Investing in women and girls is a proven and effective strategy to combat poverty and promote equality in impoverished communities.
- Investing in women’s leadership is critical to reducing poverty because improving women’s lives also improves the lives of their families and communities.
- Increases in female income improve child survival rates 20 times more than increases in male income.
- Women leaders have been shown to invest public resources more productively for the benefit of the entire community.
- Countries with higher proportions of women legislators have demonstrated better growth and governance
“Supporting women is one of the best ways to fight global poverty. Women grassroots leaders are on the frontlines tackling the toughest issues: hunger, violence, access to healthcare and education. By supporting their work as leaders, we can help them have greater impact and improve the lives of thousands in local communities.” - Mauricio Vivero, Executive Director of SIF.
In addition to its grantmaking programs, SIF advances its mission through special collaborations, innovative programs and events that convene experts and stakeholders around common goals and interests. Through these special initiatives, SIF advances its theory of change that lasting positive impact is best achieved by investing in local leadership, particularly to help raise the voice and increase the capacity of marginalized populations including youth, indigenous communities and women.
SIF supports a number of initiatives focused on empowering women, building leadership skills, and providing economic opportunities for their families and communities.
SIF currently supports four special initiatives focused specifically on women: