Empowering Rural Women

The Women's World Summit Foundation is helping empower rural women. Learn more about their new campaign and participate from October 1-17.

VIETNAM - 15AUG 97 - Woman carries rocks off a riverboat in a rural part of northern Vietnam. Manual labor.

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff/File

September 9, 2015

The Women's World Summit Foundation (WWSF) is a humanitarian, secular, non-governmental, and international non-profit organization that is working to advance the status of women and children. WWSF’s new 17 Day Campaign aims to “advance the status of rural women, respect their rights and honor their contribution to development, household food security and peace.”

The campaign, an expansion of the International Day for Rural Women, October 15, 2015, is a call to action for activists around the world. It will expand the platform for individuals and organizations to actively participate and contribute to the advancement of rural women. It will last from October 1 - 17, 2015, with a different theme highlighted each day to guide participants as they advocate for women. Themes include claiming the rights to development, education, health and wellbeing, safe water, adequate housing, land and inheritance, and peace. There are resources available to individuals and organizations wishing to take part in the campaign, including a campaign toolkit, visual materials, strategies, and recommendations.

WWSF anticipates that the campaign will lead the mobilization of and connections between grassroots organizations, the development of new platforms for advocacy, increase lobbying to governments, and bring to light the important roles rural women play in worldwide issues such as food security and peace. Register to be an active coalition member, which will allow you to submit your organization's’ activities and have them included in the global Google Map.