March 8 marks International Women’s Day and we want to celebrate that every Eminence product empowers women in Senegal. Since 2012, we have planted a tree for every product in our Forests For The Future™ initiative with our partner, Trees For The Future. Our trees are grown in Forest Garden Projects in Senegal - small food forests that yield fruits, vegetables, wood and fodder for farm animals. These Forest Garden Projects, grown close to the homestead, have transformed the lives of the families involved, especially the women. 

Here are 4 ways that our Forests Garden Projects empower women:

1. Provide Food

Because the task of feeding the family usually falls to women in African cultures, a Forest Garden Project that produces more food than historical single crop agriculture helps women with their family duties. No longer do they have to forage in the wild to provide food for their families.

2. Produce Fuelwood

Women traditionally also gather fuelwood on a daily basis. With a Forest Garden Project close by, women no longer have to walk for miles, often in dangerous circumstances, to find fuelwood.

3. Give More Education Opportunities To Girls

If household tasks like food and wood gathering are made easier, girls can devote more time to attend school and focus on their education.

4. Earn More Income

In many African cultures, monoculture crops like maize and peanuts are grown by men, but the plants, trees and fruit from Forest Garden Projects are usually grown by women. That means the additional income from selling Forest Garden Project produce goes to women - boosting their income, increasing their control over the family finances and increasing their independence.

On International Women’s Day, we celebrate empowering women through our Forest Garden Projects. You, too, can support Forests For The Future™ with every Eminence product you buy - learn more about Forests For The Future™ here.