A warm hello to our global community!
As our new pandemic reality enters its second year, I've been reflecting on how this transformation has forced so many gender-related issues into the public consciousness -- making the work we're doing with our growing global team all the more important. In this newsletter, you'll find updates on both.
The one-year anniversary of the lockdown coincided with International Women's Month, bringing gender to the forefront of the conversation about what comes next. As an organization that works every day to expand the breadth and depth of gender inclusion in the private sector, we try to use this spotlight to highlight a fact that can be overlooked: Businesses can do this work every single day, even -- especially -- if their product or service is not overtly tied to gender. And it's more urgent than ever as the economic recovery from COVID-19 unfolds across the world. You can read more of our team's thoughts on this topic in this blog post.
We have published several new resources to give businesses of all sizes and sectors entry points into their integration of gender. Our Gender Forward Business Framework, developed with input from businesses, investors, and entrepreneurs, encourages companies to go beyond single metrics like board diversity. Instead, it points them to opportunities throughout their value chain to improve their gender inclusion practices.
This is an extraordinary moment in history, for sure. But gender equality is a journey, not a destination. Our team is focused not just on the big things, but the everyday ways that we can integrate a gender lens into how we do business.
On behalf of the entire Value for Women team, thank you for all that you do to advance gender equity, and your continued partnership with us! We look forward to sharing more updates on this journey with you in the future.
Rebecca Fries, Chief Executive Officer & Founding Director
We are 27 and counting!
Since our last update, our organization has grown in leaps and bounds. We're a team of 27 based out of multiple countries. See a snapshot of who we are, and where we are located here. We have a fantastic new opportunity to join our international team of gender champions as Gender & Business Research Coordinator. Apply to join our team, or feel free to share this with your networks!
Need some good weekend reading?
Together with our trusted partners, we have been busy developing new resources that aim to fuel forward the field of Gender Lens Investing and Gender Forward Business Practice. Check these out, share with your networks, and tell us how these publications help you in your work
Hot off the press!
We've published a Landscape Report on Gender Lens Investing in partnership with Investing in Women in South East Asia. The report presents insights from investors operating in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, including motivations, challenges faced, and opportunities for scaling up gender lens investing. Designed to inspire others on their gender journey, it highlights concrete examples for impact and mission-driven asset and fund managers, development finance institutions, as well as donors, ecosystem builders, entrepreneurs, and the general public.
For more background on how to get started in gender lens investing, check out our recent report, How to Invest with a Gender Lens.
This interview was conducted with Lisa Willems, CEO of AlphaMundi Foundation and Rebecca Fries, our CEO, and highlights how embedding gender inclusion into companies DNA can help build out the evidence base for Gender Lens Investing.
We are proud to partner with the G-SEARCh consortium; an example of what good impact investor collaboration looks like. AlphaMundi, Acumen, AHL Venture Partners, Root Capital, SEAF, and the Shell Foundation are working with enterprises to promote social impact and gender equality, and these approaches are showcased in a newly-released report by the William Davidson Institute. The report summarizes each investors approach to providing gender-smart technical assistance to portfolio companies to improve business and social outcomes, including gender equality. Value for Women advises the consortium and works directly with several of the investors by providing gender support to enterprises in emerging markets. An example of this work in action is Alphamundi and Value for Women's partnership with Kentaste.
What else is happening:
Value for Women and the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs supported by the Walmart Foundation embarked on 7 technical assistance projects in Central America, Mexico and South Africa. Once again, our congratulations to the winners of tailored gender advisory services: Goodwell Investments, Oribi Village, African Management Institute, Pomona, Alterna, Fundasistemas, Fundaci Haciendas del Mundo Maya. Each of these organizations are making a unique contribution to the SGB ecosystems in their respective regions.
As every year, our team is active in several global networks that promote Impact investing, social entrepreneurship and inclusion. Over the past few months, we have spoken on panels and hosted or moderated discussions at multiple venues, with our colleagues at the Gender Smart Investing Summit, Sankalp Africa, Unconvention Conference, at the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs Annual Member Meeting and with GIZ's Water and Sanitation Hub.
Upcoming events where our team will be speaking include our Director of Programs Stephanie Finigan will speak on a panel hosted by the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship at the Shift conference on April 16th. The session is titled Using Social Entrepreneurship as a Force for Women, which embraces women holistically as leaders, employees, customers and in value chains.
Make sure you're subscribed to our newsletter - we will be releasing exciting announcements in the coming months!
The Value for Women team
Reach out to us if you have ideas for how we can work together if you have a relevant event coming up or with any other questions or comments to valueforwomen@v4w.org.
Value for Women is a global advisory services firm with a mission to promote women’s participation and leadership in business, finance and investment around the globe, with a focus on emerging markets.
