Ani Gevorgyan started wearing the red vest when she was 14 years old and she signed up to bring joy, art and activity into the lives of refugee children. Two years later, the young volunteer for the Armenian Red Cross was organizing “eco-runs” in which people combined physical activity with environmental clean-ups. Now, as an IFRC Climate Champion, she spreads the word about climate action at high-level summits like COP-28, where she says local communities and youth need to be driving the agenda.

Part 1 in a series of stories for World Water Day: Friday 22 March.By Shriluna Shrestha and Rachel PunithaFor Nepal Red Cross volunteer Muna, the steep, winding paths of rural Nepal have become somewhat of a regular commute. She treks to remote areas to educate communities, particularly women and children, about hygiene and sanitation practices that can keep them safe from communicable diseases.“Even though it takes me around four to five hours of walking to reach the school at the top of the hill, this doesn’t trouble me,” she says. “All my weariness fades away when I finally meet the children and the community."Muna’s health and hygiene sessions for schoolchildren, adolescents and mothers’ groups focus on handwashing, personal and menstrual hygiene, and community sanitation.She extends her impact by training female community health volunteers,appointed by the government, who then play a crucial role in delivering health and hygiene sessions in their own communities.One of those women community health volunteers is Indira.“In the session, we educate mothers about health and hygiene practices and thoroughly discuss their health-related issues,” Indira says. “They are curious and practicing what they have learned.”“The training helped me enhance my skills, and I learned to deliver the session to diverse groups,” she adds.In the early stages of the project, Muna and the Nepal Red Cross team faced significant challenges. It took a lot of work to convince local people to alter their hygiene and sanitation practices.But the Red Cross team made continuous efforts to build trust. They enrolled local-level authorities, formed community-based committees and organized activities to engage people and get their input.Their efforts yielded positive results. Once-reluctant communities have now become enthusiastic supporters.“I enjoy participating in community and health sessions conducted as part of this initiative,” says Nirmaya, one of the participants. “Such gatherings bring women together, providing a platform for sharing experiences and mutual learning.“For us, these sessions are like a respite from household responsibilities. It allows us to engage in insightful discussions on various health and hygiene topics."“A simple change in health habits can lead to a healthy life. That’s my biggest learning from the sessions.”One house, one tapAs Muna and her team focus on hygiene and behavioral changes, the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) team of the Nepal Red Cross takes charge of another vital component of the program—ensuring access to clean drinking water for every household in the district.Aligned with the government’s “Ek dhara, ek ghar” campaign — which translates to “one house, one tap” — the Nepal Red Cross, IFRC, British Red Cross, Finnish Red Cross and Hong Kong Red Cross each play a role in supporting the initiative.In short, here’s how it works. The Nepal Red Cross works with local authorities and the community through a co-funding approach. The IFRC contributes 60 per cent of the investment for materials such as pipelines, taps and cement and it offers technical assistance and trainings to enhance the skills needed to complete the project.The remaining 20 per cent of financial support is from local authorities, while the other 20 per cent is sourced from the communities through labor contributions and maintenance efforts.As of now, more than 250 households within the Okhaldhunga district have access to outdoor running taps, eliminating the need for women and children to go on lengthy walks to fetch water.A growing impactThese water, sanitation and hygiene projects in Nepal have been implemented in three districts—Okhaldhunga, Ramechhap, and Sindhuli — in the eastern part of the country. Here are the results so far:• Over 9,000 people in the districts benefit from health and hygiene sessions.• More than 700 households now have access to drinking water.• Six schools, two health posts, and one local authority office have water stations on their premises.• 37 people, including eight female participants, have received skill development training on plumbing and maintenance.“Easy access to water has improved our daily lives, saving us time previously spent on fetching water,” saysJeena, a community member who built one of the water taps with support from the Nepal Red Cross. “Now, we can efficiently use water to cultivate vegetables in our backyard and maintain a cleaner environment and better hygiene.”

At just 23 years old, Valisoa Liesse Razafisalama is already making a significant impact as a third-year communication student at the Madagascar’s National Tele-Education Center and a dedicated volunteer with the Malagasy Red Cross.Through her involvement in the National Disaster Response Team (NDRT), Valisoa has gained valuable experience raising awareness and providing training following recent tropical storms.However, it has been her initiative to challenge societal norms surrounding menstruation that truly showcased her dedication to breaking down barriers.“As members of the Red Cross movement, active in the humanitarian sector, we advocate for greater recognition of the role of women,” says Valisoa, who is among the roughly 42 percent of Malagasy Red Cross NDRT staff who are women.“We encourage the equitable inclusion of women in community decision-making, breaking with the trend of prioritizing men. We persist in our efforts because as women volunteers, we make significant contributions to the well-being of the communities where we operate.” Not just a women’s issueValisoa observed a prevailing trend where men in her community showed disinterest in discussions about menstruation, viewing it solely as a women's issue. Determined to change this perspective, she organised awareness sessions for both men and women, emphasising the natural and normal aspects of menstruation.By fostering a shared understanding within the community, Valisoa contributed to eliminating the stigmas associated with menstruation and promoting gender equality.In many post disaster situations, fear of talking about menstruation or other health issues can mean that women simply do not get full attention and care they need to stay healthy.Challenging cultural stereotypes With a background in biodiversity and the environment, and extensive experience in humanitarian work, 33-year-old Lova Arsène Linà Ravelohasindrazana exemplifies resilience and determination in challenging gender stereotypes.Working as a project manager for the Malagasy Red Cross, Lova oversees interventions in the Anosy region, were cultural barriers often hinder women's participation in leadership roles.Despite facing resistance, Lova actively promotes women's empowerment, ensuring their involvement in decision-making and community initiatives.Seven percent of decision makers on the National Society’s management team are women and Lova is among them."During interventions, whether it's in the communities or among the people I supervise, the culture still makes it difficult for them to accept women that lead,” she says. “As a project manager, there are times when I can feel it most.“But I also try to understand how these communities in which I work function. How I can make them more aware of what I and others can bring, how to better approach things and what are the approaches to avoid offending people's sensitivities in relation to their culture.” Lova's dedication to advocating for women's rights extends beyond her professional life. She also educates women about their rights and encourages their active participation in various initiatives, contributing to a more equitable society.

International Women’s Day in 2024 is all about investing in women and accelerating progress. This year, we show how the IFRC is doing this with concrete initiatives at the regional and global level and we share the views of women around the world who talk about the challenges, risks and joys of being at the forefront — and at the helm — of humanitarians response.

Gloria Lombo knows what it takes to rise to the highest level of humanitarian leadership in her country, and she understands the critical importance of protecting women during crisis.As Secretary General of the Red Cross of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, she is just as comfortable in a business suit as she is in a hard hat, with a shovel in her hand, or handing out aid supplies.From her years as an acvitist and volunteer, she also understands people power and has the skills and experience to inspire other humanitarians.Can you tell us a personal story or a situation in which you managed to break ‘feminine’ stereotypes or social expectations?Of course I can. In Africa, and in the DRC in particular, any professional promotion for women is attributed to what is commonly called "the promotion couch", which means going out with your superior or your boss instead of meritocracy.It is possible to break through this thinking, and my case illustrates this, which is why I feel comfortable sharing my personal experience.My professional career at the Red Cross of the DRC began in 2014 as Head of the Gender and Youth Division, and then the Gender and Diversity division, where I ensured the involvement and balanced representation of women, young people and minorities in the activities implemented by the Red Cross of the DRC.Then, in mid 2019, [I served] as director in charge of General Services (Administration and Logistics) and 2020 as Director of Programmes and Partnership. Since December 2022, I have been serving as Secretary General.This was all achieved because people could follow my track record of professionalism, acquired experience and capacities. The choice of personnel for the current position is also subject to tests and evaluations of certain objective criteria by the National Society’s Management Committee.Is there anything you do in your daily life, whether at work or in your private life, to defend women's rights?I'm a human rights activist, a defender of women's and girls' rights, a facilitator and a multi-disciplinary trainer on different themes such as prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual and gender-based violence.I help women and girls to discover their potential and how to deploy it to be useful in the community. I encourage female candidates to apply for any recruitment notice issued within our institution, with the aim of having a more or less equitable distribution in the various command and management positions within the institution that I lead.Why do you think we should invest in women? And how should we do it?Women are human beings who must thrive in the same way as men. She must be autonomous and resilient. Investing in women also means giving her access to the various resources needed to help her overcome the various challenges she faces. This way she can build a world in which she can realise her rights by thriving in all areas (financial, professional, etc.).For me, investing in women can be summed up with 3 ideas: access to resources, fulfilment and prosperity.How to invest?Strengthen her capacities through training, education, etc. “Educating a woman is educating a whole nation", as we say in my homeland in DR Congo.Position and encourage women in well-paid jobs and sectors.And provide them with social protection by giving them much greater access to information, the internet, land rights over agricultural land, etc.How do you help people understand the challenges faced by women in emergency situations in the DRC and elsewhere?The DRC Red Cross uses the SVEC tool (Study of Vulnerabilities and Enhanced Capacities), which organizes, through principles of social inclusion, community interviews to discuss the issue of women in general and during emergencies. These discussions focus on themes like: women's ability to cope with emergencies; understanding the emergency (nature and consequences) so that she can be properly assisted; the attitude to adopt during an emergency and the actions men can take to support women during emergencies.Everything goes through this mechanism, which is both an assessment and an awareness-raising exercise.

Kate Forbes, thenewly elected president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies joins the organization’s Secretary General Jagan Chapagain in a wide-ranging exploration of gender equity in humanitarian action. They look at how far the humanitarian sector has come and what needs to be done now to close the gaps that still exist.

Only five years ago, roughly 99 per cent of disaster response operations carried out by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in the Americas were led by men.Why such a disparity? In large part, it was because many of the women who could participate in training and operations necessary to hold those positions had children, elderly or disabled people in their care. This limited their availability to participate in emergency response.That is why in 2020, the IFRC and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) launched the Equity and Leadership initiative with a clear objective: to increase the number of women in management and humanitarian leadership positions in the Americas.The project started as an opportunity to build a peer-to-peer network in which women could share and grow together, both in leadership positions and at the local level. Along the years, women involved in the programme have gone through a leadership journey — which included management training and mentorship — through which they expanded their competencies to lead disaster and emergency operations."Perhaps there are few women leading humanitarian operations due to a lack of opportunities and motivation,” said Karla Vogt, a Bolivian Red Cross volunteer who participated in the initiative. “I have been a Red Cross volunteer for 11 years and I feel that there is still a need to promote internal gender equity policies.”The program, she added, gave women the opportunity to “generate spaces to show the best we have, to be an example for other women and to exercise our capabilities, which are often made invisible for gender reasons."The investment pays offThe results have been impressive. As a result of this partnership, the number of women leading humanitarian operations in the Americas increased in 2020 to 48 percent and then to 50 per cent in 2021. The IFRC responses to hurricanes Eta and Iota in 2020, the eruption of La Soufrière volcano in April 2021, the earthquake in Haiti in 2021 were also led by women.Vogt herself was deployed in 2021 as field coordinator of the flood response operation in Bocas del Toro, Panama. That same year, the operation in response to the migration crisis in Darien, Panama, was also led by a woman.But it doesn’t stop there. The regional management of the COVID-19 response operation, as well as the pandemic response in Peru, Argentina and Central America were in the hands of female experts in humanitarian action, a substantial improvement over the 2019 figures."The heart of La Soufrière volcano operation was and continues to be the women who gave and continue to give their being to the emergency response,”said Rhea Pierre, disaster preparedness and climate-crisis coordinator for IFRC in the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean. Pierre was deployed in 2021 as disaster manager as part of the response to the eruption of the La Soufrière volcano in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.“I believe that programs such as this one have highlighted the vital role we play in such emergency contexts. In my case, it pushed me out of my comfort zone and showed me that yes, I can make it, I can be an actor in this space and contribute positively to improving people's lives."In 2022, 48 percent of operations were led by women, but in 2023, this number dropped to 30 percent, an indication that the work of gender equity is something that is continually managed, not fixed with one fell swoop. This is one reason the America’s region continually charts the progress of gender equity in its emergency response via a regularly updated online website.While the initiative has led to an increase in the number of women trained, deployed and occupying leadership positions in humanitarian operations in the region, it is still necessary to advance the design, implementation and standardization of measures that more fully address the needs related to their domestic workloads.The work continuesDozens of women from Red Cross Societies in the region have also participated in training and mentoring programs and have contributed to the co-creation of a training and skills program."To women starting their humanitarian careers, I say: we need you,”says Diana Oviedo, IFRC Operations Coordinator in Central America who was also designated as IFRC's Central America COVID-19 Pandemic Response Coordinator. ”We need your voice, your vision of the world, your contributions to reduce the suffering of those who need it most.“You are enough, your experience, training and human qualities are enough, do not doubt yourself. Don't be afraid to give your opinion, whether you are in a leadership position or not. We are in this humanitarian world because we are united by a common feeling of humanity, trust your team, listen to the solutions that other people offer you, get close to other women who inspire you and learn from their experiences".

As the media officer and spokesperson for the Palestine Red Crescent Society, Nebal Farsakh has been the voice of the Palestine Red Crescent during one of its most difficult and darkest times.To television viewers, social media followers and radio listeners around the world, Farsakh’s face, posts and voice have brought the daily — and often deadly — humanitarian challenges facing the people Gaza and her colleagues into stark relief.On the occasion of International Women’s Day, we asked Nebal Farsakh to reflect on the role women are playing in the humanitarian response, as well as her own approach to living as a woman professional during a devestating conflict.“I believe that women are capable of anything, and this is really my approach to life.I am married and have a ten-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter. As a family, we do not have stereotypes about women; my husband helps me with household chores and taking care of the children.And of course, I try to convey this to my children as well, meaning that I teach my son how to behave with his sister, and not to ask her to ‘serve him’. I am keen on having equality between them, and I emphasize that women should defend their full rights, whether the right to education or inheritance or other rights.On the professional side, I am breaking gender stereotypes through my work as the media officer and spokesperson for the Palestine Red Crescent Society. Some may think that women are not strong enough, or unable to work long hours or be available outside of working hours, but I have been working tirelessly since the war on Gaza started five months ago, appearing in the media, spreading news, and trying to be a source of support and a listening ear for my colleagues in Gaza.Shattering stereotypesThe war on Gaza confirmed to me that the volunteers and female employees of the Palestine Red Crescent are a perfect example of women who shatter stereotypes. We have female paramedics who are present in the field, providing first aid and medical support, despite the dangers and difficulties.For example, one paramedic continued her life-saving work despite her husband being detained, and despite all the other challenges, such as providing food and drinking water for her children. She was strong and powerful enough to carry out her humanitarian mission.And our colleague Hidaya Hamad, who was killed while she was in her office at the Palestine Red Crescent Society headquarters. Huda, who was the director of volunteers, was present at the Amal Hospital until the very last moment; she was a source of support and strength for the volunteers and her colleagues until her last breath.Hidaya, and the female employees and volunteers of the Palestine Red Crescent are the best example of women being strong, and capable of breaking gender stereotypes. Even in the darkest moments, women are strong and perseverant, not just men.”