The Woman Who Lifted A Village
By: Julia Laden
Helping Others and Empowering Women
Shantha, a woman living in India, got a group of women from her community together to start a business. They were all in poverty at the time. Shantha managed to get the business going and lifted everyone out of poverty. She was so successful the bank asked her to help women in neighboring communities start their own business. While helping her community and a few other out of poverty she also managed to empower women by showing others what women could do on their own without the help of men.
What Can I Do?
There are many places you can donate to people who are less fortunate. An organization called "Help A Child In India" donates money to kids living in India who are in poverty.
Fun Fact!
Just 59% of rural women in the country are literate, according to a 2014 Catalyst study. And women made up only 26% of rural workers in 2009-2010, the study showed. When women in India do work, they’re paid 62% of a man’s salary for equal work, according to Catalyst. This shows that in India men are considered better than women and get paid way more for the same job. Shantha was working against p those beliefs while providing money for her family and other families in the community.