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In an interview on Vatican Radio, Queen’s Counsel, human rights campaigner and wife of former Prime Minister, Tony Blair, spoke of her Cherie Blair Foundation for Women.
The foundation helps women in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia to play an increasingly important role in their economies. She believes that through the use of internet and mobile technology women can generate their own income.
Blair said that the focus on women was “a no-brainer”. She explained that research shows investment in women pays dividends. Yet on the ground women are still struggling to gain equality with men. 75% of the poor of the world are women and girls, and so if we are to work with the poor of the world, then we have to work with women. The World Bank has shown that for every $1 invested in a woman, she will invest 90% of that in her family and her community. The equivalent figure for men is 30-40%.
Blair was taken by the African proverb African proverb – “If you educate a boy, you educate an individual, if you educate a girl you educate a community”. She saw this as reflecting the pivotal role that women have in their communities.
However, Blair reinforced the Church’s teaching about the complementary skills of women and men working together.
She also reflected on the history of Church as being instrumental in bringing education to girls around the world – particularly by the remarkable missionary women in the 19th cent who left their families behind, with a mission to bring the Word of God to women in a practical way through education and health care in the community.
Her foundation encourages partnerships with mobile technology firms. She wants to find good programmes and ideas, and use technology such as a mobile phone – which acts as a poor person’s computer. It then allows them a window onto the world. She remarked that of 5 billion mobile users, 75% are from the developing world.
A phone can provide information about local prices, where the best places are to sell goods, or buy seeds – and allows people to make payments, to contact customers, get information to improve their business and agriculture practices. Thus it is a $13 billion opportunity for mobile technology firms to reach women who do not yet have them.
Full interview: Vatican Radio
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News category: World.
