![Sudanese women at Abu Shouk refugee camp, al-Fasher, Sudan, Mar. 26, 2009. [AP]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0624_sudan_women_m.jpg)
The Secretary said, "The social, political and economic marginalization of women across Africa has left a void in this continent that undermines progress and prosperity every day. Yet we know across Africa women are doing the work of a whole continent – gathering firewood, hauling water, washing clothes, preparing meals, raising children, in the fields planting and harvesting, and when given the opportunity of economic empowerment, transforming communities and local economies ... It is not only a moral imperative; it is an economic one as well. Everywhere I go, I see the hard work and the progress that women can make if unleashed, if given just a chance.”
