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title: "World Vision Economic Empowerment Executive Briefing: November 2021"
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Here are the latest updates from the World Vision Economic Empowerment team.

| View in browser View past editions of this newsletter here. November 2021 A Time for Thanks! In the United States, we are rolling towards a day of great national importance – Thanksgiving. It is a day of stopping normal activity to gather with friends and family to give thanks to our God and Creator for all the many blessings of life, of family, of faith and salvation, and of creation. As humanity has timed our days of thanksgiving to the agricultural calendar, thanksgiving comes after the harvest is in.   This is also a time of thanksgiving by all of those involved in our Economic Empowerment work, as we continue to continue to harvest a great bounty of evidence of the positive impact of our work.   In this edition we want to focus and give thanks for the tremendous impact of our THRIVE work on the lives and well-being of women. Some of our key and foundational interventions in Economic Empowerment – Savings Groups, Microfinance – preferentially target and attract women (80% and 70% respectively), since women are often left behind economically in traditional rural and agricultural communities. We are seeing that THRIVE is turning that situation around, with tremendous impacts on the lives of women. And for that, we are immensely thankful.   World Vision is delighted to send you our Executive Briefing for Economic Empowerment. You are an integral part of our work to end extreme poverty by 2030, so we want to keep you updated on our progress!  If you are new to our work, please take a moment to learn about our THRIVE model and how it's helping to break the cycle of poverty and sustainably improve family's education, health, food security and nutrition, and shelter.   Impact of THRIVE Tanzania on Women The THRIVE program in Tanzania started in 2013 and in 2021 completed all of its activities. Addressing the twin problems of extreme poverty and vulnerability to weather and market-related shocks, THRIVE was put in place to systematically build both improved and resilient livelihoods for smallholder farmers.   Of the 9,201 direct program participants, 63% were women, and the evaluation of TANGO International, our external evaluators, has concluded that there has been a “gendered impact” of program activities. We are not surprised, but we are most thankful. Most of the following is directly quoted from the TANGO report.   According to the TANGO evaluation, project participation: Enabled women to participate in income generating activities; and Improved relationships and decision-making at the household level (between husband and wife), with in some cases men encouraging women in decision-making. This is especially prevalent when both husband and wife are part of the same savings/producer group.   Focus group discussions with THRIVE households find that women now have their own money, savings, and income sources, and are no longer solely dependent on their husbands for financial support.   Interviews with THRIVE participants and program staff report that this led to a decrease in domestic violence and an improvement in relationships between men and women.   Project efforts to enable men and women to discuss issues together has empowered women and increased joint decision-making, as reported by both project staff and THRIVE participants. For savings and farmer groups with female leaders, it is reported that men increasingly see women as capable leaders as a result of participation in female-headed groups. Key informant interviews with village and district leaders support this, indicating that project activities have supported women in engaging in income generating activities through the creation of small businesses and that women are now playing a more important role (active and proactive) in income generation activities.   Unlike in the THRIVE participating groups, the women interviewed in control areas had not witnessed the many changes cited by households participating in THRIVE activities. Control households report they were still struggling with domestic violence and lack of appreciation in decision making. Men did not want to be associated with women and expressed that group activities were mainly intended for women.   (Editor’s note: The “control” group were people from the same community, but often “over the hill” from the main group of THRIVE households, or were originally disqualified from participation because they were not poor enough. Non-THRIVE households were reported to have participated in many of the trainings. Moreover, World Vision staff and Tanzanian government extension officers took the THRIVE principles and approaches to others in the THRIVE and neighboring communities. While not optimal in terms of study and evaluation purposes, what this means is that THRIVE spread to far more than the 9,201 participants covered in the study, and also that at least some portion of the increased well-being in the “Control Group” likely came as a result of the program. However, the “control” group did not receive the Empowered Worldview training, and that likely explains why women in the “control” group did not (YET) see their lives transformed.)   Key Informant Interviews and Focus Group Discussions report that the Empowered Worldview training component has transformed the mindsets of participants permanently and thus will continue to change lives beyond the project life cycle. There has been positive change in how communities and households view themselves and perceive their environment. Some participant interviews noted that Empowered Worldview training shifted mindsets specifically around discriminative beliefs about the role of women in society, which has improved the role of women in the community.   Thanks be to God!   Reminder! Lending to Savings Groups "Starter Kits" Are Now Available Last month we launched 30 specialty-curated Lending to Savings Groups "Starter Kits". A $25,000 “Starter Kit” allows us to hire a female field officer, and equip her with the transportation, training, and capital needed to lend to 15-20 savings groups. After 12 months we will create a report on the field officer, her portfolio, with maps, photos of the field officer and her groups, a detailed client story, and more.   Learn more here about how you could partner with us in our Lending to Savings Groups “Starter Kits”. When you are ready to go forward, please reach out to either your World Vision representative or our Chief Development Officer for Economic Empowerment, Christopher Shore at cshore@worldvision.org, but hurry as we only have 12 kits left!     Stories From the Field Enjoy these stories from the field on the impact World Vision's Economic Empowerments work is having! Agnes Discovers Her Strengths New Mindset Empowers Farmer   Upcoming Events   Strong Women Strong World Life, Hope, and a Future Event \| Thursday, December 2nd 4 pm PDT \| 7 pm EDT Learn about our commitment to gender equality and how—together with our donors and partners—we’re keeping that commitment See and hear from incredible women and girls who are experiencing life, hope, and a future they never thought possible. You will see the long-term impact of World Vision's work in the lives of millions globally because people like you chose to invest in them Share your thoughts and network with like-minded people in your geographic area Shop for gifts that support women and girls’ causes at our always popular marketplace Learn more and Register at worldvision.org/swsw2021    Praises and Prayer Requests PRAISE Praise for the remarkable impact that THRIVE is having on women’s economic empowerment (and on household and community attitudes!) Praise that the World Vision colleague mentioned last month with liver cancer has had a required surgery and there is a possibility that no further treatment is required. PRAYER Pray for wisdom for the team creating the World Vision Economic Empowerment Business Plan Pray for wisdom for the physicians treating our colleague (above) regarding diagnosis and next steps  Share this email View previous versions of this newsletter here. © 2021 World Vision, Inc. All rights reserved. World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. In 2020, 88% of World Vision's total operating expenses were used for programs that benefit children, families, and communities in need. Learn More.  World Vision, P.O. Box 9716, Federal Way, WA 98063 Unsubscribe Manage preferences |
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