Women as Changemakers: World Centric’s Commitment to Gender Equity
For over 20 years, World Centric has been redefining what it means to do business responsibly. As a certified B Corp and leader in compostable foodservice packaging, we’ve proven that a for-profit company can prioritize people and the planet. Guided by nonprofit values, we donate at least 25% of our profits each year to grassroots initiatives that uplift communities and support lasting change.
Our giving focuses on social and environmental transformation — from meeting basic needs to supporting broader systems changes. One critical lens we apply across our giving is gender equity.
Why Gender Equity Matters
Nearly three-quarters of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) depend on gender equity. Yet progress on SDG 5, gender equality by 2030, has stagnated. Millions of women and girls still face systemic barriers: 1-in-5 marry before age 18, only 63% of female students in low-income countries complete primary school, and nearly half of women aged 15-49 are denied decision-making power over their own reproductive health. By 2030, an estimated 340 million women and girls will still live in extreme poverty if transformative change does not occur.
Despite stalled progress at the global scale, grassroots organizations around the world are advancing women’s rights and inclusion. At World Centric, each of the organizations we support in our Impact Grants program is championing gender in their own unique ways — from expanding educational access for girls, to creating economic opportunities for women, to advocating for reproductive rights. We are proud to highlight three of our Impact Grant partners doing community-based work in pursuit of gender equity.
Partner SPOTLIGHT:
DESPRI (HAITI)
740 million women are unbanked
The finance gap for women entrepreneurs — which make up a critical portion of micro, small, and medium enterprises — is valued at $1.7 trillion. Women are often excluded from formal banking due to lack of official identification, mobile devices (for mobile banking), and informal and formal norms that limit women’s access to financial capital. Alternatives to formal financial systems, such as women-led savings groups, play a key role in improving livelihoods for women and households in extreme poverty.
DESPRI supports bottom-up participatory Self-Help Groups (SHGs), which empower women to plan, organize, and develop self-sufficiency and solidarity. Over the course of 6 years, a total of 3,000 women members of 150 SHGs in the upper Artibonite of Haiti are managing more than 280,000 USD in self- generated loans.
Partner SPOTLIGHT:
SHARED ACTION AFRICA (UGANDA)
4 out of 5 people displaced by climate change are women and girls
Women are environmental stewards, producing 80% of food in developing countries. They are also the backbone of a household, often doing at least two and half times more unpaid domestic and care work than men. With the unequal burden of care, women tend to be the first responders to environmental disasters, rescuing children, elderly, and others.
Shared Action Africa (SAA) highlights the leadership role of women in displaced communities, helping women attain sustainable livelihoods in rural and refugee settlements in Uganda. In addition to programs in financial inclusion and sexual and reproductive health and rights, SAA implements a sustainable agriculture program, which supports women’s climate resilience and food production.
Partner SPOTLIGHT:
WINGS (GUATEMALA)
51% of women do not use any form of contraceptive
Unplanned pregnancies can put strain on relationships, financial and material resources, and maternal health. Family planning is a powerful and often overlooked way to help women escape poverty and reduce environmental impact. Beyond family planning benefits, barriers to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) can also be lethal. In 2022, 94% of deaths caused by cervical cancer were in low- and middle-income countries, reflecting major inequities in accessing health services for a highly curable disease.
WINGS provides quality reproductive health education and services in rural Guatemala, helping to reduce and prevent unplanned pregnancy, maternal and infant mortality, and cervical cancer deaths.