Shyamala lives in a remote village in India. She and her neighbors are important stakeholders in offsetting carbon emissions. You know her - she features in the communication material as a happy and smiling face. But while she is smiling, she hardly has any ownership or decision making power in the projects and otherwise. Carbon credit purchasers sitting miles away in a different continent probably also have less understanding of what Shyamala’s context is and although they are very interested in gender issues they may need support in getting this done RIGHT. Through PowerSouth, we want Shyamala to feel truly empowered to sit at the decision making table and not just in front of her cookstove.

Based from Berlin, Diya Deb and Tasneem Balasinorwala are looking to power-up gender and the carbon market through their initiative called PowerSouth. We are exploring a social business idea to mainstream gender and to instate women in management and ownership roles at the local projects in countries like India supported either through carbon finance or even through Corporate Social Responsibility. We want to support companies, carbon credit buyers and investors in creating a practical shift in the role of women as co-owners/co-managers of the projects that they support in countries like India. Gender Equality needs more global pioneers and champions in the private sector.