Women stand near their new rice husking machine. With support from Africare and ExxonMobil, these women were able to purchase a cereals grindstone and rice husking machine for more efficient agricultural production.
Africare
A woman pours grain onto a scale to be weighed. By using their rice husking technology, women are able to save time and produce more rice for sale in their local markets, increasing their household income.
Africare
Solar Sister, an ExxonMobil partner, provides women with access to solar technology and training so that they can create solar micro-businesses. These businesses not only provide much needed light in rural communities, but increased household income.
Solar Sister
A young woman is able to read and study with the help of a solar-powered light. By providing women with access to technology, their opportunities in education, productivity and income generation increase dramatically.
Solar Sister / D.light Design
A woman washes dishes by solar light. With the help of technology, women in rural Uganda are able to complete their household responsibilities more efficiently, which frees up time for them to earn more income.
Solar Sister / D.light Design
Solar lamps accelerate the education opportunities of two young girls who are able to read and study at night. For many rural African families, solar lighting replaces kerosene lanterns, which pose health and safety hazards.
Solar Sister / D.Light Design
Women in Chad use traditional methods to begin to process Shea nuts into Shea butter, a leading ingredient in cosmetics. This approach to Shea butter production is labor and time-intensive. This limits possibilities of scale and compromises quality required for a national or international market.
Africare
Both low and high tech innovations are important in creating economic opportunities for women. To transform the Shea butter production process into a commercially viable opportunity, through a grant to Africare, ExxonMobil is supporting the introduction of Shea mixers that will help women in rural Chad create export-ready products.
Africare
A Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) partner from Stanford University teaches women in Benin, West Africa how to use new solar technology in their farming, thus increasing their crop yield and income. The organization’s Solar Market Garden project, supported by ExxonMobil, brings solar energy to rural communities in developing countries.
Solar Electric Light Fund
With the help of solar-powered drip irrigation systems, women farmers in Benin are able to farm through the country’s six-month dry season, thus providing a steady supply of nutritious fruits and vegetables for themselves and their families.
Solar Electric Light Fund
The solar-powered irrigation systems allow women to not only increase their crop yields, but their incomes as well, as they earn an average $7.50 per week from the sale of produce at their local market.
Solar Electric Light Fund
Three women remove moringa leaves from a hot air drier. The Productive Agricultural Linkages and Marketing Systems (PALMS) program provides 250,000 women farmers in Ghana with access to and training on how to utilize innovative agricultural technologies for more sustainable, efficient and profitable agriculture production.
Christian Volunteer Service International
To counter traditional impediments to women, cooperatives are formed to facilitate female farmers’ ability to secure financing and land. Through support from partners including ExxonMobil, PALMS aims to help women increase their income by up to 300 percent in five years and double its reach to 500,000 women whose average monthly household income is less than US$50.
Christian Volunteer Service International
