CRECE
Resilient and Economic Capabilities for Growth and Empowerment
2025–2027
Women living in extreme poverty face multiple barriers to economic inclusion, experiencing limited access to savings, financial services, markets, and decision-making power. Building on its proven Graduation Approach, Trickle Up launched CRECE (Capacidades Resilientes y Económicas para el Crecimiento y el Empoderamiento), a two-year initiative in Mexico and Colombia with support from MetLife Foundation.
CRECE empowers Indigenous women, Afro-descendants, migrants, and internally displaced people to break cycles of poverty by strengthening financial resilience, entrepreneurship, and agency.
Our Partners:
Why Mexico and Colombia?
Despite economic progress in the region, poverty remains deeply entrenched, especially for women from historically excluded communities. In 2024, 38.5 million people in Mexico lived in multidimensional poverty and 7.0 million in extreme poverty. Rural labor poverty increased from 47.6% to 49.1% between 2024 and 2025. Southern states face the deepest gaps:
Poverty continues to be a pressing challenge in Colombia. In 2024, 6.6 million people lived in multidimensional poverty and 6.9 million in extreme poverty, with a national multidimensional poverty rate of 11.5%.
In these contexts, Indigenous and Afro-descendant women face higher financial stress and limited access to credit, increasing vulnerability. Evidence from the World Bank and UN Women confirms that financial exclusion remains pervasive among ethnic communities in Latin America.
Trickle Up’s Proven Track Record
CRECE builds on Trickle Up’s long-standing presence and impact in both Mexico and Colombia. Together with MetLife Foundation and other partners, Trickle Up has already reached more than 9,000 women, creating a strong foundation for CRECE to scale impact across two regions.
Through the FUERTE Project (2022–2025) in Mexico:
- Over 6,000 Indigenous women strengthened savings habits
- 3,200 microenterprises were launched or expanded
- 100% of participants developed saving practices
- Women collectively mobilized $14,000,000+ MXP
- Participants increased their voice in household financial decisions
Through the FOCO Project (since 2022) in Colombia:
- Local organizations strengthened their capacity
- Camino, Trickle Up’s coaching app, was introduced to support women with:
- Gender inclusion
- Savings and financial planning
- Entrepreneurship and livelihoods
CRECE’s Approach
CRECE is rooted in Trickle Up’s Theory of Change, supporting women through two transformative stages:
Graduation from Extreme Poverty
Women build immediate resilience through:
- Savings groups
- Seed capital
- Financial literacy
Resilience and Financial Health
Women strengthen long-term economic agency by:
- Growing and diversifying enterprises
- Developing digital and leadership skills
- Increasing decision-making power at home and in their communities
Core Components
CRECE integrates five mutually reinforcing pillars:
1. Financial Inclusion and Savings
Strengthening savings groups, financial planning skills, and community solidarity funds.
2. Entrepreneurship and Market Linkages
Business training and connections to local markets and value chains.
3. Coaching and Digital Tools
Use of Trickle Up’s coaching apps and microlearning content in local languages.
4. Gender and Leadership
Life skills, leadership development, and decision-making workshops to amplify women’s voices.
5. Advocacy and Communication
A Community of Practice, national and international events, and collaboration with governments to integrate financial inclusion into policy and practice.
Expected Results by 2027
Colombia
320 Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and migrant women—and their households—graduate from extreme poverty
100 women receive seed capital to start or strengthen livelihoods
Women increase savings, market access, and decision-making power
Mexico
3,300 Indigenous women strengthen financial health and shock resilience
1,000 women improve entrepreneurial and digital skills
20,000 women access digital financial education content
Expanded national and local partnerships advance advocacy for women’s financial inclusion
Strengthening Voices, Shaping Futures
CRECE reflects Trickle Up’s commitment to moving women from vulnerability to resilience and from exclusion to agency. By combining proven models with innovation, CRECE enables thousands of women to build savings, grow enterprises, and shape the decisions that affect their families and communities, creating lasting pathways out of extreme poverty.
