What Makes Us Stronger

All of us deserve the right to have a say in decisions that affect our lives. That’s true even in the middle of a war. To make sure global leaders hear from women directly affected by violent conflict, Women for Women International conducted landmark consultation with more than 6500 women survivors of war across 14 countries. In this episode, Nisha delves into some of the surprising findings in the research,From Asking to Action. We’ll hear from some of the women who conducted the survey, and we’ll also speak to Paivi Kannisto, the Chief of Peace and Security at UN Women about why it’s so important for governments to listen to women in conflict.   

*A warning that this episode contains content you might find upsetting including references to violence and sexual violence* 

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Over the last few years intense floods and deadly heatwaves have become more frequent and severe in South Sudan, the youngest country in the world. The climate crisis coupled with increasing poverty and conflict both locally and within its neighboring countries, Sudan and the DRC, have displaced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. In this episode, we’ll hear from the women farmers most affected by the climate crisis and learn about some climate-smart techniques they’re implementing to adapt to the situation. Nisha also talks to Grace Dorong, a women’s rights leader from South Sudan and the Founder and Executive Director of Root of Generations, about why they shouldn’t have to go it alone.  
 
LINKS
Women for Women's Climate report: https://www.womenforwomen.org/environment-conflict-gender 

Root of Generation: https://rog.org.ss/index 
  

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What is it about the food we eat that connects us to the places we’re from? For refugees fleeing conflict, cooking an old family recipe can be a treasured connection to a lost homeland.    In this episode, we’ll hear from two women displaced by war, Women for Women International’s Storai Ahmadi and Zeina Kanawati from Women Now for Development about what they cook that reminds them of home. Nisha also talks to Heifa Odeh, Palestinian-American chef, Fufu’s Kitchen food blogger and author of Dine in Palestine about the recipes handed down through generations of her family.  Learn more and find all the recipes from this episode here  

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Season Three of What Makes us Stronger is back with new stories of courageous women in conflict zones. In the coming episodes, host Nisha Singh, hears from a group of men in a former ISIS stronghold in Iraq who’re ditching toxic masculinity for gender equality. Girls in Afghanistan and elsewhere explain how they are taking back their right to go to school.  And we’ll find out why - for some refugees - a taste from home can be the first step towards solidarity in a strange land.   
  
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 players of People’s Postcode Lottery with funds awarded by Postcode Justice Trust in support of women survivors of war.  

Find out more about the work of Women for Women here. 
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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. 

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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*  

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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 

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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

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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

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