Being Tough as Her in the Developing World

The problem: women make up half of the world's population and yet represent a staggering 70% of the world's poor. We live in a world in which women living in poverty face the obstacle of gross inequalities and injustice from birth to death.

In many developing countries, when a boy is born, friends and relatives rush to offer congratulations. A son means insurance. He will inherit his father's property and get a job to help support the family.

When a girl is born, the reaction is very different. Some women weep when they find out their baby is a girl because, to them, a daughter is another expense. Her place will be in the home, not in the world of men.

In some parts of India, it's traditional to greet a family with a newborn girl by saying, "The servant of your household has been born."

The developing world is full of poverty-stricken families who see their daughters as an economic problem. That attitude has resulted in the widespread neglect of baby girls in Africa, Asia, and South America.

In many communities, it's a regular practice to breastfeed girls for a shorter time than boys. As a result, girls miss out on life-giving nutrition during a crucial window of their development- which stunts their growth and weakens their resistance to disease.

Statistics show that the neglect continues as they grow up. Young girls receive less food, healthcare and fewer vaccinations overall than boys.

For the young girls who escape these pitfalls and grow up relatively safely, daily life is still incredibly hard. School might be an option for a few years, but most girls are pulled out at age 9 or 10 when they're useful enough to work all day at home.

Instead of studying, girls and women are responsible for housework. Housework in developing countries consists of continuous, difficult physical labor. She is likely to work from before daybreak until the light drains away.

She walks barefoot long distances several times a day carrying heavy buckets of water, most likely polluted, just to keep her family alive.

She cleans, grinds corn, gathers fuel, tends to the fields, and prepares meals until she sits down to her own after all the men in the family have eaten.

Most families can't afford modern appliances, so her tasks must be done by hand—crushing corn into meal with heavy rocks, scrubbing laundry against rough stones, kneading bread and cooking gruel over a blistering open fire.

There is no time left in the day to learn to read and write or to spend time with friends. She collapses exhausted each night, ready to wake up the next morning to start another long workday.

But there is hope. Together, we can help close these serious gender gaps.

Investing in the of health, economics, education, and equality for girls and women creates a ripple effect of positive outcomes throughout their communities.

Be part of Her better future today. Pray, share and raise funds to help change Her life. Here are four things you can do.

Help women become business leaders Evidence shows that women in Africa re- invest about 90 percent of their income back into their households compared to between 30 and 40 percent for men.

Giving women the knowledge and skills they need to run successful farms and businesses is an efficient way to strengthen poor families.

Help them grown more and better food Women produce between 60 and 80 percent of the food in most developing countries, despite having less access to land and credit than men do.

Providing smallholder farmers with the tools and training they need to raise quality and yields is one of the best ways to increase food production in countries prone to hunger.

Help women rebuild after conflicts Women are particularly vulnerable in times of conflict, even as their role as providers becomes more important than ever.

Easing their return home by giving them the tools and training they need to rebuild can kick-start the recovery process for an entire community.

Help women and their daughters get an education Two thirds or the approximately 75 million children denied an education around the world are girls.

Yet studies show that educated women have healthier children, who are more likely to live longer and attend schools themselves. Educating women is thus an important first step towards beating poverty and hunger.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about women and girls in the developing world! If you and your church members want to donate or learn more about how you can help women and girls in the developing world, visit us at today. You can also call us at or