Economic empowerment

Economic independence changes everything for a girl. When young women can earn a living, manage their finances, and make their own choices, they are safer, healthier, and better able to shape their own futures. Yet across the world young people, especially girls, face barriers to economic participation. They are expected to shoulder the burden of unpaid care and domestic work and face discrimination that locks them out of jobs, finance and opportunity. We work to change that.

In 2025...

village savings groups created

0 K

people accessed economic empowerment programming

0 M

girls improved work-related skills

1 K

The challenges

For millions of young women, the path to economic independence is blocked at every turn. Harmful gender norms mean that girls are often pulled out of education early to care for families, leaving them without the skills or qualifications to access decent work. Many have no access to savings, credit or financial services. Others live in communities where women owning a business or earning their own income is actively discouraged. And as climate change disrupts livelihoods and food systems, it is women and girls who are hit hardest and have the least support to recover.

What we do

We work with young women to build the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to access economic opportunities and make informed decisions about their own lives. That includes financial education and literacy, access to savings and loan groups and linking young women to finance and business support services that are designed with their needs in mind.

We also work to improve household food security — because when families have stable incomes, they can access the safe and nutritious food they need. Recognizing that climate change is increasingly threatening livelihoods, we support women-led climate resilience efforts and create pathways into green jobs and green skills, making sure young women are part of the transition to a more sustainable economy.

Putting girls and young people at the center

None of this works without tackling the deeper norms and systems that hold girls and young people back. That’s why we work alongside communities, governments and partners to challenge the attitudes and policies that limit young people’s economic participation — because supporting individual girls only goes so far; the world around them must change too.

How you can help

Give to Plan

Our global programs are made possible by donors who believe in building a world where we are all equal. Explore ways to join our mission as a donor.

Work with us

We work with partners around the world, from local community groups to global organizations. If you share our belief that every girl deserves the chance to fulfill her potential — we’d love to hear from you.