Newswise — Mount Holyoke President Lynn Pasquerella is pitching in financially to combat extreme poverty.
Pasquerella is one of the first signers of the Presidents’ Pledge, in which participating college and university presidents agree to donate five percent of their annual income to help alleviate global poverty.
“I joined the President's Pledge in order to take active steps toward fighting global poverty,” Pasquerella said. “The goal is to use philanthropy to create social change. By making a public commitment, the hope is to foster a culture of giving that will save lives. As the president of a college whose mission is to use liberal learning for purposeful engagement in the world, I welcomed the opportunity to participate.”
A significant portion of Pasquerella’s contribution will be targeted to the work she does in Africa, partnering on the delivery of clean water solutions, sustainable agriculture, and entrepreneurship opportunities.
Bolder Giving, which is organizing the pledge initiative, aims to enlist the aid of 100 college and university presidents. According to the organization, as many as 20,000 children die each day from preventable, poverty-related causes.
The campaign is modeled after The Giving Pledge, in which 69 billionaires including Warren Buffet and Bill and Melinda Gates have committed a large percentage of their wealth to philanthropy.
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