Women’s empowerment legislation in Congress

November 26, 2007

Women in Pakistan benefit from an income-generation program run by the Lower Sindh Rural Development Association

Photo: CWS-Pakistan

As the 110th Congress nears the end of its first session, development and faith-based organizations are making a push to pass international humanitarian legislation. One piece of important legislation is the Global Resources and Opportunities for Women to Thrive Act, or GROWTH Act.

The GROWTH Act supports lifting women and their families out of poverty in developing countries through education and access to microfinance. The passage of this bill would put the U.S. government in a position to promote the rights of women throughout the world.

The bill promotes micro-enterprise development assistance and support for women’s small-and medium-sized enterprises, property and land rights, and access to and equality in employment. It encourages trade benefits for women, promotes entrepreneurial exchanges between the United States and women in developing countries, and establishes a fund to enhance economic opportunities for poor and low-income women in developing countries.

As Rita Shama, of Women’s Edge has said, “Women are the canary in the mine. Where their rights are limited, the rights of the rest of society are in danger.”

Church World Service works directly with local partners around the world on behalf of women’s empowerment. For example, CWS is partnered with Lower Sindh Rural Development Association (LSRDA) on an income generating program in Pakistan. LRSDA is organizing women into self-help groups to boost self esteem and educate them on how to operate their own businesses. Assistance is given through loans to many women at the end of their training. This type of program is what the GROWTH Act is working to develop and improve.

CWS and its partners also empower women through micro-credit in Pakistan, a blanket project in Bangladesh, psycho-social and legal counseling in Laos, a sewing center in Mozambique, and by improving literacy and addressing the socio-economic needs of Maasai women in Kenya.

The GROWTH Act, through the Director of United States Foreign Assistance, establishes a GROWTH Fund to be used for enhancing economic opportunities for poor and low-income women in developing countries. By passing the GROWTH ACT, Congress establishes a goal for directing more of the resources of our country toward the vital work of women’s empowerment and equality.

Email Congress on the GROWTH Act and read more about H.R.2965 and S.2069.