Empowering Women

Through educating women, whether it is about their own health (with tools to take care of their bodies) or about how to achieve basic financial goals and entrepreneurism, the doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation assists women in their journey to not only be self-reliant, but serve as contributors to a better-functioning society.

Did You Know?

  • Many women around the world live in circumstances that ultimately prevent them from gaining an education or working to provide for themselves and their families. All too often, early pregnancies, inadequate resources for managing menstrual cycles, and gender inequalities, among other factors, leave women powerless in their own lives. By educating women about their own health with proper resources to take care of their bodies or about how to achieve basic financial goals and entrepreneurism, we are committed to supporting women in their journey to become self-reliant and helping them become positive contributors to a better-functioning society.

  • Empowerment is the process that creates power in individuals over their own lives, society, and in their communities. Empowering Women includes the action of raising the status of women through education, raising awareness, literacy, and training.

  • Education is critical to a woman’s ability to be self-reliant and provide for her children. For every extra year a girl stays in school, her income can increase by 11%. World Bank However, globally, more than 130 million girls are not attending primary or secondary school. (UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics)

  • Early marriage or pregnancy is one of the leading deterrents for a girl’s education. Each year, approximately 12 million girls under 18 will be married; that’s 32,877 each day, nearly 1 girl every 2 seconds. (UNICEF)

  • Women and girls are a highly vulnerable to abuse and trafficking, both of which limit their ability to obtain an education or pursue a career and become self-reliant. Some studies show that up to 1 in 5 women report being sexually abused before the age of 15. (World Health Organization)

“You have allowed us to step in where we would not have had the bandwidth to do it.” Listen to Days for Girls: Providing Education and Relief

In this podcast episode, we sit down with Celeste Mergens who founded Days for Girls, a non-profit partnered with the doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation that strives to increase access to menstrual care and education as well as shatter stigmas and limitations for women and girls around the world.

What can I do?

Here are 10 Things You Can Do to Empower Women.

1. Educate yourself.

Become knowledgeable about the issues surrounding women’s empowerment can help you become a voice of support and an Advocate of Change.

Learn about the various challenges women face around the world at https://www.who.int/ or https://www.unicef.org/.

Learn about some of the organizations we support and what they do to Empower Women:

  • Mentors International

Mentors International provides microloans to hardworking female entrepreneurs who are waiting to realize their dream of building or expanding a successful business. A small loan is all they need. Even better, when the loan is paid off, your donated funds are recycled again and again to help more people and make a bigger impact.

  • Days for Girls

Many young women are held back from an education and eventual career because of challenges that accompany their menstrual cycle. Days for Girls provides supplies for girls to manage their cycles and continue attending school.

  • LETS

Women across the world, particularly in developing countries, struggle to understand and manage their menstruation and fertility. LETS is a revolutionary education initiative that encourages men, women, and youth to make informed choices about their fertility, health, wellbeing and life in general. One of the key tools of the LETS program is a beautiful bead bracelet created by teams of local artisans. These Lunar Essential Tracker (LETS) bracelets are a fundamental component of the education initiative, as they empower women, and the men that support them, to track their reproductive cycles. The end goal of any LETS initiative is to empower life choices and prevent children being born into situations where they are victims of poverty, abuse or trafficking.

  • Girls on Fire Leaders

The founders of this organization believe that girls are key to solving the world’s greatest challenges, and it starts with healing and well-being for themselves and their communities. Girls on Fire Leaders implements a program that trains, supports, and uplifts disadvantaged and abused girls in Kenya, transforming their lives and families by becoming social change leaders in their own communities and beyond. This aim is being accomplished through camps and workshops for over 2,000 HIV+ or HIV at-risk girls from eight different villages and four ethnic tribes. These Resilient Health and Well-Being camps bring girls together to help build social and emotional health and leadership skills. They also emphasize healing in all stages of growth to ensure girls can finish school, stay healthy, overcome violence, and become the leaders that the world needs.

2. Lead by example.

This is one of the most important ways you can empower women. Young women are deeply influenced by their role models, so make sure you’re a good one. Admire strong women, celebrate different types of beauty, empower women with kindness, and encourage women to make their aspirations a reality.

3. Find your strengths.

List things you like about yourself, or qualities and skills you’d like to develop. Recognizing and utilizing your own strengths empowers you to be successful in your own life

4. Continue your education.

Get your degree, or consider going back to school for an advanced degree; pursue specialized training; or join/start a book club to discuss what you are learning with other women.

5. Actively follow your dreams.

Create a Vision Board with visual representations of things you would like to accomplish in your life (large or small). Put it somewhere you will see it every day and continually update it. Take daily steps to accomplish your goals.

6. Tell the women in your life that you care.

You could write a note of thanks to a woman who has encouraged you, offer support to a new mom who’s struggling to balance it all, or tell your own sister, daughter, or mother how much you appreciate them.

7. Mentor a girl close to home.

Reach out and influence the life of a girl in your own community by volunteering as a tutor or mentor. You could also mentor in more informal ways: write a letter telling her what you wish you would have known at their age or giving advice; look for her specific strengths and communicate with her; or simply spend quality time together.

8. Shut Down Negativity.

Lift women up by taking a stance against negative comments online, at the office, in school, and wherever you go. Combat negativity by promoting body positivity, intelligence, and authenticity. Don’t be afraid to shut down negativity directly and honestly, your fellow females will appreciate you.

9. Keep girls in school.

When girls stay in school and finish secondary education, a lot of good things happen, for them and their families. They enjoy better health and can take care of themselves and their children. They live longer, marry later, earn higher wages, and are more active participants in community life. Yet, 130 million girls ages 6 to 17 are out of school. Help keep girls in our Lunga Lunga sourcing area in school by donating to scholarships here: https://doterrahealinghands.org/donate/scholars-program

10. Participate.

Consider participating in The Match Program, or donate to a Wellness Advocate matching project supporting an Empowering Women initiative. Search for one HERE.

Join the dHHF Team!

Share what you’ve learned or a way you have taken action on social media. Make sure to include #EngageInGood on your post.