Worldwide more than 60 million girls have been forced into early marriage. Of the 780 million people who can't read, 510 million are female. Women work two thirds of the world's working hours but earn just 10% of the income.
The new UN women's agency could put a stop to all this. But to fulfil its promise it needs your help.
The Godmothers is a group of men and women who think women everywhere deserve a chance. Together we’ll watch over UN Women, help keep it on track and protect it from people who’d like to see it fail - everything a good godmother would do. By making sure UN Women gets the powers and funding it needs, we can make life better for millions of women worldwide.
How we're fighting discrimination
Meet the women you'll be helping:
The UK Government has announced that it will only pledge £10million to UN Women this year, less than half of what we were asking for. This is a missed opportunity to improve the lives of millions of women around the world.
That’s why we’re asking you to write directly to Secretary of State Andrew Mitchell. Explain to him in your own words just how disappointed you are with the funding announcement and ask him, on behalf of the one billion women around the world living in poverty, to change his mind.
Click here for tips to write your letter (pdf)
Watch VSO’s film to find out more