This week at the Clinton Global Initiative, the poverty-fighting group CARE and its partners announced four unique commitments that help connect women and girls in the U.S. to women and girls in poor countries. CARE's partners include Gap Inc, General Mills, Girl Scouts of the USA, Seventeen Magazine, The Documentary Group and UPS.

"CARE's work around the world could not be achieved without the support of our corporate partners. Through their commitment, in the form of funding, consumer and employee engagement and expertise-sharing, we're creating programs that bring sustainable change to the world's poorest communities," says Radha Muthiah, CARE's vice president for Strategic Partnerships and Alliances. "Working together, we will make a positive difference in the lives of women and girls."

Commitment highlights from the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative include:

• President Clinton introduced a commitment between CARE and General Mills called Join My Village. Through online activities, people in the U.S. will have the opportunity to unlock $500,000 in donations from General Mills to help CARE reach women and girls in approximately 75 villages in Malawi with economic and educational opportunities. Additionally, General Mills will match personal contributions dollar-for-dollar up to $50 per donor, $15,000 per village or $150,000.
• CARE, Girls Scouts of the USA, Seventeen Magazine and The Documentary Group have made a Learning to Lead commitment to directly impact the lives of over 10,000 young girls aged 10-14 in Egypt, Honduras, India, Malawi, Mali and Tanzania. Over the next year, the partners also will secure 50,000 signatures from adolescent girls in the United States who will pledge to raise awareness for the rights and educational opportunities of girls in poor countries.
• Gap, Inc. and CARE are partnering in Cambodia, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Indonesia through an innovative program for female garment workers. CARE will serve as the implementing partner in four of six countries for the Gap, Inc. P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement) program, which offers life skills education and technical training. The commitment aims to foster positive change for female garment workers, their families and their communities.
• The UPS Foundation is collaborating with CARE to more effectively deliver relief supplies to areas of the world hard hit by disasters. The UPS Foundation is providing a $250,000 grant to CARE and UPS logistics experts are on the ground to help CARE implement supply chain system improvements.

About CARE
In nearly 70 countries, CARE places special focus on working alongside poor women because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty. Get involved at www.care.org.

CARE

CARE

CARE works to save lives, defeat poverty, achieve social justice, and fight for women and girls. For 78 years, CARE has led the way to a better life for the world’s most vulnerable people. This year, CARE and partners worked in 109 countries, reaching 167 million people through more than 1,600 projects.

More from CARE