Economic Empowerment

Impact goal: Project participants and communities are economically empowered.

Digni supports work that facilitates the economic and social empowerment of people living in poverty, with a focus on access to technology, credit, financial services and markets; and decent work and income generating activities.

In 2025, Digni supported 23 projects aimed at economic empowerment, with six projects submitting final-year reports. More than 6,000 people—62% of them women—reported increased income as a result of project activities. The programme facilitated 3,100 active savings and loan groups, trained 9,700 people in income-generating activities, and supported nearly 700 new businesses and close to 200 new jobs.

The project activities were heavily geared towards women. There are anectodical but compelling evidence that the economic empowerment of women in the projects has led to a significant reduction in household conflicts and sexual and gender-based violence. The assumption is that stress levels are reduced when the household economy and food security situation improve.