When you empower women, you empower everyone
Note: if you’d like to learn a little bit more about the history of International Women’s Day, you can check out the official website. It’s humbling and empowering to realize how much things have changed since the days of our great-grandmothers. Look at what they did, all they accomplished and know that we, too have the power to create change.
When I started this site, I realized that I was extremely fortunate to have the means and education to be able to take full advantage of the opportunity presented to me. I can remember times in my life where I would have had to let it pass by because I wouldn’t have had the resources necessary to make a go of it. With that in mind, one of the first things I did with that first revenue check was make a microfinance loan to a woman entrepreneur through Kiva.org. I can think of no better way to show my gratitude than to give another woman a hand up.
Why do I, and many other microfinance lenders focus on women? After all, I’m the mother of five sons; shouldn’t my giving be unbiased by sex? I’ll tell you why: when you empower women, you strengthen communities, families and children.
From Kiva.org:
Why do so many MFIs focus on women?”
Microfinance programs have generally targeted poor women. By providing access to financial services only through women-making women responsible for loans, ensuring repayment through women, maintaining savings accounts for women, providing insurance coverage through women-microfinance programs send a strong message to households as well as to communities.
Many qualitative and quantitative studies have documented how access to financial services has improved the status of women within the family and the community. Women have become more assertive and confident. In regions where women’s mobility is strictly regulated, women have become more visible and are better able to negotiate the public sphere. Women own assets, including land and housing, and play a stronger role in decision making.
In some programs that have been active over many years, there are even reports of declining levels of violence against women.”
One of the most popular prizes I give out on the forums are Kiva gift certificates. There is a lot of excitement whenever I post that another payment has been made towards our group loan and I hope that our entrepreneur knows that there are several hundred women across the globe cheering her and her family on.
This International Women’s Day, I’d like for us all to take a minute to think of things that we can do to empower each other. It doesn’t necessarily have to involve giving money, you could:
- Volunteer your time or services. Could you teach a class? Help provide child care? Tutor? Help set up a blog? Edit a newsletter?
- If you have gently used business attire, consider donating to Dress For Success.
- Vote. I don’t care who you vote for, but make sure your voice is heard. For information on candidate’s stands on women’s issues, see The League of Women Voters.
- Be an active part of another woman’s support system. I’ve written about how empowering my Go Group is and I’ve started a forum of the same name on my board. Could you be a part of somebody’s Go Group? I surely think you can!
That’s just a few of the ways I can think of. What can you do to help empower women? Empowering yourself counts, too!
(Note: I did this post as a part of Bloggers Unite. To read more International Women’s Day posts, check out their page)
