As most institutions globally and locally tend - consciously and unconsciously - to serve the interests of men, gender mainstreaming - a process that recognises and encourages institutions to adopt a gender perspective in transforming themselves, is a necessary intervention. In closing I want to summarise by saying, women are empowered when they have access to resources and control over their own finances. I also want to remind myself that as women we have much in common but we are also uniquely crafted for many very different purposes and generalisations are not always helpful.