1. as pandemic pulls more into poverty, families push back
With tens of millions of people around the world at risk for falling into extreme poverty — defined by the
World Bank as living on less than $1.90 a day — families participating in Unbound programs relied on grit and creativity to keep their livelihoods afloat during the pandemic.
In the Kibagare slum community of Nairobi, Kenya, 67-year-old Benetta runs a small charcoal business out of her one-room shanty that she shares with four of her grandchildren. She says she has to keep working to support her grandkids, who she’s been raising on her own since the death of her son.
In addition to charcoal, Benetta sells bananas, candy and peanuts. “Since the virus was reported in Kenya my business went down,” she said. “The food in the house also reduced. I sell my stock and whatever remains we eat.”
Benetta is one of more than 30,000 elders who receive cash transfers and personalized services through Unbound, which is the only major U.S.-based organization to include sponsorship of the elderly.