Our History
About Let’s Breakthrough International
Let’s Breakthrough International was established to build a community in the U.S. to collectively support for the rights and dignity of women and girls in the Global South.
For more than two decades, Let’s Breakthrough has helped mobilize donors, partnerships, and resources in support of work that has reached millions of women, girls, young people, and community members.
Today, we are building on that legacy by creating a broader platform for solidarity and philanthropy.py — connecting U.S. donors with courageous, locally led organizations tackling some of the most persistent barriers facing women and girls.
History of Breakthrough
Let’s Breakthrough began with a bold idea: use culture to change culture—to make discrimination and violence against women and girls unacceptable and build a culture of justice, opportunity, and equality..
We envision a world in which everyone lives with dignity, equality, respect, and justice. We believe that promoting
equality of women and girls is central to promoting the human rights, and the humanity, of all people.
Breakthrough India works in 550 communities , 13 districts, 30,000 schools and with 1.5 million young people and their families in India to support women and girls and shift systems that prevent them from reaching their full potential.
Lets’ Breakthrough allows donors in the US to support this work and that of similar organizations in the global south.
Highlights from our history
1. Founding action / Mann Ke Manjeere
Breakthrough in India began when with the launch of Mann Ke Manjeere, a chart-topping, award-winning music album and video about women’s dreams. The story of a woman leaving an abusive marriage to become a truck driver reached more than 100 million households across South Asia and millions more worldwide. This bold fusion of pop culture and human rights set the tone for the organization’s strategy: use culture to change culture.
2. Bell Bajao / One Million Men
Launched in India in 2008, Bell Bajao (“Ring the Bell”) invited men and boys to interrupt domestic violence. The campaign reached 130+ million people in India, with youth advocates traveling 80,000 km in video vans to engage 2.7 million face-to-face. Holding the hands of Lets’ Breakthrough, it went viral worldwide, won a Cannes Silver Lion, and inspired adaptations in China, Pakistan, Peru, and beyond. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon became its first Global Champion, and by 2013, Ring the Bell: One Million Men. One Million Promises rallied men on six continents to take concrete action.
3. Consolidating, Greater Focus, Strengthening the Work in Global South
Today, Let’s Breakthrough supports and strengthens organizations dedicated to girls’ and women’s rights in the Global South, especially focusing on India, South Asia, and Africa. We support path-breaking organizations in these countries as they create greater opportunities for girls to complete education, delay marriage, and pursue successful careers. We create opportunities for organizations to learn from one another and adapt successful models to local conditions creating communities where women and girls fulfill their dreams and are not limited simply because they are women and girls.