The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World

Avahan, derived from the Sanskrit word for ‘call to action,’ is an HIV prevention program launched in 2003 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Avahan relies on the leadership of Indian sex workers. Based on their feedback, the organization shifted its focus from HIV prevention to violence prevention.

BRAC is the largest private secular educator in the world. The organization focuses on educating girls by removing financial barriers to their academic pursuits. BRAC runs 50,000 schools and educational centers worldwide, each of which comprises at least 70% girls. 

The term feminism encompasses various social movements associated with achieving equality between men and women. Melinda Gates identifies as a feminist and defines the term as follows: “Being a feminist means believing that every woman should be able to use her voice and pursue her potential, and that women and men should all work together to take down the barriers and end the biases that still hold women back” (7).