What happens when you think of poor women as economic powerhouses? The world changes
This pulls from 8 projects in different countries to show off the economic power of women in CARE programs.
Story type: 5 Minutes of Inspiration
CARE's work around the world is amazing, and we have tons of evidence that proves it. These short descriptions highlight success and inspiration from CARE's work around the world and the evidence from evaluations, project reports, and external partners. They take no more than 5 minutes to read, and will link you to more documents and research if you want to learn more.
VSLAs in DRC: Solidarity and savings graduate families out of poverty
This story started well before 2016—it starts with the Tuungane project—the first time CARE used VSLAs in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Tuungane was a $114 million DFID-funded project that CARE ran from 2007-2014 in collaboration with IRC. It reached 1.8 million people and added the VSLA component in 2012. Working with women in those VSLAs created the foundation that CARE is using to build conflict-resilient VSLAs.
We see graduation out of poverty; Women in Ethiopia see joy
Women For Women: Opportunities for Women in Enterprise Development in Ethiopia worked from 2015-2018 with $1.7 million in support from the H&M Conscious Foundation. The partnered with the Mission for Community Development Program to reach 8,656 people.
Women on the Move Courage, decisions, and networks—the real benefits of VSLA
Celestine is one of the 3.2 million women in West Africa who are benefiting from VSLA. Her passion and vision capture the unique spark of VSLA, the centerpiece of CARE’s work in West Africa. Women on the Move is a CARE regional strategy for West Africa that runs from 2016-2020, and aims to help 8 million women and girls become economically empowered.
Sudanese helping each other
The South and East Darfur Emergency Assistance Project ran from 2017-2018 with $1.2 million in funding by the US Government’s Office of Foreign and Disaster Assistance (OFDA). It reached 309,981 people. The project is continuing through 2019 for a new phase of funding.
How building trust unleashes activists
Strengthening Non State Actors for Peace in Kayah State (SNAP) operated in Myanmar from 2016-2018 with just over $600,000 from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. It reached 1,258 people in partnership with the Karenni State Women’s Network.
How men and women share their dreams in Papua New Guinea
“Me and my wife share ideas and dreams. We have a plan now to have a good house. It took a long time to come to this. Now we have our permanent house. During [training] we sat together and had two visions – the first is to put our kids in school, and this is happening as my first son is in secondary. The second was to have our permanent house, and this has also happened.”
How CARE works with survivors and communities to respond to gender based violence
During this past fiscal year, 244 CARE projects and initiatives worked to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV) with 12% of projects fully focusing on addressing GBV and a further 45% mainstreaming GBV prevention and response approaches into their activities.
How Vietnam Helped the Government Rethink Community Rights
Promoting Land Rights for Ethnic Minority People ran in Vietnam from 2016-2018, with $785,000 in funding from the EU. It reached 1,211 people directly, and nearly 12 million indirectly.