27 Sep 2014
Continuing its efforts to alleviate poverty worldwide, Caterpillar Inc. and the Caterpillar Foundation are making a $2.5 million investment in The Global Poverty Project (GPP). The investment will support growing the Global Citizen grassroots movement around the world to end extreme poverty by 2030.
"When we can put people on the path to prosperity, it gives them opportunities for education, jobs and ultimately economic growth," said Caterpillar Foundation President Michele Sullivan. "Our investment with The Global Poverty Project will help people fulfill their potential, lifting themselves and their communities out of poverty. I've seen firsthand how these investments can impact lives and really make a difference. This investment will help change lives."
The Caterpillar Foundation investment will support advocacy and public policy work around the world to enable entrepreneurship, especially for women, by removing barriers caused by poor and inequitable access to sanitation – such as places to hand wash or use the toilet – and lack of access to basic education. The Global Poverty Project estimates universal sanitation would improve the entrepreneurial potential of women by freeing up more than 200 million hours for women and girls each day, enabling them to achieve an education, have time for paid employment or run their own small enterprises. This would return an estimated $220 billion to the global economy annually. The investment will also support universal quality primary education for the 31 million girls who currently go without school. It will help them achieve literacy, and enable them to access higher level academic and vocational education.
"When an organized, critical mass of individuals is equipped to take meaningful action, we can change practices that keep people in extreme poverty," said Hugh Evans, CEO of The Global Poverty Project. "Having a company like Caterpillar involved can scale our work in a way we never imagined."
The Global Poverty Project aims to raise awareness and inspire action on the issue of extreme poverty worldwide at the grassroots level. One way The Global Poverty Project does this is through its cornerstone event, the annual Global Citizen Festival, held this year on September 27 in New York City's Central Park. The Festival is a free-ticketed concert. Music fans and activists win tickets by taking "actions" to end extreme poverty on GlobalCitizen.org. Caterpillar is sponsoring the festival, while Cat® generator sets will provide power. This year, more than 48,000 tickets were given to Global Citizens to attend to the Festival.
Source Caterpillar Inc.