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Bill_Melinda_GatesYou hear the name, and you think: Microsoft, and wife of the wealthiest man on earth. But did you know Bill and Melinda Gates have given away more money than anyone in world history? Not only is the couple rich, they are generous. And much of their wealth goes to people living right here. Fortune, fame, and a successful career in the corporate world are not what make Melinda Gates one of the greatest female leaders in the world; her determination in giving out what she has to help those who are in need and help advancing equity in the world is what we always remember her of.

Trendsupdate.com Angela Merkel, Dilma Rousseff, Yingluck Shinawatra, Joyce Banda... Just to name a few of the incumbent female heads of government around the world. Compared to a century ago, women are gaining importance in both international and domestic politics as they are occupying various important positions in national governments and multilateral organizations. While it seems that more and more female politicians are rising in power, let us not be contend with the status-quo: only one-fifth of the seats in the parliaments are occupied by women worldwide, and the figure in Asia, Middle East and Pacific is even lower than the world average. Women, in today’s world, are still underrepresented in the political arena. What are the major obstacles that women face in political participation? According to studies, it is a complex issue as it can be traced back to a number of institutional, historical, socio-economic as well as cultural factors. UN Women found that in Bhutan,

  One month after the 15-year-old Pakistani education activist, Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by the Taliban, the United Nations called upon the international community to observe November 10 as the International Malala Day. The UN special envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown marked the significance of this event that “country after country is adopting Malala as its symbol for a girl's right to school [as the] Malala Day is being celebrated with events in more than 100 countries”. It has symbolized that the fight of Malala and 32 million girls more for their basic rights of education will go on, and the world is in solidarity with ensuring education for every single child across the globe. Malala’s story has touched millions of people. She started writing a blog for the BBC describing people’s lives in her community under the Taliban’s rule – where girls are prevented from going to school because the regime believes girls' education is an obscenity – and

What makes a good leader? Leadership is about confidence and decision-making. It is about speaking out, but also doing the important work behind the scene.  A great leader will inspire people for generations to come, and bring hope regardless of time in history. In today’s world, more and more female figures are emerging. This blog is the first of a series of entries to feature such inspiring women leaders and sharing their stories...   This week, in the midst of the American elections, Michelle Obama has been the insatiable supporter of Barack Obama behind the scenes. She juggles between being the wife of U.S. president Barack Obama, mother of two, the 44th first lady of the states, lawyer, community activist and social rights advocate. Michelle sees part of her leadership role as being a good example to others across the country and that is how she continues to inspire her fellow American citizens as well the wider world.   What makes Michelle a strong leader? She has always held

Gender equality has been one of the founding principles of the European Union, and the principle has been successfully upheld as believed by many: men and women seem to enjoy equal fundamental rights in their daily lives, and nine out of ten highest ranked countries in terms of gender equality are in Europe, according to the United Nations Development Programme. The European women are apparently better off than their counterparts in other parts of the world, but the recent developing in the EU might have suggested that women still face invisible barriers to their advancement in the workplace. A week ago, the EU decided in the last minute to postpone the vote on a plan to oblige companies to reach a 40 percent female boardroom quota by 2020 as it was deeply unpopular with many of its member countries.

If you have the chance to sit down and plan, what will you be doing next year and how are you going to make the most out of a year’s time? Have you ever thought about breaking free from the ‘9 to 5’ lifestyle, and look for an opportunity to end poverty, discover what having impact means to you, learn and explore yourself to become a better leader? Do you want to have an exciting and self-rewarding experience that might as well allow you to improve the lives of the people in the developing world? No seriously, do you want to change the world?   If your answer is “yes” to the above questions, and if you are a person who have a solid business background and yet you would like to achieve something greater in your career because you have a passion in initiating positive social changes, the Acumen Fund Global Fellows Program may be the best place for you to start your journey. Unlike many international development organizations, Acumen Fund believes that