In their informative work titled “Watering the Leaves, Starving the Roots,” the authors analyze a report on the funding patterns influencing global females’ rights establishments and the economic status of such groups. The survey makes sense of the fast transforming landscape and suggests ways of mobilizing more resources for women’s rights alignments. A close analysis of this tale reveals edifying insights into the funding trends of women’s rights institutions. Firstly, girls and women are the community eye, acknowledged as principal agents in societal growth. Towards this course, vast resources are increasingly being availed under the eclectic scope of development to address prevailing needs. Secondly, sources and mechanisms of development philanthropy and financing are becoming diversified, although the return on investment and economic growth is a priority, with wellbeing and human rights assuming the backseat (Arutyunova and Clark 15). Thirdly, private sector approaches to, and interest in philanthropy, development, and women are infiltrating old funding sectors, creating concerns about women’s organization’s preparedness to cope with this pattern.
From a feminist lens on combined resource mobilization strategy, the latest highlight on women has created a moderately little effect on enhancing the funding scenario for the vast majority of females’ establishment worldwide. For instance, in 2010, the average yearly proceeds for 740 women’s groups worldwide stood at $20,000, with a combined return of about $106 million (Arutyunova and Clark 16). The ‘leaves,’ which figuratively depict individual girls and women, are receiving increasing focus without proper assistance for the ‘roots. Therefore, women’s rights formation that has been at the heart of their advances for many decades should lead to catalyzing edifying discussions with all the related actors to rightfully address the emerging issues.
Work Cited
Arutyunova, Angelika, and Cindy, Clark. Watering the Leaves, Starving the Roots: The Status of Financing for Women’s Rights Organizing and Gender Equality. Association for Women’s Rights in Development, 2013.