Eva Longoria Creates Foundation For Latinas In Need

Last week actress Eva Longoria announced that she is creating a foundation to help Latinas through education and entrepreneurship. Writing in the Huffington Post, the Mexican-American television star detailed the obstacles many young Latinas face and claimed:

Our mission is to help Latinas build better futures for themselves and their families through education and entrepreneurship. We will support programs which help Latinas become college ready and college graduates. And we will provide Latinas with career training, mentorship, capital and opportunity.

This has been a subject of particular interest for the actress, considering Longoria wrote about Latina entrepreneurs and leadership while working to obtain her master’s degree. In the Huffington post she gave reasons why Latinas need assistance, citing:

As a group, Latinas are disproportionately impoverished and uneducated. 27% live below the poverty line, struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table. On average, women make $0.77 for every dollar a white man makes. For Latinas, the disparity is even more severe — they make only $0.54 on the dollar.

While many factors contribute to poverty, education plays a key role in a person’s ability to secure a good job. Today, only 65% of adult Latinas hold high school degrees and just 15% graduate from college.

Longoria also runs another charity that bears her name, Eva’s Heroes, an organization that helps teens with special needs.