What We Do
At its core, SHE-CAN is a large, growing hub of over 3,000 people who come together to change the world by fostering women’s global leadership. Our supportive colleges, passionate mentors, superstar scholars, generous donors and rock-star staff all work together in tandem, bringing their personal gifts to this effort. At the core of all our passion is the belief that including women alongside men at ALL the key decision-making tables is instrumental to solving today’s biggest issues: ensuring equality, ushering in peace, and building sustainable growth. While women’s low representation is the result of centuries of inequality, we believe that we can make a difference by addressing one critical barrier: women’s access to opportunity. Around the world, many women do not have the opportunity to earn the education and leadership skills required to step into leadership roles. SHE-CAN works to change this.
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We equip low-income women from Rwanda, Cambodia, Liberia and Guatemala with the education and skills needed to become leaders in their nations. As SHE-CAN continues to grow, cohorts of empowered women will spur collective action. It is well-known that when women are in leadership positions, more women are hired across the board. And in turn those women hire more women, who in turn pull other women up and all inspire millions to pull even more women up. The sheer force of a growing population of empowered, educated and connected women working together to protect and pull up women can change the narrative of a nation around something as ingrained and critical as women’s equality. In this way, SHE-CAN is an instrumental capacity builder ushering in systemic change whose impact will be felt for generations to come.
Why Women Leaders Are Critical
Extensive research shows women leaders have a positive impact on many systemic global challenges—things like fostering lasting peace, economic prosperity, and human rights. Evidence shows that including women in the peace process boosts the probability of an agreement lasting at least two years by 20 percent, and the probability of an agreement lasting at least 15 years by more than one-third. Women in leadership positions have allocated policy resources in a way that better promotes human rights. For example, climate change is an issue that disproportionally burdens women and girls in the developing world. Therefore, many women in leadership positions have placed an importance on advocating for more environmentally sustainable policies. This has been the case in nations all over the globe.
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But to become the leaders who impact these issues, women need access to the high-level education necessary to compete in a male-dominated, often discriminating world. This is why most female Nobel Peace Prize winners, high-ranking Ministers, Parliamentarians, acclaimed activists, and heads of influential NGO’S in the developing world hold a U.S. or western degree. In today’s reality, it’s basically an unstated requirement to become a serious contender for most global leadership positions.
Unfortunately, the large global investment in girls’ education stops way too soon—after high school. Many of the world’s best and brightest students have no way to attend college and reach their full potential as leaders. As a result, leadership in these countries remains mostly male and concentrated within the elite class, especially in developing countries.
Unfortunately, the large global investment in girls’ education stops way too soon—after high school. Many of the world’s best and brightest students have no way to attend college and reach their full potential as leaders. As a result, leadership in these countries remains mostly male and concentrated within the elite class, especially in developing countries.