Poverty compounds humankind’s worst dilemmas. Eradicating it would result in an improved quality of life for all – ensuring access to nutritious food, clean water, quality medical care, education and more. It would boost economies and revitalize our environmental resources. In other words, eradicating poverty would help individuals and communities thrive.
-Agriculture can help reduce poverty, raise income and improve food security for 80% of the world’s poor.
-Women globally earn on average about 20 percent less than men.
-In 2020, the number of people living below the extreme poverty line rose by over 70 million – the largest one-year increase since global poverty monitoring began in 1990.
The good news is our charity partners listed below are focused on helping individuals and communities rise above poverty. Their programs include microfinance, transportation, agricultural education and more to ensure that people have sustainable ways to provide for themselves and their families.
Explore the resources below to see the impact of their work.
Feeling inspired? Be a global champion and help boost economies around the world by supporting Global Impact charities through your employee giving campaign.
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- Title: Anjaneyalu
- Charity: Accion
- Country: India
- Photo Credit: Accion
For Anjaneyalu, family is the most important thing in life. He operates his weaving business with the help of his wife and two children, in addition to a few paid laborers. Anjaneyalu looked for ways to expand his business and grow his family’s income to provide a more comfortable life. But, when he approached traditional banks, Anjaneyalu found the application process too complicated, and he wasn’t able to access the funds he needed to achieve his dreams. Anjaneyalu then learned about our portfolio partner Aye Finance, which provides entrepreneurs in India with financial tools to manage their small and medium businesses, including credit to grow their businesses. Anjaneyalu was able to use a loan from Aye to purchase new machines, which allowed him to produce more fabric and grow his business.
- Title: Virginia
- Charity: Accion
- Country: Kenya
- Photo Credit: Accion
Virginia Wanjiru Ndegwa, who lives near Nakuru, Kenya, isn’t afraid of hard work. At age 72, she’s raised ten children, is now looking after some of her grandchildren as well, and she’s still rising early every day to tend to the family farm. “Who will help you feed yourself if you don’t work? You have to sweat before you can eat. That’s what I do, that’s what suits me,” she says. Kenya-based Apollo Agriculture is a fintech startup that seeks to help hardworking, vulnerable smallholder farmers like Virginia with the challenges they face. Apollo, an Accion Venture Lab portfolio company, offers a suite of products, including customized packages of seed, fertilizer, advice, and insurance on credit — all enabled by advanced technological solutions like satellite data and digital communication.
- Title: Mondisa
- Charity: Accion
- Country: South Africa
- Photo Credit: Accion
The Kids Cooking Club in Cape Town, South Africa, is a cheerful, colorful space with children decked out in aprons and paper chef’s hats concentrating on sprinkling candy bits onto cookie dough. Mondisa, its founder, clearly loves working with kids. She smiles as she describes the club’s weekday cooking classes and weekend birthday parties, where budding young chefs master basic techniques and learn to follow recipes.
- Title: Jorge Luis
- Charity: Accion
- Country: Mexico
- Photo Credit: Accion
For Jorge Luis, a small business owner in Querétaro, Mexico, surviving the pandemic has been hard: lack of construction work shut down his building supply business, and his father was diagnosed with cancer. As his income shrunk, his expenses skyrocketed. To pay for his father’s treatment and care for his family, he needed to rebuild his business. Local company Caja Bienestar worked with Accion to find an innovative way to support small business owners like Jorge Luis by partnering with the distributors that supply them and providing credit for their businesses. With their support, Jorge Luis was able to purchase materials, stock his shelves, and reopen his doors to his customers. “I want to open more outlets again and provide faster service to customers. The feeling of relief is enormous,” he says.
- Title: Maria Bonifacia
- Charity: Accion
- Country: Guatemala
- Photo Credit: Accion
María Bonifacia owns a textile business in San Juan Sacatepéquez, Guatemala. After her husband died, she needed a way to support her family. “I started this business to sustain myself and my children,” she says. María turned to Accion partner Fundación Génesis Empresarial, which helps women entrepreneurs access the digital tools and financial support they need to seize new opportunities and create better futures. With their support, María was able to purchase more thread, renovate her workshop, and build a thriving business.