With FBB Support, Women Thrive Worldwide Works to Protect Anti-Poverty Programs

First-quarter poverty beneficiary Women Thrive Worldwide gave us this report about how they are using the funds contributed by members of Foundation Beyond Belief. Foundation members donated $3,075 to Women Thrive Worldwide last quarter.

Thank you so much for including Women Thrive Worldwide under your poverty initiative. The humanist values of your organization embody the type of support that is needed by women around the world.

Foundation Beyond Belief’s generous donation helps us form a circle of protection around poverty and human rights programs benefitting the most vulnerable women around the world.

Poverty-focused international assistance is less than 1 percent of the US budget. Your support comes at a critical time for the women and girls we seek to empower.

Our recent efforts have been focused on preventing dangerous budget cuts to food and poverty aid programs in poor countries. As part of the Hungerfast that we co-launched earlier in April, President and Co-Founder of Women Thrive Worldwide Ritu Sharma has been fasting to highlight this very important issue, and we are happy to share that we have really had an impact on Congress. Programs for the very poor and hungry were cut a little or not at all in the 2011 budget. We could not have done this without your support, and other activists and donors like you!

But our job is not done. As Congress continues budget discussions for FY12 and beyond, your support helps to amplify the voice of women around the world and call for a just budget that does not punish those living in poverty and hunger worldwide.

Thank you again for your interest. Please see the links below for press articles covering our work in the first quarter of 2011. And feel free to visit our website for continued updates about what we are doing to support women living in poverty worldwide.

CNN | BELIEF BLOG: Hunger strike aims at congressional cuts
HUFFINGTON POST | BLOGGER JIM WALLIS: 10 Reasons Why I'm Fasting for a Better Budget
PBS | RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY: Prayer and Fasting Campaign on Budget Cuts (video)
BALTIMORE SUN: Punishing the Hungry to Shrink the Deficit