Developing Male Allies in Congo

On today’s episode of HERO, the last of the season, we look at how a Women for Women International program in the Democratic Republic of the Congo worked with families to try to overcome long-standing cultural barriers to women owning land. We hear from a mother, father, and son who participated in this program. Also, Women for Women International’s country director in Congo, Rachel Boketa, explains how this project attempted to change men’s and boys’ opinions about female property ownership. Special thanks to Francis Shok Mweze, who acted as our field producer for this segment.

Boketa’s program was supported with a grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The United States currently gives more money to international development than any other country in the world, largely through USAID.

In the second part of the episode, host Reena Ninan talks to Isobel Coleman, the deputy administrator of USAID. Coleman explains why the Biden administration is doubling funding toward gender programming and how USAID plans to invest that financing. This conversation first took place at FP’s Her Power Summit, an annual gathering all about women’s leadership.

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