Posted on 06 March 2025
Mena Antonio, CE, Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand
Delivering the promise of gender equality in challenging times
We celebrate International Women’s Day this year in the midst of a global upheaval of both the ODA community and the established world order.
This year’s theme for the day: For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment is a lofty objective. It is however, an objective that has never been so imperilled as it is today – and yet so needed.
As I write, the US government has cut all foreign aid through USAID. France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, and the UK have also slashed their ODA budgets tearing another $US 12.5 billion away from the world’s poorest billion people.
Not only is this an abdication of moral responsibility to the poor, but because women are disproportionately harmed by war, sexual violence in conflict, famine and poverty, climate change and disasters, it is an abdication of the promises made to uphold the rights of women and girls.
Challenges
The impact of these cuts will be unbearable for many women. It will severely diminish humanity for some and take away lifelines and the hope of a better future.
It has never been more important that we stand with women in their communities before, during and after emergencies - and when they face poverty. We must not abandon them when government funding disappears. We must remain steadfast and courageous.
Women as leaders
In the face of all these challenges, we must promote women as leaders.
Women bring a depth of resilience and innovation that is often undervalued because it doesn’t always fit with the prevailing, male-centric leadership models founded on privilege. As mothers, wives, business leaders, church leaders and community volunteers, we often take “servant leadership” roles – i.e. leading without identifying as a leader. These are often roles that require dynamic leadership, but which take place in the background. And you’ll often see this come to the fore in communities in times of crises.
How we take action
We must reframe the conversation. For example, by replacing the term ‘soft skills’ with ‘smart skills’ to recognise the strategic and effective ways that women lead. This means promoting organisations and ways of working that value relationship-building, caring, nurturing, creativity and empathy.
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand works with our partners in Aotearoa and nine other countries across the Asia Pacific region promoting long-term development, and with our sister agencies around the world providing help during emergencies. We support women who drive change in their own communities in powerful ways. For example, our partners Teitoiningaina in Kiribati combine traditional knowledge and modern advocacy to create sustainable futures for women and their communities; and HAFOTI in Timor Leste, where women are empowered by gaining financial stability.
We also promote women’s leadership internally, by creating an inclusive environment. We support advocacy efforts in Aotearoa on issues that disproportionately impact women and girls, such as human trafficking.
Change requires commitment from donors and institutions. Women must be part of decision-making. But ultimately - change is the responsibility of the men already in these spaces. They must be more aware of the lack of diversity, to recognize that structural changes are needed, and to help make change happen.
As a leader, I take inspiration from Fr John Curnow, one of my Caritas predecessors, who said: “It requires a lot of nerve and courage for an overseas aid agency to hold on to the truth that their first loyalty is to the poor.” That loyalty must include women. Not just as beneficiaries, but as leaders shaping their own futures.