Help Eradicate Extreme Poverty

In Bangladesh, poverty has been halved in 20 years, and maternal mortality has fallen 75% since 1980. In Uganda, a program that taught financial skills to teenage girls had the remarkable result of reducing reported instances of forced sex by 83%.

How can we continue to get these results? By following the data, focusing on what works, and investing in women and girls -- like Moyna, pictured above, a community health worker in Bangladesh.

Research shows that investing in women’s capacity to learn and earn on an equal footing with men is the most cost-effective way to end poverty for millions. An organization called BRAC, formerly Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee, has been at the forefront of women’s empowerment for decades, using innovative models and metrics to bring education, healthcare, and livelihood opportunities to the poor on a scale never before seen.

There’s no single solution to poverty, but we know that empowering women and girls works best. Local women can be trained to become teachers and community health workers in villages and slums. They can spread awareness of reproductive rights. They can take loans to start their own businesses.

Pledge to support women and girls in developing countries as they defeat poverty for good.