Beyond FAMILY: Help Women, Help the World

Matt over at Empathy and Britt over at Have Fun * Do Good continue to teach me about inspiring organizations across the country and around the world. Two recent articles on their sites led me to discover the award-winning Women Thrive Worldwide (which is celebrating ten years of service) and one of its unique partners, Global Fund for Women (which is celebrating 20 years of service). I hope both WTW and the GFW will be helping women for many more years to come:

Women Thrive Worldwide “develops, shapes, and advocates for U.S. policies that foster economic opportunity for women living in poverty.” Due to its immense impact on international assistance and trade policies on women in poor countries, the United States is encouraged by WTW and its partners to create concrete, long-term results for women living in poverty.

While helping to ensure that U.S. international assistance and trade programs prioritize women, Women Thrive Worldwide also pushes U.S. legislators to address barriers such as unequal social and economic hardships that prevent women in poverty from earning a decent living and supporting their families. According to the WTW, women in poor countries use most of their income for food, healthcare, and education for children, efforts which—when supported—can lift entire communities out of poverty. As the WTW puts it: “By prioritizing women in programs the U.S. is already running—often by changing a few words in a piece of legislation—we can spread opportunity to millions of women and families living in poverty and help end poverty for good.”

Women Thrive Worldwide operates via a coalition of more than 25,000 individuals and more than 50 organizations such as CARE, Amnesty International, and the Global Fund for Women.

With offices in San Francisco and New York, the Global Fund for Women promotes women’s economic security, health, education, and leadership via “an international network of women and men committed to a world of equality and social justice.” It also “advocates for and defends women’s human rights by making grants to support women’s groups around the world.”

The GFW uses a flexible, responsive style of grantmaking that considers the varied challenges faced by women in different communities, cultures, religions, traditions, and countries. By taking into account a woman’s personal experiences, the GFW not only supports each client but honors her understanding of her needs as well as her ideas for potential solutions. This inherent appreciation for the individuals they serve and their unique situations allows the Global Fund for Women to achieve lasting change in the lives of many women and their families.

While donations are certainly sought by Women Thrive Worldwide and the Global Fund for Women, you can also help by shopping with these organizations’ on-line shopping supporters here and here.

Consider this terrific line from the WTW site: “When you teach a woman to fish, everybody eats.” Long-term poverty ends when women in poverty are empowered. Thanks to organizations like Women Thrive Worldwide and the Global Fund for Women, more women are receiving the assistance they need than they otherwise ever would. And thanks to thoughtful bloggers like Matt and Britt, more of us know what’s happening on these critical fronts—and how to help.

Photo © Monia Sbreni