Half the Sky Movement Comparing

¶ … Half the Sky Movement

Comparing Organizations in the Half the Sky Movement

As much as we would like to think, the world is not as equal and free as we would've hoped it could have been just a few decades ago. In fact, many populations around the globe still suffer dramatically from clear violations of their basic human rights. One such population which continues to be afflicted is that of women around the world. In many areas, such as in developing countries, women still hold a second class citizen role within society, often times being denied basic rights over their bodies and minds. This is what Half the Sky aims to combat, by providing funding and guidance from philanthropic organizations, such as Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women organization and Vagisil. The two organizations take very different approaches in terms of helping promote greater solutions for violations against women; Goldman Sachs helps provide funding and guidance for female entrepreneurs all over the globe, while Vagisil aims to help bring awareness and basic tools so that women everywhere can have greater power and decision-making over their own health care and bodies. Though these approaches are different, they still aim to empower women through providing them with necessary tools to face a very daunting and male dominated world.

Essentially, the general problem here is the notion that women are treated at a higher disadvantage throughout the globe, thus limiting their ability to make choices over their own individual and physical freedoms. Many regions around the world, women still face second-class citizen status. This unfortunately minutes their ability to make their own decisions and their power over their own lives. Millions of women are disenfranchised and disadvantaged all over the world, treated like sexual objects and property. In many instances, cultural divides perpetuate this second-class status of women in particular societies. This results in a situation where oppression is internalized and reproduced consistently throughout the generations, causing more and more women to become victimized under a patriarchal society that oppresses them. This is the general problem in which the two organizations evaluated here work under in order to find viable solutions. Both Goldman Sachs and Vagisil provide funding and support for the Half the Sky Movement, which is an organization that helps provide funding and access to programs and resources for women all over the world facing oppression and disadvantages based on their gender. The Half the Sky Movement focuses on "turning oppression into opportunity for women worldwide" (Half the Sky Movement, 2013). Together with its many associate organizations, Half the Sky Movement provide education, tools, and opportunities to women in regions where female oppression is high. Essentially, the goal within these cooperative programs is to help empower women to be able to take greater control of their own lives. Both organizations focus on meeting this generalized goal.

Yet it is how the two organizations strategize meeting such objectives which shows their greatest differences. Despite working under a clear foundation of empowering women worldwide, Goldman Sachs and Vagisil take very different approaches in terms of how this empowerment of women can be done on both the local and massive scale. Goldman Sachs' 10,000 Women initiative "is a five-year investment to provide underserved female entrepreneurs around the world with business and management education" (Half the Sky Movement, 2013). Thus, it aims to help fund entrepreneurship resources, both in terms of educational as well as professional tools and resources. The initiative helps bring educational programs to women in highly disadvantaged areas, providing them with tools and resources to help build businesses and knowledge of economics as a way to empower themselves and become a greater force within their own lives. Through situating women in business roles, Goldman Sachs is empowering individuals, but also entire communities of women who are looking into the workforce like never before seen in their particular culture in previous generations. Goldman Sachs takes a middleman approach, by connecting nonprofit organizations with necessary funding funneled through private and corporate donations. Thus, it is a sponsor of programs aimed at providing business education for women worldwide, but does not often create a program on its own. From this perspective, Goldman Sachs is a third-party participant, connecting funding with programs already in action in regions around the world.