Poverty Is Sexist

In low-income countries, girls are less likely to get a decent education, less likely to have the same opportunities for work, and less likely to have a say in their own lives than their brothers.

By banding together with like-minded communities through Poverty is Sexist, ONE was able to reach new audiences and achieve real wins for real women and girls.

What we achieved

• In March 2019, 45 activists from across the African continent co-signed our open letter on gender equality. Since then, we’ve been working closely with many members of this fantastic community, elevating their voices in the press, on social media and at global decision-making events.
• 30,000 ONE supporters sang, danced, painted, made posters, and shouted from the rooftops to tell the world that all #GirlsCount.
• Under the banner of Poverty is Sexist campaigners helped to mobilize nearly US$13 billion for the fight against HIV/AIDS and US$2.3 billion for girls’ education and helped gain 5 million female farmers in Mali the right to own the land they farm.

Impact

More than 1 million people signed our petition.

In 2019 ONE and its partners successfully called for the sexual assault laws in Senegal to be dramatically improved to protect women and girls from gender-based violence.

What we did

• We launched a campaign in 2015 to highlight the extremity of gender inequality around the world.
• In 2016 Oprah Winfrey, Melinda Gates, Sheryl Sandberg, Bono, Sir Elton John, and Muhammad Ali, among others, joined our call for global gender equality.
• We launched our Strong Girl video anthem featuring some of Africa’s biggest female stars to raise awareness in advance of the African Union summit.
• In 2017 more than 750,000 supporters around the world signed our Girls Count petition highlighting that over 130 million girls were out of school around the world and calling on world leaders to end this global crisis