The civil war in Rwanda resulted in the slaughtering of its Tutsi minority, as well as many moderate members of its majority, the Hutu, in 1994. Around 800,000 are estimated to have died in the genocide.

"In the 14 years since the genocide, when 800,000 people died during three months of violence, this country has become perhaps the world's leading example of how empowering women can fundamentally transform post-conflict economies and fight the cycle of poverty," according to a recent article in the Washington Post. "That is particularly clear here in Maraba, a southern village where a host of women -- largely relegated to backbreaking field work in the days before the genocide -- found unwanted opportunity in the fertile lands they would inherit from slaughtered husbands, fathers and brothers."

Maraba's women "showed more willingness than men, officials here said, to embrace new techniques aimed at improving quality and profit. Now, Maraba's female farmers are outdoing their male counterparts in both, numbering about half of all farmers in the village's coffee cooperative but producing 90 percent of its finest quality beans for export," according to the article.

Many microfinance companies focus on lending to women, because women tend to reinvest profits from their businesses into things such as food, education and their communities.

The march of female entrepreneurialism, playing out here and across Rwanda in industries from agribusiness to tourism, has proved to be a windfall for efforts to rebuild the nation and fight poverty. Women more than men invest profits in the family, renovate homes, improve nutrition, increase savings rates and spend on children's education, officials here said," according to the article. "It speaks to a seismic shift in gender economics in Rwanda's post-genocide society, one that is altering the way younger generations of males view their mothers and sisters while offering a powerful lesson for other developing nations struggling to rebuild from the ashes of conflict."

For more on microfinance, see Microfinance Institution Reviews. For more on women as entrepreneurs, see Women in Business.

Labels: Business, Economy, Women

The baby boomers comprise a large and aging population. As baby boomers and their parents age, more and more people are requiring caregiving in varying levels of intensity. In fact, more than 44 million Americans provide some sort of care for a family member or friend 18 years or older. The National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP conducted the study, called Caregiving in the United States, to find the costs to employers of caregiving employees.

"This study estimates the productivity losses to U.S. business of employees who must make workplace accommodations as a result of caregiving responsibilities. These include costs associated with replacing employees, absenteeism, crisis in care, workday interruptions, supervisory time, unpaid leave, and reducing hours from full-time to part time," according to the study.

Some of the key findings of the study are listed below:

The total estimated cost to employers for full-time employees with intense caregiving responsibilities is $17.1 billion.

The average cost per employee for those with intense caregiving responsibilities is $2,441.

The total estimated cost to employers for all full-time, employed caregivers is $33.6 billion.

The average cost per employee for all full-time, employed caregivers is $2,110.

The majority of family caregivers (79%) are providing care to someone over the age of 50.

Nearly 60% of those caring for an adult over the age of 50 are working; the majority of those work full-time.

Nearly 40% of caregivers are men.

The average age of the caregiver for a person over the age of 50 is 47.

Most caregivers provide unpaid care to a parent or grandparent.

Approximately 15% of the caregivers were providing care to someone who lived at a distance of more than an hour away.

At least 6 out of 10 employed caregivers reported that they had made some work-related adjustments as a result of their caregiving responsibilities.

10% of the employed caregivers reduced their hours from full-time to part-time.

Labels: Baby Boomers, Business, Senior Citizens, Workforce