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Worldwide, over a billion people - 1 out of every 6 human beings —live in extreme poverty, surviving on less than $1 a day. In Nigeria, this is enough for a mother to buy one loaf of bread for her children....
In Nicaragua, this is enough for a woman to buy a bus ticket to get to work....
In India, this is enough for a girl to buy one notepad for school...
Most Americans can't imagine trying to feed their families, send their kids to school, or take care of relatives on only a dollar a day. But millions of mothers around the world are forced to do exactly that. Even though women are more likely to spend income on food and education for their children and, in many countries, produce the majority of the food supply, they face unequal barriers that prevent them from earning enough money to escape poverty. Giving women economic opportunity turns this cycle around.
Ritu carrying 40 pounds of fresh tomatoes grown by women in Terrabona, Nicaragua
| Year round, Women Thrive Worldwide advocates for policies that give women and mothers the economic opportunity they need to escape poverty. On February 24, in honor of International Women's Day, Ritu Sharma Fox, Women Thrive's President and Co-founder, left her home in Annapolis and traveled to Nicaragua where 831,000 people live on less 20 Cordovas, the equivalent of one U.S. dollar.
Once in Nicaragua Ritu, traveled to the rural region of Terrabona, which suffers from extreme poverty. In Terrabona, Ritu stayed with FEMUPROCAN, a local women's agriculture cooperative working to empower Nicaraguan women and their families. Keeping a diary, camera, and video camera, Ritu documented the lives of two extraordinary mothers, Leticia and Betilde, both struggling to survive on far less than 20 Cordovas, or one U.S. dollar, a day.
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| READ RITU'S DIARY
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