Proposal+--+Intro

Seven out of ten people living in poverty are women; while one in three females on earth has been physically or sexually abused; and sixty per cent of the 77 million people not attending primary school are girls. Evidently impoverished, victimized, and denied, women and girls globally are in desperate need of support, compassion, and empowerment, of which such non-profit groups as CARE, and campaigns like International Women’s Day, aim to provide. A lack of public awareness and decreasing charitable donations, however, pose considerable challenges, often hindering their efforts to improve the experience of being female. Partnered with CARE-Canada, this qualitative research project, therefore, seeks to determine public knowledge of and attitudes toward international humanitarian efforts as well as the role women and girls play in international development. The data collected is expected to contribute to the formation of effective and strategic communications plans that will benefit CARE-Canada, extending its donor base and developing its promotion of International Women’s Day.

CARE-Canada describes itself as a global force dedicated to defending dignity and fighting poverty by empowering “the world’s most vulnerable and greatest resource for change: women and girls.” Its mission is to serve individuals and families in the poorest communities of the world, drawing strength from its global diversity, resources, and experience. Over the years, CARE’s work has significantly expanded from originally sending care packages during World War II to responding to famine and disaster. CARE now works in almost 70 countries, focusing on global issues like HIV and AIDS, economic strengthening and women’s empowerment, ultimately aspiring to create “lasting solutions to root causes of poverty.”

Currently, CARE is promoting International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating “the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future.” Beginning in 1911, next year’s Day will be its 100th year; however, while in some countries, like China and Vietnam, it is an official holiday, in the Western hemisphere it observably lacks the attention it deserves. Recognizing International Women’s Day as an important opportunity to reach out to Canadians, CARE-Canada has expressed its desire to increase awareness of women’s issues around the world by increasing awareness of the Day, which this year falls on March 8. We thus aim to provide CARE with an understanding of the effectiveness of its current promotion as well as ways to improve upon its promotion in the future. An interdependent relationship exists, furthermore, between awareness and charitable donations. CARE-Canada has intimated that it requires donations to fund various projects, but in order to acquire donations it also requires public awareness of the issues the organization is so passionate about. According to Statistics Canada, the number of charitable donors fell 0.9% to just under 5.7 million (StatsCan). Nationally, moreover, 24% of all tax filers claimed charitable donations, slightly lower than in previous years (StatsCan); and though Ontario had the second highest percentage of those declaring a donation, at 26%, Ontario donors dropped 1.9% from 2006-2007 (StatsCan). This decline is concerning for non-profit groups which increasingly depend upon a donor base for funding. CARE-Canada, therefore, has expressed its hope to extend its current donor base, with the intention of also being less dependent upon government funding. Thus, we aim to determine an effective means of reaching a younger demographic, particularly that between 30 and 45. In reviewing relevant literature and collecting and analyzing data, we therefore hope to gauge public opinion and knowledge regarding women's issues in developing countries as well as International Women's Day; we intend to better understand how to effectively market International Women's Day in 2011; and we aim to also determine, perhaps most importantly to CARE-Canada, an effective means of expanding its donor base.