Supporting women’s health is the key to advancing women’s economic power

No country can grow more prosperous or healthier while leaving behind half of its population. Marie Ba tells us what’s at stake if countries do not address the women’s health gap.
Dr. Stellah Bosire, centered, walks with members of the group Feminists for Peace, Rights and Justice Center in Kibera, Kenya. 
Dr. Stellah Bosire, centered, walks with members of the group Feminists for Peace, Rights and Justice Center in Kibera, Kenya. ©Gates Archive/Brian Otieno

Greater Than the Sum: Dr. Stellah Bosire

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The capital women need, for the future we all need

Melinda French Gates pens the foreword to a new paper that addresses the need to expand access to affordable credit for women entrepreneurs in the Global South.
By Melinda French Gates Former Co-chair, Board Member, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
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Economic empowerment is not enough. Women need economic power.

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By Raania Rizvi Senior Program Officer, Women’s Livelihood Development, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Health extension workers look on at a health post in Fogera District, Ethiopia. Through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Adolescent 360 program the Health Extension Workers identify, sensitize and refer girls and couples for counseling and contraception services.

The link between women’s health and women’s economic power

We asked three African women leaders why women’s health is critical for the health of economies. Here’s what they told us.