PCI's WE (Women Empowered) Initiative

PCI’s WE (Women Empowered) Initiative is an innovative and cost effective economic model that helps very poor women to sustainably build their own social and economic capital through the formation of self-managed groups that save, lend and conduct business together.

The WE Initiative helps give women the tools they need to not only increase the food and livelihood security of their families, but also to increase their status at home and in the greater community. Once established and operational, the groups become a sustainable, ongoing business and economic development platform that is entirely directed and administered by the women themselves, without outside management, resources or long-term external support.

Five Steps to Success:

1. Group facilitators are trained in the Women’s Empowerment methodology and recruited to form savings groups of 15-25 women;
2. Savings groups meet weekly to discuss issues of mutual interest and to pool their limited resources, starting with about $.15 per woman, per week;
3. Over the period of 6 -9 months, the groups build trust and loyalty and start utilizing their collective funds for individual or group business activities – such as bulk buying of cooking oil;
4. Later, groups start to use their funds to offer interest-bearing loans to other members of the group, for individual and/or group income-generating activities;
5. A portion of profits is used to meet the needs of the individuals and their families, while the rest is reinvested in the group’s savings.

To learn more about ways you can become involved, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , PCI's Director of Development, at (858) 279-9690 x346.