Change Makers Canvas Worksheet Reduced head-to-toe Change Makers Canvas
Visualizing Solutions for Women's Rights in Africa
Name:
Date:
1 Select a focus area:
Political Leadership
Economic Empowerment
Healthcare Access
2 Create an empowering slogan or title
3 Illustrate your solution The Vision of Progress
4 The Impact: How does this help women?
Solutions for Equality Worksheet
Empowerment Slides Change Makers
Designing Solutions for Women's Rights in Africa
Our Mission
Today, we aren't just looking at challenges. We are looking for solutions.
"When women lead, economies grow, healthcare improves, and societies thrive."
Learning Objectives:
Identify key barriers to women's equality in African nations.
Explore successful models of progress and empowerment.
Design a visual campaign for a specific solution.
Focus Area 1
Political
Leadership
The Challenge
Under-representation in parliaments and local government. Barriers include legal gaps, cultural bias, and limited funding for female candidates.
The Solutions
• Gender quotas in parliament (like Rwanda & Senegal)
• Leadership training & mentorship for young women
• Community-based voter education
Focus Area 2
Economic
Empowerment
The Challenge
Unequal access to land ownership, credit/loans, and formal markets. Women often perform "unpaid care work" that limits career growth.
The Solutions
• Reforming land inheritance laws
• Micro-loan programs for female entrepreneurs
• Agricultural co-ops for female farmers
Focus Area 3
Healthcare
Access
Maternal Health Barriers
Distance to clinics, lack of trained birth attendants, and high costs of emergency care.
Solution Spotlight
Mobile health clinics and training community health workers (like in Ethiopia & Ghana).
Universal Healthcare
Progress means every woman has a safe place to heal and thrive.
Your Turn: Change Maker Canvas
1
Pick a Path
Choose which focus area speaks to you most: Politics, Economy, or Health.
2
Slogan & Title
Create a catchy, powerful headline that captures your solution's heart.
3
Visualize
Draw a scene that shows progress in action. What does success look like?
Design for Impact. Draw for the Future.
Empowerment Facilitation Guide Teacher Resource
Solutions for Equality
Facilitation Guide & Instructional Script
Lesson Duration:
60 - 75 Minutes
Learning Objectives
Analyze three key pillars of women's empowerment in African contexts.
Identify structural barriers and successful solution models (case studies).
Synthesize knowledge to create a visual advocacy campaign (The Canvas).
Materials Needed
Empowerment Slides
Change Makers Canvas (1 per student)
Markers, Colored Pencils, Crayons
Instructional Sequence
Part 1: The Three Pillars 25 Minutes
Pillar 1: Political Leadership
"When we talk about leadership, we often see men in charge. But in nations like Rwanda, women hold over 60% of parliamentary seats. Why does this matter? Because laws about healthcare, schools, and safety change when women have a seat at the table."
Discussion Prompt:
If a laws were being made about school lunches, how might a room full of mothers decide differently than a room full of businessmen?
Pillar 2: Economic Empowerment
"In many places, women farm the land but aren't allowed to own it. Imagine building a house on land you could lose at any moment. Solutions involve changing inheritance laws and 'micro-loans'—small amounts of money that help women start businesses."
Case Study Note:
Mention 'M-Pesa' in Kenya—mobile money that allowed women in remote areas to save and trade without needing a physical bank account.
Part 2: The Creative Campaign 35-40 Minutes
Distribute the Change Makers Canvas. Explain that students are now 'Advocacy Designers' tasked with creating a poster that illustrates progress.
The Visual (Step 3)
Encourage students to draw actions. Instead of just a building, draw women entering a clinic or a woman signing a land title. Show the result of the solution.
The Slogan (Step 2)
Give examples of slogans: "Lead Like a Queen," "Ownership is Power," "Health for Her, Health for All."
Pacing & Differentiation
For early finishers: Ask them to write three 'impact statements' on the back of their sheet explaining how their solution helps a whole community, not just one woman.
For struggling students: Provide a 'Sentence Starter' bank for Step 4 (e.g., "This solution helps because...")
Key Vocabulary
Representation Empowerment Micro-loan Inheritance Maternal Health
Change Maker Rubric Assessment Tool
Change Maker Rubric
Evaluating Solutions for Equality Projects
Total Points Possible:
20
Criteria
Exemplary (5)
Proficient (4)
Developing (3)
Needs Revision (1-2)
Knowledge of Solutions
Accurately identifies and illustrates a viable solution to the chosen focus area.
Solution is highly specific, evidence-based, and accurately addresses the core challenge.
Solution is clear and relevant to the chosen focus area.
Solution is vague or only partially addresses the focus area.
Solution is incorrect, missing, or irrelevant to women's rights in Africa.
Visual Advocacy
Effectiveness of the illustration in conveying progress and empowerment.
Drawing is vivid, shows clear 'action' or 'result', and uses symbolism effectively.
Drawing clearly represents the solution and shows effort.
Drawing is simple or literal; may not clearly show empowerment.
Visual is confusing, unrelated, or incomplete.
Slogan Power
Catchy, memorable headline that captures the theme of the campaign.
Slogan is original, punchy, and highly memorable. Uses strong verbs/voice.
Slogan is clear, relevant, and catchy.
Slogan is generic or lacks a strong call to action/theme.
Slogan is missing or does not relate to the topic.
Impact Analysis
Depth of the written explanation of how the solution helps women.
Explanation deeply connects the solution to positive community outcomes.
Explanation clearly states how the solution helps.
Explanation is brief and lacks depth or specific impact details.
Explanation is missing or shows misunderstanding of the issue.
Teacher Feedback Notes
18-20: Gold Maker
15-17: Silver Advocate
12-14: Rising Change Agent
Solution Spotlight Cheat Sheet Reference Sheet
Solution Spotlight
Key Strategies for Women's Rights in African Nations
This guide provides concrete examples of how nations across Africa are solving challenges for women's equality. Use these examples to inspire your Change Maker Canvas or to guide classroom discussions.
1. Political Leadership
Key Strategy: Quotas
Laws that require a certain percentage of seats in parliament to be held by women.
Impact Spotlight: Rwanda
Highest percentage of female parliamentarians in the world (over 60%). Leads to laws prioritizing education and gender equality.
Key Strategy: Mentorship
Programs that train young women to run for local office and lead communities.
Impact Spotlight: Liberia
Women's peace networks were crucial in ending civil conflict and electing the continent's first female president.
2. Economic Empowerment
Key Strategy: Land Rights
Legal reforms ensuring women can inherit, own, and sell land equally to men.
Impact Spotlight: Kenya
New constitution and land laws significantly improved women's ability to hold title deeds to their farms.
Key Strategy: Micro-Finance
Providing small, low-interest loans and mobile banking to female-led businesses.
Impact Spotlight: Mobile Money
Platforms like M-Pesa allow women in rural areas to manage finances securely, sparking entrepreneurship.
3. Healthcare Access
Key Strategy: Community Health
Training local women to serve as health workers who visit homes and assist with births.
Impact Spotlight: Ethiopia
A massive network of over 30,000 health extension workers has dramatically reduced maternal mortality rates.
Key Strategy: Mobile Clinics
"Clinics on wheels" that travel to remote villages to provide screenings and maternal care.
Impact Spotlight: Ghana
CHPS program brings primary healthcare directly to rural families, ensuring no woman is too far from a doctor.
