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Economic Opportunity
Economically empowering women lifts entire families, communities, and countries out of poverty. In fact, it is the best thing we can do to end world poverty. This is not only because women are at a greater risk of being poor, but also because research has shown that women in poor countries are more likely to spend their income on food, education, and healthcare for their children - giving families a lasting path out of poverty.

U.S. international assistance policies and programs can significantly increase economic opportunity for women in poor countries. But for this to happen, and for our assistance to reach women as well as men, they must address the unique economic barriers women in developing countries face -- barriers like unequal property rights, low wages and bad working conditions, and lack of access to credit. Unfortunately, many of our international assistance policies don't consider these barriers, and thus are less effective than they could be. Women Thrive Worldwide helps develop, shape, and advocate for international assistance policies that foster economic opportunity for women living in poverty.
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  1. Training Women Leaders to Empower Other Women: Edge in Ukraine

  2. Alaska Women Rally Around GROWTH

  3. What We Did This Summer: 29 Offices in 30 Days

    This August, Women Thrive continued to make progress in building momentum for the the GROWTH Act.

  4. Ohio Women Stand Up for the GROWTH Act

    This August, women from all over Ohio joined forces to speak out for women's economic opportunities, calling on their Senator to support the GROWTH Act. 

  5. How Women in Lesotho Got the Right to Own Property

    "Gender Analysis," which takes into account men and women's different roles in society before designing assistance programs, may seem obscure, but it can have a huge impact on women's daily lives. In Lesotho, for example, married women can now own property.

  6. Empower Women, Save Children’s Lives

  7. Support for GROWTH Act Doubles

    In the last month Edge has just about doubled our organizational support for the GROWTH Act!            

  8. Women Thrive Cosponsors Congressional Briefing on Global Women's Issues

  9. Women and Natural Disasters: Lessons for Reconstruction

  10. GROWTH Senate Briefing A Success

  11. Zambia: Unequal Property Rights and Violence Against Women Are Increasing HIV/AIDS

    High levels of gender-based violence (GBV) and unequal property rights for women are contributing to Zambia's HIV/AIDS crisis, according to a new Human Rights Watch report.

  12. ‘Banker to Poor Women’ Wins 2006 Nobel Peace Prize

  13. Economic Empowerment of Women Crucial to Making Headway Against AIDS Worldwide

  14. GROWTH Act Unveiled at Successful Public Event

  15. Introducing COMUCAP: Our Newest Local Partner in Honduras

  16. Women, Natural Disasters, and Reconstruction: An Overview

  17. Good News for Women's Rights: Poll Shows Majorities in All Countries Support Equal Rights

  18. Women Can End the Food Crisis

  19. National Public Radio's (NPR) Morning Edition: Women Thrive on MCC Cuts

  20. Women Thrive, NGO Community Preserve Millions for Poor Communities

  21. UN Urges World Leaders to Improve Maternal Health

  22. WFDA Summit Success: Over $1.4 Billion for Women and Girls

  23. "Africa's Last and Least": Women and the Food Crisis

  24. New Report: Transforming U.S. Foreign Aid for Women and Families

    Women Thrive and ICRW provide solutions for fixing our foreign assistance system.

  25. Burkina Faso Compact - Signed!

    How smart advocacy saved programs for girls empowerment and food production in one of the poorest countries in the world.

  26. Women Thrive at White House Summit

    Ritu Sharma, Women Thrive's President and Co-founder, speaks alongside the President and leaders from Washington and around the world at the White House Summit on International Development.

  27. All Over the Globe, Women are Victims of the Credit Crisis

    Ritu Sharma, Women Thrive's Co-founder and President, on how women around the world are being affected by the financial crisis. Also see her Op/Ed in the New York Daily News.

  28. The Financial Crisis: How Its Affecting Women Worldwide

  29. Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act Sends Message to World That Unequal Pay Is Not O.K.

    All over the world women are fighting for equality and economic opportunities. On January 29, 2009 the U.S. led by example with the passing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

  30. Women Thrive Welcomes the New Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act of 2009

    Urges speedy passage through House.

  31. Attacking Hunger at Its Roots: Help Women Farmers

    Hillary Clinton on why we need to invest in women's agriculture.

  32. Bill to End World Hunger Introduced in Congress

  33. Obama Enlists World Powers to Help Poor Farmers

    On the opening day of the G8's meeting in Italy, President Obama called on world powers to respond to the world hunger crisis by investing $15 billion to help poor farmers grow more food.

  34. Bipartisan GROWTH Bill, Promoting Women’s Economic Opportunity Worldwide, Introduced in Senate

  35. MCC Releases Gender Policy Review

  36. Women Thrive Welcomes the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009

  37. "Women Are Drivers of Positive Change" - Clinton's Op-Ed in City Press, SA

  38. FAO Warns of Another Food Crisis

    In an interview with Reuters, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization warns of another food crisis.

  39. How the President's 2011 Budget Affects Women

    Women Thrive Worldwide's analysis of President Obama's FY 2011 budget request.

  1. Shade Bembatoum-Young: Why I Support the GROWTH Act

    Shade Bembatoum Young has dedicated her life to help women in Nigeria escape poverty by starting and growing their own businesses. Learn why she supports the GROWTH Act.

  2. Shimu: 13, TV-star, and Struggling to Escape Poverty

    A Washington Post article about a young Bangladeshi star shows how critical women's economic opportunity is.

  3. How Simantoi Kilama Bought Her Family Shoes

    With determination, hard work, and the right tools, Simantoi Kilama went from growing up hungry in Kenya to earning enough money to buy her family shoes and food. Listen to Simantoi tell her story and hear how far empowering women can go.

  4. Julie Econtró: Bringing Credit, and Hope, to Women in the Philippines

    As a microfinance manager in the Philippines, Julie Econtró brings hope to hundreds of women living in poverty.

  5. Get to Know the "Women Who Light the Dark"

    An inspiring new book by photo-journalist Paola Gianturco shows us how women around the world are using their imaginations against all odds to solve their communities' most intractable problems.

  6. PBS Documentary Tells Wrenching Story of Women in ‘Maquilas’

  7. From Nicaragua: Women Who Live on a Dollar a Day

  8. Women Feed the World: Ritu's Diary from Burkina Faso

    This week, Ritu Sharma, Women Thrive's President and Co-founder, is in Burkina Faso trying to answer the question: is agriculture working for women and mothers in Africa? Read Ritu's diary from the field.

  9. For Women Like Betilde

  1. What You Can Do for World Habitat Day: Help Women Build Healthy Homes

    Millions of women worldwide do not have access to quality housing, which prevents them from lifting their families out of poverty. On October 1, World Habitat Day, join us in doing something about it!

  2. Earthquake in Peru: What You Can Do to Help

    How women are especially affected by natural disasters and what you can do to help.

  3. Stand Up and Speak Out For World Poverty Day

    October 17 is World Poverty Day. To honor this important day, Women Thrive is participating in Stand Up and Speak Out, a 24-hour worldwide call to take action against poverty and inequality.

  4. Blog About the GROWTH Act

  5. Tell Your Representative to Support the GROWTH Act!

    Help create opportunity for women living in poverty by asking your Representative to support the GROWTH Act! CLICK HERE.

  6. Vote Online to Make Fighting Global Poverty Priority for President-Elect Obama!

  7. Write a Letter to the Editor Calling for Foreign Assistance Reform!

    Below is a sample letter to the editor of your newspaper you can use. Feel free to be creative and let us know if you get published!

  8. Write an Op-Ed on Foreign Assistance Reform!

    Below is some sample text for your Op-Ed. Feel free to adjust it and add personal stories as you see fit. And don't forget to let us know if you get published!

  9. Take Action: Tell Congress to Pass the Preventing Child Marriage Act!

  10. Take Action on Foreign Aid Reform Today!

    Ask your Representative to support the new Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act of 2009 (HR 2139)!

  11. Action Alert: Tell Congress to Fund Poverty Reduction!

  1. Women Thrive Puts Women at Center of $2.3 Billion in International Assistance

  2. What We Did This Summer: 29 Offices in 30 Days

    This August, Women Thrive continued to make progress in building momentum for the the GROWTH Act.

  3. How Women in Lesotho Got the Right to Own Property

    "Gender Analysis," which takes into account men and women's different roles in society before designing assistance programs, may seem obscure, but it can have a huge impact on women's daily lives. In Lesotho, for example, married women can now own property.

  4. Real Change for Millions of Women: The New MCC Gender Policy

  5. Women Thrive, WFDA Secures Over $1 Billion in Committments to Women and Girls

  6. Women Thrive, NGO Community Preserve Millions for Poor Communities

  7. WFDA Summit Success: Over $1.4 Billion for Women and Girls

  8. Burkina Faso Compact - Signed!

    How smart advocacy saved programs for girls empowerment and food production in one of the poorest countries in the world.