This year, Valentine's Day wasn't just about sappy cards and fancy dinners. It was about a revolution.
Last week, thousands of women all over the world “rose” -- demanding an end to violence against women.
Founded by Eve Ensler, creator of The Vagina Monologues and founder of V-Day, One Billion Rising is a global movement to end violence against women once and for all.
The movement gets its name from the staggering U.N. statistic that one in three women will be raped or beaten in her lifetime -- roughly one billion people.
So this Valentine's Day, Eve invited one billion women to walk, dance, rise up, and demand change.
The rally was held in over 190 countries. The rise in Delhi held particular weight, as women’s rights have been a heated topic there after the gang-rape and subsequent death of a 23 year-old girl in December.
There was also a huge turnout in the Democratic Republic of the Congo -- the worst place in the world to be a woman.
At Kiva, we highly value gender equality and women's empowerment -- which is why we love this movement and why we rise with these women!
Click here to make a loan to a female borrower. When you invest in her potential, she will do the rest.
About the author
Emily Wakefield
A native of southern California, Emily is a recent graduate from Santa Clara University where she studied Economics and Spanish Studies. The highlight of her college experience was the semester she spent abroad in Granada, Spain. She knew she wanted to pursue a career in economic development after reading Half the Sky. Emily will be joining the Marketing and Communications team as a Blog and Social Media Intern and is especially excited to find new and creative ways to spread Kiva’s work to more people. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, listening to country music, and re-watching Friends episodes for the millionth time.