The UNV stand at the Gender Promotion Day. (UNV, 2015)

Promoting volunteering for women’s empowerment

Volunteering also allows women to access sectors usually reserved to men, and to take on new roles, especially as leaders and managers. Women volunteers can serve as role models, and inspire others to follow in their footsteps. An additional reason to volunteer!

Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire: Sustainable Development Goal 5 aims to “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.” Volunteering offers an excellent way of empowering women, allowing them to show what they are capable of, while acquiring new skills and capacities.
Volunteering also allows women to access sectors usually reserved to men, and to take on new roles, especially as leaders and managers. Women volunteers can serve as role models, and inspire others to follow in their footsteps. An additional reason to volunteer!

On 23 September 2015, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in Côte d’Ivoire took part in the Gender Promotion Day organized by the Gender Unit of the Ministry of State for Employment, Social Affairs and Professional Training. The theme of this first event was “Women and the Industrial Sector in Côte d’Ivoire: Risks and Challenges.” 
 
Well-known speakers took the floor in the morning, drawn from State officials and the private sector, as well as the UN system. The only stand, set up in a prominent position in the entrance hall and for the whole day, was that of UNV.
 
This allowed us to reach out to over 500 people, most of them young people and women. The afternoon was devoted to thematic workshops. The one run by UNV focused on the theme of “Volunteering as a tool for women’s empowerment”, and it was a clear success with over sixty people taking part.