Around 2.4 billion women of working age are not afforded equal economic opportunity and 178 countries maintain legal barriers that prevent their full economic participation, according to the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law 2022report.
The World Bank also reports that 980 million women lack access to banking services (financial institution or mobile) representing more than half of unbanked adults globally.
World Vision: Launches WEE Framework Globally
Women's economic empowerment (WEE) is central to realizing World Vision's mission 'for every child, life in all its fullness'. When women are stable financial contributors to a household, investments in children's health and education increase. Our WEE Framework launched globally on March 9, 2022 as a key supporting approach for programs in our economic empowerment sector.
The framework is holistic, promoting women's empowerment in four areas:
economic advancement, improving women's income and employment
access to opportunities, services, and resources
agency, including decision-making ability in households and markets, manageable paid and unpaid workloads, and well-being
equitable systems where women can benefit from equitable policies, laws, institutional practices, and social norms.
To learn more about World Vision's Women's Economic Empowerment Framework, read our Briefing Paper.
Partner Spotlight: Sherrie Woodring
"Up until COVID-19 hit, I was living full-time in Tanzania for four years as a volunteer for World Vision’s Economic Empowerment programs. In those years, I traveled to many villages across Tanzania engaging directly with households in extreme poverty. I also traveled to villages where World Vision operates the THRIVE model in Rwanda, Zambia and Malawi.
While extreme poverty is not unique to girls and women, it is much more difficult for them to overcome. I witnessed firsthand how women are excluded from most income activities, resulting in despair as mothers struggle to meet their children’s basic needs. Young girls believe their destiny will be the same as their mother’s. Hope is hard to find in these villages.
World Vision’s Biblical Empowered Worldview(BEWV) training, an essential element of economic empowerment, changes this mindset.
Through BEWV, mothers (and fathers) discover their identity as image-bearers of God; as such they are co-creators, made by God for a purpose; each equally valued and uniquely gifted. As BEWV takes root, the men in the community realize girls and women have value. As such, women become empowered to contribute towards increasing and stewarding household income.
But it’s not without challenges. In these rural villages, no formal jobs exist. Women have to create their own income activities. Their starting point is limited cash flow, limited assets, no access to credit, and minimal financial skills.
I’ve seen economic barriers removed for women in rural villages as they participate in savings groups, and accelerate income activities through VisionFund’s digitization, loans to savings groups, and training programs called FAST (Finance Accelerating Savings Group Transformation). FAST restores a mother’s dignity as profits from her income activities directly improve her children’s wellbeing – they are better nourished, she is able to pay school fees, she makes home improvements, and her children begin to dream of a better future.
As a donor partner, I’m stewarding God’s resources well by investing in FAST. Why? From my field experience, I’ve had a front row seat to what works. But don’t take my word. Review the TANGO independent study on Tanzania. The incomes of THRIVE households who were trained in the biblical empowered worldview are now nearly 10x what they were at baseline. And, 95% of households are managing diversified income activities. When COVID came along, households did not slip back into extreme poverty, nor did they sell productive assets. And believe me, COVID is just one of many emergencies these households experience.
I trust that my partnership with World Vision makes a difference in the lives of girls and women."
Sherrie Woodring was the previous CEO/Founder of two Information Technology companies. She is a long-time World Vision Partner, Strong Women Strong World Council Member, and the Founder of Root-to-Fruit.
A VisionFund loan officer in Rwanda opening an account for her client using mobile technology.
Savings groups in Malawi gather to conduct their business meetings at a World Vision community center.
Ways to get involved: Awareness, Influence, Resources
RAISE AWARENESS | Follow, like, comment, and share our posts Facebook and Instagram. Forward this newsletter to someone you think would appreciate it.
USE YOUR INFLUENCE | Take action for Ukraine. In less than 5 minutes, you can advocate - calling on U.S. leaders to take immediate actionthrough prayer, emergency assistance, and ongoing care in the aftermath of the Ukraine crisis.
INVEST YOUR RESOURCES | Now you can DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT!Every $1 given to the Strong Women Strong World™ Fundwill be matched* with a $1 donation to programs that empower women and girls, thanks to our generous SWSW partner, Clean Water Here.
*Up to $12 million. Donations to the Strong Women Strong World Fund in April and June 2022 will support economic empowerment programs.
World Vision's Strong Women Strong World™
helps keep girls and women at the center of global community development, advocacy,
and emergency response work. Together, we can continue making a difference
in the lives of women and girls and accelerate communities’ progress out of poverty.
In 2020, 88 percent of World Vision's total operating expenses were used for programs that benefit children, families, and communities in need. Learn More.
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