When Women Earn (rather than simply reproduce)
This is from the recent Heifer International Journal. We thought you would find it interesting and stimulating.
Their values closely reflect Sharon’s and John’s – and by extension, each of yours.
When women earn an income, entire communities reap the rewards. Research shows investing in women is key to transforming rural communities. The health, education, nutrition and overall well being of households vastly increases when women are supported with resources and opportunities to pursue income generating opportunities.
Heifer International’s programs prioritize working with women for this reason, providing farming education, business training and opportunities to take on leadership roles and make a living of their own.
They improve their family’s well-being:
Women reinvest up to 90% of their earnings into households; money on nutritious food, healthcare education and other essentials.
They grow their farms and their food:
If women had access to agricultural resources as men they could feed far more people.
They spur prosperity in their communities:
Equal pay could mean an additional $150 trillion in global wealth.
They build confidence and expertise:
Over 47,000 women serve as leaders in Heifer-assisted entities including cooperatives and self-help groups.
Our programs have assisted more than 1.9 million women-headed households since 2012, organizing them into support groups to save and engage in business, to think critically about their potential and to forge a promising path forward.
Until Fosca Etap joined a Heifer-supported self-help group in 2018, she was financially dependent upon her husband and regularly struggled to afford food for her children. All that changed after she received training in leadership, budgeting, entrepreneurship and improved farming practices.
Applying what she learned to her own farm increased the quality and quantity of red maize and groundnut crops. But she didn’t stop there. Renting a storefront in the town center using a loan acquired through her local support group, Fosca launched a 2nd hand clothing business. As her confidence blossomed along with her business acumen, she was voted by her peers to become the vice-chair of her agricultural coop.
Today Fosca leads the coop members in building successful farming businesses of their own. She supplements her family’s diet with fish, fruits and vegetables and her growing clothing expertise.
‘Nowadays I am able to buy clothes and shoes for me and my children – better food, too’, she said. ‘My children are doing well compared with the time before my business.’
Sharing a portion of our wealth means so much to so many.
We may not know them or recognize their faces, but they are doing well.
Just wanted to share the Good News with you on this early spring day.
Eat wisely
Sleep well
Love with Abandon!
Thank you,
John
John Graves, AIF, CLU, ChFC
Registered Principal
The Renaissance Group, LLC
805.652.6942 fax 805.652.6930
199 Figueroa Street, Suite 101A Ventura, CA 93001
www.RenGroupLLC.com
CA Insurance License 0689525
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