Concern at “never-ending flow” of vulnerable EU arrivals

Hopes that the colder weather might see a drop in the number of people risking their lives to reach Europe have proved groundless after the UN Children’s Agency, UNICEF, on Wednesday said that the number of women and children seeking safety, has doubled in a month. The warning comes after the UN reported that in October, nearly half of the 93,000 people crossing from Greece to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, were women and children. UNICEF Special Representative Marie-Pierre Poirier stressed that the real number of those on the move is likely to be twice as high. Daniel Johnson has more.

Women’s entrepreneurship lights up rural Pakistan

Women in 250 villages in Pakistan have been literally lighting up their communities. They’ve been trained to operate solar lanterns which they then rent to their neighbours, thus allowing the women to earn an income while providing a much-needed service. Fiza Farhan is co-founder and CEO of the Buksh Foundation which is addressing energy needs in rural Pakistan through women’s entrepreneurship. The non-profit is one of several winners of a UN-backed award that celebrates innovation. Ms Farhan told Dianne Penn about their project, “Lighting a Million Lives”.

Nneka and MzVee use music to call for women’s rights

Nigerian singer Nneka, and MzVee from Ghana are also shining a light, but this time it’s through the power of music, in aid of women’s rights.They stopped by the World Bank Headquarters in Washington to participate in the series #Music4Dev. The initiative welcomes artists from around the globe to share their talent while raising awareness about development issues. D’Banj, also from Nigeria, kicked of #Music4Dev earlier this year, dedicating his song “ExtraOrdinary” to all the strong and inspiring women of the world. Ana Carmo has more.

Presenter: Matthew Wells

Production Assistant: Sandra Guy

Duration: 10'00″