Our Specialists.
Director, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Practice Shauna Caria
Shauna Caria is the director of Chemonics’ Gender Equality and Social Inclusion practice. With more than 10 years of international development experience in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, Central Asia, South Africa, and Eastern Europe, Ms. Caria is an expert on disability inclusion, women’s empowerment, mainstreaming gender and social inclusion, combatting gender-based violence, gender and inclusion in conflict, and youth engagement. Prior to joining Chemonics, she led program development at the YWCA, a non-profit that aims to eliminate racism and empower women. She also served in the U.S. Peace Corps in the Philippines teaching remedial education to young deaf adults. As a child of a deaf adult, her first language is American Sign Language. Ms. Caria holds an M.A. in International Relations and Economics with a specialization in Conflict Management from Johns Hopkins and a B.A. from the University of Washington in International Human Rights and Law.
by Shauna Caria
Our Shared Responsibility: Combatting Sexual Violence through Prevention and Response
A recent study conducted in the United States found that 81 percent of women and 41 percent of men have experienced some form of sexual harassment or abuse in their lifetime. While limited data makes it difficult to quantify the global scale of sexual violence, stories of street and workplace harassment across the world are…
The Problem with the Phrase ‘And Other Vulnerable Groups’
This post originally appeared on Devex. Have you ever heard the phrase, “women, youth, and other vulnerable groups” in a development context? If the answer is yes, you probably recognize that this phrase is common across development programs. Usually, it is used to show that we’re advocating for the needs of communities that are most…
The Power of a Picture: Elevating Women’s Voices through Art
The global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign calls for the elimination of all forms of gender-based violence (GBV). It takes place every year between November 25 and December 10, culminating on Human Rights Day. Human Rights Day celebrates universal rights — including the rights to life, liberty, and security — that are…
Using Universal Design to Communicate More Inclusively
Put yourself in her shoes. Imagine you are a woman living in Vietnam and sign language is your first language. You are entitled to inherit land that was owned by your parents before they passed, but when you visit your local Legal Aid Center to inquire about the process, the officials do not know sign…
How USAID’s Solicitations and Resulting Awards Include Underrepresented Groups
This Chemonics paper analyzes how USAID programming has integrated the inclusion of four commonly underrepresented social groups — persons with disabilities, minorities, youth, and those who identify as LGBTI — from solicitation to project implementation.