PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
Tell the White House to Make Aid Work for Women and Girls
  1. Signatures
    427 out of 500
    Petitioning
    1. The President of the United States
  2. Created By
    Women Thrive Worldwide
About this Petition Petition Letter

Efficient. Effective. Fair. Equal for men AND women. Shouldn't America's foreign assistance system be all of these?

Over a billion people worldwide live on a dollar a day or less - and women are most likely to be among them. This is a problem that affects all of humanity - when women are poor, entire communities suffer because they are not free to earn an income, feed their families, or protect themselves and their children from violence.

U.S. international assistance has the potential to be a major force for good - in fact, when done right it has eradicated entire diseases, alleviated poverty, and sent countless girls to school. The problem? Our foreign assistance system is outdated and designed in a way that prevents us from reaching these achievable goals. This is bad news for women struggling to escape poverty: they cannot benefit from resources that would dramatically change their families' lives.

The result? Our money is not being used efficiently and we are missing out on the biggest opportunity we have to improve the world and restore America's image in it.

Right now there is a political 'perfect storm' to take advantage of this opportunity. President Obama and Congress have a unique chance to do what has not been done in over 40 years: transform our assistance programs to meet current realities and to be a powerful force for good. But they need to know that Americans care about this issue and want to see our international assistance dollars used right.

Sign the Petition Asking President Obama to Reform Foreign Assistance!

Recent Signatures

Reform Foreign Assistance

Dear Mr. President,

I call on you to reform America’s foreign assistance system.

U.S. foreign assistance has the potential to be a major force for good. In fact, when done right, it has eradicated entire diseases, reduced poverty, and sent countless girls to school. But our current foreign assistance system is designed in a way that prevents us from reaching these achievable goals.

First, it does not make reducing poverty as important as diplomacy and defense. Second, it is outdated and inefficient and too often does not reach women in developing countries – who are most likely to invest in their children and most likely to reduce poverty in their communities. The result? We are missing out on the biggest opportunity we have to improve the world and restore America's image in it.

Right now, we have a once in a life time opportunity to transform this outdated system by reforming our foreign assistance to fight poverty, invest in women, and listen to local voices.

Not only will modernizing foreign assistance make it more efficient and effective, but it also will improve America’s standing in the world, which has declined sharply over the last decade.

Please take advantage of this opportunity to transform our assistance programs to meet current realities, alleviate poverty, create opportunity, encourage stability in the developing world, and be a powerful force for good.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

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