PROJECT

FUERTE

Trickle Up seeks to address the interlinked problems of extreme poverty, the marginalization of indigenous women, and the effects of crises such as climate change and COVID on people living in poverty in the southern Mexican states of Chiapas and Oaxaca, two of the poorest states in the country. 

Chiapas and Oaxaca, Mexico

Fortaleza, Unidad, Empoderamiento, Resiliencia, para mujeres en Extrema pobreza (FUERTE) is a three-year project that will reach 6,000 direct participants and their households through a holistic package of Graduation interventions with financial inclusion components. Trickle Up, in partnership with local partner NGOs, will employ a three-pronged strategy focusing on indigenous women who are living in extreme poverty to increase their financial health and inclusion; strengthen their voice and agency; and collaborate with other actors to address barriers in the policy environment. 

Our Approach

Trickle Up will incorporate lessons learned from its MetLife Foundation-supported “Empowering Women and Youth Through Graduation and Financial Inclusion” project, implemented from 2017 to 2021, including prioritizing establishing government relationships early in the project lifetime; ensuring similar participant profiles in terms of socioeconomic status; and adapting coaching to reflect cultural considerations. This project will incorporate findings from a recently completed evaluation and give additional focus to strengthening contingency planning in the event of disruptions to markets. We will continue to focus on building the capacity of community facilitators, advancing the use of digital technology, establishing linkages with municipal governments, and supporting risk assessments and mitigation planning with savings groups and partners.

Our Progress

Planned Participants

participants who will receive seed capital grants

participants reached with a focus on financial inclusion

Project Team

The FUERTE team includes four dedicated staff in Mexico and members from Trickle Up’s Americas office. 

Project Partners

Trickle Up is partnering with the MetLife Foundation, Whole Planet Foundation, and local NGOs in Mexico that share our mission of enabling dignified and sustainable livelihoods of indigenous women to implement the FUERTE project.