Women of Vision Houston

A World Vision Program

Why We Do It

Focusing on Gender
For the Well-Being of Children and Alleviation of Poverty

Learn how World Vision is helping to make a difference.

Access to Education

Girls constitute about 81 million of the 130 million children without access to primary school. This can be attributed to many factors, including poverty, early marriage and lack of adequate schooling facilities.

Sexual Exploitation

Millions of girls worldwide are lured or forced into commercial sex activities each year. Many are sold and work in the sex trade under constant threat of violence. Almost all come from impoverished families. Lured by employment in cities, but lacking education and skill, girls become easy prey for predators in the sex trade. They risk prostitution, exposure to AIDS and physical abuse.

Female Genital Mutilation

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is practiced in about 28 countries in Africa and in a few Middle Eastern and Asian regions. Estimates suggest that more than 2 million girls and women risk undergoing the operation every year, while as many as 114 million today have already undergone the procedure. The negative physical, psychological and socio-economic consequences of FGM can persist for a lifetime.

Critical Statistics

Nearly half a million maternal deaths occur each year in developing countries
Among the world's 900 million illiterate people, women outnumber men two to one
Girls constitute the majority of the 130 million children without access to primary school
There are six HIV-infected women for every four infected men
Of 1.3 billion people living in poverty, 70 percent are women

Recognizing Equality
World Vision recognizes and supports the equal worth, dignity and rights of women and men, girls and boys, and the significant role they play in promoting sustainable transformational development

A Better Future For Children . . .

Better access to basic health care services
Better access to education for both girls and boys
Reduced child and maternal mortality rates
Reduced harmful traditional practices, and better protection from abuses and exploitation
Strengthened relationships between men and women
Peaceful and safe homes and communities for children -- both girls and boys.

. . . Means Intervening In These Critical Areas

Health care provision and education facilities
HIV/AIDS and gender initiative
Harmful traditional practices
Female genital mutilation
Early marriage
Female infanticide
Sexual exploitation and trafficking
Violence against women and girls
Peace building and reconciliation
Empowerment: equal access and control over resources

For more information on gender issues and opportunities to make a difference, please contact the following World Vision addresses:

World Vision Gender and Development Office
800 West Chestnut Avenue
Monrovia, CA 91016
Tel: (626) 301-7730
Fax: (626) 301-7728

World Vision
P.O. Box 9716
Federal Way, WA 98063-9716
1-888-56-CHILD

To contact Women of Vision Houston email info@wovhouston.org.