The Identity Project aims to restore a fundamental right of women to exist around the world by fighting for their right to identification.

According to the World Bank there are an estimated 1.1 billion people, mostly women, in the world without identification.  This is a problem in every continent around the world including in the U.S.  One basic way that we identify ourselves in society is with government issued documents, such as state ID cards or drivers licenses. These IDs empower us, they make us visible and they are a vehicle used to show that we exist. 

In many countries woman are denied their right to obtain an ID simply because they do not have a man that is willing to grant them permission to get it. This practice is illegal and a basic violation of Human Rights, however, not enough is being done to prevent these injustices. It is time to shift the paradigm so that women in every country are empowered to invoke their rights.

Without an ID much of your legal power would be taken away.  Think about all the seemingly innocuous moments you have had to provide your ID for receipt of services or privileges. How would you vote? How would you apply for school? How would you apply for your first checking account, loan for your small business or your home at a bank? How would you get on an airplane? How would get medical care? How would you apply for a job? ID’s empower us and that is what the Identity Project is about.

Nominally speaking, getting an ID is not overwhelmingly expensive and can cost on average $25 per woman globally.  From a cost benefit analysis, the rewards far outweigh the risks.  Inevitably, by providing women with their IDs and reinstating their existence and formal place in society more women will vote, go to school, work, travel, get healthcare.  These contributions by women into their communities will also make a significant impact on the environment as many experts agree that an educated female is the most cost-effective way of reducing emissions globally which would dramatically affect climate change.

This radical shift starts with removing the illegal requirement to have a male guardian in order to obtain identification requires financial contributions.  With an ID card, women have the right to a political voice, the right to work and the right to an education.  Without one, they sit in silence.