REDEEM. RESTORE. RECONCILE.
It is possible for women and young girls to thrive and experience the fullness of life that God intends for them, even when they experience poverty, unemployment, and lack of economic opportunities.
As an organization following the example of Jesus, we are called to reveal hope and restore life to those most deeply affected so that they are empowered and can flourish in every area of their lives.
As of today, women remain disproportionately affected by poverty, discrimination and exploitation.
Here are a few examples:
-
60m
women worldwide are married before they turn 18
-
53%
of those are married before they turn 14
-
1 out of 10
births worldwide are born to adolescent girls (age 15 to 19) every year
-
20%
of all landholders are women in developing countries
-
37%
of these women landholders have bank accounts
-
1 in 3
women worldwide have experienced some form of gender-based violence
-
150 countries
around the world legally discriminated against women
According to the most recent estimates, 10 percent of the world’s population live on less than US$1.90 a day.
In many societies, women and girls often eat last—and least. They have more limited access to essential services such as education and health care, and fewer opportunities to work or earn a good wage.
Investing in women’s economic empowerment sets a direct path towards gender equality, poverty eradication and inclusive economic growth.
Source: international.gc.ca
We empower
women through:
- Micro-loans
- Vocational Training
- Financial Literacy Training
- Counselling and Spiritual Formation
When you empower women you:
- Empower the entire family
- Break the cycle of poverty
- Increase household income
- Give dignity and hope
- Transform a community
Micro-finance
Women are provided funding and savings programs that they need to grow their micro-enterprises. We empower women for economic growth by improving financial accessibility services that would otherwise be impossible.
Vocational training
In this training, women learn marketable skills such as baking, seamstress, hairdressing, and DIY upcycling and projects, among others.
As part of the training, women are taught to efficiently purchase materials, price their final product at fair market value (explaining expense ratios), and sell it in their communities to create an income. Ultimately, our goal is to
- support women to gain equal access to quality work which is safe, fairly and equally rewarded, and to have greater levels of control over their earnings from this work
- to improve labor rights, both legally and in practice, and to change attitudes to women’s productive vs. reproductive roles at household, community and structural levels
- focus on business and vocational skills training, either for positions within existing industries or to develop small businesses of their own
Entrepreneurship
We help encourage equip women entrepreneurs to grow their businesses through providing financial literacy training and other business-making concepts like management, marketing and other soft skills. This includes ongoing mentoring and coaching addressing the needs of women.
Wherever possible, we also help enhance women’s ability to access and participate in new markets.
Income generating activities deeply impact a woman’s life.
- Support entire family
- Employable management and life skills
- Increased self confidence
- Strong relationships
- Local economy strengthened
Increased income is often channelled into family welfare. In fact, evidence shows that women tend to spend more of their incomes in ways that directly benefit their children, improving nutrition, health and educational opportunities for the next generation.
Source: USAID, 2015, Gender and Extreme Poverty
As women gain foundational skills, she becomes more marketable, resulting in an increase in her earning potential.
When a woman sees that she provide for her family and their needs, there is an increased sense of self worth and value.
As a woman begins to experience improvements in other areas of her life, hope and freedom begins to emerge. She begins to experience a new vision for their life – a redemptive vision.
By empowering a woman to receive essential skills and start her own business, she becomes an active contributor to society.
A one percentage point increase in female education raises the average gross domestic product (GDP) by 0.3 percentage points and raises annual GDP growth rates by 0.2 percentage points. In short, educated girls are empowered girls. And empowered girls and women are key to making greater gains in sustainable development.
Source: international.gc.ca
In 2022, our local partner in Paraguay saw
- 6,105 Microloans with $990,000+ portfolio size at 80% sustainability
- 360 Trust Groups
- 48 Staff and 203 volunteer chaplains
- 3,150 women trained in financial literacy
- 5,297 people trained in vocational training courses
- Church-facilitated savings groups launched in 3 regions of the country
Here is a visual footprint of our economic empowerment projects.
Pandita Ramabai Mukti Mission – Maharashtra
Learn More
Micro-finance Project
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Read stories of how women are experiencing freedom and hope in their lives.
Give the gift of dignity, value, freedom and a future for a woman.
Break the chains of oppression for a woman living in crisis and poverty. Help her realize her dreams and full potential by becoming financially independent and free from debt. Resource and empower an entrepreneur to start income generating activities whether through a micro-loan and/or projects such as agriculture, farming and gardens.