The Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women (GrOW) East Africa initiative seeks to spur transformative change to advance gender equality in the world of work.

GrOW East Africa is a partnership between the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Canada’s IDRC. It builds on the legacy of the recently concluded multi-funder GrOW program.

GrOW East Africa aims to be transformative, focusing on decent work for women, both formal and informal, while considering the role of social norms and societal power dynamics that shape women’s choices and opportunities. Supported research will focus on two inter-related themes: tackling continued labour market segregation and employment gender gaps; and reducing and redistributing unpaid care work. Research will take an intersectional approach and will consider needs, priorities, and constraints on different categories of women.

• THEME 1: TACKLING CONTINUED LABOUR MARKET SEGREGATION AND EMPLOYMENT GENDER GAPS
  • Sub-theme 1: Skills building and work readiness programs for women to increase entry, retention, and advancement in under-represented sectors
  • Sub-theme 2: Enhancing the effectiveness of government procurement programs in achieving women’s economic empowerment
• THEME 2: REDUCING AND REDISTRIBUTING WOMEN’S UNPAID CARE WORK
  • Sub-theme 1: Scalable childcare provisions
  • Sub-theme 2: Changing norms and public perceptions about unpaid care work
  • Sub-theme 3: Technologies that reduce and redistribute unpaid care work

Find out more about the call for proposals here.