Blog

The Women at the Center blog features stories and tips on connecting women’s empowerment and sustainability. You can sort this content by Issue area, or search using the tag cloud on the right.

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Storytelling, Sustainable Development and Gender  

September 11, 2014 By Belinda Griswold

Reporters, editors and development leaders gathered at the UN this week for a panel on media strategies to foster sustainable development. Nosh Nalavala, Bureau Chief for MediaGlobal News, called on writers and editors to increase coverage of sustainable development, making issues of poverty, disease, hunger, and climate change a top priority, while Ambassador Guillermo Rishchynski… Read more »

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Anti-abortion law ruled unenforceable in Texas  

September 5, 2014 By Jade Begay

On Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014,  a federal appeals court in Austin, TX, ruled the anti-abortion law HB 2 unenforceable. The act, which would have gone into effect on Sept. 1, 2014,  would require abortion facilities to meet the same standards of ambulatory surgical centers in Texas. Andrea Grimes, senior political reporter from RH Reality Check… Read more »

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Should Christians Promote Contraception?  

August 21, 2014 By Belinda Griswold

Hundreds of thousands of women in poor countries die every year in childbirth—and millions of their babies die soon after being born. Should Christians promote contraception in these countries to reduce this pain and suffering? This Saturday on Up for Debate, host Julie Roys explores the issue with guests on both sides of the discussion. Increasingly, many evangelicals are siding with overseas family planners.

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Smart Aid for the World’s Poor  

August 20, 2014 By Belinda Griswold

Posting in the category of “things we never thought we’d hear from the Wall Street Journal” today, we came across this stunning piece (pdf) on effective aid strategies. Despite the very conservative editorial bent of the paper, the story rightly notes that universal access to reproductive health is among the most “phenomenal” (and we quote!)… Read more »

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Humanitarian Heroes  

August 18, 2014 By Belinda Griswold

Tomorrow we mark World Humanitarian Day, a commemoration of the events of the 19th August 2003, when 22 aid workers were killed in a bombing at the UN headquarters in Baghdad. It’s a day to commemorate all the brave souls who have lost their lives in humanitarian service, and to celebrate the spirit that inspires… Read more »

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Multi-Faceted Problems, Integrated Solutions   

August 15, 2014 By Belinda Griswold

Women at the Center recently spoke with Lucy Shillingi, Pathfinder International’s Country Representative for Uganda. Lucy helps lead Health of People & Environment in Lake Victoria Basin, a project that aims to reduce ecosystem degradation while increasing access to family planning and reproductive health.

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Are women our best hope for fighting climate change?    

August 14, 2014 By Belinda Griswold

An inspiring and enraging piece on the First Summit on Women and Climate Change in Bali. Complete with beautiful images and powerful testimonies from indigenous women around the world. “There is no difference between fighting for women’s rights and fighting for environmental protection,” says (Mama Aleta) Baun of East Timor. “They are equal.”

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Connecting the Dots on International Youth Day   

August 11, 2014 By M.A. Keifer

August 12 marks International Youth Day, and that’s a good thing because of the some 7 billion people now inhabiting our planet, half are under the age of 25 –the largest generation of young people ever. As we speak, governments are debating what the next international development agenda will look like. We are one year out… Read more »

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Worldwatch’s Bob Engleman: Pop-Environment Links  

August 8, 2014 By Bob Engelman

As global environmental change accelerates, understanding how population dynamics affect the environment is more important than ever. It seems obvious that human-caused climate change has at least something to do with the quadrupling of world population over the last 100 years. But the evidence that slower population growth is good for the environment – logical… Read more »

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Climate and Population, a New Frame?  

August 7, 2014 By Belinda Griswold

The New York Times has taken up the burgeoning conversation linking population growth and the threats of climate chaos. In this week’s piece, the paper takes on both the sensitivities and promise of addressing population issues. Thankfully, reporter Eduardo Porter lands right where he should: it’s all about meeting women’s needs and desires to plan… Read more »