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Asia

We work around Asia to increase access to basic services, help after humanitarian emergencies and empower girls and women, ultimately helping people lift themselves out of poverty. In these blogs country teams discuss their work and progress towards these and other goals.

Tackling violence against women in India - day 2

Yesterday was day 2 of my visit to India on the theme of violence against women, and I spent the day meeting people in some of the poorest areas of Madhya Pradesh. It was an incredibly informative and inspiring day, …

Tackling violence against women and girls in India

Since 2010 I’ve served as the UK’s first ministerial champion for tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) overseas, and developing this role has kept me quite busy. From the UN to the UAE, I’ve compared notes with ministers, officials …

Women and clean energy in Bangladesh

A woman collects firewood from the forest. Picture: G.M.B.Akash/Panos

Though it may not seem obvious, access to clean energy and women’s empowerment especially in the developing world are intrinsically linked. Collecting firewood, for example, can make a woman or girl vulnerable to attack while she’s outside her village searching. …

Ending child marriage in Bangladesh: girls not brides

Young Bangladeshi girls holding text books. Picture:GMB Akash/Panos

Imagine your life if you were married at 15, against your will, to an abusive husband. It’s the same for almost all the women you know. Your education came to an abrupt end once you were married, and you’re not …

Skills and jobs: part of the answer to ending child marriage in Afghanistan?

Sewing and handicraft products created by Afghan women in the Zardosi network. Picture: Zardozi.

I recently joined DFID Afghanistan as the Private Sector Development Programme Manager, and my first "trip out" was to a programme I manage called Zardozi. It was already warm at 7:30am as I set off to meet 3 women - …