"Together Women Rise"

Opening Words

Envision a world where every person has the same opportunities to thrive no matter their gender or where they live. Women’s rights are human rights, and every woman and girl deserve the opportunity to live freely, pursue her dreams, and reach her full potential.

Reading

In 2015, recognizing the global nature of challenges like poverty, inequality, and climate change, UN Member states universally adopted the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Resolving to meet these matters head-on, the international community set forth an ambitious vision for the future.

The agenda encompasses three core elements: economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental protection. Together, these interconnected principles form the basis of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which provide a blueprint for progress across all areas of life.

The UN Sustainability Goal #5 reads:

Achieve Gender Equality and Empower all Women and Girls.

The world is not on track to achieve gender equality by 2030. At the current rate it will take

-300 years to end child marriage

-286 years to close gaps in legal protection and remove discriminatory laws

-140 years to achieve equal representation in leadership in the workplace.

Sermon

Together Women Rise, then Dining for Women, was founded in Greenville, SC in 2003 by Marsha Wallace and Barb Collins – These passionate women launched a global movement that harnesses the collective action of people who share the vision for an equitable world for all.

A mother of four and a former obstetrics nurse and educator, Marsha Wallace was at a crossroads in her life when the idea for Together Women Rise originated. She felt increasingly compelled to find a way to make a difference in the world. In the fall of 2002, she read an article about a group of friends who met for potluck dinners and collected donations for needy families using the money they would have otherwise spent in restaurants. Marsha was struck by the idea of using “dining out dollars” to help others. On her birthday in January 2003, she invited some friends to her home to celebrate, a hat was passed and $750 was raised for Women International, a nonprofit that supports marginalized women affected by war and conflict.

Barb Collins’ invitation to her neighbor’s birthday party was the first of many serendipitous moments in Together Women Rise’s history. Barb was raised by a father who taught her that true leadership begins with a code of personal values and a commitment to living to serve others. Barb devoted her career to working in the nonprofit sector and, after a life-altering trip to Tanzania, a flame lingered in Barb for reaching across the oceans to keep opening doors of opportunity for the remarkable women she met. In 2003, when invited to Marsha Wallace’s unusual birthday party, Barb’s passion and experience merged into her calling.

The collaboration between Marsha and Barb led to the founding of Together Women Rise and a wave of eye-opening education and awareness that spread across the country, making significant positive changes for women and girls across the globe. Together Women Rise received its 501(c)3 status in 2004. In 2005, the organization was included in a “New Ventures in Philanthropy” study on giving circles –and partnerships with the Peace Corps, UNICEF, and Michelle Obama’s Let Girls Learn initiative.

In 2014, Marsha and Barb were awarded the Everyday Freedom Heroes Award from the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, OH.

The Together Women Rise Grants Program has two key components that support our overall mission to achieve global gender equality. Featured Grants are largely focused on delivering direct services by funding grassroots organizations that empower and support women and girls in low-income and marginalized communities in the Global South. You can see examples of these featured grantees scrolling across the screen.

Featured Grants may include:

Project grants to fund a specific project or a particular deliverable for a specific timeframe; or

General Operations grants cover an organization’s day-to-day, ongoing expenses, such as salaries, utilities, office supplies, and more; or

Capacity-building grants strengthen an organization’s systems and thereby increase its effectiveness.

Our Transformation Partnerships are designed to invest in areas where we can make the biggest impact on achieving global gender equality by addressing the root causes of gender inequality. Some of these partnerships include Shared Interest- Investing in Southern Africa which works directly with financial institutions to change how the banking system services women entrepreneurs. Another partnership is Equality Now. Together Women Rise has awarded a partnership grant for $100,000 per year for two years (2023 and 2024) to support Equality Now’s work to achieve legal gender equality, end harmful practices, end sexual violence, and end sexual exploitation.

Charity Navigator gives Together Women Rise a 100% 4-star rating. 65% of its revenue comes directly from chapter donations, with the bulk of the rest from fundraising campaigns. In the 2023 financial report (which can be viewed on their website), 79% of Rise’s revenue went directly to the Featured and Transformation Partnerships. This includes the grant itself and any costs in managing the programs. 10% went to mission support in the form of administrative costs including rent, insurance, financial management, and the final 11% towards fundraising support which includes donor development and brochures like you’ll find on the back table after the service.

IN 2023 Featured grants directly impacted 25,913 women and girls in 12 countries with an indirect impact of 733,391 family and community members.

Here are our Global Issues:

The value of investing in girls’ education

Investing in Girls’ Education Benefits Everyone

Education is a basic human right for all girls, and investing in girls’ education is a smart investment with far-reaching benefits for girls and society at large. Benefits include:

Increased Income and Economic Growth – Because of the large gender gap in education, increasing education for girls has a stronger impact on a country’s educational attainment than simply increasing education for all. This, in turn, increases a country’s labor force participation, total earnings, standard of living, economic growth, and poverty reduction.

Reduced Child Marriage, Early Pregnancy, and Fertility – Educating girls delay the age at which girls marry and have children, helping to break the cycle of poverty. It also reduces total fertility and population growth, which can be an economic impediment in the Global South.

Improved Health Outcomes – Educating girls improves the health outcomes of girls and their families, especially if they are informed about nutrition, healthcare, and family planning. Because it delays the age at which girls have children, it also leads to healthier pregnancies and lower rates of infant and maternal mortality.

Enhanced Female Empowerment and Civic Engagement – By educating girls, they gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to make informed decisions about their lives, health, and future. They are better equipped to challenge gender norms and advocate for their rights. They are more likely to participate in civic and political life, leading to more inclusive and representative governance.

If all girls completed primary education, it is estimated that child marriage would drop by 14 percent, and if all girls completed secondary education, child marriage would drop by 64 percent

Gains Have Been Made, But They Have Been Uneven and Incomplete

Impressive gains have been made in girls’ primary and secondary education relative to boys in the Global South. Prior to the pandemic, girls’ enrollment in primary and lower secondary schools had almost reached parity with boys’ enrollment. These overall trends, however, hide significant gender gaps in education. These gaps include:

Access to Education Still Remains a Problem – In many countries, girls still face significant barriers to education due to factors such as poverty, distance to schools, and cultural norms that prioritize boys’ education over girls’.

Completion Rates Lag Behind – Even when girls enroll in school, completion rates are lower for girls compared to boys. Factors such as early marriage, pregnancy, household responsibilities, and gender-based violence often force girls to drop out of school before completing their education.

Quality of Education Needs to be Improved – Girls tend to receive a lower quality of education compared to boys due to factors such as gender bias in teaching materials and curriculum, lack of female teachers as role models, and inadequate facilities, particularly regarding sanitation and menstrual hygiene management.

Translating Education into Paid Employment – Girls tend to have a more difficult time than boys translating their education into paid employment in the formal economy.

So how does Rise work? Through our Featured Grants Program, we highlight a different organization/project each month, Rise provides a variety of learning materials on the issue and how the grant will be used.

We gather at my or a member’s home, and after a social time I introduce the month’s topic. We watch a video that further explains the month’s grantee and then have time for discussion. This is followed by a potluck dinner- probably the most impressive potluck you can imagine, as most members take the time to research and prepare a dish native to the country we are supporting. Kachumbari, Samosa, Jollof Rice, Momo, and Queen Cake. Members of Rise have open minds and palate! As education is the primary goal, there is no set financial obligation, rather attendees give what they can from their hearts.

The Featured Grantee for June this year was the Kula Project in Rwanda.

The Kula Project is working to eradicate poverty through development of entrepreneurs in Rwanda’s coffee communities. Coffee- something near and dear to our hearts! The $50,000 operations grant will fund a 15-month Kula Fellowship to equip farmers with training and tools, increase coffee production, support diversified revenue streams, and offer personal mentorships.

The life challenges of women in Rwanda are- extreme poverty and limited opportunity to escape it, gender-based violence, lack of education access, and limited access to credit and resources.

We will now view a 4 minute video of the coffee farmers in Rwanda.

I’ll end with these words.

Together Women Rise When:

-every girl can get an education

-quality health care is accessible to all women

-gender-based violence is eliminated

-women have equal economic opportunities

-there are no more child brides

-women have a seat at the table and equal representation in all governments

-The stories of women and girls are heard, and we come together to create a more equal, just, and sustainable world.

Sally Davol