What are the most pressing issues women and girls still face today? What progress has been made in recent years? How are gender equality champions driving change around the world? In this special episode, host Anna travels to Kigali, Rwanda for the Women Deliver 2023 Conference, the largest convening for gender equality in the world, to find out!Through conversations with conference organizers and participants, hear stories from gender equality trailblazers from around the world, be inspired to take action in your own life and community, and learn why Rwanda is the 9th best place in the world to be a woman.About the conference: Women Deliver convenings catalyze conversations with stakeholders from around the world, break barriers, address challenges, and identify opportunities to advance gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights, and improve the wellbeing of girls and women, in all their intersecting identities.You’ll hear from:

Leeza Mangaldas - founder of Leezu's, and partner of The Pleasure Project - 1:06, 32:07, 51:14

Kim Lufkin - Director of Communications at Women Deliver - 4:50, 8:43, 29:13

Kathleen Sherwin - Chief Strategy Engagement Officer at Plan International, Board Member of Women Deliver - 5:30, 16:02, 28:48

Paul Kagame - 6:58

Malala Yousafzai - 7:25

Stacey Abrams - 7:47

Brittany Evans - Women Enabled International - 9:24

Charles Kabiswa - Regenerate Africa - 12:27

Vinitha Venkatraman - founder of VIVA Development Strategies - 12:48

Cora McGuire-Cyrette - CEO of Ontario Native Women’s Association - 12:57

Right Hon. Eunice Oyella - youth delegate for Plan International and speaker for Children Young Peoples Parliament in South Sudan - 17:16

Francis Oppong - Director of Programs for Plan International in South Sudan - 18:07

Lydia Wilbard - Executive Director of Learning and Engagement at CAMFED - Campaign for Female Education - 22:03

Lindsay Camacho - Acumen - 25:08

Nyakuok Juok - South Links Trending - 26:06

Praise Manze - Saathi - 30:58

Ryan Borcherding (Head of Methodology and Training) and Grace Banda (Project Manger in Malawi) - Theatre for a Change - 31:17

Ani Ejay - FP2030 - 31:39

Cristina Ljungberg and Wendy Anderson - co-founders of The Case for Her - 31:52

Connie Lim / MILCK - 44:01

Benita Keza - Rwanda Cooperation - 46:32

*timestamps are approximate*Transcription is available here--Become a Patron for access to bonus content and to support the podcast, or buy me a (metaphorical) coffeeFollow us: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Tik Tok | Youtube | LinkedInSubscribe to our newsletter for a weekly dose of all things WOMANWe need more women’s stories in the world!. If you’ve enjoyed this episode,  please share, subscribe, rate and review on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcastsExplore The Story of Woman book recommendations in the US and the UK - purchases support the podcast AND local bookstores 🤩www.thestoryofwomanpodcast.comLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices