Your personal contributions will have a great impact on reforming international trade. By donating to Women Thrive Worldwide, you will be actively and directly supporting the work we do to improve U.S. trade policy to benefit women all around the world.

Stay abreast of all the work we’re doing here to combat global trade inequality and be the first to learn of opportunities to take action.

Chandaben Shroff is one of the amazing twenty women profiled (and adapted here) in Stephen P. Huyler’s new book, Daughters of India: Art and Identity (Abbeville Press). Visually stunning with insightful narratives, Daughters of India paints a portrait of Indian womanhood rarely seen by the western world.

Eugenia Akuete grew up in Ghana surrounded by poverty.  Now she is earning an income and teaching other women to do the same by producing and selling shea butter to the U.S.

Despite the best efforts of the Women Thrive community and the GROWTH coalition, the clock ran out on the Global Resources and Opportunities for Women to Thrive Act during the 111th Congress.  We remain committed to finding the best strategy to ensure economic opportunities for women around the world and are in talks right now about how best to build on our tremendous strides for 2011.

On May 24, 2007 Rosella Brevetti wrote the following article in the International Trade Reporter calling for a revamp of trade preference programs.

China's aid to Africa is increasing sharply. But not everyone sees this as a good thing.

Women Thrive Worldwide's latest report analyzes the role of women in food production worldwide and the unique barriers they face in accessing global markets. Amidst skyrocketing food prices, the report highlights the experiences of small-scale women farmers and makes policy recommendations as to how they can be better equipped to feed a growing world.

On July 12 2007, Women Thrive testified before the U.S. House of Representatives on the importance of keeping and improving the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), an important U.S. Trade Preference Program that has helped many African countries trade with the U.S. and create jobs for the poor. AGOA has helped create thousands of jobs in clothing and textiles industries -– 45,000 jobs in Swaziland, 26,000 in Lesotho, and 30,000 in Kenya.  Ninety percent of these jobs have gone to women with few other opportunities.

On May 17, 2007 Women Thrive Worldwide brought the needs of women living in poverty in the developing world straight to U.S. decision-makers by advocating before the Senate Finance Committee on the importance of extending trade preference programs.

Working collaboratively with the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA), in 2004, Women Thrive Worldwide assessed the economic and legal/regulatory impact of trade liberalization on Jamaica’s poor and forecasted the potential effects of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTTA) on those living in poverty in Jamaica, particularly women.

In 2002, Women Thrive Worldwide developed the Trade Impact Review (TIR), a rigorous yet accessible framework that would enable trade negotiators, governments, and others to forecast the potential benefits and drawbacks of a trade agreement before the agreement is ratified. The TIR framework assesses the direct and indirect economic effects of a change in trade or investment policy as well as the legal and regulatory changes or conflicts that a new trade policy may pose. Using this tool, policymakers can expand on the areas where the poor will benefit and modify trade language that would harm the poor, particularly women.

On February 23, the Huffington Post published this OpEd by Ritu Sharma, President and Co-founder of Women Thrive Worldwide. Ritu applauds the recent creation of UN Women, a new United Nations agency to promote global women's equality.

On November 15, Washington Women's Weekly published an interview with Women Thrive President, Ritu Sharma, in which she speaks about how Women Thrive Worldwide was established, the organization's coalition work, as well as her role as a lobbyist, president, and a mother.

February 2009. Ritu Sharma, Women Thrive's president and co-founder, was interviewed by Natural Solutions magazine! She talks about Women Thrive's work, how she chose her career path, and the incredible opportunity we have as Americans to improve the lives of women worldwide. Read the article here.

On January 16, 2009, Ritu Sharma, Women Thrive Worldwide's President and Co-founder, appeared on News Channel 8News Channel 8, where she discussed the significance of Hillary Clinton's confirmation hearings.

On October 22, 2008 The New York Daily News published this Op-Ed by Co-founder and President of Women Thrive Worldwide, Ritu Sharma, discussing the effects of the economic crisis on women around the world.

On September 6, 2008, Women Thrive Worldwide, along with Oxfam America, the German Marshall Fund and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace warned that revoking or reducing trade benefits would hurt U.S. companies who benefit from access to lower-priced foreign goods under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) trade-benefits program.

On May 25, 2007 Inside U.S. Trade quoted Women's Edge Coalition on the topic of trade preference programs.

On March 23, Reuters quotes Edge's Senior VP for Global Trade, Katrin Kuhlmann, on a proposal to provide one hundred percent access to U.S. markets for Least Developed Countries,  without duties or quotas.

June 20, 2006 - The Global Resources and Opportunities for Women to Thrive Act (GROWTH Act of 2006), which offers a visionary blueprint for economic empowerment of women worldwide, will be introduced into the House of Representatives by Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). 

World Ark -- a publication of Heifer International: Article by Ritu Sharma, Co-Founder and President, (January/February 2006 issue) on the impact of empowering women on their communities.

On September 17, 2005 Abid Aslam wrote the following article for OneWorld US on the recent U.N. Summit. 

On December 5, 2005 Women's Edge Coalition member and donot Jacqueline Mann wrote this Op-Ed published in the New York Journal News.

On September 20, 2005, Shirin wrote for Inter Press Service on the World Bank's new call for market driven equality. 

Overall humanitarian and development assistance was increased by approximately $1.84 billion over 2006 levels to more than $10 billion in the President’s 2007 Budget request to Congress which was made public on February 6, 2006 . However, international development programs crucial to poor women around the world will see significant cuts in U.S. funding next year if President Bush’s budget for 2007, is adopted by Congress.

The August 2010 issue of Teen Vogue featured twenty-five-year-old Rachel Weeks, a former Women Thrive intern, who described how her research and experience at Women Thrive inspired her to create her own apparel line bringing ethical fashion to college campuses nationwide.

On May 14, 2010, Lifetime Television honored Ritu Sharma, President and Co-Founder of Women Thrive Worldwide, as part of their series, Lifetime Celebrates Remarkable Women.

On May 4, 2010, on BusinessWeek.com, Ritu Sharma discussed how and why we need to go beyond microfinance to help women escape poverty.

On January 27th, Ritu Sharma, president and co-founder of Women Thrive Worldwide, spoke to PBS' Tavis Smiley show about Hillary Clinton's leadership on global women's issues.

January 25, 2010 - Women Thrive Worldwide analysis was quoted by Charlotte Bunch during her discussion on women's rights across the globe. 

On November 11, 2009, Washington Post published an op-ed by Ritu Sharma, Women Thrive's president and Co-founder, in which she discusses what a real woman leader is like.

On April 29, 2009, Ritu Sharma, Women Thrive's President and Co-founder, appeared on Fox News' Strategy Room to discuss how empowering women ends poverty. Watch the video!

On May 29, 2008, Business Wire published this article on the new Pax World Women's Advisory Council, of which Women Thrive's co-founder and president Ritu Sharma Fox is a member.

On April 14, 2008 an alliance of women from government, advocacy groups, faith-based organizations and Hollywood launched a major anti-poverty campaign to help poor women and girls around the world.

On October 24, 2008, Shop the Cause appeared in Grit, a bimonthly magazine on rural America.

On May 24, 2007 Rosella Brevetti wrote the following article in the International Trade Reporter calling for a revamp of trade preference programs.

Investments in Women and Girls Recognized as Key to Economic Growth and Stability at the U.N Millennium Goals Summit.

The bipartisan GROWTH Bill that promotes women’s economic opportunity worldwide was introduced in the House today.

Women Thrive welcomes the nomination of Daniel W. Yohannes as the new CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

New ICRW, Women Thrive Worldwide white paper supports foreign aid overhaul and urges placing investments in women at the core

Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen will take part in a press conference on GROWTH Act and Women's Fund Annual Luncheon.

WASHINGTON - The top Washington diplomat for Jamaica commended the Women’s Edge Coalition for releasing a study illustrating how free trade agreements impacted Jamaican women and pledged to share the findings with high-level government officials.

The Women's Edge Coalition released the study, The Effects of Trade Liberalization on Jamaica's Poor: An Analysis of Agriculture and Services, on June 10 at the Embassy of Jamaica.

MIAMI - Last night negotiatiors hastily issued a watered down declaration, ending trade negotiations a day early at the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) meeting in Miami.  After the collapse of talks this September at the WTO meeting in Cancun, negotiators did not want to risk another failure, and came to a compromise with this draft declaration, which contains a great deal of rhetoric and few specifics on how to resolve outstanding issues.