Each one of us lives life as a carrier of multiple identities - including gender, race, class and age. The sum of these identities determines our opportunities in life, and empowers or disempowers us, depending on our context. This collection of articles focuses on the implications that this has for development goals of poverty alleviation and human rights. In particular, critiques from Southern women challenge development organisations for their inadequate and inappropriate policy and practice. Development programmes have addressed gender inequality as a key concern, but most organisations have yet to understand how other aspects of difference intersect with gender to unite and divide groups of women from each other. Improving development policy and practice means understanding inequality in its complexity, and developing ways of working which acknowledge difference, rather than suppress it. It means practising as we preach, by transforming our own organisational cultures. This entails confronting issues of power and inequality, and challenging racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination. Contributors to this issue include Ranjani K Murthy, Everjoice Win, and Dorine Plantenga. Case studies come from India, Zimbabwe, Latin America and the UK.

Editorial
Caroline Sweetman
Organisational strategy in India and diverse identities of women: bridging the gap
Ranjani K.Murthy
When sharing female identity is not enough: coalition building in the midst of political polarisation in Zimbabwe
Everjoice J. Win
Microfinance from the point of view of women with disabilities: lessons from Zabia and Zimbabwe
Cindy Lewis
Gender, identity, and diversity: learning from insights gained in transformative gender training
Dorine Plantenga
Promoting cultural diversity and the rights of women: the dilemmas in 'intersectionality' for development organisations
Liesbeth van der Hoogte and Koos Kingma
Diversity in Oxfam GB: engaging the head and turning the heart
Bimla Ojelay-Surtees
Poverty reduction policy responses to gender and social diversity in Uganda
Dereje Wordofa
Empowerment through activism: responding to domestic violence in the South Asian community in London
Aisha Gill and Gulshun Rehman
Resources
Compiled by Erin Leigh
Publications
Journals
Electronic resources
Briefing papers and tools
Organisations
Conferences

Caroline Sweetman
Caroline Sweetman is Editor of the international journal Gender & Development and works for Oxfam GB.