EU launches #strongerwomen campaign in the Eastern partner countries 

Today, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, EU Neighbours East is launching a campaign across Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine celebrating women who are making a difference in their communities with EU support.

As a consequence of the global COVID-19 pandemic, gender inequalities, particularly of women in the home, are becoming increasingly apparent when it comes to housework and caring for children, the sick or the elderly.

The strong women featured in the campaign show through their personal stories how benefiting from EU assistance has enabled them to break stereotypes and help their societies deal with the difficult situation. 

The face of the campaign is a famous Ukrainian rap singer, Alyona Alyona, one of the eight winners of the EU’s Music Moves Europe Talent Awards. In an exclusive interview for our channels, she speaks about the particular social roles imposed on women, and why her songs address so many vital issues.

As another part of this initiative, explainers with practical information have been developed for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine on the many EU-funded opportunities available to women entrepreneurs in these countries. Factsheets highlighting EU support for women in each country can also be found here.

Our hundreds of Young European Ambassadors in the Eastern Partnership countries are organising dozens of inspirational events throughout the campaign, including quizzes, workshops, high-level meetings, seminars, competitions, Instagram take-overs and many more. 

You can be part of what is happening via the EU Neighbours East social media channels on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter or subscribe to our news alerts to get the latest stories. 

The campaign will run from Women’s Day on 8 March until 7 April, the Armenian Motherhood and Beauty Day, through many different activities online in collaboration with EU-funded regional programmes, such as EU4Gender, EU4Business and EU4Youth and with local media partners. 

Happy Women’s Day!

DID YOU KNOW?

In 2019, 1,704 women entrepreneurs across the Eastern Partnership region received loans to a total value of over €143 million under EU support programmes for SMEs, while 435 received grants worth more than €3.6 million. More than 20,000 benefitted from consultancy services. Turnover among supported companies rose by more than €400 million, and 34,371 new jobs were created as a result of the support.

Find out how you can join them.