Troy Anderson

Speak Up for the Poor

The mission of Speak Up for the Poor is to create a new reality for girls in poverty. We work with girls in Bangladesh, the country with the highest rate of child marriage in the world for girls under age 15. We run a Girls Education Program (GEP) which is currently helping more than 1,500 girls to stay out of child marriages and other forms of abuse, and to stay in school through higher education. Rather than becoming uneducated child brides who perpetuate cycles of female poverty, GEP girls and young women are becoming educated, empowered professionals who serve their communities and inspire other girls and women to do the same. Speak Up's GEP is transforming the way entire communities view and value girls and women.