Women and Girls Women and Girls

When one woman overcomes poverty, she brings four others with her

When one woman overcomes poverty, she brings four others with her

CARE HomeWhat We DoWomen and Girls

Women and girls bear the brunt of poverty.

Too often girls miss out on school and women face violence. Many women all over the world don’t have secure, paid jobs, and die needlessly during pregnancy and childbirth. Forced early marriages and a general social attitude against women make them vulnerable to injustice.

Women everywhere bear an unfair share of household work. Women also don’t have access to important skills that could help them play a role in freeing communities from poverty.

We want to create a world more equal for women and girls. Your support will go to countries where women don’t have equal opportunities.

Fast facts

  • 60% of the world’s working poor are women
  • 90% of countries have at least one law that discriminates against women
  • 1 in 5 women will be a victim of rape or attempted rape in her lifetime
  • 1 in 9 girls in developing countries is forced into marriage before her 15th birthday
  • In every region, women do the bulk of unpaid work such as caregiving and household tasks

Some of our key projects

Why empower women and girls?

We cannot overcome poverty until all people have equal rights and opportunities. That’s why we put women and girls at the heart of our work. It’s a wise investment, because our experience shows that when women are healthy and educated, their families will be too. And when women earn money, they invest it in the health and education of their children and families. When one woman escapes poverty, she will bring four others with her – that’s a powerful way to create lasting change.

How is CARE empowering women and girls?

CARE empowers women and girls to build a more equal world. We actively help women to earn more income, prevent violence, get basic services and gain more learning opportunities.

Our programs support women so that they can have income-earning skills and own assets like livestock. We also help them with access to microfinance. CARE is committed to helping poor women and girls out of violence in families and workplaces. Women are getting better leadership skills through our work in many countries of the world.

Helping women earn an income and own assets

In Niger and Cambodia, we are helping women save money in groups and get loans, so that they can set up businesses and cover livelihood expenses. Read more about our signature project with village saving groups.

In Myanmar, we’re assisting women to set up livestock banks. In Timor-Leste women are building roads through a CARE project and using their income to buy cows and start small businesses. We have vocational training programs for women in many countries.

Creating awareness of women’s legal rights

We educate women about their legal rights. We also work with employers to ensure women’s rights are respected. CARE’s programs across the Mekong region, including the EMERGE program, help ensure migrant women can be in safe jobs and can exercise their rights.

In Nepal, our ‘Reflect Centers’ provide useful meeting places for women to learn about their rights and challenge caste discrimination.

Leadership and life skills for women

We are proud of our Leftemap-Sista project in Vanuatu where girls are trained to earn an income and make decisions about their own lives without the constant fear of violence.

Some of our significant work includes literacy, numeracy, and life-skills training to women in Laos. We have helped set up village-based clubs in Vietnam where female farmers share broader social issues. In Timor-Leste, women are receiving training on conflict resolution, and getting ready to play a critical role in the peace process.

Discussing with men and women around their roles

In many countries, men and boys are part of our work. Our programs in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo include forums for men and women to discuss issues that contribute to violence against women. In Burundi, we are supporting a movement of male activists across the country. These activists abandoned violence and now share their personal stories of positive change with the community.

Health services for women

In countries such as Bangladesh and Timor-Leste, we are working hard to make sure that women don’t die unnecessary deaths during pregnancy and childbirth. Our work worldwide is helping women get basic health services and understand reproductive health, HIV prevention and maternal health.

Education for girls as well as boys

One of our notable work is in Cambodia where girls from ethnic minority families are going to school for the first time. We have been supporting education in Afghanistan for more than 19 years.

Other Resources and Highlights