Our Commitment to Sustainability SDG 5

Published
November 10, 2022

Continuing our theme highlighting how REI addresses the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, this article demonstrates how the projects we support contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 5, Gender Equality

<< TARGET 5.1: End discrimination against women and girls >>

  • Over 50% of total beneficiaries in the Urban Refugees Entrepreneurship and Training Program are young women, particularly single mothers with no family support system. 
  • Our support to the KSDC Training Center funds programs of gender perspectives for over 50 Karenni refugee youth in Myanmar annually. 
    • Knowledge acquired through these programs, once disseminated amongst Karenni refugee and IDP communities, exponentially increases grassroots advocacy for gender equality and female empowerment. 

<< TARGET 5.2: End violence against women and girls >>

The Thai-Myanmar Border Addiction and Rehabilitation Program, in partnership with local authorities, advocates for the reduction of violence against women. 

  • It is the only Myanmarese organization providing gender-based violence reduction education to men. 
    • This exchange of knowledge and skills has led to reduced violence in the refugee communities and quantifiable improvement in the power dynamics of partnerships between men and women.

<< TARGET 5.5: Ensure full participation in leadership and decision-making >>

The Thai-Myanmar Border Addiction and Rehabilitation Center  is an “equal opportunity employer” with all levels of employment within the organization open to women. 

  • 38% of camp-based staff are female. 
  • 61% of the Core Staff including Master Trainers are female (a significant increase from 10% in 2014) and many female staff are managers within their teams. 

<< TARGET 5.6: Universal access to reproductive health and rights >>

A total of 3,544 Karen State refugee community members took part in the Women’s Health Awareness educational training sessions, providing vital knowledge on HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, and maternal health/nutrition. 

  • The information is shared amongst family and friends, exponentially increasing the reach of WHA training in the Karen State refugee community. 

A new mother spoke to the profound impact of the training: 

“With my third child, I received treatment and health awareness that I really needed. The new understanding that I have about health and hygiene is helpful and has made life better for my whole family. When I think back about the past, I feel so sorry that I looked after my first two babies without much knowledge of health, I took pity on my older children. I can genuinely say that this project is beneficial for mothers and babies, in a practical and deeper way, it gives me hope and comfort.”