Charity, or active compassion, has always been considered a moral necessity and social good. Most recently, thousands of youth have begun raising funds to support causes orestablishing organizations that disburse money to create a better livelihood for a specific population. But this is nowhere near enough. Remember, we must seek social change, not charity.

Raise-It-Up! will teach you all the ropes for how to not only simply fund, but create and invest in, people’s initiative, by providing loans to women through the unique concept of micro lending to enable them to create their own sustainable businesses. These businesses can be anything from a small income-generation project in which women knit clothing to sell and distribute for profit overseas, to a catering program in which the women cook and sell food.

You will lead projects that raise funds to loan to women to begin their businesses or grow existing ones, as well as learn about and then teach the concept and benefits of microfinance to young people in your community. Raise-It-Up! encourages members to work in teams, even across countries; however, individuals are welcome to lead projects independently too. Just so, you will act as the catalyst for the thousands of women aspiring to become self-sufficient-transforming them from potential changemakers to real leaders in their communities.

To get started, all you need to do is take four simple steps:

1. Sign up to join the Sisters 4 Peace Network and register for Raise-It-Up!
2. Create a profile by completing the information presented to you after you receive your verification email.
3. We will pair you with a Peace Ambassador to start mentoring you to grow your project.
4. Use Sisters 4 Peace’s Transform-Your-World toolkit, grant opportunities, and community of changemakers to plan and implement your project!