Gender equality: a pathway out of extreme poverty

However, improving gender equality is a key piece of the puzzle. Global evidence shows strong correlations between women’s participation in decision‑making, improvements in the Human Development Index, and economic growth.

That’s why Concern’s programmes take a gender transformative approach. We proactively work with communities to address and change attitudes and behaviours that foster inequality. This is often achieved by integrating gender transformation sessions into programmes that also offer financial literacy, skills training, and mentoring. 

Here’s how this is having a real impact for couples in Burundi and Rwanda: 

Gender transformation sessions examine gender norms and power dynamics, while also exploring what a healthy relationship looks like. Through skits, workshops and conversation, couples are introduced to new ideas and ways of communicating, leading to improved levels of household harmony. One outcome of this is that couples learn to make decisions together.

“My husband changed his behaviour,” Julienne, a 30-year old mother of 10 living in Burundi says. “When arriving at home we used to quarrel. Because of the programme he changed, and now we are doing well in the family. When making decisions of something we can do, we sit together and decide as a family and see what we can have.”

Previously, Julienne and her husband Samuel earned an income by working casual labour jobs and often struggled to earn enough to feed their children and send them to school. Today, they generate income by cultivating crops.

Samuel shares: “With Concern’s programme I am thankful because they trained us how we can live with our wives in the family, and also how we can really take care of children at home.”

Athanase, 37, has been attending sessions facilitated by Concern as part of the Prevention of Malnutrition and Strengthening of Community Resilience project funded by UNICEF in Burundi. After the sessions, he changed his habits and improved the relationship he has with his wife, Irene.

“Before joining the programme, after getting money I used to go in different bars to enjoy banana wine and be together with other men there,” says Athanase. “After joining the programme then I change my behaviour by, if I get the money I come home and discuss with my wife what can we plan for this money and make a decision together.”

This feeling is shared by Irene, who has seen how it’s improved not just their relationship but also life for their two children.

“After joining the programme we happened to get training on how we can live in harmony in the family and make decisions together as a family,” she says. “Before, the children didn’t get the opportunity to wear clothes like other children in the community.”

Irene and Athanse’s experience demonstrates an important point: A big part of making decisions together as a couple is deciding jointly how money is spent. In many countries where Concern works, prevailing social expectations around gender roles act as a barrier that cut women off from financial agency and leave men in control of their family’s finances. 

As 43 year-old Christine, who is part of the Kungahara programme in Rwanda, explains: “Before we joined Concern we had an issue here at home regarding money. It was really an issue, we always had a fight. Whenever money was there, I didn’t have access to that money, it was for my husband. After getting these trainings there’s lots of change. Whenever we get money we discuss how we’re going to use the money, there’s no problem.”

By building up equality in relationships, couples are able to trust one another more with financial decisions. 

This is the case for Clementine and Jean Paul. Through Kungahara, Clementine improved her farming and grew enough to earn an income from selling produce. She used some of her earnings to buy a welding machine for her husband, who is now able to make money by fixing doors and windows. With his income, they invest in a Village Savings and Loan Association – ensuring they have money saved for the future.

“If we didn't live in harmony, we wouldn’t have bought the machine,” Clementine says. “He gives me money for savings group, if we weren’t living peacefully together he couldn’t give me that amount.”

Jean Paul agrees: “It was a good relationship, but there’s a change that happened. Sometimes when you live with someone you could have some issue, it’s not good. We got lessons ... patience, it has helped a lot, being patient with one another.”   

Sharing decisions and financial resources is an important step towards gender equality. But there’s something else that needs to be shared – household chores. Globally, women spend three times more hours in a day on care work than men. That includes work like taking care of children, cooking dinner, and doing laundry.

“Before receiving the trainings, the men had an idea of working as men and they couldn’t do the work women do,” Beltilida, 52, says. “Now when I come from work tired, he might cook for me. Before it wasn’t like that. After the lessons it helped a lot. Before we used to come from the farm and he thought that’s it, but now we work together on more things.”   

Beltilida and her husband Barthazar are part of the Green Graduation programme in Rwanda, which is funded by Irish Aid. Today they earn an income through farming. Their relationship has become so strong that they are now sharing what they’ve learned with other members of their community.

“When the families have issues, they always ask us for advice. If they have conflicts, we give them ideas and advice because we are more skilled than others. Whenever we give advice, they are good," she says. 

42-year-old Rose, who is part of the Green Graduation programme in Burundi, has witnessed the same change. She and her husband Dionise have seven children and earn an income through selling crops and charging mobile phones. When they aren’t working together on their farm, she now feels comfortable asking him to fetch firewood or water, tasks that are often seen as a woman’s responsibility.

 “Before the programme my husband didn’t really help me home activities,” Rose explains. “But after joining the programme through our training that we received, now he is helping me in the family, in the activities that we do. Because of the programme, life is good, we are living well.” 

Dionise, 48, agrees, saying: “Me and my wife, there is love between us because of this training.”