Fighting for gender equality and climate justice

Our Build for safety training won the Gender Just Climate Solutions Award, which was announced at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 28). Our training supports women, and their families, build climate-resilient homes in rural Bangladesh.

AzuKo is one of three organisations (Dastak Welfare Foundation in Pakistan, and Paran Women in Kenya) from across the world, to be recognised for our contribution to gender equality and climate justice.

Read the Awards publication →

We were invited to the United Nations conference to present AzuKo’s work and impact, campaign for housing justice, attend workshops on climate advocacy, and network with climate conscious organisations.

(Photos: Annabelle Avril / WECF)

“We work in an area of Bangladesh that suffers from floods and storms, where housing poverty is acute. Our Build for safety training provides women with knowledge, skills and confidence in construction. It offers solutions that are affordable, appropriate and available locally, and empowers women and their families to build safer homes.”

— Jo Ashbridge, CEO, AzuKo

It was a fantastic opportunity to share AzuKo’s work on such an international stage. We’re so pleased to join the UNFCCC Women & Gender Constituency, which ensures that gender equality and human rights are at the core of climate action.

After the conference we returned to Bangladesh to celebrate with the amazing women we work with.

Read more about the Awards:

• Navigating COP28: Key Takeaways for Architects from the Dubai Summit (ArchDaily)

• Gender Just Climate Solutions (IISD / Earth Negotiations Bulletin)

• Finance and Energy Kick Off Thematic Days at COP 28 (IISD / SDG Knowledge Hub)

• Gender Just Climate Solutions Awards 2023 – Meet the winners! (WECF)

• COP 28 logbook: songs and initiatives that really change the lives of women (Usbek & Rica)

What is time poverty?

We've all said it... "there's just not enough time in the day!" Our lives are packed full, juggling work and family life. But imagine if on top of all that, you had to search for fuel and harvest your own crops to cook breakfast, walk miles to source water each day, repair your house which is continually eroded by flooding... what time would be left to focus on you?

Low income means less investment in the basic infrastructure of our lives, meaning people become time poor. Time poverty is linked to lower wellbeing, physical health and productivity. Ultimately lack of time stops people improving their circumstances, making it much more difficult to rise above poverty. It's a vicious cycle.

“The most difficult part of my day is collecting food to feed my cows. I walk between the padi (rice) fields, cutting grass for a couple of hours, every day after breakfast. It’s back breaking in the heat.”

— Ranu, Bangladesh

This burden falls disproportionately on women, who often face additional responsibilities at home. On an average day, women spend three times as many hours on unpaid domestic and care work as men. Too busy to visit the doctor, go to school, or earn money to support their family.

At AzuKo, we recognise this invisible currency, and help reduce the time it takes to complete 'unpaid work' in the home. We teach housing design ideas and share products that are more efficient, and we promote construction materials and techniques that require less maintenance, last longer and have high returns (cheaper over time). Read about our construction training in Bangladesh →

An extra hour saved each day, over the course of a year, would free up more than two weeks. Over a lifetime that would mean three years – precious time to build a brighter future.

Imagine what you could do with that extra time?

Author: J. Ashbridge

Our latest Annual Report

Read our Annual Report, packed full of insights into our work to end housing poverty, in Bangladesh and the UK.

“AzuKo’s mission to build a fairer world, has never been more important. Our work is life-saving, and life-changing – rooted in the belief that given the opportunity and the right support people can rise above poverty.”

— Jo, CEO