Unbound

For Heidi, continuing her education has always been tied to something bigger. She wants to support her parents and create new opportunities for her future. At the same time, she is giving her time to others. She works with children who need help reading and writing, leads workshops each month, and creates a welcoming space for kids to learn. She has also watched mothers in her community become more involved and confident through shared activities and projects.

Heidi is taking each step forward with purpose, both for herself and for the people around her.

Christopher, from a rural town in Mexico, dreams of one day being elected mayor.

After graduating from high school, he plans to study public policy administration. He says his passion for uplifting others and understanding Mexico’s history will prepare him for the field.

"You could say I have a passion for helping others, because when I help people, I feel good.”

As an Unbound scholar, Christopher’s funds cover school expenses such as his uniform, lunch and bus fare. The scholarship program also emphasizes personal development, including learning how to build savings, practicing public speaking and tackling community service projects.

Marilyn spends her days studying civil engineering, focused on the lessons and challenges that come with higher education.

Through Unbound’s scholarship program, she is able to continue her studies and prepare for the future she is working toward.

Maribel, a 17-year-old entrepreneur, got the idea to sell homemade, flavored gummy candy through an Unbound skill development class. By learning how to invest her sponsored funds into her business, it now fully sustains itself.

She creates her own chili powder topping, packages the product with her logo and sells the gummy candy to her community. Maribel’s sales skills have flourished, and she is now focused on stocking her product in local stores.

Maribel has been a sponsored friend for 14 years and an Unbound scholar for nearly two years. Her ingenuity has provided her with experiences that are building a more sustainable livelihood.

Maribel, a 17-year-old entrepreneur, got the idea to sell homemade, flavored gummy candy through an Unbound skill development class. By learning to invest her sponsored funds in her business, she now fully sustains it.

“People really like my gummies...If things go well for me and I decide to continue, I think we will truly become a large production.”

Dania is a soon-to-be agricultural engineering graduate from El Salvador who describes herself as kind, authentic and driven by a desire to serve others.

As a child, time spent with her grandfather visiting animals along a nearby river sparked her love for nature. Years later, that connection to the outdoors inspired her path in agriculture.

“Through my studies, I’ve realized this career is not just about a plant or an animal. It’s about an entire ecosystem and an entire life,” she said. “It’s an impressive field where you never stop learning.”

A longtime sponsored youth and scholar, Dania serves as a leader in her community. Her interest in language and connection led her to help families translate, write and send letters to sponsors.

Looking ahead, Dania hopes to bring people together and share compassion within her community and beyond.

When we created the Poverty Stoplight, we did it with human dignity in mind: ensuring that every family had the power to take control of their lives and map out their path to success.

Unbound, the largest implementer of our methodology worldwide, launched an incredible dashboard that connects thousands of global sponsors with real, measurable community progress. Together, families have already turned over 1.2 million self identified needs (reds) into greens in areas like housing, healthcare, and employment!

Seeing photos of May, Quenny, and Arwin in the Philippines, or reading about Gertrude's journey in Kenya, proudly holding their Poverty Stoplight "lifemaps," is proof that local solutions can drive massive global impact.

Congratulations to the entire Unbound and Fundación Paraguaya teams for reaching this incredible tech and human milestone!

Check out the full article and explore how communities are going green: https://www.unbound.org/news-stories/child-sponsorship/community-progress-reports

💛 In the Philippines, a group of mothers turned $50 into a thriving business.

Gerlie's mothers group, called Peony, makes and sells dishwashing liquid to families and local retailers in their community. They meet once a month to mix, bottle and market their product together.

Each bottle costs roughly 54 cents to make and members sell them in the community while collecting a small profit as personal income. Any additional profit goes back into their savings program to help members with unexpected needs.

"None of this would have been possible without the guidance of Unbound staff and the continuous learning they provide through seminars and training," Gerlie said.

Mothers groups are the primary way parents participate in Unbound and it is through these groups that mothers learn to direct their families' paths out of poverty.

"We understand that our journey with Unbound will not last forever. Because of this, we see our livelihood as an important step toward sustainability". Gerlie, Mother of sponsored child and Peony group leader