Women Empowerment

Microfinance institutions have the potential to help women in rural areas become economically independent through microcredit and related financial services.  By putting capital and financial resources into women's hands, microfinance innovations contribute not only to poverty reduction but also to issues of gender equality and empowerment.

Mater Dei Africa (MDA) provides formal and informal education on microfinance including bookkeeping, marketing and business.

MDA provides training in handicrafts, including embroidery, stitching, tailoring, knitting, design, paper bag making, batik tie-die, and catering, and provides loans to support these activities.  This process gives women a stake in their own destinies as an incredibly powerful force for change and a strategic way to break the cycle of poverty.