Inform Women, Transform Lives
I promise to create a world in which all people can access information to transform lives.
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Information has the power to transform lives. The fundamental right of access to information is critical for both governments and the people they serve and is particularly crucial for women. It provides for a more meaningful voice, enabling women to participate in public life, access public services, and make better decisions for themselves, their families, and their communities.
Yet for many women, the power of information remains unreachable.
Women are less likely to demand and receive access to information, yet they are often responsible for earning income and caring for family; are more likely to be poor or illiterate; are less likely to participate or use their voices; are more susceptible to and affected by corruption; and are sometimes in danger of retribution in cultures dominated by men if they ask for information.
That’s why The Carter Center is launching the groundbreaking Inform Women, Transform Lives campaign in 13 inaugural cities across the globe: Amman, Jordan; Atlanta, USA; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Cape Town, South Africa; Chicago, USA; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Dhaka North, Bangladesh; Dublin, Ireland; Guatemala City, Guatemala; Kampala, Uganda; Lima, Peru; Monrovia, Liberia; and São Paulo, Brazil.
Inform Women, Transform Lives seeks to raise awareness about women’s right to information, to significantly increase the number of women accessing key information from municipal governments, and to demonstrate the transformative impact that information has on individual women, their families, and the wider community. Ultimately, the Center hopes to galvanize a local and global movement to promote policy and practical solutions so that women will be able to transform their lives through access to information.
The Carter Center knows informing women will transform their lives. Here are some stories of transformation:
Liberian Marthaline Nuah wants to become a successful businesswoman, and she knows she needs a college education to get there. So after hearing a public notice for government grants for projects empowering women and youth, she applied for and received a scholarship. Her story is just one example of how information can transform lives. Read her story »
Caring for a young son with cerebral palsy and working as a housecleaner, Selima Begum of Sylhet Division, Bangladesh, struggled to make ends meet. She knew that disability allowances existed, but did not know the application process and had lost all hope of ever receiving the assistance. How did a request for information change this family's life? Read her story »
Because of a logistical snafu, the government of Guatemala thought for nearly three years that Blanca Nieves Valdés didn’t exist, and without an identity, she could not collect her small pension. That all changed when a Center-trained information liaison helped the elderly woman apply for an identification card through a request for information. Read her story »
Sometimes, something as simple as a radio message can change lives. Olivia Stewart, a resident of New Georgia Estate, a mostly low-income community on the outskirts of Liberia’s capital city of Monrovia, was washing up one afternoon when she heard a public notice for government grants for projects empowering women and youth. Read her story »
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