Economic Empowerment

Children are often the first to feel the effects of poverty, being forced to go hungry or leave school to earn an income for the family. We work with children and families in extreme poverty to build up the skills they need to increase their income and assets.

We also set up savings and loan schemes so families can plan and provide for their children’s future. This approach helps families to become more resilient and better placed to cope with changing circumstances.

We’re also training women and young people so they can secure a decent livelihood and close the gender gap in the workplace.

90% of countrieshave at least one law that restricts economic equality for women

1 in 4 young peoplecannot find work for more than US$ 1.25 per day

40% of the world'sunemployed are young people

A photo of two female farmers in Malawi — In Malawi, Annes, left, works as a farmer – but finding enough food for her family is a constant pressure. "We depend on the food that we manage to find each day," she says.

Helping young farmers thrive in Malawi

Malawi’s farmers battle floods, droughts and pests to make a living. Adverse conditions caused by climate change can wipe out entire harvests – and the impact on children can be catastrophic. 37% of Malawian children are chronically malnourished.

Our five-year project, Helping Young Farmers Thrive in Malawi, is aiming to help over 145,000 farmers to diversify, strengthen and green their businesses. Climate-safe agriculture learned through our Farmer Field Schools is making sure farmers can grow enough food year-round, while savings and loans groups are increasing financial stability, helping Malawi’s farmers build greener and more resilient livelihoods.

Catherine is a teacher in Sierra Leone — "Education helps girls become confident. Teaching them helps them become bold so they can face any challenges in life.” Catherine is now a teacher, thanks to training from Plan International Sierra Leone.

Turning Girls into Teachers in Sierra Leone

In Sierra Leone, just 20% of girls graduate from high school. A powerful reason for this is the lack of female teachers in schools. Rural schools have very low numbers of female teachers, leaving girls without role models or safe authority figures. This year, we’re carrying out a special project to help trainee teachers in Sierra Leone secure their qualification. We have helped 238 young women complete distance-education teacher training. But we know from previous work that sitting the exams and receiving their diplomas can take as long as ten months. We are supporting our 238 trainees while they take this last, vital step to securing a brighter future.

Ending Financial Exclusion with Barclays

More than 2 billion people in the developing world don’t have access to basic financial services, such as savings, bank accounts or credit. Our award-winning Banking on Change partnership with Barclays and CARE International has helped to break down barriers to financial inclusion and improve the quality of life in the poorest communities. Find out how the partnership has helped young women like Cleopatra become business women.

Our partnership

Our Work to End the Cycle of Poverty

479 saving schemes in Nicaragua were set up to help families pay school fees and get lifesaving healthcare

25,000 young peoplein Zambia learnt entrepreneurial and work-related skills so they can work their way out of poverty

500 womenin Sri Lanka received training on setting up small businesses so they can raise their families out of poverty

From Exploitation to Electrician

In a night, I had to sleep with four or five men to make about 3,000 to 4,000 Uganda shillings [83p]. I kept crying day and night.

Now Grace enjoys being the only girl who’s an electrician in her community. She aspires to become a role model for other girls like herself. Find out how we helped Grace move from exploitation.

Grace's story

Ending Poverty with Economic Empowerment