Older women and grandmothers play a very important role in many traditional communities; they are often consulted on family affairs and conflict resolution and just as often pointed to as the negative drivers behind harmful traditional practices. The Grandmother Project in Senegal has identified grandmothers as vital and viable agents of positive change. The organization works with them as active community assets to promote maternal and child nutrition, early childhood development, and education, and, most recently, to eradicate female genital mutilation and HIV/AIDS.
GENDER NEWS
  • Transforming Male Gender Roles to Combat Cross-Generational Sex
    Cross-generational sex—often known as Sugar Daddy syndrome—is a pattern of sexual behavior between young women and much older men that brings increased health risks and consequences for the young women. While few large-scale interventions have been undertaken to combat this risky behavior, and even fewer have been evaluated, an important collaboration in Uganda between the government, local organizations, and USAID may be leading the way.
  • 'Mission Possible' in Mali Thanks to Partnership Initiative
    The Mali Mission and its local partners faced a discouraging reality six years ago: women were having too many children and too many mothers were dying. Now, thanks to a partnership undertaken by the Mission and IGWG, some important changes have taken place on the ground.
  • Addressing the Physical and Mental Health of Women and Adolescents Trafficked in Europe
    Women who have been trafficked often suffer from multiple physical and mental health problems, but research shows that with one month of professional care after they have been freed, these same women demonstrate vast improvement. Charlotte Watts, co‑author of 'Stolen Smiles,' talks to the IGWG's Gender‑Based Violence Task Force.
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The IGWG promotes gender equity within population, health, and nutrition programs with the goal of improving reproductive health/HIV/AIDS outcomes and fostering sustainable development.

Established in 1997, the IGWG is a network comprising nongovernmental organizations, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), cooperating agencies, and the Bureau for Global Health of USAID.