The unifying power of mothers to drive change

In the place where shoes step softly against bare concrete — keeping rhythm with snapping fingers and voices raised in song — unity has come at last.

The echoes reverberate across a community hall in a rural village in Cali, Colombia, where 10 women and children of various ages have formed a circle and are dancing, one behind the other, inside a ring of white plastic chairs.

This is their safe space; this is where each one of the women leaves it all — the pressures of their personal lives, anxiety about the future, fear of failure, the feeling of what it’s like to struggle in silence, as a woman and mother, all alone.

Some women hold their infants across their bellies, smiling, while other children and participants are laughing, their voices rising higher, with more confidence, as they dance together.

This is their “warmup” before they take their seats for the meeting and the real discussions can begin — about the goals they’re working on that will eventually help them lift their families out of poverty, about how they can support each other, about their next community development project.

But not before the mother leader, Maria, makes a point to go around the circle and greet each member of the Deja Vu mothers group with a hug, a fist bump or a high five.

Maria helped make this group. This group helped make Maria.

Maria remembers how, just a year ago when the group formed, most of the women would barely look at or speak to one another. They didn’t want to be there; they didn’t have the confidence to share their struggles.

That was before they knew their own thoughts and dreams had value, not just to each other, but also to the wider world.

Now their unity has begun to bring together their entire community.

But their story is only one of many that attests to the power that lies in bringing together women and mothers who live in poverty to both collectively and individually build stronger communities.

Mothers groups use self-discovery and leadership formation to activate women suppressed by poverty

The Unbound Mothers Group model was established more than 20 years ago in India.

Organized and encouraged by local staff, mothers groups (self-help and parent support groups) are the primary way that families participate in Unbound. Comprised of 15-30 people, mostly mothers from the same communities whose children are sponsored through Unbound, mothers groups meet monthly to encourage learning and growth in a spirit of collaboration. The groups awaken self-discovery and leadership formation — to promote entrepreneurship and savings strategies and, eventually, to lead community development initiatives.

Today, more than 12,000 mothers groups are active across the three regions of the world where Unbound has programs. Mothers groups stand as a proven model of success, proof of how activating the mother can effectively help move families beyond poverty.

Since they’ve been in existence, mothers groups have been responsible for the development of more than 30,000 small businesses around the world. They’ve implemented more than 1,500 community development projects and are largely the groups that lead Unbound’s Agents of Change initiatives from start to finish.

Ana Martinez, Unbound regional project director, said empowerment is the backbone of Unbound’s programs, and mothers group members get to exhibit that power in various ways. Some mothers find themselves responsible — many for the first times in their lives — for the management of something outside of their own households when they’re elected “mother leaders” of their groups, tasked with leading the meetings and often community initiatives.

“Mothers can choose their benefits, plan their training activities, suggest workshops or initiatives, and execute changes that benefit their community,” Martinez said. “Being part of a group promotes the empowerment of women to overcome even some social and cultural aspects that women experience; it allows them to express themselves, to have a voice both inside and outside the program.”

The Esperanza de Vida (Hope of Life) mothers group in Cali, Colombia, led by mother leader Leidy, serves as a good example of how the mothers support group model works to break the cycle of isolation often felt by women.

In Cali, mothers groups have been active since late 2014. Leidy, who at just 24 years old is one of the youngest ever elected mother leaders, said their mothers group meeting location is “a space that we have for ourselves.” In this space, which they call “the Circle of Dreams,” mothers are free to share their challenges.

“That Circle of Dreams is us mothers, and we listen to each other,” Leidy said. “If they want to cry, they cry. If they want to laugh, they laugh, but it is something that remains in the moment of the Circle of Dreams.”

In Colombia, women face many challenges, but rejection is often the most common. “They tell us, ‘No, you can’t do that because you are a woman,’” Leidy said. “[But], we are all human beings, and we can all do things.”

Mothers group activities like the Circle of Dreams remind women of that.

Leidy said it sets them free.

Why empowering the individual powers mothers groups

A sense of liberation empowers many mothers group members, mothers like Maria.

It’s been almost a year since the day Maria first told her family she was going to lead the Deja Vu mothers group, but her husband’s reaction still sticks out in her mind.

“My husband, in particular, said, ‘What about the family?’ He asked about the family, and that’s it,” Maria said.

His words serve as her reminder now of who she was before, who she became — who she is still becoming — and what her leadership means to other women and mothers like her.

Before the mothers group, Maria describes her life as “normal,” having grown up in a “submissive family environment.” “That means I was here at home taking care of my family, and that’s all,” said Maria, 39, who is the mother of 14-year-old Miriam and 8-year-old Miguel.

Maria’s description of her “normal” lifestyle is not that unusual for women in general in Colombia, a country that has made significant steps in the past century in demonstrating greater gender equity and the protection of women’s rights. It was in the 1930s when Colombia began recognizing women as equal to men, letting go of its patriarchal past and opening avenues for women to have greater opportunities for education, professional careers and political representation.

Maria has been a part of not one, but two Unbound mothers groups. When her son Miguel became sponsored through Unbound, Maria first began participating with a different mothers group, and it was here that her entire perspective about herself and her capabilities shifted. Group training workshops covering such topics as mutual accountability and support, goal orientation and worldview, helped Maria begin to understand there were other things she could do.

Using her newfound leadership capabilities and confidence, Maria took initiative and requested to start a new Unbound mothers group in a neighboring community where she had identified a need for a support group.

Unbound Cali staff member Lina Ramírez said this group became the Deja Vu mothers group, a group that has grown in reputation in their community as one dedicated to service, innovation and resourcefulness.

“Maria Isabel has been able to recognize her potential, blooming into a capable, [secure], balanced and willing woman who wants to serve by managing and mobilizing change and motivating others to work for better life conditions,” Ramírez said.

To Maria, the word "empower" now stands for knowledge, value and opportunity.

“The training [I received] was to love oneself as a person, as a human being, as a society, and also to value ourselves as women,” Maria said. “I see myself [now] as a liberated woman, but in the good sense of the word because I learned … to know my family is everything, but I also need a little bit for myself.”

As a child, Maria once wanted to become a teacher. Leading the Deja Vu mothers group has, in a sense, given that old dream back to her. She takes the lead in encouraging other, hesitant mothers to build their confidence, and respect and trust in each other as group members.

Eventually, they own being, as Martinez describes it, “co-creators of a path that, together, they begin to travel.” In so doing, they multiply their positive impact.

Why empowering the collective in mothers groups powers communities

Participation in mothers groups weaves a sense of belonging among group members that eventually spills over into their own families and communities.

Each group member has a role, being placed on committees that form not long after the mothers groups themselves. For example, the mutual support committee promotes activities and events that bring families together, while the education committee monitors the schooling of sponsored children, and the correspondence committee provides support to families for writing letters to sponsors.

On the Agents of Change committee, mothers are tasked with identifying needs in the community, crafting a proposal to Unbound for a small grant, and using the grant to implement an initiative that addresses the need they have identified. Because these initiatives benefit both sponsored and non-sponsored residents, once implemented they often help mothers groups get buy-in from the community, paving the way for collaboration on future initiatives.

The Esperanza de Vida mothers group led by Leidy received an Agents of Change grant for an initiative in 2022 that they called “Transforming the Planet for a Better Future.” Identifying a problem with poor waste disposal in their community, the group used the grant money to purchase an industrial blender, printer and ecological garbage separators, which they donated to a local school.

Students use the items to turn garbage (such as cardboard) they collect from their homes into cards, boxes or other stationery that they sell in the community. The proceeds benefit both the school’s needs as well as those of the students. The initiative has educated over 500 students and their families about recycling while simultaneously improving the school and the environment.

According to Unbound Cali staff member Caterine Paez Castillo, strong mothers group leaders are key to building cohesion within mothers groups. Each month, Esperanza de Vida group leaders receive training that focuses on self-empowerment and gentle, balanced leadership. Leidy, in particular, has owned these learnings, allowing her to be a strong guide for other group members.

As a participant in the Unbound Scholarship Program, Leidy completed a technical degree in accounting, which has opened up new livelihood opportunities for the young mother.

“She [Leidy] has become an example to be followed by other mothers who admire her dedication and her desire to overcome life obstacles,” Castillo said. “She has been successful in building a good support network among the mothers, working in stronger processes of self-responsibility, network building and communication. She is a clear example of how women can lead processes and inspire others to follow their example.”

For Leidy, arriving at an awareness of her capabilities — not just as an individual but also as a leader — and those of her group, working together toward a collective goal, was a turning point for her.

“Now I realize the benefits and the [impact] that we [her mothers group] can have,” Leidy said. “Now, we are the most recognized group in the community because we made ourselves heard; we have spoken.”

Investing in women and mothers sparks lasting change

Through activities with her mothers group, Maria discovered another hidden talent — gardening. She loves to grow vegetables and has begun a garden at her home.

Just as she coaxes plants from the earth now, Maria’s spunkiness and welcoming attitude coaxes uncertain group mothers to let down their walls, to bloom together beneath a light of new self-awareness, eradicating all differences.

Already, with just a year in as an active group, Deja Vu mothers group has accomplished multiple community development initiatives, including renovating a deteriorating community athletic field and creating an after-school program for children. Future projects for the group include working on improvements to local road infrastructure, making their community more accessible.

Ramírez describes the Deja Vu mothers group as having “a strong Unbound identity.” “They continue to make their best effort to live the mission of Unbound in each step they take and in every idea they have for the well-being of their lives and community,” she said.

“Several said ‘no, we don’t support you …’” Maria said about other community members when her group began the field cleanup project. “We managed to convince the community when we put on our boots, took out the machete and shovel and headed to the place, and [when] they saw that we were going [to do the work] with our children, they supported us.”

Maria dreams of many things, but in one word, her biggest dream is to see growth — not just for her family but for her community. She dreams of seeing her community grow in union with other people.

When she compares her dreams with the collective ones of her Deja Vu mothers group and their influence thus far, the same word comes to mind — growth.

Empower other women and mothers living in poverty with the opportunity to be a part of an Unbound mothers group when you sponsor a child today. You can also support the community development work of mothers groups when you make a donation to Agents of Change or fund an Agents of Change proposal.

Unbound’s Field Communications Director Henry Flores, Regional Reporter Josue Sermeno and Multimedia Producer/Editor Danika Wolf contributed photos, videos and information for this story.