INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: 15 million reasons to celebrate

World Vision has been a leader in gender equality work for decades. It’s integrated into everything we do, because we know that when women and girls gain equal access and opportunity, everyone wins. Thanks to our dedicated donors’ and partners’ investments over the last six years, more than 15 million women and girls around the world can now live stronger, safer, and more productive lives. And every last one of them has a name and a story.

Since 2016:

• More than 11 million girls and women like Esperance have gained access to clean water close to home, significantly reducing the time they spend walking and hauling water.

“People look up to me and I have dignity. I am a strong woman. Thanks to World Vision and clean water, there are a lot of strong women here.” — Esperance, Rwanda

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• Nearly 1.8 million women and girls like Daicy have benefited from programs that educated community members, increased protection, and challenged harmful cultural norms like child marriage.

“[I] realize that as a girl I am first a child of God, [then] a valuable member of the community and the world.” — Daicy, Kenya

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• More than 2 million women like Ireen in Malawi have gained access to financial services, savings groups, agricultural training, technology, and markets.

In just two years, Ireen increased her own income more than 20-fold, and her husband has new respect for her as an equal.

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• Over 477,000 women of child-bearing age like Doreen have gained vital information about healthy pregnancies and child-raising and access to maternal and child health services.

“Rhoda, my community health worker, is my hero. … Just as she has saved my life and my babies’, I can also save lives through the things I have learned from her.” —Doreen, Zambia

Third party evaluation shows women’s lives have improved

As an organization committed to learning, improvement, and transparency, World Vision commissions external evaluations of our work. TANGO International completed the most recent study of our economic empowerment model, Transforming Household Resilience in Vulnerable Environments (THRIVE), which revealed significant improvement for women:

• Women joined in income generation and decision-making, and husbands and wives showed more positive relationships.
• Women were empowered economically, having their own money, savings, and income sources.
• Domestic violence decreased.
• Men in the community increasingly saw women as capable leaders.

We know that when girls and women gain equal access and opportunity, everyone wins. Children are better cared for, families are stronger, and communities are more prosperous. Together, we’re equipping millions of women and girls to change the trajectory of their lives, empowering them to overcome the barriers that keep them from productive and fulfilled lives. And we’ll continue, with your partnership.

Help us continue this life-changing work

Every day, World Vision is working in communities worldwide to challenge inequalities and harmful cultural norms that hold women back. Today, you can join us in this work and double your impact for women’s empowerment: Thanks to a generous $12 million matching gift, every dollar you give to the Strong Women Strong World™ Fund will be doubled.

Let’s celebrate International Women’s Day together and keep the progress going. Because when women and girls’ God-given potential is unleashed, extreme poverty doesn’t stand a chance.