A first generation American, Ritu’s family left behind generations of violence in Punjab, India to build a new life in the United States. Her familial experiences prompted her to dedicate her life to helping women and men who struggle to leave poverty and violence behind them.
Ritu’s leadership skills were evident early. In 1995, at 26, she led a coalition of more than 100 organizations to influence the United Nations Summit on Social Development. She also served on the official United States delegation to the Summit and later on the U.S. delegation to the United Nations General Assembly Session on Women in 2000, also known as “Beijing Plus Five.”
In 1998, Ritu founded Women Thrive Worldwide, a non-profit that puts the concerns of the poorest women and girls at the center of all U.S. international assistance. Under 17 years of Ritu’s leadership, Women Thrive grew into a highly impactful $2M organization that successfully altered numerous US policies to benefit millions of women and girls.
Ritu’s advocacy was instrumental in the creation of the White House Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally, announced by President Obama in August 2012. Also under her direction, Women Thrive was the driving force behind the US Agency International Development’s establishment of the Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy, also in 2012.
Ritu was an original architect of the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA), introduced into the United States Congress in 2007, and again in 2010 and 2013. Women Thrive, together with Amnesty International USA and CARE USA, developed the bill in consultation with more than 150 groups in the United States and abroad. This bi-partisan legislation puts forward proven, cost-effective strategies to reduce violence, and came very close to being passed in the 111th Congress. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Mark Kirk (R-IL), and Representatives Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Christopher Gibson (R-NY) reintroduced IVAWA into the 113th Congress. Reintroduction is expected for the 114th Congress.
In June 2014, Palgrave Macmillan published Ritu’s first book, Teach a Woman to Fish: Overcoming Poverty Around the Globe. Melinda Gates said after reading an advance copy: “In Teach a Woman to Fish, Ritu Sharma shows us what unites women around the world: devotion to their families, pride in their children, and a willingness to sacrifice for a better future. Using highly accessible prose, she helps make the sometimes abstract concept of women’s empowerment concrete, showing how no matter where they live, women’s hard work is absolutely essential to building thriving communities.” President Jimmy Carter endorsed the book saying: “Every citizen and lawmaker should read this book.”
Ritu is also the author of An Introduction to Advocacy: A Training Guide, which has been translated into three languages and is a primary reference for advocates around the globe.
An adept coalition builder, strategist, motivator, and communicator, Ritu remains a leading voice on international women’s issues and global development. She now provides consulting services for strategy, corporate social responsibility, resource development, leadership excellence, advocacy and gender analysis through her firm, Sharma Solutions.
