Entrepreneurism
6 Reasons Women’s Savings Groups Drive Economic Growth
Amid global funding cuts and rising crises, this piece outlines six compelling reasons why CARE continues to invest in women-led savings groups (VSLAs). From delivering a high return on investment (VSLAs return $18.85 for every $1 invested) to building resilience in emergencies and closing the massive global financing gap for women entrepreneurs, VSLAs are proving to be the cornerstone of sustaina
Read MoreCARE wants to know: Who cares?
Who cares? It's a question answered by people like Maria, a mother fleeing war and protecting her child in Sudan; and Hiba, a Syrian entrepreneur rebuilding her life after an earthquake, and Luis, a fisherman rescuing neighbors from a flood in Mozambique. Their stories prove that caring isn't just an idea — it's an action. Join CARE in supporting communities around the world.
Read MoreWho cares about recovery? People like Hiba do — resilient, determined, and full of hope.
Hiba, 30, ran a small dairy and cheese farm outside Idlib, northwestern Syria. Since 2020, her work has provided modest income for herself and her four children. As a single mother, she often struggled with business losses she couldn't explain, but she kept going. Then, in February 2023, devastating earthquakes struck.
Read MoreÁnh’s inspiring journey: Building a food business as a woman entrepreneur in Vietnam
Ánh left her stable job to start TA House, a family-run food business in southern Vietnam. Despite early challenges, she became a successful woman entrepreneur thanks to CARE’s Strive Women program, which provided her training, mentoring, and a seed grant.
Read MoreHelp CARE respond to emergencies.
CARE is there delivering lifesaving aid and defending the lives of families in crisis.
A woman with a wrench? ‘Why not?’ asks Ra’edah Abu Alhalaweh
Ra'edah Abu Alhalaweh is a 53-year-old, female plumber living in Zarqa, Jordan. Since many women in the Middle East cannot be alone with a male, non-family member, home repairs can be difficult. Being able to employ a female plumber solves this problem and employs women.
Read MoreBurgers, with a side of empowerment: Elisa Alvarado, fast food entrepreneur
Elisa “Ely” Alvarado started her fast-food business with just 1,000 lempiras ($40), in a tent on a vacant lot. Here, on a neighborhood street in the town of Villanueva, Honduras, just south of San Pedro Sula, the country’s financial capital and second-largest city, she began selling baleadas, a traditional Honduran handheld food, to passerby.
Read MoreWhy putting women in charge of their own financial security pays dividends
Women-centered design acknowledges that women’s needs and the barriers they face are fundamentally different to men. Barriers might include laws and political systems that disadvantage women, harmful social norms, and limited access to finance due to no credit history or collateral, male guarantor requirements, or restrictions on land ownership.
Read MoreThree women entrepreneurs fighting for survival… and winning
The global pandemic has pushed many small businesses to collapse. For women entrepreneurs, the impact has been significantly worse as childcare responsibilities increased, supply chains collapsed, a dependency on digital skills went up, and women were forced to fight for survival.
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