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In collaboration with its local partners, IRC has set up the PARIC project in Burkina Faso and Mali, a programme to strengthen community resilience and inclusion. The project aims to support vulnerable populations in pastoral areas of Mali and Burkina Faso in the Mopti zone and the Soum province, which have been badly affected by armed conflict, and to meet their needs in terms of survival, health and nutrition. Through the Economic Recovery and Development component of the project, IRC is helping families from these regions, some of whom have been displaced to urban areas, to develop or restart their professional activities. In Pabré, a town close to the capital of Burkina Faso, Solidarités International, a partner under the supervision of IRC, provides cash assistance and a professional support service to families. This support enables displaced people, like Ramata, to access new opportunities, such as new agricultural land or access...

Ayesha Siddiqa’s life has been shaped by substantial trauma. Ayesha’s parents arranged her marriage at a young age, and from the beginning, she endured mental and physical abuse at the hands of her husband. The abuse escalated after the birth of their daughter. As her situation became more dire, Ayesha reached out for help from her father to attain a formal divorce — something she could not do by herself due to Bangladeshi law. Once separated from her husband, Ayesha struggled as a single mother to meet her daughter’s basic needs. Without an education, she was limited to work at someone else’s land or home. Ayesha discovered her path out of poverty when she joined the Amra Shadhin Cooperative Society. The co-op taught her how to grow vegetables, rear livestock and build a business so she could make her own money. She received funds to purchase seeds, as well as...

FINCA International operate in over 40 countries worldwide with a mission to provide economic opportunities and security for women. In 2022, FINCA distributed business loans to over 243,000 women. In Latin America, 73% of FINCA’s clients are women, and many are owners of small businesses. These women generate just enough income to sustain a modest livelihood for themselves and their families. Most of these women are the primary breadwinner in their households. In Nicaragua and Honduras, about half are single parents who carry the full burden of their family’s well-being. Whatever their family situation, so many of these women in Latin America are running their own enterprises. To help these hardworking women, FINCA must provide capital to extend new loans with flexible repayment terms. These investments in women entrepreneurs can create jobs for so many people and help communities thrive. Lily America Saldaña Yela lives in Mexico City and is...