How Supporting Women Benefits Us All

October 17th is International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, which is central to our work at RoHo. And when we think poverty alleviation, we think about the importance of focusing these efforts on women.

Studies have shown that when you invest and support women, everyone benefits. We wanted RoHo to have huge benefits for the communities in which we work, which is why we focus many of our efforts on working with women and supporting girls. Our scholarship program for example, is currently sending over 12 girls to quality schools. And investing in girls has far flung impact:

 According to the Malala Fund, Girls’ education strengthens economies and creates jobs, with potential to add up to $12 trillion to global growth.

When more girls go to school, communities are more stable, and recover faster after conflict. When a country gives all its children secondary education, they cut their risk of war in half. Education is vital for security around the world because extremism grows alongside inequality.

Educated girls are healthier citizens who raise healthier families. Educated girls are less likely to marry young or contract HIV  — and more likely to have healthy, educated children. Each additional year of school a girl completes cuts both infant mortality and child marriage rates.

Investing in girls’ education is good for the planet. The Brookings Institution calls secondary schooling for girls the most cost-effective and best investment against climate change. Research also suggests that girls’ education reduces a country’s vulnerability to natural disasters.

Today and everyday, thank you for continuing to support our powerful women artisans who are raising educated girls and supporting their families.

When WE support women, incredible things happen.