Empowering women through social support systems to break the cycle of poverty

This story is the last in a three-part series on how marginalized women and mothers will drive change when they’re empowered as decision-makers, and with financial inclusion and support networks.

Read on to see how Unbound empowers women and mothers through social support systems that motivate them to drive wider change in their communities. Also see Part 1: “Empowering women with decision-making,” or Part 2: “Empowering women with financial inclusion.” 

Achieving women’s equality is not only about empowering individual women but also creating supportive communities where women can come together and thrive.

Poverty is a threat to a person’s confidence and willingness to participate in society, particularly among girls and women. It can lead to social isolation, limiting a woman’s access to information, resources and support networks.

Because women globally bear the brunt of unpaid care and domestic work, they have less time and opportunities to access education and paid work, or to participate in social and political life — in turn, keeping them poorer than men, according to the United Nations. In particular, marginalized women in rural areas spend more time in household work such as obtaining water and fuel, caring for children and the sick, and processing food.

In disadvantaged communities where Unbound has a presence, the organization works to eradicate poverty by building community through groups of mutual support (largely made up of women) and community-driven development projects largely led by women.

The outcomes of these efforts have proven time and time again that when women and mothers come together, they’ll reweave the fabric of community and work as one to create collective solutions to poverty.

Empowering women through mothers groups to realize their full potential

Violence against women is the most widespread form of violence in Peru.

According to the World Bank, one in three women in Peru will likely suffer physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner in their lifetimes. Violence often becomes a barrier preventing women and girls from fully participating in the social and economic life of their communities.

In the capital city of Lima and surrounding areas, Unbound works with over 3,000 families to strengthen family and community bonds as the country transforms from a rural to an urban society. In these semi-urban sectors, roads are often in such bad condition that public transportation and tank trucks that deliver water to communities are often not allowed there.

Erika, 28, is the mother of sponsored child Adrián, 8, in Unbound’s Lima program. She leads her Unbound mothers group called “Mothers Group B3.” In Lima, Unbound mothers groups are named after the sectors in which their communities are located.

Members of B3 volunteer as “mother defenders” in their sector. Trained by local law enforcement, they offer support and advise women and families experiencing violence.

“We are united,” said Erika about her mothers group. “If someone says, ‘I don’t know [what to do], help me here,’ we advise and support each other.”

Unbound mothers groups were originally formed in 2001 as a means to allow the mothers of sponsored children to form a network of support that encourages empowerment and mutual accountability. There are over 11,500 active mothers groups (which also welcome fathers and guardians) across 17 program countries. The groups are typically made up of 20-30 women who live in the same community and meet monthly.

Mothers groups empower women to create change by starting with themselves and working outward to create change in their families, the group itself and the community. Guided by local Unbound staff, mothers meet to train in such areas as leadership development and income generation or to lead activities that improve their communities.

Global evaluations of mothers have found that through participation in Unbound programs mothers begin to believe they have the power to change their family’s situation, and their confidence in sharing their voice begins to grow.

“Women in our program know what their children need to become thriving adults,” said Becky Findley, Unbound’s vice president of program development. “If they have a business, they have a plan for its expansion. They know how to build safer communities.

“Empowering women helps level the playing field and makes the whole community stronger.”

Before Erika’s son was sponsored, she rarely left her home in Lima, dedicating herself instead to doing housework and caring for her three children. She once dreamed of being a doctor because she loved helping people, but she had to drop out of school as a teenager to help financially support her parents and siblings.

When Erika was first encouraged to attend her Unbound mothers group once her son was sponsored, she felt nervous at the change and even somewhat resistant. Her husband and mother-in-law were not immediately supportive of her participation, thinking it would take away time from her domestic duties.

Erika’s first role on her mothers group committee was to work with sponsored children, leading them in arts and crafts and mentoring them, something she was already comfortable doing with three children of her own.

As Erika attended the meetings each month, she noticed that other mothers in the group had a deep desire to get ahead, and their commitment eventually motivated her.

“I also liked meeting people from different [sectors] and learning from them about how to keep moving forward,” Erika said.

Overcoming her shyness, Erika eventually volunteered to be the mother leader for B3 when the position became available, and she began managing the monthly meetings and supporting other mothers. She said her greatest achievement has been learning to trust in herself.

“I have achieved something beautiful,” Erika said. “I know I can say, ‘Yes, I can,’ and I will continue fighting for my dreams.”

Once Erika’s group grew together in confidence in themselves and their abilities, they set their sights on improving their community.

Empowering women to be changemakers in their communities and society

Selflessness is a common attribute often noted in marginalized women and mothers participating in Unbound’s programs.

From her travels to visit Unbound programs across the globe, Unbound President and CEO Ashley Hufft said this is one attribute that stands out to her as she interacts with mothers.

“Time and again, as soon as the woman is out of an immediate crisis situation — reaching some degree of stability for herself and her family — she turns her gaze outwards, to help others, whether that’s her neighbor, other women in her group or the community at large,” Hufft said. “Never do they talk of themselves. The ego is completely absent as they look to improve the lives of all those around them.”

Unbound’s Agents of Change platform was created to specifically give program participants the opportunity to do just that. Through Agents of Change, led largely by mothers groups, women identify community needs, craft a proposal for a grant and then work with others in their community to implement the community change.

Though Agents of Change has been in existence for over seven years, 2024 was the first full year the platform was active across all Unbound program countries and available online as a donor option to support. Over 700 initiatives — ranging from improving schools and roadways to making drinking water more accessible — were completed in 2024 alone, positively impacting an estimated 417,974 people in marginalized communities.

With the help of an Agents of Change grant, Erika’s mothers group B3 in Lima united with another mothers group, B2, to work together to fortify a road in their community and install a retaining wall. This made it possible for tanker trucks to deliver water higher into their sector where there was no potable water. The initiative added more comfort in the daily lives of not only residents of their sectors, but also business owners, and is contributing to their sector’s growth.

Findley recounted a similar Agents of Change initiative she witnessed in Tanzania, Africa, while traveling to visit some of the local programs there.

A mothers group had identified the need for a reliable water source and developed a comprehensive proposal that was reviewed by a committee of their peers. Once approved, they used the Agents of Change grant funding to build a well. The women in the group led the charge, organizing the labor and overseeing the project to completion.

Before the well was completed, women and girls in the community spent an hour each day collecting water for their families. With the well completed, their collecting time was reduced to just 10 minutes, and the new well improved health and hygiene for the entire community.

“The whole project was a true testament to the determination and vision of the women involved,” Findley said. “The initiative not only provided a vital resource but also empowered the women by giving them a sense of ownership and accomplishment.”

But mothers aren’t the only women empowered to make their communities better, safer places for all through Agents of Change.

In the Philippines, Juana, a 77-year-old sponsored elder, led a group of other elders to improve a walking path in their community.

As a child, Juana’s mountainous community was impacted by conflicts between the government and rebel groups. Afraid to attend school, Juana only completed school through the fifth grade. Now a widow who makes her income from selling mineral water, Juana has been sponsored through Unbound for 10 years.

She spearheaded the Agents of Change initiative with her elder group. The path had been muddy and slippery during rainy times, making it a hazard to the children walking to school each day, as well as for the elderly. It took five days to cover the path in concrete and install proper drainage, but once complete, the pathway made walking safer and more accessible to more than 100 families in the area.

“We are proud,” Juana said. “Despite our age, we can still do more. It was like a treasure to us to be able to give proper care [to our community].”

Support Unbound's work empowering women and mothers

According to Hufft, women today continue to face discrimination, violence and marginalization. However, when women thrive, families thrive.

“Women are the pillars of families and communities,” Hufft said. “To realize our vision of a world free from poverty, we believe it is crucial to place focus on women and to work to close the gap between women and men across all areas.”

You can join Unbound in empowering marginalized women and mothers in developing countries. Empower a mother with decision-making and financial inclusion when you sponsor a child, or empower women to drive change in their communities when you choose and fund an Agents of Change proposal.

Read Part 1 of the Empowering Women series: “Empowering women with decision-making,” or Part 2: “Empowering women with financial inclusion.” 

Unbound’s regional reporters in Latin America and the Philippines contributed information and photos for this story.