Menstruation is critical for the continuation of life on earth. Despite this being a natural process, it causes a severe hindrance in the growth and development of women and girls in our patriarchal society. Young girls are often told to discuss their period-related issues only with older girls or women, forming the impression that menstruation is exclusively a female issue and matter of shame; hence, one should only whisper about it and never discuss it with men. PCI India recently explored different aspects of women and girls’ lives, including their menstrual health practices, in Jharkhand ..read more

PCI, a Global Communities Partner, and Promundo-US launch pilot program to transform harmful gender norms Working with women alone is not enough to bring about their economic advancement. Recognizing this, PCI, a Global Communities Partner, is partnering with Promundo-US to involve men as allies in a new women’s economic development project in Cuilco, Guatemala. Journeys of Transformation-Guatemala targets the spouses or partners of women participating in community-based savings groups supported by PCI’s Women Empowered (WE) initiative. Men are invited to attend a series of facilitated group d ..read more

Naima*—now one of the most outspoken advocates for girls’ rights in her community—did not have an easy childhood. She grew up in Bokaro—a vibrant, cosmopolitan city in northeastern India, famous for one of the largest steel plants in Asia and often referred to as the “City of Scholars” for serving as an academic hub of the East. Many say that education is the spirit of the city, but completing her studies was not written in Naima’s stars. At the age of 15, shortly after finishing her 10th grade exams, Naima was forced to marry and move to the countryside with her newlywed husband and his fami ..read more

On the heels of International Women’s Day, PCI, a Global Communities Partner, is proud to announce the launch of an expansion to our Women Empowered (WE) savings groups project in Burundi. Beginning last month through March 2022, implementing partner Burundi Friends International (BFI) will support the creation of 128 new WE savings groups in Gitega province. The year-long initiative will serve an additional 3,040 rural women with financial training and support, along with 160 men to build positive masculinity. “BFI is thrilled to expand the Women Empowered program in Burundi. Working alongsid ..read more

If you ask LimeLife by Alcone, the perfect foundation to any beauty routine is contributing to a cycle of empowerment. Since 2017, the cosmetic line’s charitable arm, the Brighter Together Foundation, has donated more than half a million dollars to PCI’s Women Empowered Program. Contributions are raised by LimeLife Beauty Guides and go toward funding life and basic business skills training for women in Guatemala, Nicaragua and Tanzania. In this edition of “The Ripple Effect,” learn more about this unique partnership and LimeLife co-founder and co-CEO Michele Gay’s take on the value of cross ..read more

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the world online, a digital shift was taking place in rural Tanzania, and indeed around the world. In August 2019, following years of design and prototype testing, Project Concern International (PCI), a Global Communities Partner, and DreamStart Labs, a financial technology firm, piloted the DreamSave mobile app with 16 women’s savings groups in the Mara region. The app, which essentially serves as a digital savings ledger, includes the ability to track each individual member’s savings progress, outstanding loans, and any other fees or fines over t ..read more

When an ethnic civil war broke out in Burundi in 1993, Odette Habonimana learned firsthand how peace begins at home. Only 9 years old at the time, she watched her mother welcome frantic neighbors, Hutu and Tutsi alike, to shelter with their family of 12 as chaos ensued around them. “People were killing each other on every corner, burning hills and houses. It was very terrible. The world quickly turned into a hell,” said Odette, who was recently named the new Country Director of Burundi Friends International (BFI), a partner of PCI. “People from my village who were running joined us to seek r ..read more

A new study shows that savings groups that use a digital record keeping app experience greater transparency, fewer group conflicts and an increase in financial capability among individual members. The study also found evidence that highlights the need to include gender considerations in the design of savings group apps. These findings and more are presented in three research briefs highlighting key insights from the study conducted in rural Tanzania from August 2019 through February 2020: The Impact of Gender in Digital Solutions for Savings Groups Rethinking Key Roles in Digital Savings Gr ..read more

If money talks, then it’s never too soon to start a conversation about savings. And in the Cruz Regional community of Cuilco, Guatemala, a small group of children were the first to speak up. After watching their mothers form a savings and loan group through PCI’s Women Empowered (WE) initiative, five curious kids asked if they could join. However, since membership in “Las Maravillosas” (The Marvelous Women) is limited to adults, the mothers agreed to help the children form a group of their own. For the past 10 months, “Soy el futuro de mi comunidad” (I am the future of my community) has met ev ..read more

As a farmer, Sarah Ben understands there is a season for everything. Even so, she has known more than her fair share of loss—from the passing of three of her children to multiple years of failed crops. Despite these hardships, the mother of now five has continued to work towards building a better life for her family and her community. And with support from Project Concern International (PCI), the fruits of her labor are finally starting to be realized. Through the Njira project, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of Food for Peace, Sarah has participated in a numb ..read more