What is CARE's Walk In Her Shoes?
Every day, all over the world, women and girls live in fear, hunger and desperation.
Walk In Her Shoes is your opportunity – our opportunity to show unity and work together to help women and girls out of poverty, receive the food and water they need to be healthy, to have the power to live a life free of violence and to go to school so they can live their lives to their full potential.
People around the country will form teams, involve their friends and family to fundraise, raise awareness and be a part of a movement.
By being a part of Walk In Her Shoes you’ll gain an opportunity to create real impact for women and girls in in crisis.
Why women and girls?
Every day, women and girls are living in poverty and denied fundamental human rights like education, health care, and freedom – even though they are the key to a better future for their families and communities. Around the world, women work two-thirds of all working hours, earning only 10% of the world’s income. When women cannot contribute to their family’s and community’s economic development, a powerful resource goes untapped. That’s why CARE’s programs are defined by promoting gender equality and empowering women.
CARE’s Walk In Her Shoes takes place here in the U.S. and all over the world. Taking steps in solidarity with women and girls creates an understanding of the challenges so many of us face every day.
She is Roida.
Roida, 10, and her family fled violence near their home in a small village in Myanmar.
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She is Mary.
Mary walked for 10 days to Uganda’s Impevi settlement, escaping conflict in South Sudan.
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She is Gloria.
As a day scholar, rather than a boarding student, Gloria must avoid unruly boys and men who harass her during her walk.
READ MOREShe is Roida.
Roida, 10, and her family fled violence near their home in a small village in Myanmar. She now lives in a shelter within the Balukhali camp with her mother, father and her three siblings. Her brother Abdu — who has a wife and young baby — also share the tent. Roida and her family have received food and other essential supplies from CARE Bangladesh.
It took Roida and her family four days to get here. It was very tough. They had to go without food and slept on the roadside. In their camp, there are only two toilets and Roida has to walk to a water tap every day to help her family.
She has two meals a day. Usually rice, and sometimes we have some dried fish, and some vegetables. She went to school three or four years ago, but armed men entered the school building and took it over. She hasn’t been to school since.
She is Mary.
Mary walked for 10 days to Uganda’s Impevi settlement, escaping conflict in South Sudan. With both worry and relief in her eyes, she sits on the ground of a large tent surrounded by a small flock of children and the few belongings they could carry. She brought eight children to the settlement with her — two of her own and six others who were either orphaned or whose parents were unable to travel to Impevi.
“We’ve all come with our own children, plus other people’s children, because we want these children to have a chance to live,” Mary says. “I fear how I will continue to care for all these children, but I want to give them the chance of an education.”
She is Gloria.
Gloria’s mornings in Malawi start first thing in the morning with her chores. After they are complete, Gloria walks to Khola Secondary School. As a day scholar, rather than a boarding student, Gloria must avoid unruly boys and men who harass her during her walk.
Despite this challenge, Gloria remains focused on her educational goals: she wants to become an Agricultural Extension worker because most of the families in her village depend on farming to earn a living and she wants her community to become food secure.
When she’s not doing chores or in school, Gloria shares her love of learning with her family: “My step sister is in grade seven and I encourage her to work hard in class and reach secondary school. When I am home and I want to study, I always invite her to take her book and join me in reading,” notes Gloria.