On 8th March, International Women’s Day, we’re taking part in the celebrations under the slogan “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”. This year, UN Women is seeking to highlight the need to close the gender gap in order to combat the severe climate crisis that we’re facing. “Without the inclusion of half the world’s population, solutions that deliver a sustainable planet and a world with gender equality are unlikely to come to pass tomorrow”, they confirm in this article. 

On 11 February, to mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we recalled the importance of promoting the empowerment of women and girls in the STEM professions (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Reducing the gender gap in education is key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. At ProFuturo we’re convinced: change starts in the classroom, with female teachers who inspire young girls to grow up to become what they dream of being when they’re small.

Inspiring female teachers

In our #ProFuturoStories we delve into highly personal accounts of ProFuturo teachers around the world. Teachers are the key pillar of our educational programme, which is why, on this #8M, we’d like to recall the stories of five women from different parts of the world who are examples of motivation and self-improvement for their students: 

1. Adriana, sowing the seeds of change: Since she was a child, Adriana was quite sure about her vocation as a teacher. She’s currently a director and coach in Acajutla, El Salvador. She’s confident of her power to bring about a positive transformation in the students she teaches. “It’s a really nice experience to see the seed of change that you sow in the children”, she states.
2. Angel Ruth, dreaming of teaching: This teacher is Congolese, but she teaches at the Dzaleka refugee camp in Malawi. Angel Ruth has had to face up to numerous challenges in her work as a teacher. The language and cultural barriers in her classrooms are examples of her commitment to her students during emergencies and displacements. 
3. Marta, learning from her students: A teacher in the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, Marta believes that the digital approach is key to generating educational advances in her country. She constantly receives training in digital skills and she’s confident that she can learn countless abilities from her students and that the benefits can be shared.
4. Joanne, weaving education: At the Talipanan Mangyan school in the Philippines, Joanne has succeeded in integrating the whole community through the local tradition of artisan fabrics. This educational coach suggested to the mothers of the children at the school that they should start weaving protective sleeves for the ProFuturo tablets that their children learn with. 
5. Aleyda, technology as a partner: She teaches at a school in the Lambayeque region of Peru and believes in the potential of technology to promote education in keeping with the needs of the 21st century. As a Global Teacher Prize finalist, Aleyda is sure that her students can find numerous benefits in ICT for their academic education.