Change a Woman, Change the World

Written by Mary Welch Wednesday, February 10 2010

CARE gets it.

CARE, the Atlanta-based international humanitarian organization fighting global poverty, knows that if you really want to change the world, you do it one girl, one woman at a time. Because of that, it is placing a special focus on working alongside poor women to help them have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty.

Women are at the heart of CARE's community-based efforts to improve basic education, prevent the spread of HIV, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity, and protect natural resources. CARE also delivers emergency aid to survivors of war and natural disasters, and helps people rebuild their lives.

“We looked around at how best to help communities, and it is obvious that putting a strong emphasis on helping women and girls would dramatically help us achieve our goals,” says Cathy Woolard, executive vice president, global advocacy & external relations. “It is almost inherently understandable that the roots of a community and of a family belong to women. And, if you help a woman, you are helping a child, which means you’re sustaining a community for the future. We have a real opportunity.”

For JoDee Winterhof, vice president of CARE's policy and advocacy unit, the matter is very simple. “Empowering women is not only the right thing to do; it’s the best strategy for fighting global poverty,” she says. “CARE tackles underlying causes of poverty so that people can become self-sufficient. Recognizing that women and girls suffer disproportionately from poverty, CARE places special emphasis on working with women and girls to create permanent social change.

“Unfortunately, women and girls are faced with many obstacles that often prevent them from reaching their full potential,” Winterhof says. “In many parts of the world, oppression and human rights violations prevent women and girls from getting an education, accessing health care, or achieving financial stability. Without these basic rights, it’s hard for these women and girls to move forward on a path to success.”

The organization has three major programs that are aimed at girls and women:

Access Africa: In Asia and Latin America, CARE set up Village Savings and Loan Associations, which allow even very poor communities to start small businesses and lift their families and communities out of poverty. Over the next decade, CARE’s Access Africa program will reach 30 million people – 70 percent of them women – with a variety of basic financial services. With the entire household benefiting from these services, that’s 150 million people moving out of poverty.

In the African country of Niger, nearly 200,000 women have amassed $14 million through CARE’s Village Savings and Loan program.

“The model worked well elsewhere so we feel it will be perfect for Africa. The time is right there. We’re teaching women micro-financing – how to save for a group and how to lend money,” Woolard says.