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.”
Indigenous women who hail from our project areas in Oaxaca and Chiapas, Mexico, support Trickle Up in facilitating projects and connecting with target communities across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. This region is known for having some of the highest levels of poverty in Mexico, and Trickle Up works closely with community leaders to best deliver programs that maximize impact and sustainable solutions.
Indigenous women from Trickle Up’s savings groups in Chiapas discuss how they feel, what they anticipate with saving and building their businesses, and their hopes for the future.
Indigenous women from Trickle Up’s project areas in Oaxaca and Chiapas, Mexico, recount how the FUERTE project has affected their lives and their observations on how their relationships and communities are transforming.
