect. Survivors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo speak out about the stigma attached to sexual violence and we’ll uncover the stories of women in Afghanistan, who’re daring to show up for the women’s rights movement.  What Makes Us Stronger is a series by Women for Women International, an organization which helps women survivors of war rebuild their lives, families and communities. This season is brought to you thanks to the players of People’s Postcode Lottery with funds awarded by Postcode Justice Trust in support of women survivors of war. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three decades ago, one woman turned a moment of outrage into a movement. Today, the organization Zainab Salbi started during the conflict in Bosnia has reached over half a million women survivors of war all over the world. In this special episode, Women for Women International's CEO, Laurie Adams travels back to Bosnia with Zainab to learn the story of out how it all began and to find out why, thirty years later, the sisterhood effect is needed more than ever.  For more information and to donate: https://support.womenforwomen.org/podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Even though most farm workers in developing countries are women, very few of them own the land they work on. Some rural communities ignore the law and forcibly seize land from women or prevent them from buying or inheriting land in the first place. In this episode, Nisha hears from Angelique, a Congolese woman who tried to persuade a skeptical community that she had just as much right to own land as her husband. Nisha also talks to Rachel Boketa, the Country Director of Women for Women International in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sabreen Alikhan, our Director of Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning about a project to support women like Angelique to become advocates for equality as well as ‘boss ladies’ in their own right. For more information about us, visit Womenforwomen.org Donate here: https://support.womenforwomen.org/podcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In just one year, women’s lives have got a lot harder in Afghanistan. Unable to work, go to school or leave their homes without a male guardian, they are struggling to adapt to new restrictions imposed by the de facto government. In this episode, Nisha talks to Afghan women about what it feels like to lose basic freedoms and what makes them stronger against all the odds. She also finds out how Afghan women are finding ways to meet and build a better life for themselves and how we at Women for Women International are supporting them to do it.  For more information about us, visit Womenforwomen.org Donate here: https://support.womenforwomen.org/podcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lena, Sherin, and Maryam have something in common – they have all been displaced by war.  Lena escaped from Irpin in Ukraine as Russian soldiers closed in; Maryam left Afghanistan when international troops pulled out of the country and Sherin fled the fighting in Syria and walked for miles across the border into Iraq with two small children. In this episode, Nisha finds out how each of the women made a dangerous journey and learns about some of the surprising things that gave them courage along the way.    Lena’s Translation by Olena Behnke   Sherin’s Translation by Wissam Fakih   For more information about us, visit Womenforwomen.org Donate here: https://support.womenforwomen.org/podcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What makes us resilient in times of crisis? And how does conflict and hardship shape who we are? What Makes Us Stronger tells the stories of some courageous women who’ve lived through unbelievably difficult times in countries like Afghanistan, Syria and Democratic Republic of the Congo to name a few, and explores how each of them took on new roles and found the strength to keep going. What Makes Us Stronger is a series by Women for Women International, an organization which invests where inequality is greatest by helping women who are forgotten — the women survivors of war and conflict. Hosted by Nisha Singh, Global Policy and Advocacy Manager at Women for Women International. Find out more about stories like these and how you can get involved at  https://www.womenforwomen.org/ Donate here: https://support.womenforwomen.org/podcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.