There are more than 800 million Muslim women and girls in the world who represent an eighth of the world’s population, but gender disparities contribute to the gap in Global GDP. Narrowing the gender gap in employment, a potential benefit of expanded female education, could increase per capita income in emerging markets as much as 14 percent higher than the baseline projections by 2020, and as much as 20 percent higher by 2030.

Resilient and strong communities can only exist where women are playing a full and active part. Financial security of women benefits not just the individual but the entire family and can help lift communities out of poverty.

The Global Partnership for Women and Girls, a fund of the Tides Foundation, is committed to the global advancement and empowerment of Muslim women and their communities, tackling global challenges with local solutions. The Global Partnership for Women and Girls invests in local, culturally-tailored initiatives designed to create educational and economic opportunities that enable Muslim women and girls to become full and equal participants in their local economies, benefiting their entire communities.

CNN World talks with Nadia Malik, the co-founder of the
Global Partnership for Women and Girls.