Students: Gabrielle Lerner, Leighann Favro, Anton Davis, Heather Trimboli, Tina McNulty
Facilitators: Barb LeSavoy, Ph.D. with design instruction from Ann Giralico Pearlman
Gender Equality: As of 2015, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) developed into the fifteen-year plan designed by the United Nations to make global improvements in seventeen ways, achievable by 2030. These goals exist to make reforms in various sectors of the world. Yet, the plan fails to progress quickly enough to achieve all seventeen goals by 2030, motivating the United Nations to make more considerable efforts toward nearing the objective. Among the many purposes, SDG#5 focuses on Gender Equality, particularly among women, girls, and the LGBTQAI+ community. The mission of involving gender equality is persistent but far from ending as individuals are still fighting to attain this fundamental human right. There are several obstacles denying gender equality, including discrimination and violence toward women and girls. Women in many countries, such as Tanzania, live in conditions with inaccessible healthcare, hygienic resources, and unattainable or discriminatory education systems, which is devastating as females represent fifty-percent of the global population, and possess the capabilities to thrive as their male cohorts. The most vital method of encouraging gender equality, as practiced by HRCO, a non-profit organization, is empowering women worldwide to recognize their talents, skill sets, and values. HRCO works to help women pursue opportunities, such as the reusable pad project, that will help them develop strength as a collective to attain an education and find work. As more women participate in the reusable pad program led by the HRCO, the higher the chances of improvement in national economic conditions, health, and poverty levels.
