Paola Quinones, Megan Marx, Michele Boyer, Abby Page, Amy Johnston, and Melissa Castro offered flawless assistance on logistics, as did Carol Stults, Joseph Janowiak, Kelly Gilbert, and Sheila Allen.
The entire team at Flatiron was incredibly enthusiastic and supportive throughout—in particular Bob Miller, Amy Einhorn, Nancy Trypuc, Marlena Bittner, Amelia Possanza, Cristina Gilbert, Keith Hayes, Alan Bradshaw, and also Whitney Frick.
My editor at Flatiron, the incomparable Will Schwalbe, was a highlight of the whole experience for me. Will gave me not only guidance, but wisdom—sharing the knowledge of a lifetime in short truths that helped me navigate hard moments. His insights and his edits made the work a joy.
I am beyond grateful to Tom Rosshirt. I could not have written this book without him. Tom challenged me throughout to focus on what I wanted to accomplish and helped me in myriad ways. He’s a brilliant writing partner and a deeply intuitive friend.
Finally, I want to thank my family, who not only encouraged me in writing the book, but inspired the love and values that started me in this work in the first place. My parents, who gave me a childhood steeped in the deep values of faith and love; my sister, Susan, and my brothers Raymond and Steven, who share everything with me, especially love and laughter; my children, Jenn, Rory, and Phoebe, who constantly inspire me to grow; and my husband and life partner, Bill. The most important lessons of my life are those I learned alongside you. Your faith in my growth, your eagerness to learn, and your optimism for the world and our work together are among the great sustaining forces of my life. My gratitude for your partnership through all of the adventures of life is inexpressible.
Resource Guide of Organizations That Readers Can Support
I’ve listed below some of the organizations you’ve read about in this book. If their programs inspire you, you can visit their websites and learn how you can use your voice to advance their work.
Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee
www.brac.net
BRAC’s mission is to empower people and communities in situations of poverty, illiteracy, disease, and social injustice.
CARE
www.care.org/our-work
Women are a vital part of CARE’s community-based efforts to improve basic education, increase access to quality healthcare, and expand economic opportunity for all.
Family Planning 2020
www.familyplanning2020.org
FP2020 is working with governments, civil society, multilateral organizations, donors, the private sector, and the research and development community to enable 120 million more women and girls to use contraceptives by 2020.
Girls Not Brides
www.girlsnotbrides.org
Girls Not Brides is a global partnership of more than 1,000 civil society organizations from over 95 countries committed to ending child marriage and enabling girls to fulfill their potential.
Kakenya’s Dream
www.kakenyasdream.org
Kakenya’s Dream leverages girls’ education to empower girls and transform rural communities.
Malala Fund
www.malala.org
Malala Fund is working for a world where every girl can learn and lead.
#MeToo movement
www.metoomvmt.org
The “me too” movement supports survivors of sexual violence and their allies.
Population Council
www.popcouncil.org
The Population Council conducts research and programs to address critical health and development issues in more than 50 countries.
PRADAN
www.pradan.net
PRADAN works in the poorest regions of India to help vulnerable communities organize collectives that help people, especially women, earn a decent living and support their families.
Saksham
www.community.org.in/story
The Community Empowerment Lab is a community-entrenched global health research and innovation organization based in Uttar Pradesh, India. It grew out of the Saksham project described in chapter 2.
Save the Children
www.savethechildren.org
Save the Children works worldwide to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.
Tostan
www.tostan.org
Tostan is an Africa-based organization working directly with rural communities that are leading their own development.
* * *
For more information about the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, please visit www.gatesfoundation.org.
To learn more about how we can all work together to lift up women around the world, please visit www.momentoflift.com.
Melinda will be donating all the amounts she receives from the sale of this book to the organizations listed in this resource guide.
About the Author
Melinda Gates is a philanthropist, businesswoman, and global advocate for women and girls.
As the co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Melinda sets the direction and priorities of the world’s largest philanthropy. She is also the founder of Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation company working to drive social progress for women and families in the United States.
Melinda grew up in Dallas, Texas. She received a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Duke University and an M.B.A. from Duke’s Fuqua School. Melinda spent the first decade of her career developing multimedia products at Microsoft before leaving the company to focus on her family and philanthropic work. She lives in Seattle, Washington, with her husband, Bill. They have three children, Jenn, Rory, and Phoebe. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Epigraph
Introduction
Chapter One
The Lift of a Great Idea
Chapter Two
Empowering Mothers: Maternal and Newborn Health
Chapter Three
Every Good Thing: Family Planning
Chapter Four
Lifting Their Eyes: Girls in Schools
Chapter Five
The Silent Inequality: Unpaid Work
Chapter Six
When a Girl Has No Voice: Child Marriage
Chapter Seven
Seeing Gender Bias: Women in Agriculture
Chapter Eight
Creating a New Culture: Women in the Workplace
Chapter Nine
Let Your Heart Break: The Lift of Coming Together
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Resource Guide of Organizations That Readers Can Support
About the Author
Copyright
MOMENT OF LIFT. Copyright © 2019 by Melinda Gates. All rights reserved. For information, address Flatiron Books, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.flatironbooks.com
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Gates, Melinda, 1964– author.
Title: The moment of lift: how empowering women changes the world / Melinda Gates.
Description: New York: Flatiron Books, [2019]
Identifiers: LCCN 2018051054|ISBN 9781250313577 (hardcover)|ISBN 9781250229199 (international, sold outside the U.S., subject to rights availability)|ISBN 9781250313560 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Feminism.|Women—Social conditions.|Women—Economic conditions.|Equality.
Classification: LCC HQ1155 .G38 2019|DDC 305.42—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018051054
eISBN 9781250313560
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at [email protected].
First Edition: April 2019
The Moment of Lift Page 24
