We know that in developing countries, rural women represent almost half of the agricultural labour force, and produce, process and prepare much of the food available, thereby giving them primary responsibility for food security. This quite simply means that rural women are contributing to the Sustainable Development agenda of 2030 in dealing with world hunger and poverty and are critical for it’s success.
“We must help rural women to thrive, and to access the support and information they need, so that they can fulfil their potential without leaving their communities.” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
While poverty is an issue that affects the lives of both men and women, women carry the burden of securing food for their families, in addition to caring for their children and the elderly.
Rural women make up over a quarter of the total world population and the majority of them depend on what they can grow to feed their families. This is what women in Buburi have to do and they manage to do this with positivity despite the vagaries of weather and all too frequent crop failure.
In Buburi, our Community Health Workers take care of these women as well as the wider community by spending many hours on health promotion for patients at the clinic and travelling amongst the villages to support and educate vulnerable families.