Why Women’s Empowerment?

These numbers are problematic

An estimated 62 million girls globally are out of school, half of whom are adolescents
16 million girls between the ages 6 and 11 will never start school compared to 8 million boys
At the primary level only 23% of low-income countries (LICs) have achieved gender parity
At the secondary level only 15% of LICs have achieved gender parity
Over the period 2011-2020, more than 140 million girls will have become child brides, according to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); many will drop out of school

Educating and empowering women leads to economic development

Given labor market opportunities, an increase of just 1% of women who have completed secondary school can increase per capita income growth by 0.3%
When women’s participation in the labor market increased by 15% in Latin America over a decade, the rate of poverty decreased by 30%
According to the United Nations, economies in the developing world grow by 3% for every 10% increase in the number of women who receive secondary schooling
The average rate of return for educating a girl is 10% for each additional year of schooling, with returns highest in low and middle-income countries
If all girls completed 12 years of education, child marriage rates would drop by 64%

When women share positions of leadership entire communities are improved

The UNFPA has found that women’s empowerment and education are the single most effective strategies for reducing population growth
A World Bank study in Bangladesh showed that when women started small businesses to increase their income, they spent the money on improving the welfare of the family, including education for both girls and boys

Data gathered from the World Bank and The World Economic Forum. To learn more helpful statistics, please visit UN WOMEN’s Facts and Figures page.

Why Grassroots?

Globally, women experience oppression due to various forms of socio-cultural and structural disempowerment. This inequality manifests itself as domestic or sexual violence and restricts access to health, education, and employment opportunities.

Grassroots organizations deeply understand the needs of their communities because they are embedded within them. The organizations we partner with address these inequalities and solve real problems with their programs. Because our partners know their communities, we appeal to their expertise on how we can achieve our mutual goal of women’s empowerment together.

Working with grassroots partners allows us to meaningfully grow existing programs that enable local women to live better lives through greater access to training, support services, education, and financial opportunities.