On a recent trip to Mali, West Africa, Trickle Up President Bill Abrams was fortunate to meet a savings group in the village of Barbe.
Many of these women are proud mothers who, as a result of their Trickle Up supported businesses, can now afford to send their children to school.
Interviewer: “How many children do you have?”
Woman: “Six”
Interviewer: “She got six.”
Interviewer: “How many attend school?”
Woman: “Four”
Interviewer: “Well done, that’s a lot of work! 4 out of 6. For a Fulani lady (an African ethnic group), this is not common!”
Woman: “We’ve noticed a change. In the past we couldn’t give our children pocket money for school. We couldn’t give them clothes, shoes, books, and other basic school supplies. Now we can.”
Interviewer and Bill: “How many children do you have and what ages?”
Woman: “I have two going to school. I am responsible for encouraging these mothers to send their children to school. I go from house to house and identify children that are of age to go to school. And I give their names to the school master.”
Nathalie Laidler-Kylander, president and CEO of Trickle Up, joins Richard Brubaker on the Mission Driven Podcast to talk about Trickle Up’s unique approach to ending extreme poverty and partnering with women in the most low-resource settings.
Nathalie Laidler-Kylander, President and CEO of Trickle Up, joins Bill Burke on The Optimism Institute’s podcast, Blue Sky, to talk about her career path to Trickle Up and her optimism for solving some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
Members of Trickle Up’s technical team share Indigenous heritage with our project participants. The FUERTE project allows them to connect more deeply with their native languages, Tzotzil and Tzeltal, and communities in Mexico and supports the connection of Indigenous community members and leaders across the regions.
