The road the Global Fund for Women has chosen to follow in reaching out to the women of Africa is neither easy nor straightforward. We have, however, taken the first steps in confronting the many and complex issues facing the women of this enormous continent. The themes that follow reflect what we heard most frequently when we talked with African women. Young girls at the Women's Cooperative in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Members of the Girls Rehab Project in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Poverty Economic hardship is a blight on the lives of women all across the African continent.
Women lack basic necessities and are denied equal access to economic resources.
They are severely affected by structural adjustment policies that remove food and health subsidies. Poverty imposes crushing workloads on women, in turn affecting their health, their ability to pay for an education, and their full participation in society. In response to these concerns in Africa as well as in other parts of the world, the Global Fund has established funding priorities to increase women's access to economic opportunity. The law, be it customary, written, or, as in the case of many Islamic countries, sharia law, often discriminates against women. Even where legal rights exist, many women are not aware of them.