Change a Girl to Change the World

Money pumped in for a worthy cause like women empowerment, is the most effective way to change the world, says research. If you’re a philanthropist that wishes to see change and has money to spend, spend it on an organization that will bolster women and girls.

Right now, this also happens to be group with as much of a lack of attention, as the potential it holds. Women, that constitute just a little over half of the world’s population, make up 60 percent of the hungry. And violence is a bigger killer for women than cancer, road accidents and malaria combined.
According to Gillian R. Howell, Managing Director, Philanthropic Solutions group, U.S. Trust in a Bank of America Article; gifts to women will have a trickle-down effect in over all societal welfare “Improving the life of a female creates benefits and opportunities for her extended family, future generations and even the larger community in which she lives. That, almost by definition, is high-impact philanthropy” — in other words, just the kind of focused, effective effort that many wealthy donors favor today.

Under the umbrella cause of women empowerment, girls’ education is a noteworthy arena. The Girl Effect campaign, created by Nike in 2008, found that seven or more years of education will delay a girl’s marriage by four years and also lead them to have two fewer children, thereby limiting her economic burden,” Howell says. “When 10% more girls go to secondary school, the country’s economy grows by 3%.”

And as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had inculcated through a speech to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women: “When women are given the opportunity of education and access to healthcare, their families and communities prosper. And when women have equal rights, nations are more stable, peaceful, and secure.”

Fortifying a woman’s career may also be the path leading an entire family out of poverty, as women invest 90 percent of their incomes in their families, compared to men who invest 35 to 40.

A family in Africa
Picture By: The Guardian

Besides, propping women up financially may also destroy this disturbing paradox: Women are known to indulge in philanthropy and charity twice as much as men- and driven by empathy, rather than tax benefits.

Claire M. Costello, National Practice Executive, Philanthropic Solutions group, U.S. Trust. calls this “an intriguing juxtaposition” in the Bank of America Article. “Women are at the forefront of philanthropy in this country. And at the same time, they are disproportionately affected by harmful social and environmental conditions around the world.”

Howell notes that opportunities for giving to women have expanded greatly since the country’s first women’s fund, Ms. Foundation for Women, was founded in 1972, and today “there are almost 150 women’s funds in the Women’s Funding Network, a network dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls,” she says.

The decision on where to focus one’s philanthropy is highly personal. It relates to one’s passions, values, interests and beliefs, according to Howell. Thus, dedicating a certain amount of research to a worthy cause that will bear fruit is the best combination of your passion, empathy and wealth.

Original Source: Bank of America

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