Why empowering women is key in breaking the cycle of poverty

During Women’s History Month, we celebrate the contributions of women and mothers everywhere, and we invite you to learn why Unbound believes empowering women is key in breaking the cycle of poverty. This story is part one of 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.

Girls and women around the globe face challenges every day that impede their growth and hold them back from realizing their full potential.

Women still have less access to education and health care, often lack economic autonomy and are underrepresented in decision-making at all levels.

But nowhere is gender inequality more prevalent than it is among women and girls living in poverty. Globally, young women are 25% more likely than men to live in extreme poverty where they face a lack of access to social protections and public services that would provide them with sustainable solutions for forging a path out of poverty.

For the past decade, Goal 5 of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals has been seeking to achieve gender equality and to empower all women and girls. The UN said that gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. If women and girls “represent half of the world’s population, then that means they represent half of its potential.”

Unbound’s work with women living in poverty contributes to SDG 5. Though part of Unbound’s 2030 Strategic Plan focuses specifically on empowering women through dignified work and decision- making, the organization has been partnering with women and mothers in our programs for decades to help them realize their full potential.

Because Unbound believes that when women are empowered, everyone benefits.

Empowering women leads to healthier families, more educated children, stronger communities, better economies, and more just and equitable societies where every person has the chance to thrive.

When marginalized women are empowered to make their own decisions, they move the world one step closer to eliminating poverty.

Empowering mothers by putting decision-making in their hands

Mothers often bear the brunt of the challenges that come with economic poverty.

Unbound Vice President of Program Development Becky Findley said this gives mothers a unique perspective on what changes are needed.

“Initially, our main focus as an organization was supporting a sponsored child’s education,” said Findley, who has worked in evaluation and program management at Unbound for over 13 years. “But over time, we came to realize that empowering the child’s mother amplified impact.”

When a child is sponsored through Unbound, families typically use the sponsorship funds to support the child’s education. However, Findley said when resources are provided directly to mothers and they have a say in the decisions that affect their lives, the benefits extend far beyond the sponsored child, positively affecting the entire family and community.

Recognizing the wisdom and expertise of mothers, Unbound uses cash transfers to place children’s sponsorship funds directly into bank accounts that are controlled by their mothers. Mothers can withdraw the funds to make purchases for immediate needs — such as food or health care — or save the funds over a period to meet larger goals — such as for home improvements or to start a small business. This empowers mothers with financial freedom to choose how best to support their families.

Rosa Miriam, a 54-year-old mother from Unbound’s Guatemala program, is a prime example of how empowering a mother with greater decision-making options can begin to benefit the entire family.

For most of Rosa Miriam’s life, her choices were dictated by the environment she was born into.

Poverty and discrimination disproportionately affect women and indigenous people in Guatemala. According to the World Bank Gender Scorecard, for every young man in Guatemala out of employment, education or training, there are five young women in the same situation. Over half of all young women drop out of school before the age of 16, with many leaving school to help support their families.

Rosa Miriam was the sixth child of nine siblings and was expected to help her mother run the household and care for the younger siblings. But Rosa Miriam longed to study. She remembered a time in her childhood when she sneaked away to school.

“I didn’t know that I had to register to have the right to a desk in the classroom, so I sat on the floor just to be able to learn,” Rosa Miriam said. “I dreamed of being a nurse. When my father found out I was inside, he got angry and took me out of the school.”

Rosa Miriam spent her youth helping cover the family’s daily expenses. She washed laundry and cleaned houses and, after getting married, gave up on her dream of studying to focus on the needs of her own family. She had six children, the second youngest of which is sponsored through Unbound.

Rosa Miriam’s husband was a baker. The family struggled financially, however, losing their business and eventually, even their home.

But, if Rosa Miriam’s childhood had taught her anything, it was how to be resourceful. Her husband began baking donuts from their rental home, and Rosa Miriam went door-to-door in her community selling them.

When her daughter Rosa Yesenia was sponsored, Rosa Miriam began finding creative ways to use the sponsorship funds to help the family move forward.

“I realized that when I invest the contribution, I can get more out of it to meet other needs in my home,” Rosa Miriam said.

She invests part of the funds in Rosa Yesenia’s education, while using the other part to start a small business selling refried beans. She bought laying hens, which have now doubled in number, and their meat and fresh eggs not only provide the family with a profit but also feed them when necessary.

“What I had to live is already part of the past, and what I could not achieve is gone,” said Rosa Miriam, whose daughter now shares her dream of being a nurse. “My wish is that [Rosa Yesenia] doesn’t live what I lived. I dream that she can continue with her studies … for her, I am working hard.”

More financial freedom to make decisions is not the only thing benefiting mothers through the sponsorship program. As soon as families enter the program, they are supported by local staff in creating a roadmap for reaching their goals. Using Unbound’s Goal Orientation powered by Poverty Stoplight survey, mothers and their families identify and prioritize their own needs, set clear goals and envision how to change their situations — then they begin working to achieve those goals.

“We’ve seen mothers prioritize their children’s educations and the safety of their communities, driving positive change all around them,” Findley said. “Women are the backbone of their families and communities.”

Decision-making and goal setting are only two ways Unbound empowers women and mothers. Part two of our Empowering Women series explores all the ways marginalized women overcome poverty when dignified work or entrepreneurship opportunities are more accessible to them. Read part two in the series, “Empowering women and mothers with financial inclusion."

Unbound’s regional reporters in Latin America, Oscar Tuch and Josue Sermeño, provided photos and information for this story.