Top 20 Reasons to Take Action In celebration of our 20th anniversary, here are the top 20 reasons why you should Take Action now to stop the violence, end poverty, and empower girls. You know helping women move out of violence and poverty creates a ripple effect. The benefits flow to their children, their neighbourhood, our economy—to everyone. You are appalled that every six days in Canada, on average, a woman is murdered by her husband or boyfriend. You believe tapping into women’s strengths—listening, collaboration, and emotional intelligence—creates better solutions to economic and social problems. You want to help poor children. The best way is to help their mother move out of poverty. In Canada, more than one million women are struggling to raise children on their own—these families are among the poorest in the country. You are passionate about social change, too. You love it that, every year, over 30,000 women and girls directly benefit from our programs. You trust your money will be wisely invested. All of our funding decisions are made by trained volunteers who scrutinize grant proposals, visit organizations that apply for funding, ask a lot of questions, then choose the best ones. You want to help women and girls who are most at risk, and who live in urban and rural communities with the fewest community resources. You agree with Rosemary Brown*, who famously said: “Until all of us have made it, none of us have made it.” You are proud one of the top ten women’s foundations in the world is right here in Canada. You feel confident because our work is guided by a wide range of experts. We consult with everyone from grassroots leaders to business people, from university professors to women and girls themselves. You know a girl who hates her body. You prefer solutions that are based on facts rather than anger or fear. Our strategies are based on best practices, the latest research, and advice from community experts. You want proof your money makes a difference. We evaluate all of our programs and publish the results. You’re impressed that we don’t depend on government funding. Almost all of our support comes from people and businesses that believe in our mission. Plus, we leverage every dollar through corporate partnerships. You love the idea of women joining together to help other women. You agree with our approach to give women and girls a “hand-up,” not a “hand-out.” You don’t consider women and girls to be a “special interest” group—they are over half of Canada’s population. When you improve their economic and social equality, we all benefit. You think positive, so you’re glad we take an “asset-based” approach. We invest in programs that help women learn to appreciate and build on their strengths, rather than fixate on their limitations. You want to make a long-term difference. We’re working to change the systems that cause the problems in the first place. *Rosemary Brown was one of the “founding mothers” of the Canadian Women’s Foundation. She was the first Black woman elected to provincial office in Canada, in British Columbia. In 1996, she was named an Officer of the Order of Canada. She was a life-long activist, feminist, opponent of racism, and champion of human rights. Rosemary passed away in 2003, but we continue to be inspired by her good humour and her passion for social justice.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:52:13 +0000
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