For Aberash*, a 34-year-old farmer and mother of two in Jimma, Ethiopia, this year’s harvest was not only about crops. It was about gaining the agency and the confidence to shape her family’s future. 

A turning point came through the Grow Equal: Her Rights for a Sustainable Life project. Aberash accessed training on financial literacy, business management and agricultural practices, along with seed capital. She invested the funds in livestock, crops and vegetables, and used the profits to purchase the land she had once rented. 

Legal ownership moved Aberash from renting a small farmland that struggled to secure daily subsistence to becoming a landowner, successful farmer and, as she describes it, an owner of her own future. 

The four-year Grow Equal project supports more than 10,000 people — 60% of them women and girls — while strengthening local partners and savings groups to advance women’s economic empowerment. The project, funded by Austrian Development Cooperation, is implemented by SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia and Uganda in partnership with local organizations.

Sharing care and responsibility at home 

Change also came at home. Aberash’s husband took part in the gender transformative parenting programme, Active Fatherhood, which helped shift household dynamics. Care tasks and decision-making began to be shared more equally, creating a supportive environment where their children could grow up safe and valued. 

Aberash’s story shows that when women gain economic and social agency, families become stronger and children are more likely to remain within their families in safe and supportive environments. 

This message is at the heart of International Women’s Day 2026, marked on 8 March under the theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.” The year also coincides with the United Nations’ International Year of the Woman Farmer, highlighting the vital yet often overlooked role women play in agrifood systems and household resilience.

Gender equality equals child protection

For SOS Children’s Villages, advancing gender equality is inseparable from child protection. Our Global Report on Children’s Care and Protection shows that child-family separation is driven by a “complex interplay of factors,” including patriarchal social norms and gender-based violence that increase the risk of children losing parental care. 

“Our groundbreaking research confirms that child-family separation is driven by a ‘complex interplay of factors’ of which patriarchal social norms and gender-based violence are societal drivers that increase the loss of care,” says Sara Tabit, Global Gender Advisor at SOS Children’s Villages International. “We cannot talk about ‘child protection’ without addressing gender injustice.” 

Across the world, discriminatory laws, unequal access to resources and the disproportionate burden of unpaid care work continue to restrict women’s opportunities. These structural barriers limit not only women’s rights but also the stability of families and the wellbeing of children. 

“Patriarchal social norms and the unequal burden of care are not just social issues-they are among the primary drivers of child family separation,” Ms. Tabit explains. 

The economic evidence is clear. Closing the gender gap in farm productivity could increase global GDP by $1 trillion, while ending disparities in access to agricultural resources could lift 45 million people out of food insecurity. Women’s and girls’ unpaid care work — valued globally at $11 trillion — remains largely invisible, even though it underpins family and community wellbeing. 

“Economic agency for women is one of the most effective interventions in the prevention of family breakdown,” says Ms. Tabit. “A secure land title is among the most effective shields against family breakdown that leaves girls and boys without parental care.” 

When women have equal access to income, land and decision-making, they are better equipped to provide consistent care, ensure household food security and protect children from the risks associated with poverty and instability. Empowerment within agrifood systems, in particular, has a direct impact on children’s nutrition and overall family resilience.

From recognition to reform 

International Women’s Day is therefore not only a moment to recognize gender equality, but a call to address the structural inequalities that put families at risk of separation. SOS Children’s Villages urges governments and partners to strengthen legal protections for women’s land ownership and girls’ inheritance rights, expand access to affordable childcare and promote shared caregiving responsibilities. 

“Justice for women and girls is the foundation of a stable home, thriving girls, boys and non-binary children. We demand rights, justice and action,” Ms. Tabit says. 

Scaling gender-transformative investments is essential. Programmes that enhance women’s skills, access to technology and financial resources — while engaging men and boys as champions of change — address the root causes of inequality rather than its symptoms. Evidence shows that these approaches are cost-effective and lead to better outcomes for caregivers and children. 

Aberash’s experience shows what is possible when these principles are put into practice. With land ownership, training and supportive family dynamics, she not only improved her livelihood but also created a more secure and nurturing home for her children. 

On International Women’s Day 2026, SOS Children’s Villages reaffirms its commitment to advancing the rights of women and girls in all their diversity. By dismantling discriminatory barriers, redistributing care responsibilities and investing in women’s economic empowerment, we can help keep families together and give every child the equal chance in life they deserve. 

* Name changed to protect privacy.