Denise Dunning: Investing in girls

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Denise DunningDenise Dunning talks about the creation of Rise Up, a group aimed at transforming the lives of girls, youth, and women around the globe.

At the 2014 World Economic Forum, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced that girls are the key to ending global poverty. No one could agree with that more than Denise Dunning.

At the age of 12, while visiting her mother’s native Argentina, she saw an impoverished young girl, not much older than herself, begging with a baby and a toddler in tow. This early experience stayed with her and was the impetus behind creating Rise Up. Through its various programs, the lives of more than 115 million girls, youth and women have been transformed, around the globe.

“These girls are facing enormous challenges, in Malawi in particular, more than half of girls are married before the age of 18,” Dunning explained.

Denise Dunning: Investing in girls

Rise Up Founder Denise Dunning talks about investing in girls around the globe.


She knows, firsthand, that investing in girls’ leadership and empowerment leads them to change their communities, their countries and perhaps even the world.

“What we’ve seen is that these girls are incredibly strong and resilient and that they can stand up and speak out for their rights and the rights of other girls in their communities,” Dunning said.

From San Francisco, Denise Dunning joined Mike Walter in our New York studio.