Women (in VSLAs) Respond is an ongoing exercise, conducted by CARE, listening to how women in Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) are affected by and respond to shocks and crises in their communities, including conflict, climate change, food insecurity, pandemics and more.

Women Respond builds on CARE’s Rapid Gender Analysis work, needs assessments and our long-standing relationships with female leaders all over the world to better understand the unique situation crises present so that we can adapt our programming and advocacy to meet those challenges. It puts women’s voices at the center of response and provides unique insights into women’s experiences as leaders, emergency responders and advocates at the local, national and global levels. The data generated through Women Respond is shared with participating VSLA groups so that they can advocate for their own needs and influence policies and humanitarian programming.

This brief represents 2023 data from 3,822 VSLA members from seven countries. For quick reference, there is also a one-pager of key findings.