Speak Up for the Poor

Speak Up runs a Girls Empowerment Program in Bangladesh, serving more than 2,500 girls and their families. Our Mission is to create a new reality for girls in poverty by empowering girls in poverty who are vulnerable to exploitation or abuse.

Our GEP in Bangladesh is our flagship program, serving girls in 44 slum and village locations as of January 2026. We run dormitories to house and educate girls-at-risk; run a large College Program with more than 360 young women now in higher education; prevent child marriages across the region through a combination of legal and educational programs; and provide tutoring and educational support to well over 2,500 girls from 5th grade through higher education. We have a long track record of girls empowerment, and have 15 of the young women who we put through higher education now working for us as full-time staff.

We are incorporated as a 501c(3) in the USA as Speak Up for the Poor, and operate as Speak Up Bangladesh as a registered INGO in Bangladesh.

The girls we serve are approximately a 50-50 split between poor Muslim and Hindu communities, both in rural villages and in slums in the Khulna City area. Our staff is a team of 45 full-time staff, and more than 110 part-time teachers and interns who provide the daily tutoring across the region. Our staff is 75% female, and is a mix of Hindus, Muslims, and Christians.