Success Stories

Eight years ago, Maria and her husband were struggling to support their family in León, Nicaragua, the second poorest country in the Americas after Haiti, where 48% of the population lives below the poverty line. To help make ends meet, her three children – ages 14, 21, and 23 – would wander the streets after…

In impoverished communities throughout Latin America, women often have limited or no access to vital services such as finance, training and health care, yet they aspire to a better life for themselves and their families. Meet Janeth, a 38-year old mother of three children and a micro-entrepreneur from Santa Cruz, Bolivia. [wpvideo KQJ4k8Id] Before joining Pro…

March 8th 2010 is International Women’s Day.  Inspired by New York City garment workers’ demand for better working conditions, International Women’s Day is now a time to  celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. Unifem, UNESCO, and other organizations will be hosting events all over the world to celebrate…

At the age of 15, Linda Flores became a mother. She began making tortillas by hand and selling them to earn money to care for her child. Linda worked seven days a week, waking up at 4 a.m. and laboring all day at the stove top to make 500 tortillas a day. She and her…