Dear Friends,
The last months have been a time of great challenge for the humanitarian sector. Millions of people, already in crises, are facing the reduction or end of life-sustaining support. It is even more important at such a moment to share the stories of innovation and impact that your partnership helps to make possible. We need to remind the world, and ourselves, that we have solutions and that we can and must make a difference.
In this issue, you will read about our support for the women who make up more than 70% of the global healthcare workforce – the doctors, nurses, midwives, and community health workers on the frontlines of public health. These are people who know their communities and who are trusted by their neighbors. You’ll meet Donata Zapata Tzul, an Indigenous midwife in Guatemala who followed in her grandmother’s footsteps and has delivered 450 babies over 22 years. You will also meet Joyce Sepenoo, a CARE health expert who explains how CARE’s investments bring proven programming and the latest techniques into underserved communities.
You’ll learn about our next-generation CARE PACKAGE® f0r Emergencies, a lightweight, customizable kit for disaster-prone areas that can meet the needs of a family of four for a whole month. And you will get to know about a simple technology that is transforming farming life in Honduras and combatting climate change.
This year has presented enormous threats to the humanitarian sector. We have been navigating uncharted waters, prioritizing agility while facing uncertainty.
But working in difficult circumstances has been part of CARE’s DNA for 80 years, alongside compassion, benevolence, grace, resilience, and innovation. CARE has always been a pioneering leader in our sector. We created a rapid humanitarian assessment model that takes into account the specific needs of women, girls, the elderly, and other at-risk groups, and which is now used by many other organizations. Our community savings program began 30 years ago as a few small groups in Niger. Today, the program includes more than 21 million members of 500,000 groups across 67 countries. Village Savings and Loan Associations help women pool their savings, lend each other money, and build businesses, wealth, leadership, and community resilience. Every dollar invested in a VSLA generates a return of $9 in just one year.
CARE will continue to bring that pragmatic spirit, passion, and expertise to meet the critical needs of today and tomorrow. We commit to sharing our results with transparency, to maintaining our efficient track record with 90 cents of every dollar going to programming, and to delivering the highest return on your investment, in terms of lives changed and lives saved.
We are more grateful than ever to have you by our side.
Michelle Nunn,
President and CEO of CARE