Dalia, the Woman Who Learned to Open Her Wings

In Women Saving in Solidarity Networks (MARES), women don’t just take care of money, they take care of dreams.

At every meeting, between shy giggles that slowly turned into deep conversations, Dalia strengthened her confidence and her belief that it was possible to change her story.

“Before, I wouldn’t leave my house and I didn’t speak to anyone; now I feel like a butterfly that has finally come out of its cocoon.”

She joined the MARES savings group in her neighborhood almost three years ago. Her process coincided with her husband’s migration, which meant she had to take on raising their children on her own, as well as new community responsibilities.

Instead of stopping, Dalia blossomed.

Today, she participates actively at the school, serving on the Parent Committee, and is also a representative on the Health Committee, where she helps secure support for medicines in her community.

“I feel useful, I feel happy because I’m not only a mother. I also know I can take on other activities.”

All this while managing her household with improved financial organization. In 2023, she started by saving $50 pesos a week; now she saves $200.

By doing this, in her first year she bought a large table, one big enough for her whole family. In the second cycle, she replaced her old mattress, and this year she’s about to reach her goal of replacing her old stove-top with a full stove and oven.

For her, participating in the MARES savings sessions and sharing with her companions has been her greatest source of strength: “When one of us is falling apart, the rest of us are there to lift her up. This group is a place where you feel sheltered.”

When Saving Becomes a Collective Embrace

The project includes a self-managed microcredit system, with low interest rates set by the participants themselves, allowing women to invest in small projects that improve their quality of life. The interest generated goes back into the group, strengthening solidarity and autonomy.

In addition, each participant contributes to a solidarity fund used to support women in unexpected situations, from serious illness to damage to their homes.

Now, more participants recognize themselves as providers:

  • 9% have created or strengthened a small business.
  • 30% now hold community leadership roles, stepping into responsibility spaces that once were banned to women.

MARES savings project has become a place where the economy intertwines with autonomy, sisterhood, and dignity.

That’s why, in this season when the most meaningful gifts don’t fit under a tree, your donation allows more women like Dalia to find this safe space, where they can save, learn, rise together, and discover that they, too, are allowed to dream big.

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