This year, we are proud to award CARE’s 3rd Annual “Innovation in Sanitation” Award to the CARE Bangladesh SHOUHARDO team and our partner organization, iDE, for their work to reach poor and ultra-poor families in seasonally flooded regions of Northern Bangladesh with safe and flood resilient sanitation. CARE and iDE have demonstrated the potential of integrating human centered-design with equitable and inclusive market-based approaches to improve supply and demand in the chars and haors. Through this model, the CARE and iDE team has demonstrated remarkable sanitation gains in the face of a challenging, ‘last mile’ context and in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic—after only 10 months of active sales, more than 13,000 households have purchased toilets, improving sanitation access for more than 50,000 people. In addition to significant women’s empowerment gains under SHOUHARDO, CARE and iDE supported the development of an 85-person network of sanitation sales and marketing agents, 60 of whom are women!
The Rupantaran project builds on a decade of work with landless and smallholder farmers in rural Nepal to increase resilience and improve their livelihoods. Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) were added to the Farmer Field and Business School (FFBS) model as a key way to challenge social norms around women’s participation and decision making, explore opportunities and promote economic empowerment. Read More
The Her Money, Her Life project in Tanzania is maximizing the potential benefits women receive from their crops through a focus on entrepreneurship and collective investment. This brief outlines how the project uses VSLAs as a platform to address root causes of gender inequality. Read More
Menstrual Health and Hygiene is relevant to all of us. The theme of this year's Menstrual Hygiene Day is a #PeriodFriendlyWorld. CARE's work with schools, communities and displaced persons supports menstrual materials, infrastructure and education that break down taboos and increase access to menstrual hygiene for all. Below is a small collection of some of CARE's recent work in menstruation. Read More