March 8th marks International Women’s Day, an occasion to celebrate and empower women around the globe. While you may think Coke is just a soft-drink, the powerhouse company have embarked upon the #5by20 journey – an inspiring goal set to unleash the potential of women entrepreneurs in countries where gender inequality still run deep.
Established in 2010, the 5by20 initiative stands for the economic empowerment of 5 million women entrepreneurs across Coco-Cola‘s company value chain by 2020. This value chain includes the roles of producer, distributor, recycler, supplier, retailer, and artisan, enabling women to work independently and/or alongside men. These roles also give women the opportunity to develop business skills, undertake training courses, and access financial services to build their own successful businesses. With the program reaching new heights in 60 countries across the world, the 5by20 project has helped more than 1.2 million female entrepreneurs find empowerment as recorded in 2015.
Artisans Jocelyn Pacrin and Marlene Costa create beautiful items from recycled beverage packaging.
With a rise in personal income and so financial security, these women are able to provide for their families, enabling their children to have an education they may have missed out on.
Learn more about the #5by20 movement here.
On a global scale, the theme for the UN Women’s 2017 International Women’s Day is “Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030”. Similar to the 5by20 initiative, “Planet 50-50 by 2030” inspires global gender equality in the workforce. With a staggering majority of women concentrated in lower-paid and lower-skill occupations, this year’s theme highlights the need to expose young women to a broad range of careers that lead beyond what is seen as traditional female roles in the workforce.
Learn more about the UN Women‘s goal here.
Whether it’s the “5by20” project or the “50-50 by 2030”, it’s clear that this year’s International Women’s Day celebrates women empowerment in the workforce.
