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Breaking the cycle of poverty for women and their communities

March 21^st, 2024

In the quest for a more inclusive and sustainable world, unlocking barriers to women’s economic inclusion, empowerment and resilience is a cornerstone for transformative change.

By economically uplifting women, we not only reduce poverty and address gender disparities, but we propel communities toward sustainable development by creating avenues for education and income generation and enhancing social protection, with impacts on food security, health and wellbeing for all.

Learn more about how UNDP and its Funding Windows partners are investing in breaking the cycle of poverty for women and their communities.

Building financial resilience of biodiversity guardians

Indigenous women often play essential roles as environmental stewards. Their contributions are crucial to food security, conserving biodiversity, promoting climate change adaptation, and reducing poverty.

In Mexico, Green Sorority Networks (Redes de Sororidad Verde) connect women to sustainable production practices and support for building financial resilience.

The "Mujer de Mar y Maíz" group manages their production and finances together. After identifying the causes of environmental degradation, they started to conserve natural resources and reduce solid waste.

Breaking the cycle of poverty for women and their communities

"The climate and the weather have been changing, as well as the life cycle of marine life and corn production. That's why we see it as important to address environmental issues in the community through the project, to raise awareness about caring for water and the forest, as well as preserving native corn and traditional medicine," said Karen Rubí Samaniego Quintanar.

In the Yucatan peninsula, beekeeping has deep cultural, social and environmental value. With its vital role in pollinating traditional crops and creating honey, beekeeping contributes to biodiversity livelihoods. But Mayan women face challenges, including lack of access to their own land and to labour, as well as gender social norms that discourage it as women’s work.

This does not stop them. Women beekeepers have united to form joint saving programmes, giving them more financial clout.

“This is something new. Sharing experiences among women, seeing others, encourages us to keep going. Sharing and listening to my fellow beekeepers motivates me a lot. It's a great motivation not to bow down to problems and not to give up.” – Estela Yan Uc, Tepich, Felipe Carrillo Puerto municipality

Lighting the way to meaningful work

In Eswatini, the unemployment rate for those aged 15 to 35 is a staggering 58 percent. Lack of clean energy restricts opportunities, while demand for skilled workers in renewable energy is increasing, presenting new pathways for employment and livelihoods. For women, however, socio-cultural and structural barriers make that path more difficult.

Nodumo Gweby, 29, is working to make her vegetable and fruit shop 100 percent solar-powered.

“I’ve also acquired skills on how to effectively run a business through the entrepreneurship component of the training,” she said after finishing the UNDP-supported Youth Leadership and Sustainable Energy Academy, run by the Centre for Sustainable Energy Research of the University of Eswatini. The training built young people’s skills to join the growing renewable energy sector, opening the path to training, jobs and livelihoods.

Many people living in rural areas of Eswatini have no electricity at all and rely on firewood, which often means more arduous work for women.

In response, Winile Lukhele and eight other women started the Kukhanyangekonga Cooperative in the Manzini region to making solar-powered lamps and torches.

Ms. Lukhele says although funding and raw materials are still a challenge, she hopes to supply their products to dealers and small traders in the future. To reach that end and find renewable energy markets, she joined a training by UNDP’s Powering Gender Equality initiative, along with 50 other women.

Eswatini is one of the pilot countries of the initiative. Together with Ethiopia, Madagascar and Malawi, they are boosting women’s economic empowerment, enhancing gender-responsive energy governance and supporting energy policies that promote gender equality.

Supporting nature-based entrepreneurs

In Costa Rica, poverty often has a woman’s face. On average, women earn 20 percent less than men. This is especially true for Indigenous and Afro-descendant women in coastal Buenos Aires, Puntarenas and Limón, who struggle with access to education, healthcare and paid work.

Higinia González represents the ASOBRUNKA organization, which connects women with nature-based income-generating activities. It received seed capital, training and mentoring to enable women to develop their ventures such as raising chickens and pigs, building greenhouses and working in the textile sector.

In Costa Rica, women join forces to develop skills, build nature-based livelihoods and support their communities. Photo: UNDP Costa Rica

“What I like about this is how they feel supported, that a hand was extended to a dream they had; that is the most important thing.” – Higinia González

Higinia and her group are working to develop their skills, support their communities, and inspire future generations of entrepreneurs. The women, of various ages, and some with disabilities, have increased their incomes by 18 percent so far.

Video (in Spanish)

UNDP also supports policies that make it easier for women and their communities to find decent jobs, get support for their enterprises, access credit, and remove barriers to economic autonomy for people with disabilities. One of the initiatives, together with the Ministry of Labour, is the Active Job Search tool, which develops job-finding and interviewing skills.

Savings groups for financial security

In Guinea-Bissau UNDP empowers rural women through savings groups and microinsurance programmes. More than 1,000 women and their dependents have participated.

Nala Sanhan is part of the "Kadjamor" ("Let’s understand each other") savings group, contributing to the joint funds weekly. She received a business loan and bought brooms and agricultural tools to expand her street vendor business.

Through the groups, the women save and invest their money. Food security has increased by 57 percent, and the ability to meet financial commitments, including school fees for their children, is up by 19 percent. The communal nature of the savings groups fosters social capital, helping women to become decision-makers in their communities.

Economic empowerment is key

Women’s economic empowerment holds the key to unlocking a more sustainable, resilient and equitable future. By investing in finance, training and education, and decent work opportunities, we not only break down barriers but foster inclusive, thriving communities.

The projects featured were funded through the Funding Windows, UNDP’s multi-donor, flexible funding mechanism. The Funding Windows is supported by the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.