Founded in 1975, CEDPA is an international nonprofit organization committed to improving the lives of women and girls worldwide. At the core of its work and approaches is a belief that achieving gender equality is essential for development, democracy, and global progress. We believe that women are critical development actors and can be powerful catalysts for social change. They play vital care-giving roles to children, the aged, and the disadvantaged. They are often the keepers of culture and the mediators during conflict. Yet, women constitute 70 percent of the world’s poor, two-thirds of its illiterate, and are often marginalized from political decision making.



Gender inequality impedes economic productivity and results in unequal access to and unfair distribution of resources, making gender equality a necessary and important development goal. CEDPA’s approach to development is firmly rooted in its commitment to broader social and economic development and to the enhancement of the critical role women play in achieving it. CEDPA works to ensure that women have the resources, tools, and means to influence their social, cultural, and political context.



Having trained more than 5,000 leaders from more than 140 countries and reached tens of thousands of others, CEDPA has developed an extensive global network of individuals who are committed to its missions and aims. In addition, it has partnered with nearly 500 local organizations to implement development programs in 49 countries. CEDPA works hand-in-hand with these women leaders, local partner organizations, and national and international coalitions of organizations to design and implement programs focused on:

Girls Education and Youth development

Reproductive health and HIV/AIDS

Gender and Governance



Headquartered in Washington, DC, CEDPA operates seven country offices in Egypt, Guatemala, India, Nepal, Nigeria, Senegal, and South Africa with a worldwide staff of nearly 250. CEDPA works with more than 150 partner organizations around the world with a portfolio of 100 programs in eleven countries and an annual budget of roughly $27 million. All of CEDPA’s country programs are implemented by local NGO partners and supported by CEDPA sub-grants and technical assistance in a variety of areas to help build sustainable programs and organizations.



Mission



CEDPA equips and mobilizes women to achieve equality. Their equality is essential to building stronger families, communities, and societies. We envision a world in which women and girls are able to fulfill their dreams free from the constraints of poverty and inequality and their full worth is realized and valued. To ensure that women control more resources and have a voice in decision making, CEDPA builds women leaders, supports women’s organizations, and helps women mobilize.