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 — 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 unacceptable and build a culture of justice, dignity, and equality. In the U.S., and beyond, we promoted rights of women and girls, along with racial justice, immigrant rights, and more, using a potent mix of media, arts, tech, and leadership training to reach millions of people where they are and inspire them to take bold action to challenge the status quo.
We envision a world in which everyone lives with dignity, equality, respect, and justice. We believe that promoting equality of genders is a pathway to promoting the human rights, and the humanity, of all people.
Breakthrough India which was created by Mallika Dutt around the same time, continues this work, while Lets’ Breakthrough in the U.S. supports organizations worldwide that carry the same vision forward.
Highlights from our history
1. Founding action / Mann Ke Manjeere
Breakthrough in India began when founder Mallika Dutt launched the first-of-its-kind 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 organisation’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
With this reach history and experience, Let’s Breakthrough is developing as the organisation that supports and strengthens organizations dedicated to girls’ and women’s rights in the Global South, especially focusing on India, South Asia, and Africa. Let’s Breakthrough will work towards sustaining path-breaking work in these countries towards creating greater opportunities for girls to complete education, delay marriages, and follow a career pathway. It will create exciting opportunities for organizations to learn from each other and replicating the successful models thus creating happier communities where young women fulfilling their dreams and aspirations become the new normal.