Wal-Mart Foundation Helps Fund CARE Effort to Empower Young Women

$1 Million Grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation Funds Education, Job-Training and Entrepreneurial Support Programs for Women and Girls

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 5, 2009 - The Wal-Mart Foundation today announced a $1 million grant to CARE, a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. Projects funded by this grant will focus on empowering impoverished young women around the world through education, job-training and entrepreneurial support programs.

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The announcement was made at CARE’s National Conference and Celebration, an annual gathering that raises awareness and voices of the issues that keep millions in poverty around the world. The funding from the Wal-Mart Foundation represents the first step toward a long-term partnership that will improve the lives of women and girls in the developing world. Over the next year, the Wal-Mart Foundation and CARE will focus on young women in Peru, Bangladesh and India.

According to Margaret McKenna, Wal-Mart Foundation president, “CARE is at the forefront of a global effort to create better lives for millions of young women around the world. For many of these women, education, training and entrepreneurship are critical to breaking the vicious cycle of poverty – and with CARE, women around the world will benefit from the Wal-Mart Foundation’s commitment to creating opportunities so people can live better.”

Dr. Helene Gayle, president and CEO of CARE, said, “We firmly believe that global poverty can be defeated by collaborating with corporations, governments, individuals and others sharing this common goal. The Wal-Mart Foundation’s contribution will help empower women and uplift communities, which is a proven way to strike at the roots of poverty. We look forward to working together on this effort.”

According to the United Nations Population Fund, three fifths of the world's one billion poorest people are women and girls. Of the nearly 1 billion adults in the world who cannot read, two thirds are women.

The Wal-Mart Foundation awards grants that seek to address the educational needs of underserved young people ages 12 to 25. This year on International Women’s Day, Wal-Mart donated $25,000 to CARE’s “Power Within” program. This program focuses on girls’ education and leadership, helping more than 10 million girls complete primary school and develop leadership skills in 20 countries around the world.

Source: Wal-Mart