International Women's Day 2017 case studies

Women are among those most affected by disasters but in many countries are under-represented in humanitarian leadership positions. On International Women's Day 2017 we celebrate women as change makers, those women working in humanitarian aid who are changing aid for the better.

This collection of case studies focus on women from the Philippines, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Jordan.

Clementine and Ivy are members of On Call, a roster of skilled, trained and experienced people who can be deployed across the Philippines to support emergency responses by any agency.
When tropical cyclone Mahasen hit Bangladesh in 2013 it destroyed the houses and livelihoods of more than 1 million people. Laily Begum, Women’s Group Member and former president of Union Disaster Management Committee, who was instrumental in responding to the crisis.
Through training, Ribhieh has improved her role as a leader in the sector and Lina has used her knowledge to ensure girls are more engaged in education.
Daw Hla, a community resilience leader, organises women’s groups to prevent and be prepared for upcoming disasters in the remote and hilly region of Southern Shan, Myanmar.