Empowering Women

To be able to care for their children and run the household some women stop working. Some work on reduced hours or on a part-time basis. Women find it difficult or are unable to advance in their career or continue their education. Women may lose out on career opportunities due to family responsibilities with many women never reaching their full potential. Inequality in the relationship, domestic abuse, or having to provide for their children alone leads women to fall into poverty in greater numbers.

We believe in empowering women by giving them the financial support they need in difficult times, to enable them to raise their children in a safe and nurturing home environment. The Social Fund caters for the emergency financial needs of women with children. Women and their children are at the heart of this fund because research shows that single women with children have specific and differing needs to other socioeconomic groups.Funds are generated through donations from the community members; by organising fundraising activities and events; and through social partners and collaborations. The Social Fund is split into 3 main areas of assistance:

This includes unexpected expenses such as higher electricity bills, medication or health care, childcare (when not available through the government scheme), and more. It covers expenses that are either unexpected, or that keep coming in during difficult times, e.g. job loss or illness.

This will help women invest in training and education, in order to create a better future for themselves and their kids. We invest in women short-term, so they may improve their long-term prospects. Education and training means getting better jobs to support themselves and their family. It means starting over after being in an abusive relationship. A study by the International Center for Research on Women confirms “women are more likely to control their own destinies and effect change in their own communities when they have higher levels of education”.

This assistance comes in the form of covering rent, deposits on new rent when relocating, and furnishing the home with the basics needed for a decent quality of life.

Advocacy – through awareness raising initiatives, educational campaigns and empowerment – is an integral part of what we do. Advocacy should always be about getting a change in behaviours, not just in understanding and starts by changing deep rooted cultural attitudes. We believe that through constant and consistent advocacy, and awareness raising we can challenge and address the root causes of the difficulties still faced by some women in Malta.

In Malta, long standing social norms still effect things, such as the gender division of labour which places women firmly in the caring roles, leading to the exclusion of most women from political life and leadership roles, amongst others. Through advocacy we hope to empower women who may be excluded to find the skills and confidence to participate effectively in the decision-making process that effects their rights and wellbeing. In 2016, through advocacy and lobbying, the Women for Women Facebook community, together with the Women’s Rights Foundation and other NGOs, was instrumental in securing the availability of Emergency Contraception for women in Malta.

As a foundation and community, Women for Women is all about support – coming together to provide support to each other. This support can take many forms, such as simply providing a non-judgmental listening ear, or a shoulder to cry on. We also strive to support women in any way they need through their struggles, such as:

• Guiding them towards the appropriate community services
• Helping with housing challenges
• Helping with childcare challenges
• Helping with education challenges
• Providing food and other essentials
• Funding or organising workshops and classes
•  Support in finding a job – helping with CV writing, interview skills, and more
•  Helping to find affordable (or funding if needed) therapy

Part of the support also comes through mentorship – for example, mentorship through the job-seeking process, in the workplace, in setting up a business, or through a course. We believe that apart from providing immense support and guidance, mentorship helps create more opportunities for women, creates better female leaders, creates professional networks and inspires entrepreneurship.