Our overarching goal is to reduce poverty in Honduras through a sustainable approach to empowering local families. We do this, first, by ensuring that our borrowers are able to run successful microenterprises that enable them to earn profits and overcome poverty. Second, we aim for our clients to enjoy other tangible benefits in their lives, including healthier diets, safer homes, the ability to save, and greater educational attainment for their children. In doing so, we hope not only to improve quality of life for each family we work with but also to improve the wellbeing of Honduran communities overall.

Our strategy has two prongs: microfinance and education. We start with microfinance in order to make capital available to Honduras' most vulnerable populations. Our model is based upon the Solidarity Group, two to five women who take out a loan together and are jointly responsible to repay. These groups are the core of our program, engendering healthy accountability as well as cooperative support among group members.

The second core element of our strategy is education; we offer training in business and finances to all of our clients in assembly meetings once per month. In these sessions, women not only learn invaluable knowledge but also apply concepts to their own businesses to improve their success. Our credit officers also frequently visit each client for one-on-one business consulting and mentorship.

Furthermore, through both elements of our strategy — taking out and managing a loan on the one hand and receiving business training and financial education on the other — our clients improve their self-esteem and ability to have a positive outlook. These women also take on leadership roles within their groups and assemblies that further encourage confidence and personal development.

Adelante Foundation has been working in Honduras for 18 years and has fine-tuned a model that best meets the needs of rural women. We also continually evaluate the effectiveness of our work and make adjustments as needed to adapt an evolving environment.

Our staff of more than 50 Hondurans include several administrators who have been with the organization for eight or more years; in addition to their academic training, these leaders carry with them a wealth of institutional knowledge and skillfully steer our work. Our field staff work with clients on a daily basis, building close relationships that lend a unique understanding of the cultural and economic challenges faced by local women.

Our Board of Directors includes several members who have been with Adelante since its early years, as well as members with expertise in microfinance, international development, and Honduran culture. These committed volunteers expertly steer our work.

In addition to monitoring progress on our operational and financial goals, we use the Progress Out of Poverty Index (PPI) and surveys focused on the educational, economic, and personal benefits that clients enjoy through their experience with Adelante. These tools help us to measure our progress toward improving the quality of life for our clients and their families.

Since 2000, Adelante has lent to more than 100,000 Honduran women, and we have documented the tangible positive impact of our program on many of their lives. Going forward, we hope to increase our active client number to 10,000 and to open another branch office in the western region in 2020. Very importantly, we are improving our monitoring and evaluation strategies to be able to report more precisely on the outcomes and impact of our work, to more objectively ensure that we are fulfilling our mission of empowering the poorest Honduran women.