Blog posts by related to Human Rights & Equality

Transforming inmates into entrepreneurs in Texas — and saving millions of tax dollars

Texas has been the center of a swirl of controversy lately in two very different arenas: the state’s enthusiastic embrace of the death penalty, and Republican frontrunner Rick Perry’s touted track record of job creation. Perry’s history of job creation has come under fire from numerous critics, as well as a new study revealing that Texas’s poverty levels rank the second highest in the nation.

But deep in the heart of Texas, there’s a promising light for real job creation — and for bringing positive change to the criminal justice system.

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[Editor's note: This article was written by Aisha O'brien and was originally featured on Care2.com.]

Despite an economy in recovery, women workers in Asia still face a life of poverty and exploitation because of prejudice, according to a new report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Women face discrimination when trying to get better jobs or more pay. This is due in large part to cultural norms and lack of governmental investment. Women continue to remain at the lowest rung in unstable industries.

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Attention all new media changemakers on the Indian subcontinent! If you're using digital media to deliver news in innovative ways, here's an opportunity you need to know about. (Ladies, read on; guys, forward this post to your female friends, please.)

Ms. Rita Sembuya Namusisi was honored as an Ashoka ChangemakeHER, Changemakers's inaugural celebration of the world's most influentual and inspiring women. Find her fellow honorees' voices here.

by Emily Bosland / Photo by Sanjoy Ghosh

Ms. Rita Sembuya Namusisi was born in Uganda in 1956. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Joyce Fertility Support Centre Uganda. She credits diverse changemakers including Florence Nightingale, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bill Drayton as her inspiration to continue growing a social enterprise.

“Alone you cannot achieve much, so I have worked with different stakeholders to bring about change. Role models inspired me to take a lead role and be focused,” Sembuya said. "I didn't wait for other people to make things better for me, but discovered that I could cause a change in society.” [...]

Chetna Sinha was honored as an Ashoka ChangemakeHER, Changemakers's inaugural celebration of the world's most influentual and inspiring women. Find her fellow honorees' voices here.

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Chetna Sinha founded the Woman’s bank, Mann Deshi Mahila Sahkari, a micro finance institution that makes loans to women in rural areas. To date, the bank has served more than 27,000 women and enabled more than 40,000 families to buy homes.

★★★

When you started Mann Deshi bank, what strategies did you use to build its success?

When I first went to Bombay to submit applications for loans to women, the license was denied on the grounds that they were illiterate. I was so shocked and nervous, but the women had so much energy and passion.

They just said, “So what? We will learn to read and write.” Their courage captured me. So we came together for classes to read and write for more than three months.

Then, when I was setting up the bank, one of our many ideas for different products was a small savings box. Without asking any of the women, we ordered 5,000 boxes.

The women told us, “It’s my hard earned money that I save by not buying another biscuit for my child. If I keep it in this, my husband will come and break it, and just take it!”

So I learned many times that I have to involve the women in the process. It was also clear that it’s not just about finance or savings, but about giving women control over their assets. [...]