The Life You Can Save and Educate Girls Partner to Educate 7,500 Girls in Honor of International Women's Day

Matched-funding campaign aims to raise $300,000 to support education for girls in India and give them the tools to break the cycle of poverty through education

SEATTLE, Feb. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Life You Can Save, an organization fighting extreme poverty by connecting donors to high-impact nonprofits, and Educate Girls, an organization providing equitable access to education for all girls in India, announced today a match campaign up to $150,000 to transform lives through education in honor of International Women's Day on March 8.

This high-impact, matched-funding campaign declares every dollar up to $150,000 will be matched to help educate 7,500 girls in rural India. All funds raised will be equally distributed between two programs run by Educate Girls — Vidya and Pragati — benefiting a wide range of girls and young women. The Vidya Program focuses on enrolling out-of-school girls ages 6 to 14 into the formal education system to grow foundational literacy and numeracy skills. The Pragati program offers a second chance at education for adolescent girls and young women ages 15 to 29 who were previously unable to complete their schooling.

International Women's Day extends beyond the celebration of women's achievements: it represents the empowerment of girls and women and calls for action to accelerate gender equality. To achieve gender equality for all women, it's crucial to understand the barriers faced by women around the world. Women and girls living in poverty-stricken areas of India face higher barriers to education, thus continuing the cycle of poverty.

Data shows women and girls in rural India are educated at much lower rates than their male peers. For example, as of 2021, reports show the gender literacy gap with only 66% of women aged between 15 and 49 years being literate, compared to over 81% of their male counterparts in the region.

"Education is one of the most powerful tools for breaking the cycle of poverty," says Louise Pfeiffer, Australia's Regional Director of The Life You Can Save. "In rural India, barriers like gender inequality, poverty, and lack of infrastructure keep millions of girls out of school. High-impact organizations like Educate Girls tackle these challenges with evidence-based programs that enroll out-of-school girls, improve learning outcomes, and empower entire communities. This matching campaign is a powerful opportunity for collective action — every donation is doubled, amplifying our ability to ensure more girls receive an education and the opportunities that come with it. Together, we can transform futures and drive lasting change."

In rural and impoverished villages of India, many girls face societal pressures to live a life of domesticity, resulting in becoming child brides and mothers and thus dropping out of school. Out-of-school girls are at a higher risk of becoming married and having children, with nearly one in four young women in India (23%) married or in union before their 18th birthday, according to UNICEF.

"Education is one of our greatest weapons against child marriage and early motherhood," said Safeena Husain, founder of Educate Girls. "Out-of-school girls are at much higher risk of early marriage, and fewer than two in 10 married girls remain in school. This International Women's Day, we are partnering with The Life You Can Save to help make the largest collective impact to help support girls in rural India. With $150,000 in matching funds, every contribution will be doubled, reinforcing the idea that through collaborative philanthropy, we can achieve far greater impact - creating a ripple effect that transforms entire communities for generations to come."

By donating to this match campaign, donors will make twice the impact with their gifts — empowering thousands of girls through education while inspiring others to give more generously. 

Together, we can drive collective action for a better future. If you would like to donate and double your impact, please visit www.thelifeyoucansave.org.au/educate7500girls.  

About The Life You Can Save:

The Life You Can Save was founded to promote high-impact philanthropy, meaning research-based and cost-effective giving. Its mission is to improve the lives of people living in poverty by changing the way people think about and donate to charity. The team at The Life You Can Save does research to develop a list of recommended nonprofits delivering high-impact interventions across all of the dimensions of poverty. The Life You Can Save works to raise awareness of and connect donors with its recommended giving opportunities to increase the impact of giving. Through research and funds, The Life You Can Save offers a simplified donating process for individuals who want to maximize their impact in uplifting people experiencing extreme poverty.

About Educate Girls:

Educate Girls aims to provide equitable access to education for all girls in India, operating in over 18,000+ villages in three states: Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. By leveraging the government's existing investment in schools and engaging with 18,000+ community volunteers, Educate Girls works towards the enrollment and retention of girls and improving foundational skills in literacy and numeracy for all children. Since its inception in 2007, with the help of a network of community volunteers, Educate Girls has successfully enrolled over 1.4 million out-of-school girls into schools and retained an average of 92% of them year-on-year and improved learning outcomes for over 1.9 million children through its learning curriculum. 

Link to Photos
Photo Credit: Educate Girls

SOURCE The Life You Can Save