The High-Impact Agenda for Low-Income Women
The High-Impact Agenda for Low-Income Women is an EllaImpacta initiative designed to transform lives and break the cycles of vulnerability affecting millions of women in Brazil. Centered on economic autonomy, the program aims to dismantle structural barriers that limit low-income women’s access to rights, opportunities, and essential resources.
The initiative targets women with household incomes of up to five minimum wages, with priority given to those facing overlapping forms of discrimination—such as Black and Indigenous women, single mothers, informal caregivers, and women exposed to violence. It acknowledges the layered challenges these groups face and offers integrated, sustained responses.
Through coordinated action and evidence-based approaches, the Agenda seeks to generate both direct and systemic impact. It strengthens individual paths to emancipation while influencing practices, contributing to a more equitable future and the reduction of gender-based socioeconomic disparities.
The Program is structured in four strategies:
Axis 1: Housing
Provides temporary housing assistance for a period of up to 8 months to women experiencing housing vulnerability, combined with structured psychosocial support. The goal is to ensure housing security and support the transition to stable living conditions.
Axis 2: Care
Offers monthly financial support for up to 3 years to women responsible for caregiving duties (children, elderly persons, or individuals with disabilities), with the aim of enabling their entry into productive economic activities. The target is to support women caregivers, with an expectation that at least 60% will enter or return to the labor market during or after the support period.
Axis 3: Entrepreneurship
Provides tailored financing under favorable conditions to low-income women entrepreneurs, combined with ongoing technical assistance. The goal is to foster sustainable, women-led businesses. It is expected that 80% of the beneficiaries will sustain or expand their enterprises, maintain a default rate below 5%, and achieve an average income increase of 30%.
Axis 4: Advocacy
Establishes the EllaImpacta Observatory, dedicated to producing and disseminating evidence on gender inequalities and the impact of interventions. Its purpose is to inform public policy and influence institutional agendas.