August 29, 2023
July 26, 2023
Yolande Ebah Kouassi, from the Marahoue region in Côte d’Ivoire, is the President of her Village Savings & Loan Association. She is 41 years old, married with four children, and cares for her three nephews whose father passed away. She runs her own small business by selling 'attieké', a local food that she makes from the cassava she grows. Yolande's VSLA group started three years ago and has 30 members; its name is Abôkon, meaning unity. She is a VSLA pioneer and has set up new groups and mobilized and inspired 150 women to join groups in her community. She advocates for children's education and educates her community to prioritize children's education and fight child labor. Read More
Each year, the Water Team tributes CARE's Annual WASH Systems award to a team that has done exceptional work to strengthen local capacities and conditions for equitable and sustainable WASH services and lasting water security. On World Water Day 2024, we are proud to present the WASH Systems Award to the USAID-Hamzari WASH team in Niger for their hard work to strengthen the capacities of commune government and demonstrate new models to increase access to WASH services and strengthen water security in Niger. Read More
A CARE multi-country study analyzing government-supported community health worker programs in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Nigeria and the United States using the CHW Assessment and Improvement Matrix (AIM) found that insufficient funding of these programs affects remuneration and other incentives for community health workers but also leads to inadequate resources for training, data collection, and equipment and supplies. This negatively impacts community health workers’ motivation, retention, and recognition and, in general, poses major barriers to achieving Universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals. Governments must step their support and investment in community health workers, properly integrate them into health systems and ensure a broader enabling environment for them to unleash their full potential. Read More
Increases in global conflict, the economic impact of COVID-19, market inflation, and the growing effects of climate change are compounding global crises. Those crises disproportionately affect the most vulnerable communities, especially women and girls. Addressing the unprecedented and overwhelming humanitarian crisis requires response and recovery efforts to listen to and address the needs of those affected the most, especially women and girls. Read More
Women and Girls Safe Spaces (WFSS) is a vital approach during emergencies, as they offer safety, well-being and empowerment to crisis-affected women and girls. Learn more in this two-page overview of Women and Girls’ Safe Spaces (WGSS) approach. Read More
At the 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment, CARE, PEI (the World Bank’s Partnership for Economic Inclusion), the Government of Côte d’Ivoire, and the Government of Uganda brought together over 40 people from key governments & civil society organization leaders to discuss experiences and lessons learned from challenging gender inequality and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through Savings Group models. The focus of the session was to explore how government-led Savings Groups (also known as Village Savings & Loan Associations or VSLAs) are a tool for gender norms transformation, women’s economic empowerment, poverty eradication and social protection. Read More
CARE and Mastercard's Center for Inclusive Growth organized a practitioner dialogue to share practical insights and learnings from the Ignite Program where three panelists discussed key drivers to scale impact for women-led micro and small businesses financial health - specifically around childcare, green business, and measurement practices. The event was closed with a group discussion of actionable steps for joint efforts. Read More
Women globally are 17% less likely to own a smartphone than men and even with mobile technology in a household, women are less likely to have the skills or confidence to use a mobile device and are less likely to have control over when and how they use it. These barriers are particularly acute for members of Village Savings & Loan Associations (VSLAs) who tend to be from the lowest income communities. For VSLA members, access to and usage of digital technology is limited due to cost, but also discriminatory gender norms that limit women’s ability to acquire basic digital skills and access to and use of technology. To address women’s digital exclusion, CARE developed a multi-pronged approach to delivering digital tools and skills to VSLA members, including enabling access to devices and addressing discriminatory norms. Two pilots commenced in September 2022, with 50 groups in Uganda and 50 groups in Rwanda. Through these pilots, CARE has conducted extensive research and is addressing social norms; facilitating access to devices; and delivering digital training. Read More