The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World

Let me invite you to a gentle sunrise, where the world stirs with possibility and hope. In this first chapter of our journey, we discover how a single spark—an idea, a moment—can set into motion a wave of change that lifts not just one, but many. The 'moment of lift' is more than physics; it is the instant when the forces of hope, courage, and compassion overcome the gravity of old ways and begin to raise us all.

Imagine a young woman, growing up in a world where her choices seem fixed by tradition. One day, she sees a rocket launch—a symbol of what is possible when we dare to reach higher. That sense of awe and curiosity, the trembling of the earth as engines ignite, resonates with her own longing for something more. Every movement for change begins with a sense of wonder and a question: How can we rise?

In the story we explore, the author’s journey began not in the public eye, but in quiet moments—watching launches as a child, learning from a devoted teacher who insisted that girls deserved computers, and later, as a young mother, questioning what it meant to have both a career and a family. These questions, small at first, grew into a calling. She realized that her own life was shaped by the invisible power of choice—the choice to study, to work, to have children when she was ready. And as she listened to women around the world, she heard the same longing, the same dreams, and the same barriers.

Before tackling global health, the foundation’s first philanthropic project was wiring libraries for internet access. Knowledge, they believed, is the first step toward empowerment. But as their vision expanded, they saw a bigger truth: When women are lifted—when they have access to health, education, and opportunity—the entire community rises with them.

Stories from around the world reveal this pattern. In a small African village, a mother walks miles to vaccinate her child. In India, a teacher brings computers to girls for the first time. Each act, each choice, is a moment of lift—sometimes quiet, sometimes dramatic, but always transformative.

As you listen, let these stories remind you: Change often begins in the most personal places—with a question, a choice, a small act of courage. In the next section, we’ll travel deeper into the heart of what holds us down and what sets us free, exploring the essential role of family planning in giving women and families the power to shape their futures.