The White House-led Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative will invest an additional $122 million in grants for women around the world, said Ivanka Trump, an adviser to President Trump.
She announced the new investments at an event with Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Bonnie Glick, and Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Kelley Currie.
Launched in early 2019 by President Trump, the W-GDP Initiative works to empower women economically by advancing its three pillars: Women Prospering in the Workforce, Women Succeeding as Entrepreneurs and Women Enabled in the Economy.
In its first two years, “the W-GDP Fund invested $200 million across more than 60 countries around the world,” Ivanka Trump said August 11, “and catalyzed more than $400 million through more than 450 partnerships with the private sector and nongovernmental and local organizations, as well as … governments.”
W-GDP’s efforts benefited 12 million women in its first year. Its goal is to reach 50 million women by 2025.
Biegun recounted several examples of women who received grants from W-GDP in the past year and have been able to transform their businesses.
Adjo Asare, the chief executive of a clothing company in Ghana and a State Department program alumna, turned her fashion business into a production line for personal protective equipment after COVID-19 hit her community, thanks to a grant from W-GDP.
“To date, the company has produced 720,000 cotton masks, 10,000 medical scrubs and 18,000 head covers,” Biegun said. “That’s an outstanding entrepreneurial vision in action.”
When women have strengthened property rights, they are empowered to make decisions. #WGDP’s investment of $7M in women's land rights will strengthen land reforms in Malawi, Mozambique, Ghana, Zambia, and India. @USAID @USAIDBGlick @usaid_india
More here: https://t.co/JbLbDXvnHr pic.twitter.com/PmNRwcjC1z— USAID Asia Bureau (@USAIDAsiaHQ) August 17, 2020
Trump announced new W-GDP Fund partnerships between USAID and Walmart, Microsoft, Mastercard, WEConnect International and the Reliance Foundation that will support economic opportunities for women.
In Colombia, for example, Mastercard is helping early-stage female financial technology entrepreneurs by granting them access to markets and networks.
Part of the funding will go toward W-GDP Women’s Land Rights efforts, which helps women strengthen or reform land rights in Malawi, Mozambique, Ghana, Zambia and India.
“By empowering women in other countries, America benefits from the stability and prosperity that they bring to their communities and to their countries,” Biegun said.