“It is never too late to learn. My dream has always been to study, but with the children, it wasn’t possible. I decided to come here because taking care of the family during the day left me no time to learn.”  

Sometimes, as in Rosa’s case, it is enough to know that you are being supported on a journey that understands your needs and dreams. As a woman who just wants time and space to cultivate her abilities and become aware of what she can accomplish, this support is invaluable. Women can experience a transformative process, accompanied by women’s support groups, where facilitators—other women—assist them through a personal journey that focuses on the individual as the source of their transformation. In this way, together with other women like them, they can empower each other, learning from one another. As they take control of their own lives, they gain the courage to make decisions for themselves and their families. 

Rosa is one of more than 860 women from Bolivia and seven other countries in Latin America—Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Honduras, and El Salvador—who participated in technical training and workshops based on women’s interests as part of the Promoting Economic and Financial Inclusion of Vulnerable Women in Latin America project. After completing this technical training, women like Rosa received support in developing business plans, marketing tools (such as online marketing), and entrepreneurship training.  

GSIF Latin America, together with its local partners, has developed a model for the implementation of economic and financial inclusion programs to achieve inclusive economic and social participation of women living in vulnerable conditions through empowerment and capacity development and to promote sustainable change in their lives.

Rosa and her companions transformed their lives and their environments, reducing their vulnerability and becoming more resilient. 

Listen to Rosa’s transformation story in her own words.