Today across the world 1.3 billion people live on less than one dollar a day and 3 billion live on under two dollars a day. 1.3 billion people have no access to clean water; 3 billion have no access to sanitation; 2 billion have no access to electricity. Sadly, women are the poorest of the world's poor, representing 70 percent of the 1.3 billion people who live in absolute poverty, that's nearly 900 million women living on less than $1 a day.

We know that women are the backbone of the global economy. Women currently do two-thirds of the world's work, and yet they earn less than five percent of the world's income and are largely denied access to training and credit from lenders. The major economic roles of low income women are often undervalued and ignored. For too many women these statistics mean a life of grinding poverty and few opportunities. A women's economic position directly affects her ability to purchase needed improvements in health, housing and education; her bargaining position and power in the family and community; and her ability to act against violence in her home and in her world. When women have an income, they reinvest in their children's health, education and nutrition, creating a multiplier effect that builds stronger families and communities over time. Expanding economic opportunities for women further decreases women's vulnerability to human trafficking, HIV/AIDS and violence.

By opening fair trade market opportunities, providing design assistance and helping build micro-enterprise for women we can change lives one global girlfriend at a time!