Pursuing and achieving success
Since 1981, Unbound has worked alongside individuals, families and communities to end poverty and build a world where every person can reach their full potential. Local and global monitoring and outcomes-focused evaluations validate the personalized approach and effectiveness of our programs. As listeners first, we continuously refine our programs to ensure each family feels empowered to find sustainable solutions for overcoming their unique challenges.
1.09 million children, youth and elders worldwide have benefitted from sponsorship since Unbound began
11,578 parent support groups worldwide, largely led by mothers
35,756 families started or enhanced their small businesses with the support of sponsorship benefits or microloans
100% of children and youth have the opportunity to access education once they are sponsored
2,000+ community-driven development initiatives funded through Agents of Change since 2017
The areas of impact we target to eliminate poverty
Pinpointing exactly what causes poverty is complicated. Not only is poverty multidimensional but it looks different for every individual, family and community, limiting everyone’s ability to live with dignity and reach their full potential.
We believe that the best solutions to poverty come from those closest to the problem. Unbound’s expertise at scaling beneficiary-led solutions to poverty makes us unique in the field of international development.
We seek outcomes based on nine program characteristics to drive change in five program pillars that describe Unbound’s impact on our families, communities and the world. We believe this approach moves us closer to our vision of a world where every person can live free of poverty.
Our work today with over 250,000 families across Africa, Asia and Latin America contributes to more than 10 of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
ORIENTATION
DECISION-MAKING
BUILDING
SELF-SUFFICIENCY
ACCOUNTABILITY AND SUPPORT
OF LEARNING
Nine Program Characteristics
Our nine program characteristics are the fundamental attributes we strive to achieve in partnership with the individuals, families and communities we serve. Recognizing that no single approach to poverty works in all locations, our program characteristics are interdependent and allow our local teams to take personalized approaches that respond to an individual's or family's unique needs.
Our program pillars are embedded within Unbound's nine program characteristics and serve as the primary focus for our global evaluation efforts.
Select a program characteristic to learn more
Nine Program Characteristics
Our nine program characteristics are the fundamental attributes we strive to achieve in partnership with the individuals, families and communities we serve. Recognizing that no single approach to poverty works in all locations, our program characteristics are interdependent and allow our local teams to take personalized approaches that respond to an individual's or family's unique needs.
Our program pillars are embedded within Unbound's nine program characteristics and serve as the primary focus for our global evaluation efforts.
Empowerment
Marginalized groups are empowered to create equality, justice and unity in their communities. Existing power imbalances are addressed with a commitment to non-violence, dignity and long-term change.
In Colombia, women face many challenges. … Being able to have a space, a place, a moment for us to [be heard], it is as if we are freed.
— Leidy, mother leader on the personal impact of her mothers group
Goal Orientation
Sponsored members and their families have clear personal goals and realistic plans to achieve those goals.
You have a goal — it is your engine, and thanks to it, you can move forward because you want to change the quality of your life.
— Andrea, sponsored youth and Unbound scholarship recipient in Colombia, who completed her college degree
Decentrailized Decison-Making
Sponsored members and their families have the primary voice in selection of personalized benefits and services as well as other key program decisions, within a solid framework of staff support and internal controls.
When I receive the funds, I am the manager. I distribute it according to [our needs]. I buy the food. The whole family gets to eat and go to school. That's why I am so grateful.
— Jane, mother of sponsored child Victor in Kenya
Capacity Building
The primary focus of the program is for families to develop their own capacity for personal and economic growth rather than a focus on the distribution of material goods.
I learned to lose fear, to speak up, to achieve my goals and my dreams, to become the person I am today. This year, I graduate in public accounting — I'm going to be a public accountant!
- Yudis, mother leader and Unbound scholarship recipient from Colombia, who didn't get to finish school as a child
Sustainabilty
Sponsored members and families are the primary agents in their development, even self-managing many aspects of the sponsorship program with support from Unbound staff. Ultimately, the community develops programs independent of Unbound.
I applied for a loan from Unbound SACCO [savings and credit cooperative] and [built] our house. We depend on farming; I [bought] goats and a cow. I sell the milk to pay back the loan. We didn't have good bedding, now we do. Nowadays, I have no stress.
- Mary, mother of sponsored youth Joshua in Kenya
Economic Self-Sufficiency
Sponsored members and their families meet their basic needs through a combination of income-generating activities, access to capital and sponsorship benefits. Over time, families rely more on their own initiatives to meet their needs.
I found the way out of how I was living; [Unbound] opened a door. I dreamed of being independent. I think I am achieving it.
— Emilia, mother of sponsored child in Peru, who used an Unbound small business grant to boost her bookstore
Mutual Accountability and Support
Sponsored members and families form a support network in which they encourage and are accountable to one another.
Whenever we say, 'We will do it together,' it is done. [Our group] meetings make us have accountability and help us to know what each are responsible for. We see the problem and we fix it.
— Immaculate, mother leader in Uganda, on how group members keep each other accountable
Worldview
Sponsored members and families are agents of positive change in their communities. They see themselves as part of a worldwide movement with opportunities to share their lives with their sponsors, who they recognize are walking the path with them.
Because of the things we've learned … our lives have improved. We became more disciplined and more cooperative, most especially in the community where we belong.
— Fe, mother leader in the Philippines, on the impact to members of her Unbound small group who worked with their community on an Agents of Change initiative to renovate a playground
Culture of Learning
Sponsored families, together with program staff, balance reflection and action, define and measure outcomes, and utilize results for continuous program improvements.
The situation I was living in before, I think even my brain had become frozen. But Unbound taught us how to do [sustainable] farming, they taught us how to save, but most of all, they taught us that we ought to have a purpose. That reawakened my brain.
— Immaculate, mother of sponsored child in Uganda
Five Program Pillars: Results that matter
Our commitment to outcomes-focused evaluation means we look at the results participants experience, not just the outputs of our programs and activities. The impact we drive within our five program pillars helps us achieve our mission and advance many of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
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Eliminate Poverty +
We work collaboratively to eliminate multidimensional poverty from the households that we support. As families identify their priorities, Unbound provides the resources and support they need to achieve their goals
259,462
children, youth and elders sponsored in 2023, giving them and their families access to opportunities for education, livelihood development and inclusion in community support networks.
230,400
households have set personal goals to lead their families out of poverty using Unbound’s Goal Orientation powered by Poverty Stoplight (anchor link to the PS section below), which launched in 2020.
98%
of households receive personalized benefits in the form of regular cash transfers made directly to their individual bank accounts, empowering them to be the decision-makers.
136,000+
families have reported over 175,000 achievements in their Poverty Stoplight priority goals in the last three years, making personal improvements in such areas as housing, health and employment.
A father finds path to economic self-sufficiency
When his daughter became sponsored, Jean Claude felt empowered to begin practicing saving. Over time, the family was able to launch several small businesses in Rwanda and can now envision a future free of poverty.
This pillar aligns with SDG 1: No Poverty.
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Empower Women +
Women and mothers in our programs are empowered with financial inclusion. Funding accelerates the success of female entrepreneurs.
The unifying power of mothers to drive change
Unbound mothers groups in Colombia inspire women to seek inclusion, and they’re finding the belonging, value and empowerment that’s helping them build stronger families and communities together.
Read the story11,000+
active small groups worldwide, mostly made up of and led by the mothers of sponsored children, are spaces where women encourage, support and hold each other accountable.
95%
of Unbound small business grants were awarded to women (mothers, aunts or grandmothers of sponsored children) in 2023 to boost their existing businesses.
159
cooperatives, including credit and multi-purpose co-ops, have been formed by Unbound participants worldwide and are largely managed by mothers.
$11.5 million
combined total savings held largely by mothers in Unbound’s small groups and cooperatives, and available for families to access microloans for business capital or other needs.
This pillar aligns with SDG 5: Gender Equality and SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.
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Advance Education +
Through resources and motivating support services, marginalized children and youth are able to increase their educational attainment levels to above national averages. Enrollment in school is a requirement for every child and youth participating in Unbound’s sponsorship program. Scholarships for both youth and adult learners expand opportunities for higher education.
100%
of children and youth living in poverty have the opportunity to access to education once they are sponsored.
9,079
aspiring students were awarded scholarships in 2023 from the Unbound Scholarship Program, totaling $3.9 million in support.
92%
of students from Unbound’s Colombia program in a 2022 evaluation exhibited “high academic performance” as a scholarship recipient.
40%
of Unbound staff globally are former scholarship and sponsorship program alumni.
This pillar aligns with SDG 4: Quality Education.
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Build Community +
Households new to Unbound integrate into small peer groups that offer mutual support, while eventually collaborating to lead community-wide development projects that drive lasting change beyond the individuals and families participating in our programs.
11,578
active small groups worldwide unify participants and empower them to drive change in their communities.
$522,953
in funding provided in 2023 for the implementation of community-led Agents of Change initiatives across 15 countries.
298,651
people globally benefitted from community development initiatives led by individuals and families in Unbound’s programs in 2024.
67%
of participants in a 2020 evaluation who, after completing an Agents of Change initiative, reported believing they had the power to drive change in their communities and the wider world.
100,000+
Unbound families and community members worldwide benefitted from community-driven initiatives that sought to improve health, hygiene and access to water in 2024.
This pillar aligns with SDG 5: Gender Equality and SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. Depending on the community development initiatives implemented, it could also align with SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation and SDG 4: Quality Education, among others.
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Promote Well-Being of All Ages +
As one of the largest U.S.-based international development organizations offering elder sponsorship, we continue to expand our programming for older adults worldwide, providing access to spaces for inclusion and psycho-social support. Targeted interventions to elder caregivers also help improve health and well-being outcomes.
30,000+
older adults (age 60+) are part of Unbound’s elder sponsorship program globally.
65%
of elders sponsored remain part of the program for the rest of their lives; the program focuses on helping them live in circumstances befitting their dignity.
66%
of sponsored elders surveyed in 2018 reported having greater access to all needed medical care.
90%
of sponsored elders who participated in phase one of a diabetes pilot program facilitated by Unbound and Chronic Care International in the Philippines had their A1C levels under control after one year of participation.
An elder finds support to continue his passion
Nazario, an 83-year-old grandfather in Guatemala, can continue the craft that he loves — basket weaving — with the support and renewed hope he found through elder sponsorship.
This pillar aligns with SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing, SDG 1: No Poverty and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities.
Understanding Unbound's framework for success
We’re continuously improving both our longstanding global programs and new initiatives based on the results we gather from organization-wide program evaluations.
Our methods might include conducting surveys of sponsored members on income and skill development, Ripple Effect mapping and Journey mapping, focus groups for evaluating changing attitudes and behaviors, case studies to highlight success stories, reviewing educational attendance and performance data, and tracking career preparedness, among others.
Unbound uses a three-tier approach to measuring program effectiveness and outcomes — at the global level, the local program level and the individual level.
We call these three tiers the Plane, the Plaza and the Porch.
The Plane
Plane-level evaluations are global evaluations with an eye toward organizational outcomes for participants across multiple programs and countries. These evaluations help tell the Unbound story, while communicating the effectiveness of our global program approach in key focus areas, such as our five program pillars.
The Plaza
Plaza-level evaluations identify local program accomplishments, but also program needs in the context of the communities that families call home. Families work alongside local program staff to define and measure outcomes, ensuring continuous program improvement.
The Porch
Letter writing, part of the one-to-one sponsorship model, provides direct feedback between sponsored friend and sponsor regarding the impact of sponsorship. This allows us to understand and communicate outcomes on a very personal level. This decentralized approach to overcoming poverty empowers families to self-assess their situations, set goals and create solutions tailored to their unique needs. Poverty Stoplight is one tool used for the decentralized approach.
Unbound's Goal Orientation powered by Poverty Stoplight
Poverty Stoplight is a mobile technology and social innovation platform developed by Fundación Paraguaya that seeks to activate the potential of families and communities to lift themselves out of poverty.
Unbound has been partnering with Fundación Paraguaya since 2021 and is currently the largest implementor of the Poverty Stoplight methodology worldwide, with 230,000-plus active participants across three regions of the world. We refer to how we use this platform as “Unbound’s Goal Orientation powered by Poverty Stoplight.”
Unbound’s Goal Orientation powered by Poverty Stoplight connects to Unbound’s evaluation framework, activating the Porch and informing the Plaza and Plane.
Using a survey of indicators across six dimensions of poverty — combined with personalized mentoring from staff — families identify and prioritize their needs, set clear goals, envision how to change their situations and continually evaluate their progress toward overcoming poverty.
The methodology is not only a self-assessment survey but an intervention model, empowering families with the data and awareness to make decisions about their futures and engage support resources and effective solutions.
Using the Poverty Stoplight’s standard dimensions also allow Unbound to understand the impact of our programs at a global level across different locations and contexts, and new programs may be developed at the community level in response to the similar priorities families identify.
How we hold ourselves accountable
Accountability and transparency are hallmarks of our programs, and we have safeguards in place to ensure it stays this way.
Financial and program audits are conducted in all program locations on a regular basis, so that we know those participating in our programs are being provided the intended benefits and services and being empowered to direct their own development.
In addition, the Unbound Governing Board monitors the integrity and accountability of our operations, defining the outcomes expected and analyzing our progress.
Our ongoing commitment to being good stewards of the funds entrusted to us earns us top ratings from independent charity evaluators like GuideStar and CharityWatch, among others.
90.2%
Our expenses for program support in 2023.
$114.4 million
The direct assistance we sent to programs in 2023.
4 Star
Charity Navigator awarded Unbound 4 out of 4 stars and the highest obtainable score of 100 in the areas of accountability and transparency.
30+
Professional evaluators on staff worldwide monitoring our progress.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Learn more about how we walk with families on their paths out of poverty, the impact of our efforts and our expertise in international development by visiting some of the resources below.