While there have been many widespread discussions about women this year, it’s a great time to let your actions speak louder than words and donate to causes that are making a difference in the lives of women around the world. Here are some hard-working nonprofits working to empower women:
- Too Young To Wed. Many brides worldwide are still children themselves, and they often become mothers in their early teens—with profound negative consequences. Too Young To Wed aims to protect girls rights and end child marriage worldwide. tooyoungtowed.org
- WorldReader. Literacy increases earnings potential, decreases inequality and improves health outcomes, yet there are 740 million illiterate people in the world and 250 million children who lack basic reading and writing skills. WorldReader has a special focus on literacy among girls and women. worldreader.org
- Village Enterprise supports entrepreneurship to end extreme poverty, with a special emphasis on helping women. The nonprofit equips people living in poverty in rural Africa to start sustainable businesses and savings groups. villageenterprise.org
- Feminist Approach to Technology envisions a world where the use of technology is gender-neutral—where all women have equal opportunities to learn, use and create technology, regardless of academic background, economic status or geographical location. fat-net.org
- The Grateful Garment Project works to ensure that all victims of sexual crimes who receive services from a sexual violence service provider are provided with whatever new clothing, toiletries, snacks and other items they may require. gratefulgarment.org
- Not For Sale has fed, housed and educated hundreds of thousands of people affected by human trafficking and forced labor. It has also started and partnered with businesses to improve the lives of exploited people worldwide: beyond food, shelter and medical care. notforsalecampaign.org
- GLAAD works with print, broadcast and online news sources to bring people powerful stories from the LGBT community that build support for equality and ensure accurate and diverse representations of LGBT people. glaad.org
- The National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center provides national leadership to ending gender-based violence in indigenous communities through educational materials and programs, direct technical assistance, and the development of local and national policy that builds the capacity of indigenous communities and strengthens the exercise of tribal sovereignty. niwrc.org
And let us not forget our local nonprofit groups! Keep your dollars close to home and visit peoriamagazines.com/community-impact to learn more about the Community Foundation of Central Illinois’ Women's Fund, Girls on the Run, Girl Scouts of Central Illinois, Junior League of Peoria and other groups working to empower women and girls in our community every day. iBi
