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A report on how a group of women in Senegal are rescuing their villages from desertification and the effects of climate change has won the first ever EIB-supported Women Entrepreneurship Reporting Award.

“The Energy to Stay”,  a multimedia article produced by journalist Carlotta Dotto and carried on the Al Jazeera channel, tells the inspiring story of how women in the community have transformed farming practices using solar power and sustainable irrigation techniques to combat poverty and the emigration of their menfolk from their villages on the edge of the Sahara to the cities .

The prestigious One World Media Awards were held this week in a virtual ceremony that brought together filmmakers and journalists from around the world. The EIB sponsored the Women Entrepreneurs Reporting Awards to encourage and showcase media coverage of female entrepreneurship in the Global South and emerging economies. 

Head of the EIB’s Global Partners Directorate Maria Shaw-Barragan was part of the jury that shortlisted three reports for the award in Ecuador, Senegal and Nepal.  Ecuador’s Hidden Treasure, The Energy to Stay, and I am Belmaya  all depict women as agents of change and touch on wider challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and gender-based discrimination.

Speaking before the award ceremony Maria said “The Women Entrepreneurs Reporting Awards showcase stories of successful female entrepreneurs and the challenges they have faced, and overcome, in trying to grow their businesses. The European Investment Bank has supported this important award this year because we are committed to raising awareness on the effects of women’s economic empowerment. We firmly believe that supporting women entrepreneurs and women’s economic empowerment in general is key to helping countries develop and create sustainable and inclusive development”.

View all the nominees here